It was a beautiful, sunny, late fall day at Goose Pond when eleven birders, led by Bill
Sharkey, met at the Visitor’s Center to begin our field trip adventure. Bill, who has
assisted Amy Kearns with breeding bird surveys at Goose Pond over the years, gave a
brief history and overview of the nearly 10,000 acres of prairie and wetlands. Then the
group caravanned to Beehunter 5 in search of a LeConte’s Sparrow that was frequently
seen in the area.
Unfortunately, the LeConte’s was not seen by us, and surprisingly few sparrows were
found at all. Being a windy afternoon didn’t help. A few Swamp Sparrows and a Wilson’s
Snipe boosted our birding spirit a bit.
Our next stop was the north bridge at Main Pool East, which can often be a very
productive spot for waterfowl and shorebirds and provides a nice vista view of Main
Pool East and West. There were few birds there while we looked out, but for several
participants who had never been to Goose Pond, it was a good introduction to places to
check out the next time they came.
Our next stop was to look for the Vermillion Flycatcher. We had just barely gotten out
of our cars when someone spotted him perched in a tree right in the sun. Such a
beautiful sight, a life bird for several birders, and certainly a photo op for many as well.
We headed back to the Visitor’s Center where we were able to scope out several
Whooping Cranes along with some Sandhill Cranes, one Snow Goose, a Rough-legged
Hawk, and several Northern Harriers as our highlights. With the short days and the sun
getting low in the sky, our next stop was to Bear Run Mines to find some Short-eared
Owls.
If you have never been to Bear Run Mines, it is sort of a magical spot, especially on a
day with sun and a few clouds. As the sun sets, the vista view is breathtaking while
waiting for the owls to come out.
We heard our first owl before seeing it just as dusk came. Then they were being seen
from all directions, along with several Northern Harriers to confuse the situation. We
documented eleven owls, but there could have been more. Such a wonderful way to
end our trip to the Goose Pond area.
A special thanks to Bill Sharkey for stepping in at the last minute to guide us through
this wonderful day. We couldn’t have had a better guide.
Photo courtesy of Barb Bell.