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After seeing two flocks of small shorebirds at Blackie Spit a few days ago, I decided to check out the Jetty at Iona today (Saturday The 14th).
The tide was out (at 7 AM) and the birds were scarce. There were about a dozen Spotted Sandpipers interspersed along the Jetty. At the end I saw 10 GB Herons, a couple of Cormorants, and some Sandpipers moving among the rocks. I would guess that they were Least and Western, the tiny ones.
The surprise bird for me was the presence of some Hummingbirds at the end of the Jetty. One Rufous male hovered in front of me a few times. Previously at Blackie Spit I had photographed a juvenile Anna's (he had a purplish gorget about 1/4th normal size). Here there was a tiny greenish Hummer sitting quietly on a limb of a bush. It had a spot on its chest and noticeable white around the eye. Probably an Anna's female, but it seemed very tiny. Once a bee landed near it and the Hummer seemed not much longer than two of the bees. I mention this because in the Winter someone claimed to have seen a Calliope at Iona. Given that at the same time the Costa's was living just across the river, I wondered if the Costa's had wandered over and been mistaken for a Calliope. Then someone mentioned that the Costa's probably mated with a local Hummer and perhaps created hybrids.
BUT, the main point of this post is to advise that I went to the Inner Ponds and there was a sign on the entry gate reading that it would be CLOSED from July 15 - 22. While I was standing there, truck after truck drove by, causing me to conclude that even if I entered, nothing interesting would be there.
So, don't make the trip for the next week if you are set on visiting the Inner Ponds.
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