Exciting things continue to happen at Goose Pond. Species that have not been seen here in many years are returning and in some cases nesting on the property.

Lee Sterrenburg is at Goose Pond cataloging these returning birds, said that during the last month that the fall shorebird migration is underway with; 6 Short-Billed Dowitchers on July 8th and 64 Lesser Yellowlegs on July 13th being observed.

Breeding season shorebird counts have been impressive; 28 Black-Necked Stilts, 3 Wilson's Snipes and 9 Wilson's Phalaropes on July 8th.

On July 8th Matt Bregeweg found an active Gadwall nest with a female setting on 8 eggs and Lee Sterrenburg photographed the nest. This is the first Gadwall nest in the history of Indiana ornithology dating back to the 1870's. Apparently there are 4 individual Gadwalls on the property.

Other rare ducks for the season have been; 1 Northern Pintail, 3 Green-Winged Teal, 1 male Ruddy Duck and 1 Black-Belled Whistling Duck.

The normal range of the Black-Bellied Whistling Duck is the Lower Rio Grand Valley and southward.

Lee also said that an other big avian event of the last month was the sighting of a White Ibis the normal summer range is coastal Virginia through Louisiana and inland away from the coast from South Carolina southward to Florida. The White Ibis at Goose Pond was far from its normal range.

Sightings of the American Bittern continue. The post-breeding season dispersal of Great Egrets is underway with a new high count for the currant summer of 23.

I would like to offer my thanks to Lee for all of his outstanding work at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area locating and cataloging these rare birds.

The roadwork has started on highway 59 to raise the roadbed and widen it to provide observation pull-offs which brings us that much closer to completion of the restoration project at Goose Pond.

Having Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area in our own back yard makes Greene County an exciting place to be an outdoor enthusiast.

Reminder that there is a few days left in the Friends of Goose Pond photo contest, you can send your photos to.

goosepondphoto@yahoo.com