Oceanside Marine Sanctuary June 23, 2010 by kmirth Oceanside Marine Sanctuary June 12, 2010 by Bernie and Linda Klempner We were pleased to be leading a group consisting of five members and guests at the Sanctuary on Sat. June 12th. Birds calling begins in the parking lot where we heard cardinals, robins, red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows and American crows and saw them overhead. The Sanctuary lives up to its name, as its calm serenity affects both birds and the watchers. Tree swallows fly in smooth waves above the grasses and around their nest boxes. The Clapper rail made a surprise appearance swimming out of the grasses like a duck. Although we heard it several other times, we did not see it again. The sought after salt marsh sharp tailed sparrow sat on a snag giving us a great viewing. Two ospreys flew to a nearby tree when we approached the nest and then came back to feed their three chicks. The sound of calling willets fills the air and egrets great and snowy, green herons, yellow-crowned and one black-crowned night heron and a glossy ibis feed among the grasses. Other fly-bys include American oystercatcher, d.c. cormorants, great blue heron, Forsters and a least tern was sitting on a sand bar. Complete list follows: Double-crested cormorant, green heron, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, yellow-crowned night heron, black-crowned night heron, glossy ibis, Canada geese, mallard, osprey, clapper rail, killdeer, American oystercatcher, willet, laughing gull, ring-billed gull, great black-backed gull, Forster's tern, least tern, American crow, fish crow, tree swallow, barn swallow, American robin, gray catbird, northern mockingbird, European starling, yellow warbler, saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow, song sparrow, northern cardinal, red-winged blackbird, common grackle and house sparrow. 36 species. http://qcbirdclub.wordpress.com/