This seems not to have gone through the first time I sent it.
--Dave Nutter
Yesterday evening I took a trip to Montezuma NWR. Along the Wildlife Drive I encountered my first SORA of the year, a black downy chick with a tiny black-tipped pink nub of a bill, tiny black nubs of featherless wings, and big black feet. It was foraging by itself, slowly walking about and pecking at the mud among cattails and other marsh emergents in the first half of the "shorebird flats". Although I watched it for several minutes, I saw no adult in the area; the little tyke seemed to be on its own. This was the first time I'd seen one so young.From the east end of Van Dyne Spoor Road I found my first definite LEAST BITTERN of the year far to the south as I was scanning with a scope. It was flying west low over the marsh, eventually descending into it. It reminded me of a meadowlark in size, shape (short tail, round body & wings, flat head & long, pointy bill) and general tan & gray color above, but not as bright yellow below, and its wingbeats were slow and even rather than rapid and stiff, plus it showed huge bright buffy patches atop the inner wings. Other Ardeids I found included plenty of GREAT BLUE HERONS throughout, half a dozen BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS and 29 GREAT EGRETS mostly gathered in the center of the marsh along with a single GREEN HERON, but I didn't find any American Bittern to complete the sweep.--Dave Nutter
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