Dowitchers

I set out in the early afternoon. My usual morning start would have been at the lowest of the tides and my options for wandering would have been quite limited.  The tide is almost peaking, so I have little current to paddle against as I head downriver to the marsh.

It is a warm and humid day, not oppressive, but the air feels thick just the same.  There is a light wind out of the south - it feels good. There is minor drama in the clouds - a slight threat of thunderstorms in the dark gray clouds, which is normal for a humid summer day. It all looks distant enough to not be a worry.

I head on a clockwise circuit, taking the inner channel up to the central phragmites patch.  Until I get there, it is the usual mix of Yellow Crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets.  Nothing unusual except for one Yellow Crown that scolds the hell out of me while circling overhead.  At the patch, I flush three Black Crowned Night Herons, which is also normal for this time of year. There is a Great Blue Heron in here as well... it leaves.

Short Billed Dowitchers

From the refuge launch, I head across to the bottom of Nell's Island in search of the Short Billed Dowitchers that we spotted on the last trip.  It seems that they might be gone, but I eventually find them standing on reed mats near the bottom end of the island, pretty much in the area that we saw them before.  They are quite a bit more tame today for some reason.  Usually, they flush as I near, but this time I get within fifty feet and they just stay. I'd guess that the numbers of birds is about the same as two days ago, so this might be a top-over break as they head south.

A Willet with three Short Billed Dowitchers

I head upriver through Nell's Channel and return to where I came from.