Long Pond Shorebirds - 13 Aug 2017
I took a late afternoon run down to Point Mouillee to look for shorebirds. I ran into John Parker in the Long Pond Unit and we scoped the backlit mudflats for Stilt Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, and Killdeer.
I rode out to Cell 3 and found that dredging were being pumped into the south end of the cell, but it was just flooding the heavy emergent vegetation.
I did see a flock of 11 Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the plowed field at the south end of the Vermet Unit. They were all juvenile males except for two adult males.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 13, 2017 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: ran into John Parker in Long Pond Unit and David Amamoto in Bloody Run Unit.
38 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 3
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 20
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 2 juvenile - video taken
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 6 far south end of Long Pond Unit - saw wings flapping and black armpits. Molting adults with some black still on chest and flanks.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 19
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 1 Basic plumage. Short, distinct bib w/ chevrons on chest and sides, long decurved bill. Overall larger than Semipalmated Plovers and Pectoral Sandpipers. Mistakenly thought it was a Western Sandpiper for a few minutes.
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 25
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 35
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 30
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 8
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 4
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 60
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 20
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 55
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 3
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 17
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 20
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 15
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 15
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 6
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 11 South end of Vermet in plowed field next to Middle Causeway. Flock of 14 birds with 1 Redwinged Blackbird, and two Brown-headed Cowbirds. All the rest were YHBB; 4 Adult males and 7 juvenile males with some yellow on head and chest.
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S3 8637154
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Aug 13, 2017 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: ran into John Parker in Long Pond Unit and David Amamoto in Bloody Run Unit.
38 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 3
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 20
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 2 juvenile - video taken
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 6 far south end of Long Pond Unit - saw wings flapping and black armpits. Molting adults with some black still on chest and flanks.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 19
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 1 Basic plumage. Short, distinct bib w/ chevrons on chest and sides, long decurved bill. Overall larger than Semipalmated Plovers and Pectoral Sandpipers. Mistakenly thought it was a Western Sandpiper for a few minutes.
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 25
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 35
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 30
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 8
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 4
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 60
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 20
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 55
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 3
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 17
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 20
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 15
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 15
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 6
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 11 South end of Vermet in plowed field next to Middle Causeway. Flock of 14 birds with 1 Redwinged Blackbird, and two Brown-headed Cowbirds. All the rest were YHBB; 4 Adult males and 7 juvenile males with some yellow on head and chest.
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S3
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)