Each year, this special field trip is scheduled to begin in the early pre-dawn hours (5:00 AM), so the participants can experience the sights and sounds as the marsh awakens. We had invited those who were interested in listening for a Yellow Rail to come early — at 4:30 AM, when we have often had success — but unfortunately we couldn’t find one this year. The morning started at a chilly 28 degrees and calm, with clear skies.
There was a full moon setting in the western sky, as the sky slowly brightened, and we started hearing the calls of marsh birds… SORA and VIRGINIA RAILS, AMERICAN BITTERNS, BARRED and GREAT HORNED OWLS, the winnowing flight displays of WILSON’S SNIPE, and the boisterous calls of SANDHILL CRANES and CANADA GEESE. During the dim predawn, we heard the “kwok” calls of a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON that passed overhead.
All around us, we began hearing the sounds of newly-arrived marsh residents, including SWAMP and SONG SPARROWS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, TREE SWALLOW, AMERICAN ROBIN, SEDGE WREN, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and others. Walking along the lane, we also heard NORTHERN FLICKER, PILEATED WOODPECKER, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and NORTHERN HOUSE WREN, and MALLARDS and WOOD DUCKS flew by.
Returning to our cars, we drove northeast along White River Road and reached a spot where a couple of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were calling and flying about among the nearby trees. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH were also present, and we heard a couple of EASTERN TOWHEES.
We turned onto Big Island Road and then Hopp Road, which we took south to the end of the paved section. Along the way we found BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, KILLDEER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS. We counted at least 10 BALD EAGLES along this road, and heard PIED-BILLED GREBE calling in the distant marsh. Also found were YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, PALM WARBLER, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, several EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, and a lone RUSTY BLACKBIRD.
Bald Eagles by Tom Schultz
We returned to Big Island Road and followed it around, encountering more EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, SAVANNAH SPARROW, NORTHERN FLICKER, BROWN THRASHER and EASTERN BLUEBIRD, and a grassy field along the way produced a couple of HENSLOW’S SPARROWS. To our surprise, a large Bald Eagle nest that was no longer occupied had a pair of CANADA GEESE standing on top of it – probably 30-40 feet up in a big cottonwood tree! A nice surprise along this drive was a MERLIN that flew right over us, and we also spotted a RED-TAILED HAWK, a NORTHERN HARRIER and several SANDHILL CRANES.
Our group continued through White River Marsh along Hwy. D, Marsh Road and South Road, where we found more HENSLOW’S SPARROWS, as well as SWAMP and SONG, another SEDGE WREN, EASTERN BLUEBIRD and EASTERN TOWHEE. We then made a stop at the White River bridge along Hwy. D. where we found BROWN CREEPER, EASTERN PHOEBE, HAIRY, DOWNY and PILEATED WOODPECKERS, and also BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
Further south along Hwy, D we parked and walked around on Dead End Road, where we found another RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, EASTERN TOWHEE, BALTIMORE ORIOLE and a couple of ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS. Several FIELD SPARROWS were present, as well as BLUE JAY, NORTHERN HOUSE WREN and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
Following a rest stop at a Princeton gas station, where we found a pair of nesting OSPREYS and a KILLDEER at its nest, we continued south and west to Marquette, where we walked down to a boat launch along Lake Puckaway. There we found SOLITARY SANDPIPER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS along the shore, and BLACK, FORSTER’S and COMMON TERNS out over the waters. Spotted in the nearby trees were RED-HEADED and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, GRAY CATBIRD and HOUSE FINCH, as well as YELLOW-RUMPED and NORTHERN YELLOW WARBLERS. Flying nearby were PURPLE MARTIN and TREE and BARN SWALLOWS, and a TURKEY VULTURE soared overhead.
From there we drove east to Lake Maria, where we checked the waters from the county park boat landing, finding WOOD DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, MALLARD, RUDDY DUCK, and a lone LESSER SCAUP. A few AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were also spotted on the water. In the nearby trees we found GRAY CATBIRD, PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and nearby were SONG and VESPER SPARROWS, a HORNED LARK, and a DOWNY WOODPECKER.
Our final stop of the morning, at a nearby pond along Lake Maria Road, had a few CANADA GEESE present, and we were surprised to also spot four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE feeding nearby! The shallow edges of the pond produced KILLDEER, DUNLIN, and LEAST, SPOTTED and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Other birds there included HORNED LARK, BARN SWALLOW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD and COMMON GRACKLE.
We wrapped the field trip up just before 12:30 with a high temperature of 55 degrees, ending with a total of 92 species for the morning!
Our trip report can be found here: 
https://ebird.org/tripreport/511281
A big thank you to everyone who participated, and to Jeff Baughman and Wendy Schultz, who co-led this fun event.
Tom Schultz – WSO Field Trip Committee