Falls Lake Wildathon
			2003 Report - May 7
				Due to pending weather I was forced to start my Wildathon early.  I began while still working on 5/6 at 7:00 p.m.  This added a few evening reptiles, but forced me to sleep after a long day at work.  Sunset at Sandling Beach did produce 2 Herring Gulls and a Caspian Tern. I got up at 3:30 a.m. to hit the field.  All three owls were immediately present, along with a surprise Common Nighthawk.  The park office gate produced my first Wildathon sighting of Flying Squirrel.  A lucky Opossum crossed the road near my Whip-poor-whill and Chuck-wills Widow fields.  Also new to my Wildathon a early morning American Woodcock was found on Old Weaver Trail, along with a flyover of two Black-crowned Night Herons, rare anytime at Falls Lake. At daybreak at Sandling Beach I spotted two female loons in breeding plumage, along with a Pied-billed Grebe, late sightings for both species.  Within minutes a Bald Eagle and three Osprey flew overhead, and ten species of land birds were hear singing.  Before 7:00 a.m. I was up to 28 species of birds and two dragonflies, giving me hope to break last years bird record. After a quick stop at the Broadwing Hawk nest near the Sandling gate, I hit the woods at Woodpecker Ridge for a few hours.  Nearly all woodpeckers were found, along with many neatropical migrants.  A uncommon Worm-eating Warbler was heard and seen far in a back field.  I nearly stepped on an immature Black Rat Snake and started finding only a few butterflies. Next was some grueling biking through the swamps and impoundments at Brickhouse Road.  Only a few birds were added, a flock of Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallow and Purple Martin, but over 20 species of butterflies and the rest of the dragonflies were seen here.  A first official park record (seen by me, at least) was seen along a field edge.  Mating Black Racers, Redbelly and Northern Water Snakes were seen.  Two separate Muskrat sightings were a nice surprise, but wouldn’t pose to well for a picture. Missing only a few gimmes, I proceeded to BW Wells for some herps.  Eastern Fence Lizard, Five-lined Skink and Ground Skink were found almost immediately.  Along the boundary a breeding pool of Eastern Newt Salamanders provided some enjoyment.  Add a few more butterflies and on the way back Eastern Meadowlark and some sparrows and you got yourself a Wildathon. WILDATHON 2003 RESULTS MAMMALS: 11    (2002: 10, 2001: 8) White-tailed Deer      Eastern Red Bat Big Brown Bat Virginia Opossum   Eastern Cottontail Woodchuck  Eastern Gray Squirrel Southern Flying Squirrel American Beaver Golden Mouse Muskrat REPTILES: 9  (2002: 11, 2001: 11) Eastern Fence Lizard   Five-lined Skink  Ground Skink    Black Racer   Black Rat Snake Redbelly Water Snake  Northern Water Snake Painted Turtle   Yellowbelly Slider AMPHIBIANS: 8 (2002: 13, 2001: 8) American Toad   Fowler=s Toad  Northern Cricket Frog Gray Treefrog    Bullfrog    Green Frog   Pickeral Frog Southern Leopard Frog  Eastern Newt BUTTERFLIES: 29 (2002: 23, 2001: 23)   Zebra Swallowtail  Black Swallowtail Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  Spicebush Swallowtail Cabbage White   Clouded Sulphur  Cloudless Sulphur Sleepy Orange   Pearl Crescent Eastern Comma American Lady Red Admiral    Common Buckeye  Red-spotted Purple Viceroy Hackberry Emperor   Carolina Satyr  Gray Hairstreak Eastern Tailed-blue Azure sp. Silver-spotted Skipper    Least Skipper Juvenal’s Duskywing  Horace=s Duskywing Southern Cloudywing  Silver-spotted Skipper Common Checkered-skipper Clouded Skipper Zabulon Skipper Wild Indigo Duskywing (official park record) ODONATES: 21   (2002: 25, 2001: 9) Common Green Darner  Regal Darner    Swamp Darner  Common Baskettail Selys Sundragon Uhler=s Sundragon  Lancet Clubtail Ashy Clubtail    Eastern Pondhawk  Spangled Skimmer Slaty Skimmer Twelve-spotted Skimmer  Common Whitetail  Blue Corporal Blue Dasher    Carolina Saddlebags  Black Saddlebag Orange Bluet Familiar/Stream Bluet   Eastern Forktail  Citrine Forktail FIREFLIES: 2 (2002: 5, 2001: 6) Photinus consimilus   P. brimleyi   BIRDS: 96   (2002: 106, 2001: 84) Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe   Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night Heron   Turkey Vulture  Canada Goose Wood Duck    Mallard   Osprey    Bald Eagle  Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk   Red-tailed Hawk Wild Turkey  Killdeer Solitary Sandpiper   Spotted Sandpiper  American Woodcock Ring-billed Gull   Herring Gull   Caspian Tern  Rock Dove   Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech Owl  Great Horned Owl   Barred Owl   Common Nighthawk Whip-poor-will   Chuck-wills-widow  Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker  Downy Woodpecker  Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker   Eastern Wood-Pewee Acadian Flycatcher   Eastern Phoebe  Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird   White-eyed Vireo  Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo  Red-eyed Vireo  Blue Jay American Crow   Fish Crow   Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow   Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee   Tufted Titmouse  White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch  Carolina Wren  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  Eastern Bluebird  Wood Thrush   Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing  Northern Parula    Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler  Pine Warbler   Prairie Warbler Black & White Warbler American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler Worm-eating Warbler  Ovenbird   Louisiana Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat  Hooded Warbler  Yellow-breasted Chat Summer Tanager   Scarlet Tanager  Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow   Field Sparrow    White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Blue Grosbeak   Indigo Bunting  Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark   Common Grackle  Brown-headed Cowbird House Finch   American Goldfinch