The Marsh Rabbit Run trail was finally re-opened!  I went to the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning and found my very first Yellow-Billed Cuckoo!  I couldn’t believe it when he flew into a tree right over my head.  He was on Marsh Rabbit Run, about halfway down the trail.  It felt so good to be back on that trail!

The water levels are low and there were not a ton of birds.  I was hoping to see some migrant warblers or maybe a Belted Kingfisher.  We didn’t.  But we did see at least five Black-Crowned Night Herons, a Purple Martin, and three Killdeer.  Compared to last week’s cloudy morning, there was a lot more bird activity today.  It was definitely worth the trip, despite the heat.

The Wood Storks and Double-Crested Cormorants have returned to the reserve.  They covered the trees, looking like ornaments on Christmas trees.  A couple of cormorants posed on posts on the Wading Bird Way trail.  The lake made for good background bokeh.

A Great Blue Heron also posed on a post.  He looked pretty silly with his wings spread out.  He wanted to say “hi” to all the blog readers!

There’s a family of Purple Gallinules on Wading Bird Way.  The babies have grown a lot, and they are starting to molt into their adult colors.  I only saw the one baby today.  He posed in some bushes, playing “hide and seek” with us.  Then he came running out across the trail at full speed.  Why did the Purple Gallinule cross the road?

It was so hot today.  The humidity was high and there were no clouds.  We left around 9:30.  But it was great to be back at Circle B on Marsh Rabbit Run.  Soon the place will be covered in birds!

Bird Species List (21 total): American Coot, Anhinga, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Boat-tailed Grackle, Common Moorhen, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Killdeer, Limpkin, Little Blue Heron, Mourning Dove, Northern Bobwhite (heard), Northern Cardinal, Osprey, Purple Martin, Red-winged Blackbird, Sandhill Crane, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Yellow-Billed Cuckoo