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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