Trip Report by Thomas Plath

Seventeen observers enjoyed a great afternoon of birding at Reifel Refuge. The sanctuary manages the ponds for shore birds during fall migration and they did not disappoint. The sanctuary is a RAMSAR site and one of the best places to view shore birds during fall migration in our region.

The house pond gave us close, leisurely views of Long-billed Dowitchers and both species of yellowlegs. Overhead the buzzy calls and chattering of Purple Martins were heard. More of the same at the Southwest Marsh, however a scan of the dozens of foraging and resting Barn Swallows revealed a few Bank Swallows, a Cliff and a young Northern Rough-winged Swallow. The latter species showing tawny wing bars giving its age away. A Peregrine Falcon buzzed by flushing shorebirds but luckily they returned.

The West Field is the best area for waders and several species were present giving us good scope views of some scarce ones. A couple of adult Red-necked Phalaropes were swimming near feeding dowitchers further out, and much closer were two Wilson’s Phalarope giving us excellent looks. Along the mud edge was a Killdeer, and comparisons were made of few Least and two Semipalmated Sandpipers feeding close to each other. A hatch of aerial insects over the West Field attracted hawking Ring-billed, a few California Gulls and a Bonaparte’s Gull.  

A complete surprise and to the delight of everyone, a Virginia Rail flew up out of the marsh edge in front of us and then quickly dropped down and promptly called a couple of times.

In a couple of hours 49 bird species were recorded making it a very productive and pleasant field trip.