Nighthawk Watch at Stebbins Refuge

Ten Allen Bird Club members met at Pondside for the annual Nighthawk Watch. The first Nighthawks were not spotted until nearly 7:30, giving everyone plenty of time to catch up on birding adventures and other news from over the summer.   As dusk fell, the nighthawks began to fly over, and from our standpoint at the Tina Lane pullout we tallied 47 nighthawks.  Not as many as some years, but giving all participants good satisfying looks as several swooped down low just above our heads.  

Earlier in the evening there was a Peregrine and an Osprey that showed up.  A nearly full moon shone down on a cluster of 7 Great Egrets as they gathered for their night roost.  Green Herons flew across the ponds and Great Blues fed nearby.  Ducks - Wood, Mallards, and a nice surprise of Blue-wing Teal (3) flew in from wherever they had spent their day feeding.  By the time it had become too dark to see and the mosquitoes had come out in full force, we had tallied 31 species on a very pleasant evening.