Rollins Savanna 3/25

Lesser Yellowlegs

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A windy but otherwise warm and sunny morning at Rollins Savanna yielded 47 species for me including my first Lesser Yellowlegs of the year (above)! Other notables include a Pectoral Sandpiper (below - also my first of the year), two flyover Common Loons, three Savannah Sparrows (appropriate for Rollins Savanna), one Eastern Phoebe, six Tree Swallows and two Wilson's Snipe. Below is the one and only Pectoral Sandpiper of the day.

Pectoral Sandpiper

There were plenty of waterfowl on the water and flying around including Blue and Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, Canvasback and a Pied-billed Grebe. I have colloquially named the Green-winged Teal 'Super Ducks' because of the speed they fly around at - however when I got home I found they could also fly upside-down (see the picture below!!).

Blue-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal (aka Super Ducks)

Super Duck (flies upside down!)

There were plenty of Ring-necked Duck both on the water and in the air. This was one of my favorite water shots showing both the male & female together.

Ring-necked Duck

This was one of six Tree Swallows I saw today (my first of the season although I know they've already been seen at Rollins this year). They are especially handsome at this time of year in their shiny new plumage.

Tree Swallow

These Eastern Bluebirds had made their home in the hollow of a tree - something which I imagine they did very well before we came along and put nest boxes all over the place! This pair look like they've been set up for a museum display but I promise they're real! The male has some nesting material in his bill.

Eastern Bluebird

Finally, on the way back I flushed this Eastern Meadowlark that landed very close to me and allowed a few shots before it decided that 15 feet away from a human probably wasn't where it wanted to be. I looked where it flew up from for a nest but found no sign (yet!).

Eastern Meadowlark