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Continuing with the portmanteau theme of Josh's ruddlehead duck, I birded in the St. Warren/Charles area this morning for several hours, joined at times by Shawn Ashbaugh and Jim Jackson. Twenty-seven golden plovers continue at the alfalfa field on Augusta Bottoms Rd. They were accompanied by a few killdeer and pectoral sandpipers. Several fish crows were heard and seen carrying nest materials. At Voelkerding Slough later in the morning the wind began to freshen so sparrows were holding pretty tight and difficult to see. I did see several swamp sparrows and song sparrows. Newly arrived field and chipping sparrows were seen along the Katy Trail. Shorebird numbers are increasing at the west end of the reserve. Shawn and I saw about 40 pectorals, 5-6 Wilson's snipe, 1 short-billed dowitcher, a few killdeer and Shawn saw a single pipit that I could not relocate. We saw a feeding group of rusty blackbirds at the western terminus of the circumferential berm, about 18-20 birds. Wood Ducks seemed to be everywhere in the slough. I saw a cooper's hawk chase a robin across highway 47 at the Dutzow stoplight. Don Hays _______________ Donald R. Hays Union, Franklin County, Missouri ------------------------------------------------------------ The Audubon Society of Missouri's Wild Bird Discussion Forum Questions or comments? Email the list owners: mailto:[log in to unmask]