Another Short Outing - 12 Jul 2025
Today's another hot and humid day. It was 80F by 7:45 am as I arrived at Roberts Road next to Pt. Mouillee SGA. I was here to look for the continuing Yellow-breasted Chat that should (?) be findable.
I ran into Linda Ar and Vikki Jones at the sign indicating "End of Pavement" where the chat was being heard/seen but we failed to refind it.
We then headed to the Roberts Road parking lot where I rode with them out to Cell 2. They took the south trail to east side and Lake Erie while I continued north along the west side with the hopes of finding more shorebirds. I did, as the first small flocks of Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers lifted from the mini mudflats among the phragmites lining the west side of the cell.
A Black Tern announced its presence and flew by for a pic or two before heading off toward Cell 3.
I caught the attention of the first pair of Black-necked Stilts that lifted off from their nesting territory just inside the cell next to the dike. They circled loudly while I grabbed a few pics before moving on. A second pair lifted off just ahead and all 4 birds were circling and protesting the disturbance of their peace. I didn't stick around as the only shorebirds I was seeing were the yellowlegs and dowitchers.
I continued on around Cell 3 north and headed back south along the Lake Erie shoreline. A warm 10-15 mph wind was blowing from the SW as I reached the entrance at the SE end of the cell. Three bikes were already there, belonging to Bobby Irwin and Lansing's father / son duo of Nate and Oakley. The mud was soft so I set up at the edge of the first patch of vegetation and did some long-distant scoping.
The American Avocet was not visible, but a nice mix of Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Caspian Tern, Forster's Terns, Black Terns, and flocks of Green-winged Teal gave plenty to look at. I also spotted a single Black-bellied Plover and four Stilt Sandpipers along the far shore before I started feeling dizzy (again).
A couple of quick photos of a lifting flock of terns revealed 40 Black Terns! But I was in no mood for celebrating.
I didn't stay. I wasn't feeling nauseous, but was not feeling like pushing it. I returned to the bike and started back toward the car along the Lake Erie shoreline. I was struggling; I only made it to the NW corner of Cell 1 before I had to take a break and sit down. After a few minutes of rest I got back on the bike and slowly rode back to the car.
When I got home I decided to check my blood pressure. It was dangerously low (70 / 50)!!! I showered, ate, and took a nap. I'd get up later and find my BP starting to improve, but lunch, and another nap was needed before I'd be back to a 120 / 78 reading. Cause? Most likely dehydration (and possibly my new medication). I spent the night drinking water and snacking. By morning readings would be normal...
Jul 12, 2025 7:16 AM - 9:11 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.511 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Hot, humid, 80F, wind 10-15 mph from SW. storms due in few hours.
56 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 126
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 2
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 1
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 32
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 35
Redhead (Aythya americana) 2
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 8
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 12
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 42
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 44
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 4 All in Cell 3 SW
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 16
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 6
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 23
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 23
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 16
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 40 Cell 3. The flock of Caspian, Forster's and Black Terns lifted off the mudflat and I counted 11 adults and 2 juveniles in the first of 60 images captured at 30fps. Successive frames showed an additional 27 Black Terns for an exact count of 40.
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 12
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) 4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 6
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 22
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 55
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 10
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 16
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 4
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
