Stilt Sandpiper - 16 Jul 2006
Thanks to Eric's e-mail from yesterday I took a ride to Pt. Mouillee to look for the Stilt Sandpiper at the north end of Cell 3. From the Mouillee Creek entrance (parking area just north of Roberts Rd. off US-Turnpike) I heard a pair of SWAMP SPARROWS singing and saw one at the top of a dead snag. Lots of horseflies and dragonflies along the middle causeway, but no sign of the Tri-colored Heron (I met two others who also dipped on the bird). I did manage to see a MARSH WREN and a flyover AMERICAN BITTERN.
At the north end of Cell 3 I found:
13 Short-billed Dowitchers
1 Stilt Sandpiper
2 Lesser Yellowlegs
4 Least Sandpipers
3 Spotted Sandpipers
11 Killdeer
I was finally able to get some good digiscoped images of the STILT SANDPIPER
Some of the SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
One of the LESSER YELLOWLEGS
A LEAST SANDPIPER
Just a note about the mudflats - footing is good on dry ground, but stay away from the soft, cracked earthen areas. I managed to step through the dry crust and land up to my thigh in thick mud and needed several minutes to extract myself....
For you butterfly fans, I saw a gorgeous BLACK SWALLOWTAIL on my way out.
An Immature BALD EAGLE was soaring overhead at approximately 12 noon near the Mouillee Creek entrance as I completed my trip.
Jul 16, 2006 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Dipped on Tricolored Heron; Just a note about the mudflats - footing is good on dry ground, but stay away from the soft, cracked
earthen areas. I managed to step through the dry crust and land up to my thigh in thick mud and
needed several minutes to extract myself
10 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 11
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 13
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 2
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 4
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 1 fly-over along Middle Causeway; Large brown bittern.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
