Avocet and Stilts - 28 June 2020

Andy Sturgess had emailed a pic of a suspected Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Pt. Mouillee SGA, so I took a break from book-writing to see if I could re-find / verify. Long-story short, Adam Byrne would reply that the bird appears to be a unusual Pectoral Sandpiper; I re-found the suspected bird and it appeared to be a Pectoral, as well.

A nice consolation, however, was an adult American Avocet foraging along the Middle Causeway next to the Vermet Unit. With late afternoon sunlight at my back the provided very nice images through the Sony a7RIV and 200-600mm combo, as well as digiscoped images with the Sony a7III.

I ran into a couple from Texas who were working on a 100-species year in Michigan and were both at 99. They were looking for a Green Heron that I found on the way in, and would direct me to a pair of Black-necked Stilts that were apparently nesting along the Humphries Shoreline a few hundreds yards back. I would find the pair on the way back from seeing the avocet, and it wasn't difficult. 

The male was actively protecting his mate and apparent nest site by loudly calling as it flew circles around me. I took the opportunity to get flight shots with the Sony a9 and 100-400mm combo. 

Though backlit, the female was foraging close enough for some nice digiscoping. I took a slow-motion video of the female as she bathed in the puddle nearby.

 

While heading back to the car I stopped long enough to get some pics of a Halloween Pennant and Widow Skimmer, and found a singing Indigo Bunting as another pair of Green Herons flew to the west; I'm hoping that couple from Texas saw their target bird...

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 28, 2020 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
9.0 mile(s)
4 species

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  2     Possibly nesting in NE corner of Humphries next to Middle Causeway. One bird flying and calling "Bet-Bet-Bet" while other was bathing next to causeway. Tall apindly shorebirds black and white w/ pink legs. PHotos.
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)  1     Middle Causeway next to Vermet Unit. Breeding adult. Tall shorebird w/ long blue legs, red neck/head and recurved bill, black and white wings.
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160217179

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