Yesterday I flew the length of Dead Creek in Addison County to see the 
extent of exposed mudflats.  From Route 17 upstream (southward) mudflats 
created by drawdowns have grown in with vigorous plant grown, with 
little open water or mudflats.  From Route 17 downstream (northward) 
there are many acres of exposed mudflats along with shallow waters in 
the main trunk of the creek throughout the 7.25 miles to the confluence 
with Otter Creek.

Ron Payne and I surveyed early this morning at Farrell Access and fields 
to the south, as well as from the Panton Road Bridge, accounting for 
about 2.6 miles of visible mudflats.  From the Farrell and fields 
vantages, shorebirds totaled 212 individuals among six common species, 
though not a single plover.  At the Panton Bridge there were but two 
birds, one Killdeer and one Solitary Sandpiper.  All in all there 
continues to be very little utilization of available habitat.

Not a single warbler species was encountered.  One playful group of six 
Baltimore Orioles, apparently all juveniles, paid us no attention.

The complete Farrell list is below.

Ian
=======================
Farrell Access, Addison, US-VT
Aug 22, 2012 5:29 AM - 8:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.6 mile(s)
Comments:     Ron Payne, Ian Worley
42 species (+1 other taxa)

American Black Duck  7
Mallard  55
Green-winged Teal  33
Great Blue Heron  30     Scattered in the extensive shallow water and on 
mud flats
Green Heron  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  12     Seven in one group, 5 in another. 
Group of 7 was 3 adults and 4 juveniles
Osprey  2
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  1
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  8
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper  37
Least Sandpiper  164
Wilson's Snipe  1
Ring-billed Gull  9
Mourning Dove  7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
American Kestrel  1
Merlin  1
Empidonax sp.  2
Eastern Phoebe  6
Eastern Kingbird  2
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  23
Bank Swallow  7
Barn Swallow  59
Cliff Swallow  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
American Robin  3
Gray Catbird  2
European Starling  132
Cedar Waxwing  4
Savannah Sparrow  10
Song Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  5  Juveniles
Northern Cardinal  3
Red-winged Blackbird  34
Common Grackle  5
Baltimore Oriole  9     One group of six actively chasing each other 
between trees.  Most or all were juveniles
American Goldfinch  5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/vt)