The Big Day

415am first species is an eastern screech owl!
531am leaving the point aux pines bog with a yellow rail, henslows sparrow, sedge wren
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753am shell mounds park on dauphin island.  Meeting up with Glen Davis.  Up to 45 species with Louisiana waterthrush, prothonotary warbler, and black and white warbler
907am the song birds are slowing down, but we've managed to dig up a northern parula
1120am shore birding is complete with highlights of snowy and Wilson's plover, red knot, American avocet, reddish egret
Species count: 92
216pm Getting behind on time and having to cut some stops.  Species count 113
500pm It has been tough catching some late afternoon species, but we have managed to get up to 119 species!  Almost to our goal, and now I think we can get close to 130 species for the day.  We missed out on Bachman's Sparrow, which was a bit of a let down, but we are on our way to finish off the daylight hours with some ducks, herons, and shorebirds.  Then after dark we will be on to the owls!
733pm  Finished the day with Redhead, American Bittern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Virginia Rail, and the amazing highlights of American Golden Plover and Upland Sandpiper.  We are getting ready to go out for owls and other nocturnals.
Species Count is up to 143!
1043pm Finished the Big Day with Barred Owl and American Woodcock for a grand total of 145 species.  Turned out to be quite an amazing day.  I will fill in more of the day tomorrow, after I get some long awaited sleep.

A big thanks to Glen for joining us today and helping find some great birds, especially American Avocet, Red Knot, Wilson's Plover, Snowy Plover, and sharing his scope with us!

Here is the list for the day! (roughly in the order that they were seen)
Eastern Screech Owl
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Henslow's Sparrow
Brown Thrasher
Swamp Sparrow
Yellow Rail
Sedge Wren
Northern Cardinal
American White Pelican
Northern Mockingbird
Mourning Dove
Blue Jay
Great Blue Heron
Carolina Wren
Ruby-throated Humingbird
House Wren
Killdeer
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Phoebe
European Starling
Osprey
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-and-white Warbler
Belted Kingfisher
Common Grackle
Purple Martin
Cedar Waxwing
Louisiana Waterthrush
Prothonotary Warbler
House Finch
Red-winged Blackbird
Blue-headed Vireo
Fish Crow
Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Spotted Sandpiper
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Loon
Eastern Bluebird
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Laughing Gull
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Horned Grebe
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Pine Siskin
Herring Gull
American Robin
Downy Woodpecker
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Northern Parula
Northern Flicker
Little Blue Heron
Brown Pelican
Royal Tern
American Oystercatcher
Ruddy Turnstone
Bufflehead
Sanderling
Red-breasted Merganser
Caspian Tern
Snowy Egret
Northern Gannet
Ring-billed Gull
Great Egret
Piping Plover
Wilson's Plover
American Avocet
Willet
Black Skimmer
Black-bellied Plover
Snowy Plover
Pectoral Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Savannah Sparrow
Pied-billed Grebe
Forster's Tern
Reddish Egret
Dunlin
Semi-palmated Plover
Lesser Scaup
Red Knot
Greater Yellowlegs
Sora
Mottled Duck
Tricolored Heron
Clapper Rail
American Kestrel
Northern Harrier
Carolina Chickadee
Red-headed Woodpecker
Seaside Sparrow
Marsh Wren
Red-tailed Hawk
Barn Swallow
Loggerhead Shrike
Palm Warbler
Black Vulture
Chipping Sparrow
Rock Pigeon
Vesper Sparrow
Wilson's Snipe
Boat-tailed Grackle
Turkey Vulture
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Towhee
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-throated Sparrow
Hermit Thrush
Song Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat
Hairy Woodpecker
Sandhill Crane
Eastern Meadowlark
Bald Eagle
American Coot
Northern Shoveler
Gray Catbird
Wood Duck
Ruddy Duck
Tree Swallow
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Yellowlegs
Black-necked Stilt
Pileated Woodpecker
Canada Goose
American Golden Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Upland Sandpiper
Virginia Rail
Common Gallinule
Cooper's Hawk
American Bittern
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Redhead
Barred Owl
American Woodcock