American Avocets - 08 Aug 2025
With a full charge on the Rad Expand 5 E-Bike I headed back to Point Mouillee to give a full field test.
Parking at Mouillee Creek I rode the Middle Causeway out to the Banana Unit and Cell 3. The bike handled great, and I got there 3X faster than with my conventional bike at ⅓ the effort!
I reached the SW corner of Cell 4 and found a couple dozen Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Lesser Yellowlegs foraging on the floating flotsam mat. Lighting was poor so photos were poor.
Out at Cell 3 I spotted a congregation of American Avocets huddled together near the middle of the pond, and counted 16 birds once I was able to get close enough to scope them.
The SE corner held a nice group of roosting Short-billed Dowitchers, and 5 Long-billed Dowitchers among them. At one point I had a Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked Stilt, Northern Pintail, and Sora in one field of view through the scope.
A few shorebirds were flying so I was able to get flight shots to show wing patterns.
I then returned to the car with almost a full battery still, so I was happy to know that I can ride this thing without having to worry too much about battery limits. To know that I can cover more real estate at Pt. Mouillee with less time makes this e-bike adventure all the more compelling!
Stilt Sandpipers continue in good numbers with 32 counted this morning.
Riding back toward the Middle Causeway I decided to see if there were any mudflats in Cell 5 visible from the west side of the Banana Unit. There wasn't, so I continued riding to the North Causeway and west toward the dike separating Long Pond and Nelson Units. The bike was really stable and pedaling in Level 2 was effortless and fast! Along the way I stopped when a juvenile Horned Lark appeared on the trail ahead of me; pretty bird!
I stopped at the Lautenschlager Unit and scoped shorebirds. A couple dozen Short-billed Dowitchers, Stilt Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs were foraging in open water while Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers foraged along the mudflats. I spotted one Pectoral Sandpiper and one White-rumped Sandpiper. I'd find one Black-necked Stilt at the extreme south end of the unit on my ride out.
The Stilt Sandpipers were showing active molt.
I then returned to the car with almost a full battery still, so I was happy to know that I can ride this thing without having to worry too much about battery limits. To know that I can cover more real estate at Pt. Mouillee with less time makes this e-bike adventure all the more compelling!
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 8, 2025 7:50 AM - 10:07 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.892 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, humid, 73F, calm.
50 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 18
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 8
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Sora (Porzana carolina) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 5
American Coot (Fulica americana) 18
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 6 5 in Cell 3 includes 1 juv. One in Lautenschlager Unit.
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) 16 Cell 3 altogether. Exact count.
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 14
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 26
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 48
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) 5 Cell 3 continuing
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 36
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 38 32 continue in Cell 3. 6 in Lautenschlager.
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 12
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 26
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 14
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 12
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 28
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 3
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) 1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 10
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 30
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 26
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 65
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Aug 8, 2025 7:50 AM - 10:07 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.892 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, humid, 73F, calm.
50 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 18
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 8
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Sora (Porzana carolina) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 5
American Coot (Fulica americana) 18
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 6 5 in Cell 3 includes 1 juv. One in Lautenschlager Unit.
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) 16 Cell 3 altogether. Exact count.
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 14
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 26
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 48
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) 5 Cell 3 continuing
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 36
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 38 32 continue in Cell 3. 6 in Lautenschlager.
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 12
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 26
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 14
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 12
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 28
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 3
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) 1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 10
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 30
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 26
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 65
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
