Late-season Whimbrel - 30 Aug 2025

 

Last evening Karen Kessler reported a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers and a Red-necked Phalarope in Cell 3 at Pt. Mouillee. This motivated me to get out of the house early this morning and look for them. Skies were clear, and it was cool enough (45ºF) to warrant a jacket and cap.

By 7:30 am when arrived at Mouillee Creek the parking lot was overflowing! Given that this is the last 2 days of the season before the SGA is closed for hunting (Sept. 1) I wasn't too surprised. I saw Mark Dettling and asked if there was a tour this morning, and he said, "Nope, just people getting their last walks in".

I headed out the Middle Causeway directly to the Banana and Cell 3. The Sun was low enough over the horizon that it was blinding as I rode east. So much so that I did not see the Whimbrel in the causeway ahead of me until it started calling and flushed. Luckily, it circled and landed back on the causeway behind me (between Vermet and Humphries Units). I was able to get photos w/ the 600/4 as it casually walked back to the west along the trail.

I continued on to Cell 3 and found a slew of bicycles and a number of people already congregating around the large phragmites stand in the middle of the mudflats. One Buff-breasted Sandpiper was foraging in the mudflats to the west and close enough for some long-distance photos.

As it wandered off I took a quick survey of the rest of Cell 3. The Long-billed Dowitchers and Short-billed Dowitchers continued to be seen at the south end along with dozens of Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal.

The Red-necked Phalarope made an appearance in the SW corner.

Several juvenile Sora were skulking along the west shoreline phragmites. A Wilson's Phalarope even made an appearance near the dowitchers.

The second Buff-breasted Sandpiper was found by Mark in the north end of the cell. It flushed and joined the first bird out in the open and close enough for Isaac Polanski and Andy Dettling to get ground-level photos. 

This is a photo of Andy photographing one of the birds. I don't know how he missed this bird behind him... Confession, I added it to the photo of him. :)

I headed back to the bike with the intention of checking out the Lautenschlager Unit. Along the way I ran into the Whimbrel again and took some pics before continuing past it.

A Wilson's Phalarope was foraging at the south tip of the mudflats along the east shoreline of the Lautenschlager. Several Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers and Semipalmated Sandpipers were also present.

Two more Wilson's Phalaropes were spotted swimming in open water just west of the mudflats a bit farther north.

Before leaving I took a quick photo of a Semipalmated Plover

and a nearby Lesser Yellowlegs.

In the NW corner of the unit I found the last Stilt Sandpiper of the season. It was quietly feeding among several Pectoral Sandpipers and similar-looking Lesser Yellowlegs.

I'd get home to find out that a pair of Hudsonian Godwits were reported by the Jackson Audubon tour group along the east shoreline. They must've just arrived after I left?

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 30, 2025 7:32 AM - 9:19 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.723 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, calm, cool, 48F
43 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  120
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  1
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  4
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  12
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  16
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  24
Sora (Porzana carolina)  2
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  4
American Coot (Fulica americana)  6
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  8
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  19
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)  1     Middle Causeway between Vermet and Humphries Units. Pics
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  18
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)  29     Continue Cell 3
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)  4     1 in Cell 3 and 3 in Lautenschlager Unit
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)  1     Cell 3 juvenile continues
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  16
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  2
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  1
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)  2
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  17
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  6
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  32
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  8
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  13
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  32
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  13
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  6
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  12
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  4
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  26
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  4
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  14
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  32
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  26
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  220
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  68
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S270361712

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