Conference Birding day 6 - Saturday

This morning we decided to explore Coral Avenue. There was a wooden platform  built over the dunes and the views were over the sea as well as inland over the trees. There was a constant movement of Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting through the trees. Out to sea some long lines of Scoter flew south and flocks of American Robin and Red-winged Blackbirds with some Grackles pulsed across the sky over the bushes. 3 Eastern meadowlarks flew round the watch point and a couple of Flickers and several Sharp-shinned hawks flew through giving good views. As we left we noticed a couple of ladies photographing Monarchs. As we looked there was a tree which had hundreds of Monarchs roosting and warming up in the sunshine. Every now and then one launched itself into the sky and fluttered off along the line of trees. 

We returned in time for breakfast and then ate it as the conference got going. Lunch was a choice of sandwiches and fruit all in a box. 

We decided to go to the Meadows where there were supposed to be a couple of rails. we parked up, took our lunch and walked along to the bridge area. There were a pair of Mute Swans  and some ducks but no sign of the rails. We ate lunch and suddenly a Sora Rail came out of the reeds feeding as it went. It was difficult to see but then another one appeared a little further right which was much easier to see, though difficult to photograph as it was in the shade. While we were watching the rail a Muskrat swam along the river edge on the other side of the bridge but wasn't very close.

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