April 28 Bird Walk at Niquette Bay

On Saturday, April 28th I walked 5 miles through Niquette Bay for my final field observation. It was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit when I set out around noon. I walked through a myriad of habitats, ranging from edge habitats, mature and first-growth forests, wetlands, and to an extent, high elevation habitat. Although I heard a lot of birds, I didn't see many. When I was near the wetland, I heard the Belted Kingfisher and Red-winged Blackbird clearly, but wasn't able to get a picture of them. I also had heard the Pileated Woodpecker calling, and was lucky enough to track it down and get some pictures before it flew off. However, my favorite find from today was the Barred Owl. I was at one of the highest points of Niquette Bay, and heard it hooting around 2pm. I pulled out my phone and played a Barred Owl call from the Merlin I.D. app I have, and waited. Within a few seconds, the owl flew right over me, and landing in a tree about 30 feet away. I was able to get a picture of him before he flew a little farther off, but I continued to play calls from my phone, to which he would respond with a single hoot.

Posted on May 3, 2018 06:38 PM by apbray