Wilson's Phalaropes @ LEMP, Pt I - 27 May 2021

Lawns

A pair of Wilson's Phalaropes, including a gorgeous female, have been reported at the Blue Heron Shelter near the Wave Pool at Lake Erie Metropark in southern Wayne Co., MI USA. I've managed to miss seeing them every time they've been reported, but this afternoon changed that. 

My Memorial Day weekend started early, so this Thursday afternoon started with a trip to LEMP to see if the birds were still around; they had been reported this morning. Robin and arrived around 3:15 pm and found the parking lot empty. My heart sank at the thought that the birds were gone, but quickly rose when I spotted a pair of pale birds foraging in the grass near a small puddle. Score!

I spent some time digiscoping the birds from the parking lot next to the car as the birds were less than 50' away. See my digiscoping post for more.

I then grabbed the Sony a1 and 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 and 1.4TC and crawled over to the picnic benches inside the shelter where I photographed the male and female while hiding behind the refuse bins. They were foraging in the grass and giving me nice ground-level views. Even better was the fact that they were moving directly toward me!

 

Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
May 27, 2021 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:     Wave Pool - field next to pavilion
1 species

Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)  2     Male and female - courting/mating. Foraging in grass next to pavilion.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S159823260

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