Eighteen eager birders braved a sunny morning by the Serpentine River. Right beside the parking lot, we watched a fishing female Kingfisher (Queenfisher perhaps) and a Great Blue Heron. The Kingfisher struck out, but the Heron had better luck and caught a fair sized catfish, swallowing it in short order. Heading west along the river we saw many Yellow-rumped Warblers in the trees along the river bank. Cackling Geese passed by overhead showing their short necks and small heads very nicely as they gave their high pitched calls. Several small groups of Double-crested Cormorants flew past while a few fished in the river.

Turning south into the marsh, Common Yellowthroats and Marsh Wrens sang loudly for us. We noticed a Northern Shoveler snoozing in the reeds as more Cackling Geese flew over. Moving along the path, Tree Swallows could be heard and seen catching insects above us. A few Barn Swallows were also noted. Among the Mallards and American Wigeons in the ponds, a male Ring-necked Duck kept a low profile. Marsh Wrens and Common Yellowthroats continued to sing to us and a few lucky folks got good looks at both species as we continued along the path. Savanah Sparrows could be heard singing and one briefly popped into view. A couple of Rufous Hummingbirds put in an appearance as well.

Looking at a Rufous Hummingbird

We proceeded to the south lookout tower and in the field to the west could see several dozen Black-bellied Plovers, which explained why we had heard their calls earlier. Several Northern Shovelers fed in the ponds in the field and at least 2 Greater Yellowlegs stalked the pond edges. After descending from the tower we walked over to a farm field to the south and found several Eurasian-collared Doves. A Brown-headed Cowbird was also seen. A Black-throated Grey Warbler sang briefly from the bigger trees at the edge of the field. Two Killdeer were spotted out in the field as well. We decided to head back to the river and on the way found another Great Blue Heron with a catfish. We watched for several minutes as it washed the muck off the fish then got it in position to swallow. Eventually, the heron gulped it down in one swift motion.

By the Serpentine River

Back by the river, we found more Double-crested Cormorants, a few Canada Geese and Green-winged Teal. Unlike our February visit, the fields to the north of the observation tower by the river had no birds at all. In the hedgerows by the river however, we found several Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows. The final bird of the walk was an adult Bald Eagle sitting in a tree by the riverside. It was a perfect day weather-wise and in total we came across 40 species of birds.

Our eBird list is here https://ebird.org/checklist/S324328272