Baird's Sandpiper! - 16 Aug 2015

A Baird's Sandpiper was the highlight of a good morning of birding at Pt. Mouillee SGA in n. Monroe Co., MI. Cody Porter and I watched the juvenile forage along the extreme east end of the Long Pond Unit in the vicinity of both juvenile Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We failed to refind the Western Sandpiper that was found yesterday by Scott Jennex.

Baird's and Least Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Nearby, Cody spotted 5 Yellow-headed Blackbirds and a Sora a few minutes later.

Earlier, I had arrived at Siegler Rd. and found one of the juvenile Snowy Egrets foraging among ~50 Great Egrets at the west end of the Long Pond Unit.

I then ran into Andrew Sturgess and spent some time chatting with him and photographing a Wilson's Snipe along the north end of the unit. He showed pics of several Sora and a Virginia Rail.

After leaving him I headed along the North Causeway to the east end of the Long Pond Unit, and spotted 4 Wilson's Phalarope in the open mudflats visible from the dike. I waded into the brush and was able to get to edge of the mudflat and close enough to digiscope the birds still 40 meters away.

Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper juveniles were closer and made for nice comparison.

A Greater Yellowlegs (juvenile) and Lesser Yellowlegs (adult) also made nice comparison pics.

I would also run into John Parker, who reported seeing the Willet in the Vermet Unit. A Northern Harrier was a nice find on the way back to the car.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 16, 2015 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cody Porter contributed the Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Photos and blog post can be found at http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/2015/08/bairds-sandpiper-16-aug-2015.html
34 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  35
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  6
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  20
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  15
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  15
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  14
Sora (Porzana carolina)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  2     juveniles
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  12
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  2
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  2
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  1
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)  5     Long Pond Unit, back in the open mudflats just south of the North Causeway. Mostly juveniles foraging among Lesser/Greater Yellowlegs, Least, Semipalmated and Pectoral Sandpipers. Stood out as bright white, small-headed, larger-bodied shorebirds w/ pale heads and bodies. See http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/2015/08/bairds-sandpiper-16-aug-2015.html
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  1
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  24
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  23
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  2
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  20
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  12
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  2
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  2
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  45
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  6
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  12
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  12
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)  5     Cody Porter and I watched 5 birds forage across the channel from the dike separating e Vermet and w Long Pond. See http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/2015/08/bairds-sandpiper-16-aug-2015.html

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S24645518

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