The first day of May brought the heat with temperatures reaching into the upper 80s. Well before the temperature peaked, I struck south for the Hecla Ponds for some sunrise birding. It would prove to be a fruitful venture. Among the masses of coots, blackbirds, Franklin's Gulls and cormorants, a Black-crowned Night-heron peeked up from the reeds, and I spotted a pair of Hudsonian Godwits to add to the life list.
After a few hours poking around the ponds, I headed back northeast, encountering a few more Franklin's Gulls on the way.
While not as fruitful as Hecla, Hankinson Hills handed me a few first-of-year birds including Eastern Bluebird, Vesper and Clay-colored Sparrow. It also gave me a chance to experience the heat in unabated fashion, and after a couple miles of hiking and a short nap on the grass, I was comfortably tuckered out and ready to head home. But the day had more to give, as my feeders hosted their first (to my knowledge) clay-colored and savannah sparrows. All in all, a fun and rewarding day of birdwatching!
