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Lake Wallace, 10/3/99




Molly Bonnell, Jerry Griggs, and I made the trip to Lake Wallace yesterday.
 We had excellent looks at the Western Grebe as he preened and apparently
napped while hanging around on the water with three of his eastern cousins,
Pied-billed Grebes.  He is best seen from the side of Lake Wallace that has
the picnic area, although the bird can be seen from the other side of Lake
Wallace with a scope.  This was certainly an elegant and accommodating bird.

Other birds of interest at Lake Wallace included a few migrants.  A
Black-throated Green Warbler, a Philadelphia Vireo (completely pale yellow
underneath including undertail coverts and that oddball eye-stripe, as well
as a distinctive head shape with a more acute angle between the thick beak
and the forehead and a higher dome on the top of the head than warblers -
it is another Philadelphia for you, Tim!), and yet another possible winter
resident, a possible Rusty Blackbird.  This bird was spotted picking acorns
in a red oak tree along with a Blue Jay or two.  He was basically a flat
matte black all over without any kind of "gloss" or "sheen" while the
undertail coverts and lower belly appeared to be a dark charcoal gray.  The
tail did not appear to be keeled, although we never saw the bird fly.  The
eye was not quite as pale as a Grackle's usually is, being a golden-yellow
as opposed to the usual lemon ice yellow of the grackles.  A flash of rusty
was seen on the bird's side and particularly wing coverts in a certain
angle of light.  He appeared to be the size of the nearby Blue Jay, a bit
too large for Rusty perhaps, although Rusties always struck me as large for
some reason.  Rusty or immature Common Grackle?

Altogether an excellent and fun trip! 

  
Donna S. Bailey		
Winnsboro, SC

e-mail: dsbailey@conterra.com

URL:  http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey
	Where are the Birds?  Migration across South Carolina

URL: http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey/audubon
	Coulmbia Audubon Society