Sleeping Bear Point, Day 2 - 16 Aug 2019
Our last day up here in the Leelenau Peninsula. After dropping Robin off in Glen Arbor I continued south to Glen Haven and the Maritime Museum to kick around Sleeping Bear Point. Again. After yesterday's adventure digiscoping a Piping Plover I was just happy to kick around in the surf and walk the shoreline.
I came upon a flock of Herring Gulls feeding on a salmon that had washed ashore.
A bit farther I re-found the half-dozen Lesser Yellowlegs from yesterday.
The Piping Plover from yesterday was not to be found this morning, so I continued on and took a few pics of the dunes. I even walked a bit farther than yesterday.
On the way back I returned to the point and found a pair of Semipalmated Sandpipers foraging in the lagoon just a few feet from where I stood. I will say that I initially thought them to be juvenile Baird's Sandpipers based on the length of their bills and the scalloped back and head feathers, but the lack of a distinct bib, not long enough wing projection, and blunt edges to their bills made the identification Semipalmated Sandpiper. These birds were a fine example of the variation in size and bill length that can be found in Semipalms, and reminded me that identification lessons can always be learned.
As I continued back toward the museum I came upon a juvenile Greater Yellowlegs in the lagoon, and got some nice digiscoped images of that large, upturned bill that is 1.5X the width of the head.
I then re-found the young Piping Plover from yesterday. Per Alice Van Zoeren, Director of the Piping Plover Project in Michigan, "This is one of three chicks that fledged from a nest in the big blowout at Sleeping Bear Point. This one has been hanging around the ponds closer to the Maritime Museum. I saw it there still on Saturday 8/17."
Monarch Butterflies are migrating in 2's and 3's along the shoreline. This one stayed in my viewfinder just long enough for a quick photo.
A pair of Spotted Sandpipers gave me something to photograph near the museum.
After lunch with Robin in town I went and found a lounge chair under an apple tree and took a nice afternoon nap before driving home.
Sleeping Bear Point, Leelanau, Michigan, US
Aug 16, 2019 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
6 species
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) 1 I then re-found the young Piping Plover from yesterday. Per Alice Van Zoeren, Director of the Piping Plover Project in Michigan, "This is one of three chicks that fledged from a nest in the big blowout at Sleeping Bear Point. This one has been hanging around the ponds closer to the Maritime Museum. I saw it there still on Saturday 8/17."
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 6
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Aug 16, 2019 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
6 species
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) 1 I then re-found the young Piping Plover from yesterday. Per Alice Van Zoeren, Director of the Piping Plover Project in Michigan, "This is one of three chicks that fledged from a nest in the big blowout at Sleeping Bear Point. This one has been hanging around the ponds closer to the Maritime Museum. I saw it there still on Saturday 8/17."
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 6
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
