AAS BARR HAMMOCK FIELD TRIP

The rains of the past few days finally gave way to clear skies and bright sunshine for the AAS outing at the Barr Hammock - Levy Lake Loop field trip.  With the Winter Olympics underway, it was quite fitting we had representatives from France, Australia, and the U.S. present for today's walk.  We started out along the north loop with the last of the early morning fog quickly burning away.  A few wood ducks, common grackles, red-winged blackbirds, swamp sparrows, carolina wrens, common yellowthroats, and yellow-rumped warblers were up and making their presence known.  The cool temperatures gradually warmed up and the bird activity increased as well.  Yellow-shafted northern flickers, great egrets, little blue herons, forster's terns, and eastern phoebes were out and about giving everyone great looks.  Highlights of the trip included numerous red-shouldered hawks, a fair number of bald eagles, a couple of sora, glossy ibis, marsh wrens, and a few american white pelicans.  Everyone had a great time, and although the south loop was fairly quiet today, we all shared some engaging conversations and fantastic weather.