I had another productive morning walk at Schoolhouse Pond this morning.  3 Blue-winged Teal and 9 Green-winged Teal, as well as 8 Wood Ducks and 1 Shoveler continue at Schoolhouse Pond.  Also of note were 2 Rusty Blackbirds feeding on the edge of the mudflats along the pond.  Several Osprey were successfully catching fish.  There was a group of four or five Mrytle Warblers feeding in the trees.  Flyover gulls included 160 or so Ring-billed Gulls, 20+ Herring Gulls, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls, and 2 Laughing Gulls.

Perhaps most interesting is that I believe that I've heard a Virginia Rail vocalize the last two mornings.  I heard the bird twice on Monday morning and once today.  However, in spite of extensive searching along the edges of the patches of cattails and along the mudflats at the rear of the pond, I've been unable to see anything.  The only time that I've seen a Virginia Rail at Schoolhouse Pond was in February 2000, when I saw a rail feeding in the open along the mudflats.  I will definitely keep watching for rails over the coming days and post if I turn anything up.

Fred Shaffer