Wilson's Phalarope - 20 Aug 2025

Skies were cloudy and a bit dark this morning as I arrived at Mouillee Creek parking lot at about 8:30 am. Temps were hovering around 60ºF so the air felt cool but comfortable. Amber's car was already here so I thought I might catch up to her at some point (I didn't). The gate was open so it was easy to just hop on the e-bike and head out onto the Middle Causeway.

As usual I looped around the west side of the Walpatich Unit and headed east to the north side of the Lautenschlager Unit, then south along the east side to check the mudflats. Surprisingly, the Black-necked Stilts were nowhere to be seen, and only a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs were visible along with a half-dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers. I suspected that they had moved on, but Amber would later text that she saw 5 earlier in the morning, so perhaps a Peregrine Falcon temporarily scattered everyone.

I then headed to Cell 3 and hiked out onto the mudflats. Things looked pretty quiet in terms of shorebird numbers, but scanning the mudflats revealed 3 Baird's Sandpipers (2 juv and 1 ad), 

a pair of White-rumped Sandpipers, 

(l to r) Semipalmated Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover

and the continuing flock of Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed Dowitchers. Omitting "all" orange dowitchers that I presumed were SBDO I counted 27 bulky, gray dowitchers presumed to be LBDO.

Perhaps my highlight of the morning was seeing a juvenile Wilson's Phalarope foraging among several Blue-winged Teal along the west side of Cell 3. 

After about a half-hour of carefully scoping every shorebird for possible rarities I packed up and headed back to the bike and rode south along the Lake Erie shoreline to the Roberts Road parking lot. I continued down Roberts Road listening for warblers, but winds were shutting down any vocalizations. 

I then headed west along Reaume Road and listened for the Blue Grosbeak. At the edge of the quarry berm I heard the faint call of the male Blue Grosbeak and found him singing atop a small olive tree.

A few long-distant photos later I headed back to the car and home.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 20, 2025 8:26 AM - 10:31 AM
Protocol: Traveling
8.091 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, cool, 65F. Breezy, no humidity.
49 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  26
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  6
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  12
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  8
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  8
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  4
American Coot (Fulica americana)  12
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  6
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  8
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  18
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)  27     Cell 3 continuing.
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)  1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  3
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  11
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  3
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  1
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  3
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)  2
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  6
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  12
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  15
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  9
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  110
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  3
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  3
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  5
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  3
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  3
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  4
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  3
swallow sp. (Hirundinidae sp.)  25
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  65
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)  1     Male continues along Reaume Rd west of Roberts Rd and just east of entrance to quarry. Singing atop tree. Pics.
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S268418231