Report from 7 to 9 July 2023

An early hint of fall migration brought us about thirty Teal, a dozen each of Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, and Black-winged Stilt, several Greenshank and a single Ruff. Among the passerines, Marsh Warblers are particularly active and conspicuous. They are our latest arriving migrant and breeder, and as such they are still busy raising their young. Most have already left the nest, but they still depend on their parents to be fed. The contact calls of both adults and juveniles betray their presence.

The Purple Herons and most of the Night Herons and Little Egrets have already fledged their young, while the Pygmy Cormorant chicks, nearly fully grown, are still in the nest. The Cattle Egrets are lagging behind and are still incubating eggs.

They do so with great care; every now and again they get up to turn the eggs over with delicate strokes of their bills. I am often struck by the size of the eggs compared to the body of the birds that laid them. It must have been some effort!