Pt. Mouillee SGA - 05 May 2019

Happy Cinco de Mayo. I celebrated (again) by biking Pt. Mouillee SGA to look for shorebirds. American Avocets had been reported earlier in the week, and I suspected that they'd be gone (and I was right) but decided to look for them in the Long Pond Unit.

I started out at Mouillee Creek and rode east toward Bloody Run and Long Pond Units. Swamp Sparrows were singing in the Walpatich Unit. A side trip down Bad Creek Unit trail yielded an American Bittern (heard only) and Least Bittern (heard only) but no shorebirds in the flooded farm fields.

Yellow Warblers were back in force, and abundant, as well. Tree Swallows, as well.

While riding north along the dike between Bloody Run and Long Pond units I flushed a Sora, then spent some time photographing a pair of agitated Swamp Sparrows that were barely visible in the cattails next to the trail. Common Gallinules and American Coots flushed out over water as I rode on.

I ran into John Baker along the North Causeway and got the report that the Avocets had not been seen. No shorebirds for that matter. Sure enough, the Long Pond was void of shorebirds except one calling Lesser Yellowlegs. And a Killdeer.

I continued back south along the Vermet Unit and took the Middle Causeway east to the Banana Unit, where I finally saw a large flock of Dunlin murmurating over Cell 5. A count of the photographed flock yielded 389 birds.  As they were swirling back and forth a small flock of 46 Black-bellied Plovers broke off and flew SW over the Humphries Unit. Their "kee-a-wiii" call was audible as they passed overhead.

I chatted with Scott Terry and Adam Byrne for a few minutes and got the "no shorebird" news, as well. So I headed down around Cell 3 and Cell 2 to check the Lake Erie shoreline. A Brown Thrasher was the only highlight (I would see two more, including one in the back yard, before noon).

Forster's Terns were actively feeding and nesting in the flooded Humphries Unit. I would see 3 deer swimming out in the middle of the unit on my way back toward the car. I would see 3 Greater Yellowlegs in the field across from Roberts Rd. on the way out.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
May 5, 2019 7:00 AM - 9:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
12.0 mile(s)
15 species

Sora (Porzana carolina)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  4
American Coot (Fulica americana)  6
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  46     One large flock flying SW over Humphries Unit from Middle Causeway. One photo shows all 46 birds in flight. Their "Kee-A-Wiii" call was audible.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  1
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  3
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  389
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  6
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)  1
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  18
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  5
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160828857

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