A gorgeous Easter morning at Dead Creek:

- Canada geese
- mallards
- shovelers
- green-winged teal
- 5 greylag geese (domestic breed)
- ring-necked ducks
- wood ducks
- crows
- tree swallows (It looks as if there aren't any of the bird houses by the
cow field left for bluebirds!)
- ring-billed gulls
- Savannah sparrows
- redwinged blackbirds
- robins
- pileated woodpecker
- chickadees
- cowbirds
- grackles
- goldfinches
- song sparrows
- probable chipping sparrow (never got a good look at the little beast)
- turkey vultures
- osprey
- phoebe
- harriers
- killdeer
- good look at mystery hawk (I've pretty much settled on juvenile
broad-winged but I'm not sure. It was buteo-shaped, with no striping on its
fanned tail and no streaking on its creamy belly; no "elbows"; lots of
various shades of brown. It was hanging out low in a tree at the edge of
woods, overlooking water.)
- surprise of day: 2 pectoral sandpipers walking along the shore of the long
"pond" next to the viewing parking area - Every year, I have to relearn
shorebirds and I always feel confused at first. I was really wishing some
other birder would drop by! However, the two stayed around for a good long
time and I was able to watch with binoculars and scope, so I'm pretty sure of
my ID-ing.
- surprise of day #2: no herons of any sort! (The water is really high.)

There were also two lone buffleheads at the Charlotte Fishing Access area.

Maeve Kim
Jericho Center