315. Greater White-fronted Goose

Date        April 2, 2021

Location   Emiquon Preserve, Lewistown, IL

Several large flocks in loose formation flew over from the west to the east as I stood on the west shore looking east at the water. I heard a bunch of unfamiliar calls, which were like Canada Geese but higher in pitch. I was able to get a good enough look at them flying over, and I confirmed the sound with my birding app on my phone.

Greater White-fronted Goose

314. Swainson's Warbler

Date         July 11, 2020

Location    West Penn Trail, mile marker 9, Indiana county, PA

It's not supposed to be this easy. This time, I was fortunate.

Walking on the Ghost Town Trail the day before, I ran into a couple with binoculars and a camera with a huge lens. I stopped to talk birds, and they asked if I was interested in a Swainson's Warbler. I said that indeed I was. I thought I had heard one the previous year at Allegheny Portage NHS, but I wasn't sure about it. They gave me directions on how to find it, so I resolved to look the next day.

I woke up early the next morning and drove to the Livermore trail head of the West Penn Trail. It was dark and drizzly, with short periods of showers. As instructed, I went down the hill and turned left onto the trail. I soon came to mile marker 9.5. I had been told that mile 9 was about 3/4 mile from the starting point, so everything was working out so far. The trail was heavily shaded, so the rain/drizzle wasn't an issue.

After crossing over the Conemaugh river on a bridge, I arrived at mile marker 9, where a Swainson's Warbler had been heard just the previous day (the couple belonged to the local birding club, so they were in the know). Not two seconds after arriving at the signpost with 9 on it, I heard the song. He repeated it several times.

The song was coming from some deep woods on private property, so there was no real chance of actually seeing it.

Cornell: Swainson's Warbler

313. White Ibis

Date         June 11, 2020

Location    Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX

A few minutes after the duck flyover, next came a single ibis who flew almost in the same flight path and also landed in the pond. I also saw him a second time when I went back to the pond, although he was closer to the road and a bit more timid, flying away soon after I arrived. The black wingtips were an aid along with that long red beak, of course.

Cornell: White Ibis

312. Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Date         June 11, 2020

Location    Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX

I had turned off the second road where I'd seen the rails onto a mowed grassy trail to the left. There was a pond to my left. As I walked along, one flew over me and landed in the pond. I saw him later when I backtracked to go back to my tent.

There was simply no mistaking this one, with the bright orange beak and, well, everything else that's so unique about this bird!

Cornell: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

311. Clapper Rail

Date         June 11, 2020

Location    Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX

I walked along the main road for some time, then turned right on another road. I suddenly saw a bird emerge from the tall grasses lining both sides of the road. I strongly suspected right away that it was a rail -- I had seen only one before, the King Rail at Prairie Oaks metro park -- and the behavior sure looked similar.

I spent a good 20 minutes in the area examining two of these rails as they ventured into the road many times, often crossing to the other side. They were calling almost constantly as well. I needed to make sure they weren't King Rails.

I got many excellent views of a fairly secretive bird, even watching their beaks open and shut as they made their clicking call notes.

I finally decided that they were Clappers for these reasons: 1) I was in a salt marsh (or at the very least, brackish, which I confirmed the next day with a local (my old friend Charlie S.) who assured me that Galveston island has no fresh water), 2) one made the grunt-chip call like a Clapper and unlike the King, and 3) the bird overall was duller than what you would expect to see on a King.

Cornell: Clapper Rail

310. White-tailed Kite

Date         June 11, 2020

Location    Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX

I went back to the campsite after my swim and was just sitting in the shade, having some dinner and water before heading out to explore the state park itself. There were plenty of birds flying overhead, but they were usually Laughing Gulls.

Then I saw one that looked somewhat different. The two black spots under the wings were very diagnostic, along with the white underparts.

Cornell: White-tailed Kite

309. Forster's Tern

Date         June 11, 2020

Location    Jamaica Beach, Galveston, TX

After checking in at the campsite, I decided to take a swim in the beach. Aside from the Brown Pelicans diving nearby in the water and the ubiquitous Laughing Gulls, while swimming I looked up and identified this tern. The call notes were key to the identification.

Cornell: Forster's Tern