Good Shorebirding Patch - 05 Jun 2023
I took a late afternoon drive to Pt. Mouillee to look for Red Knots and a Red-necked Phalarope that was reported in Cell 1 of the Banana Unit. It was a bit breezy and skies were relatively clear despite the haze from Canadian wildfires. Parking at Roberts Road I headed out the South Causeway shortly after 5 pm.
I turned right (south) at the Banana Unit to check the south end of Cell 1. The area is mostly open, dried mudflats but a small stretch holds water and shorebirds. As I arrived I spotted the pair of Northern Shovelers (male and female) still holding over from early spring. I managed to capture the male in flight as he flushed and flew to the east side of the fluddle where they joined several pair of Mallard.
When I turned my attention to shorebirds I spotted a Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) nearby. As I photographed it I noticed how little orange coloration was on its body and suspected that it might be the subspecies L. g. griseus. Note the heavy spotting on the chest and neck on this bird. Orange coloration extends onto the flanks but the belly and undersides are mainly white.
Compare with the L. g. hendersoni that is common to the Great Lakes Region and typically found here during spring and fall migrations. This bird shows a uniform orange coloration on neck, chest and underside and shows little spotting on the neck and chest.
Range maps for both subspecies shows that L. g. griseus migrates mainly along the Atlantic Coast and breeds in the NE portion of Canada. L. g. hendersoni migrates through the interior of the US (including the Great Lakes) and breeds in the Central portion of Canada. A third subspecies, L. g. caurinus is limited to the Pacific Coast and NW Canada.
Reference: https://www.aba.org/birding_archive_files/v37n4p380.pdf
It may not be much of a big deal but this is the first identifiable L. g. griseus I've ever seen, and I've been obsessed with dowitcher identification for the past 15 years. So, I spent a good amount of time photographing the bird with the 600/4 and digiscoping equipment.
Jon Dunn has a great presentation describing identification of dowitchers and covers a lot of material regarding distribution, range, identification and habit.
Otherwise, only a few scattered groups of Semipalmated Sandpipers were foraging in the wet portions in this area. So, I hopped on the bike and headed to the north end of Cell 1 where a larger pond and mudflat promises more shorebirds, including the knots and phalarope.
A large flock of 100-150+ Semipalmated Sandpipers were scattered along the west side of the pond. Among them I could immediately see the pair of Red Knots, several Dunlin, and the Red-necked Phalarope. I even spotted a White-rumped Sandpiper as I scoped the shorebird flock. Along the far (east) shore of the pond I spotted a Black-bellied Plover.
One of the Red Knots was in breeding colors
while the second bird still retained basic, non-breeding plumage.
The Red-necked Phalarope appears to be a female based on the red coloration on the neck (as opposed to the pale orange coloration of a male).
I found the pale Red Knot fascinating with its mostly white coloration and pale orange wash.
The other knot showed a much more bold orange/tangerine coloration to the neck and chest while its back feathers are darker black and white.
The shorebird flock was extremely skittish and flushed several times while I scoped them. Luckily, I managed to capture some flight shots, one that even shows the White-rumped Sandpiper (lower left arrow below; the Red Knots are shown by the middle and right arrows).
I managed to capture a few flight shots of the knots as they banked and flew back by me.
Once landed I spent more time with the knots.
Several Semipalmated Plovers were also among the shorebird flock.
The flight shots below show most of the flock that consists mainly of Semipalmated Sandpipers but contains several Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers, and the Red Knots (middle arrow). The Red-necked Phalarope is visible in extreme lower right corner.
After the flock settled down for the last time I could not relocated the Red-necked Phalarope, so I headed home to clean the dust off and watch Pitch Perfect 3. Yes, I've suddenly fallen in love with this movie... :)
Pointe Mouillee SGA - Cell 1, Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 5, 2023 5:15 PM - 6:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
26 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 6
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 4
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 2
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) 2 Pair continues in north end of Cell 1. One breeding and one nonbreeding birds among Semipalmated Sandpipers. Photos
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 2
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 150
Short-billed Dowitcher (griseus) (Limnodromus griseus griseus) 1 Single dowitcher in partial-breeding plumage in flooded field at south end of cell 1. Photos show dowitcher w/ orange cheeks, orange neck and chest but white belly. Chest and neck show heavy spotting that would not be seen on a L. g. hendersonii that is expected in this region. Images are consistent with reference images of L. g. griseus.
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 1 Reported earlier in the day the male continues in the north end of Cell 1. Photos
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Jun 5, 2023 5:15 PM - 6:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
26 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 6
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 4
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 2
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) 2 Pair continues in north end of Cell 1. One breeding and one nonbreeding birds among Semipalmated Sandpipers. Photos
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 2
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 150
Short-billed Dowitcher (griseus) (Limnodromus griseus griseus) 1 Single dowitcher in partial-breeding plumage in flooded field at south end of cell 1. Photos show dowitcher w/ orange cheeks, orange neck and chest but white belly. Chest and neck show heavy spotting that would not be seen on a L. g. hendersonii that is expected in this region. Images are consistent with reference images of L. g. griseus.
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 1 Reported earlier in the day the male continues in the north end of Cell 1. Photos
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
