Buff-breasted Sandpiper! - 21 Aug 2006
I was up early this morning (4:30am) and decided to run down to Pt. Moo before sunrise to try and catch some of the special birds Craig listed below. At 5:30am I was riding my bike up the Middle Causeway and learned just how dark the SGA can be w/o street lights. I got spectacular views of a crescent moon and Mars (I believe) just over the horizon, and saw a few falling stars.
First bird sounds of the morning were Killdeer and Greater Yellowlegs, followed by Black-crowned Night Herons. Arriving at Cell 3 to feed the mosquitos I was still early enough to only hear the Semipalmated Sandpipers chasing each other up and down the shoreline.
By the time the first light of dawn arrived I had heard the Black-bellied Plover calling overhead, and was able to watch a Short-billed Dowitcher and Stilt Sandpiper just a few feet away.
I soon spotted the Buff-breasted Sandpiper walking along the mud spit with a Ruddy Turnstone. I got good digiscoped images of both and will post hopefully this evening.
Least Sandpipers were literally walking along the dike and gravel within inches of my feet, yet it was still too early to photograph them w/o the blur. Lesser Yellowlegs and Great Egrets were better illuminated.
A flock of Short-billed Dowitchers flew in, and were feeding among the shallows along w/ several more Stilt Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers.
I was unable to see any Baird's Sandpipers or Cattle Egrets.
A ride over to the Vermet Unit (look in the corner next to the large dredging tractor) yielded the Marbled Godwit,
several Greater Yellowlegs, a Wilson's Snipe, a second Black-bellied Plover, and Pectoral Sandpiper. A Northern Harrier (female) flew in and spooked many of the birds, but the godwit stayed put.
I did not see the Tri-colored Heron. A Red-tailed Hawk on the way out was a nice consolation.
Off to work by 9am.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 21, 2006 6:30 AM - 10:00 AMProtocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Craig Bateman and Erik Enbody reported Cattle Egrets and Buff-breasted Sandpipers yesterday.
21 species
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 20
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 6
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 2
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 2
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 1 Continuing; large godwits w/ marbled back differentiates it from Hudsonian Godwit, the only other godwits expected around here.
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 6
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 1
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 2
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 1
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 3
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) 1 Cell 3 mudflat w/ Ruddy Turnstone. Juvenile. Golden-tan w/ bright eye ring.
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 2
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 3
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 6
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 3
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
