Southbound shorebirds @ Pt. Mouillee - 15 July 2007

After returning from Antrim Co. this afternoon I took off for Pt. Mouillee to look for an American Avocet and Stilt Sandpiper reported yesterday. 

Arriving at the Mouillee Creek entrance, I rode the Middle Causeway toward the Long Pond and Vermet Units. Along the way were dozens of Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets. 

In no time, however, I began noticing large numbers of Short-billed Dowitchers in the Lead Unit to the south. Unfortunately, the sun was severely backlighting the birds, so digiscoping was not even attempted. Small flocks of 6 - 9 birds routinely flushed, 

along with several noisy Lesser Yellowlegs. After a few circling flights, they would settle back down in pretty much the same area.

In the Long Pond Unit I spotted a single Lesser Yellowlegs among three Short-billed Dowitchers feeding along the banks to my left (north), which made digiscoping them much easier. 

They were constantly moving, which made focusing with the P5000 a challenge at times, but images came out well. At the north end of the Long Pond Unit I spotted a single Wilson's Snipe feeding out in the open on the mud bank where the dowitchers were heading. 

I was able to get several images of it before a noisy Killdeer flushed the birds. Only a Lesser Yellowlegs remained to rest in repose. Waiting for the sun to return from behind the clouds, I managed a couple digiscoped images from nearby.

Scoping the Vermet Unit was a bit of a challenge with the increasing winds, but finding Lesser Yellowlegs in various stages of molt was not. Dozens of birds lined the shoreline and shallow puddles calling their 'tut-tut-tut-tut....' alarm calls, making for a nerve-wracking experience. 

I failed to find the Avocet, but did spot a pair of Glossy Ibis toward the middle of the Unit.

Heading toward the Banana Unit and Cell 3 I saw several pairs of Black Terns flying out in the Vermet Unit, along with dozens of Forster's and Caspian Terns. A Solitary Sandpiper got my attention, and provided me with several nice images from about 40 feet before I moved on.

Cell 3 held small flocks of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, and a single Stilt Sandpiper that flushed before I could digiscope it. A dozen or so Caspian Terns lined the shore with both adults and hungry young.

Returning down the Middle Causeway I caught a glimpse of the Glossy Ibis only 100 yds. out, and managed several digiscoped images of two non-breeding adults. Something caused them to flush, and I caught a couple flight shots before they settled back down farther out.

Returning to the car I heard the trill of a Swamp Sparrow near the Mouillee Creek entrance.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 15, 2007 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     to look for an American Avocet and Stilt Sandpiper reported yesterday.
15 species

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  2
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  12
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  1
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  26
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  11
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  22
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  16
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  4
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  22
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  33
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  10
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)  2     Pair reported yesterday. Vermet Unit. Plegadis ibis w/ brown eyes and light blue thin skin patch around eyes.
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S171026682

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)