And The Phalaropes are Gone - 14 Aug 2026
Last evening Justin Labadie reported 3 Wilson's Phalaropes swimming in a puddle next to the South Causeway. He then later reported 13 Wilson's Phalaropes in Cell 3! I decided to look for them this morning. I arrived at Mouillee Creek at 8 am under overcast skies and humid conditions (70ºF), and rode out to the North Causeway via the Walpatich Unit and Nelson Unit routes. Nothing to report along the way..,. The North Causeway was also quiet until I hit a mud spit along the Huron River shoreline. There I found a half-dozen juvenile Least Sandpipers and a Semipalmated Sandpiper that I hoped was a Baird's Sandpiper. What I believe is a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper is based on subtle characteristics: cap is dark and not finely-streaked as in Baird's juveniles. The buffy chest bib ends "above" the wing, and in the image below the semipalmated web can be seen in the foot. The bill is long and slightly drooped as expected in Baird's but wing projection (althou...
