On October 8-10, 2021 I attended my first Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS) meeting, based on Jekyll Island on the southern GA coast. The meeting featured numerous trips over that 3-day weekend. Plus I would have time to search for possible targets on the 7th and 11th in route to and from Jekyll Island, making it a nice 5-day birding weekend. And with an agenda like that it was easy to talk Bill and Anita Hooker into going to the meeting as well.
I went into the trip with 238 on my GA statelist. I’ve birded the GA coast a number of times
before, but it had been several decades (yikes!) since my last trip there. Since that time at least 3 new species have
expanded into the region - Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, and
Roseate Spoonbill. Plus, Sharp-tailed
Sparrow has been split since my last trips to the coast, so I still need
Nelson’s Sparrow. Not to mention
“Western” Willet as a new subspecies to consider, which someday could be
defined as a separate species. So along
with many other gaps in my GA statelist, I came up with a long list of 29
possible new statebird targets for the weekend.
Realistically I hoped for 11 additions, though getting 12 would allow me
to reach the nice round number of 250.
Thursday, October 7 – Travel to Jekyll Island with Two
Important Side-Trips
The drive to Jekyll Island would give me the opportunity to
bird almost anywhere in SC as well as the coast of GA. I started watching my SC and GA Needs Alerts
a couple weeks before the trip to see what might be around. By far the most common species I still needed
in SC was Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and they were reported off and on at
numerous locations not too far from my route.
But then even better was a pair of Clay-colored Sparrows reported for
several days at Fort Moultrie along the coast.
Unfortunately, they were last reported on the 2nd, so I was back to
aiming for BBWD. That is until the 5th
when a Heermann’s Gull was reported from Tybee Island, GA. And since it was seen again on the 6th,
the priority was the Heermann’s. The
regular BBWDs in SC would have to wait, perhaps for the trip back home.
I drove right to North Beach on Tybee Island, arriving at 2
PM, meeting up with Bill and Anita. We took
the short walk to the northern tip of the island where the Heermann’s had been
seen mixed in with Laughing Gulls. We
found 2 large mixed flocks of gulls and terns, complete with good numbers of
Lesser Black-backs of all ages. But we could
not find our target bird. While we were
there we were joined by another birder who was not only also heading to the GOS
meeting but would be our trip leader for our Sunday trip. It’s a small (birding) world…
As we headed back to the cars I checked the route to my
hotel and found that I-95 was really backed up, adding more than an hour to my
trip. Could I do some more birding
nearby while I waited for the traffic to clear?
Since I was right on the SC/GA stateline my thoughts went back to BBWDs
in SC and remembered that one spot where they seemed to be reliable was just
across the line at the Savannah NWR Kingfisher Pond site. It would mean just a little back-tracking, so
it seemed like a good plan.
Kingfisher Pond is a good-sized body of water, surrounded by
a woodland trail. As I pulled into the
parking lot I readied myself for walking the mosquito-infested loop. But right at the parking lot was a boat ramp
and small observation deck. Might as
well give it a try first. However much
of the pond was not visible due to thick vegetation, so I could only scan a
couple small areas. Luckily on my first
binocular scan I spotted a group of 5 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks foraging in
the wet brush. Glad I found them from
the observation deck – undoubtedly saved me a lot of mosquito bites. # 291 for SC statelist.
Friday, October 8 – Andrews Island Causeway and Disposal
Site
The Andrews Island Disposal Site is managed by GA DOT for
the disposal of dredge spoils removed from waterways in the area. It’s well-known as a great spot for
shorebirds and wading birds, but is not typically accessible to the public. So this site was a key priority for me – and
likely my best shot for new GA statebirds.
One concern though on the 8th was that there were big thunderstorms
predicted to come through during the day, so we needed to be sure to bird all
the best spots before the weather closed in.
We started birding along the causeway to the disposal site,
and soon had distant views of several Seaside Sparrows in these lush saltmarsh grasses
(GA statebird #1).
GA was the last eastern coastal state where I still needed Seaside Sparrow as a statebird. This is shown in my statebird map below - states where I’ve seen this species in its regular range are shaded in blue; tan states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.
And then numerous Roseate Spoonbills flew by (#2) along with many White Ibis and other waders.
Next it was on to the disposal site where we first headed to
the southeast where recent earth-moving activity created shallow ponds which
was good habitat for waders. It also
turned out to be good habitat for Mottled Duck – there was a pair in the first
pond we came to (#3). Then we doubled
back to the north end of the impoundment where we hoped for most of our
shorebirds. Our first stop had more
waders including the first Black-crowned Night-Herons of the day. And in the far distance we could see a large
flock of shorebirds and waterbirds in the shallow water. At that distance only American White Pelican was
identifiable, but still good for statebird #4.
Our next stop was in the northeast corner of the impoundment
with a number of shorebirds, along with Blue-winged Teal and Shovelers. With scans of nearby shorebirds I picked out
a small group of what I thought were Dunlin.
A nearby birder said he thought they were Stilt Sandpipers instead. And with closer looks I could see astrong
white supercilium and some barring on the sides - Stilt Sandpipers indeed (#5).
Our leader had to pull us away from this spot so that we
could get closer to the main flock of shorebirds in the northwest portion of
the site. Here’s a picture of the main
part of the impoundment loaded with waterbirds in the distance.
The first thing I spotted as we pulled up were hundreds of American Avocets (#6). Then a scan of the closer shorebirds revealed a couple dozen nearby Dowitchers, some obvious Short-bills but others were their larger Long-billed cousin looking like they had swallowed a football (#7). I thought I had seen everything there was to see at this spot, when someone mentioned they had Black-necked Stilts. With a quick scan I found a couple pairs of Stilts not too far out (#8).
Avocets and Stilts are two more species that have expanded
their range in GA and elsewhere in the southeast coasts. Formerly thought of as western species,
Avocets and to a lesser extent Stilts are now regular residents on the southeastern
coasts, and are rarities to look for in the northeast. My statebird maps pretty well reflect their
current ranges as both regular species and rarities.
Our last couple stops were on the western side of the impoundment providing more good views of the impressive shorebird flocks. I scanned a bit farther out and found a pair of Wilson’s Phalaropes feeding on the surface (#9) – not one I had expected on the trip. A bit farther along I found a very distant Godwit which unfortunately was just too far for an ID (Marbled is the expected one here, but Hudsonian has been here in previous years). Just as we hoped to try to get closer to the Godwit the ominous skies opened and it poured down rain on us. Luckily the dirt roads around the impoundment were still passable as we made our way out of the site in the torrential rain.
We ended the trip with 16 species of shorebirds and 9
species of waders. And most importantly a
whopping 9 new statebirds even though the thunderstorm shortened the outing.
The rain eventually stopped late in the afternoon, so I
teamed up with Bill and Anita to head to the south end of Jekyll Island to look
for some passerines. We were just about
to give up for the day when we drove by a group of birders with scopes in a small
residential neighborhood. As I always
say – “Bird the birders”, so we turned around, parked the car, and walked over
to the group to see what they had. Turns
out a birder had earlier found an immature Vermillion Flycatcher, and the news
was just getting out. Unfortunately, the
bird was not currently in view, though we had apparently walked right past it
before we knew what was up. Luckily it
reappeared a few minutes later and I got this phonescoped photo of this
cooperative bird (#10).
It’s been quite a while since I had a 10-statebird day. Nice start to the weekend…
Saturday, October 9 – Altamaha WMA
Saturday’s walk was at the Altamaha WMA which is a large
former rice farm managed for waders and shorebirds. At least it used to be. When we met up with our leader we found out
that recent hurricanes had severely damaged levees and water control systems. As a result, many of the impoundments had
fallen into disrepair, largely covered with thick emergent vegetation. Not much habitat for shorebirds and waders
I’m afraid. But we were successful
seeing the key target for this spot, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and in good
numbers (#11). Here’s my statebird map
for BBWD – I’ve been able to color in NC, SC, and now GA since moving to the
region.
We also had close views of another Stilt Sandpiper, earasing any question in my mind about the birds I had seen the day before. Though it was one of the very few shorebirds we saw.
The Altamaha trip was over by early afternoon giving me time
to do some chasing after some local targets.
The first one to try for was Reddish Egret, reported each of the last 2
days and that morning at Gould’s Inlet at the north end of Saint Simons
Island. When I arrived the tide was
quite high not providing much habitat for waders. So I waited a couple hours for the tide to
drop but still no Egret. (The bird was
reported again later that day – ugh.) As
a nice consolation, as I was driving through the town heading off the island I
spotted this Gray Kingbird perched on overhead wires. Not a statebird but still a nice rarity.
The last stop of the day was at a saltwater marsh back on Jekyll Island where Virginia Rails had been reported the previous couple of days. I was a bit surprised that I still needed this species for my GA list, but this is mostly a wintering species in GA which is a season I haven’t birded much locally. There were no details on the Virginias provided on the checklists, but when I got this first view of the marsh I knew it would be a good spot for rails.
I played some Virginia Rail tape at this first viewpoint and got one to call back almost instantly (#12). I continued my walk around the marsh and had at least 9 calling Clapper Rails, and perhaps another Virginia Rail. A good rail spot indeed.
Sunday, October 10 – Sapelo Island
Sunday’s trip was to head to Sapelo Island, a small coastal island
accessed by a short passenger ferry ride.
The big attraction on Sapelo Island is an introduced (and countable)
population of Chachalaca. Past reports
have also included a few migrant passerines, but by far Chachalaca is the key
target on a trip to Sapelo Island.
While making my final preparations for the trip pre-dawn
that morning I checked my most recent GA Needs Alert and noticed a report of
multiple Gray-cheeked Thrushes right nearby on Jekyll Island. That is one of my passerine targets though
not one I really expected. I opened the
checklist and realized it was a nocturnal count from a birder’s yard. So I figured rather than sit in my hotel room
waiting to head out for the Sapelo trip, why not head outside to see if I could
hear anything migrating overhead. I went
out to the parking lot but there was too much air conditioner noise. So I walked to the road where it was much
quieter, and instantly started to hear Swainson’s Thrushes. And then a couple minutes later heard the
distinctive call of a Gray-cheeked (#13).
I ended up with 9 Swainson’s, 1 Gray-cheeked, and 3 unknown passerines
in just 20 minutes. A great start to the
day.
A couple hours later I was at the ferry dock joined by 13
other birders anxiously awaiting our trip to Sapelo Island and our Chachalaca
search. After the short boat ride we
piled into the back of a pick-up fitted with metal seats just large enough to
fit our group. As we made our way into
the interior of the island we got classic views of stately old live oaks draped
with Spanish moss.
We were headed to the dump which is the area where Chachalaca were most likely. We were optimistic since the field trips on the previous 2 days were successful in finding this elusive bird. After a short stop looking at a few migrant warblers, our trip leader took us to the best area for Chachalaca. We quietly lined up on the path and listened while our leader played tape. After a couple minutes waiting with no response, we moved a bit farther down the trail and played more tape. But again no response. We doubled back and took a side trail and once again had no replies. At that point our leader amazingly gave up - after just 15 minutes of trying at 3 stops! Despite several of us stressing how important it was to us to find this key target bird. Apparently, his goal was to show us more of the island and maximize our daily list. We could have even gone back to the dump area at the end of the day when we finished with some free time before the ferry departed. But instead we walked around an old plantation house.
Luckily we did have one good bird during the trip. At one point we headed to a lighthouse, which
provided this nice Kodak moment.
And while birding the brush in the area we were lucky enough to find a rare Clay-colored Sparrow (#14), which gave us some nice views. This species is well-known for vagrancy - GA was my 10th state where I’ve seen it as a rarity, though I still need it in several of its regular states (cross-hatched in my statebird map below).
On the way back to Jekyll Island I once again tried for the Reddish Egret at Gould’s Inlet. The tide was much lower this time providing lots of habitat. But despite many scans I couldn’t find the bird. While I was there a local birder came by and mentioned the Egret is always there. Oh well, that one will have to wait for a future GA trip.
Monday, October 11 - Travel Home with a Side-Trip
Revisited
I had signed up for a walk at Harris Neck NWR on the 11th,
but there were few realistic statebird targets for me on that walk. So my plan all along was to be flexible and instead
consider pursuing any nearby rarities that had been reported. On our way back to the mainland from Sapelo
Island on the 10th I checked my GA Needs Alerts – the Heermann’s Gull was
re-found at Tybee Island! So I changed
my plans for the 11th and decided to give the Heermann’s a second try.
The Heermann’s Gull was reported on the 10th just after
sunrise at Tybee Island’s South Beach, and then later in the day was reported
at the other end of the island at North Beach.
I wondered if it had a routine of roosting overnight at South Beach, but
then spending the day feeding in the North Beach area. Or had it just moved up to North Beach? I decided to head to North Beach which was
the last place it was seen on the 10th. Besides
I couldn’t make it to Tybee Island by sunrise anyway. And if I didn’t see it at North Beach I could
always then give it a try at South Beach.
I pulled into the North Beach Parking lot and checked my
Needs Alert – the Heermann’s had once again been seen at sunrise that morning
at South Beach. I was just getting out
of the car when 2 birders came back from North Beach. They had also just seen the report of the
bird at South Beach and had not seen the target gull at North
Beach. So we all decided to head to
South Beach and hope it was still there.
Minutes later we arrived at South Beach and were scanning
through 2 flocks of gulls on the beach.
But with no luck. Then farther
off to the south we spotted a mixed flock of gulls, terns, and pelicans on a distant
sandbar. And sure enough there was the
Heermann’s Gull mixed in, the all gray bird really standing out among the
others (#15). Here’s a distant
phonescoped shot of the bird.
Just a few minutes later the entire flock took off from the sandbar, and luckily we were able to re-find the bird nearby roosting on the beach with numerous gulls, terns, and skimmers.
GA is my third state for this Pacific Ocean species as a rarity in the east.
Quite the ending for the GOS trip, giving me 15 new statebirds in GA and 1 more in SC. That brings my GA state list to 253, my 25th state with 250 or above. And I’m already looking forward to the next GOS trip and filling more gaps in my GA state list.
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