A Break in the Humidity - 18 Jul 2025
For the first time in over a week the humidity finally broke. This morning skies were cloudy and temperatures were a bit on the cool side at 65ºF. I parked at Roberts Road and found Amber Piotter and Josiah (Stryd?) getting ready to head out on bikes, so I joined them.
We stopped at Cell 2 once the Black-necked Stilts took notice of us and started to call and protest our presence. A few fly-bys and they quickly settled down while Josiah and I scoped the shorebirds. Along with the four Black-necked Stilts we saw a half-dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least Sandpipers. The stilts were the only birds cooperating, but the phragmites were blocking the view:
A Short-billed Dowitcher at 1270mm:
We'd ride out to Cell 3 and walk onto the mudflats just past the Smartweed/Lady's Thumb and scope the distant shoreline. The usual suspects were there: one Black-necked Stilt, several Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Least Sandpipers. One American White Pelican flew over at a distance. Caspian Terns were roosting on the mud but no Forster's or Black Terns were among them.
We didn't stay long. I headed back to the car along the Lake Erie shoreline and could only watch the muddy water crash among the grass-covered rocks. Very stinky.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 18, 2025 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Amber Piotter and Josiah Stryd; cloudy, cool 65F
46 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 120
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 2
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 12
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 2
American Coot (Fulica americana) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 10
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 6
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 3
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 12
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 12
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 6
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 18
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 4
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 4
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 8
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 4
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 22
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Jul 18, 2025 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Amber Piotter and Josiah Stryd; cloudy, cool 65F
46 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 120
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 2
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 12
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 2
American Coot (Fulica americana) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 10
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 6
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 3
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 12
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 12
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 6
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 18
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 4
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 4
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 8
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 4
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 22
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
