Transitioning to Shorebirding - 20 May 2026

With warbler season apparently wending down I now turn my attention to shorebird season. This morning SW Ohio reported 188 Hudsonian Whimbrels flying north and west so I was feeling the urge to get to Pt. Mouillee SGA to see if the whimbrel migration is starting (a week early)?

With window washers coming tomorrow it seemed that this afternoon might be the best time to grab the Rad 5 eBike and make a circuit around Pt. Mouillee to look for flocks of whimbrel. But, I would arrive at Mouillee Creek only to realize that I left the battery for the bike at home... So, I'd walk a circuit around the Walpatich Unit to look for shorebirds and possibly the Little Blue Herons that were reported there yesterday.

It felt "odd" walking Pt. Mouillee; I so rarely visit this place without a bike. But, it would turn out to be a good decision. This Song Sparrow paid me no mind as I walked past it as it was singing.

In the SW corner of the Walpatich Unit I heard a loud "squeaking" call at the base of the phragmites to my left. I suspected a Virginia Rail, and sure enough the call matched that of an immature Virginia Rail. Across the trail to my right I could hear the adult calling "kiddick-kiddick". No pics.

A bit farther along the trail I spotted several Dunlin foraging in the shallow ponds 

and a Lesser Yellowlegs would flush from the marsh and fly past me toward the Dunlin.

As I walked to the east side of the unit I spotted Jared Matthews on bike. I was going to ask him if he had, by chance, seen any whimbrels. But, as soon as the thought entered my head a large flock of several hundred Hudsonian Whimbrel approached overhead from the east, flew overhead, then circled back to the south. I would count exactly 288 in the flock (using the count tool in Photoshop).

Nearby a Sandhill Crane was poking its head out of the vegetation in the corner, and an American Bittern would be heard softly calling from the same area. 

As I walked the east side of the Walpatich Unit I took in the calls of Swamp Sparrows, Marsh Wrens and Willow Flycatchers. A few pair of Blue-winged Teal were tucked in the marsh, and except for another 3 Mallard, were the only ducks in the unit.

At the north end of the unit a decent expanse of mudflats hosted dozens of Dunlin, 

a dozen or so Semipalmated Sandpipers,

and a single Pectoral Sandpiper.

As I continued to scan the far side of the mudflats I spotted a Black-necked Stilt (reported several days ago). It was wading through the shallow waters along the edge of the mudflats several hundred feet away.

I was now starting to make my way back west along the north edge of the Walpatich Unit when I heard the familiar "Bet-Bet-Bet" of the stilt and saw it flying past me over the marsh. It would land, scamper off, then fly again several times trying to decide where it wanted to forage.

Meanwhile, behind me on the path a Spotted Sandpiper flew in and announced its presence with a loud "Peet-Wheet".

Just before reaching the car a Green Heron flushed from the west shoreline and flew across to the Humphries Unit.

I still had a half-hour or so before needing to get home so I drove over to Roberts Road to check the silo woods. It was quiet except for a pair of Northern Yellow Warblers, a Tennessee Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler. 

I would get home to learn that Jared found another 500 Hudsonian Whimbrels along the North Causeway and Vermet Areas, Justin Labadie would report 3 Stilt Sandpipers in Cell 3, and Dave Riddle would report a dozen Plegadis sp. Ibis south of the Pump House in the Humphries Unit. 

Yep, its shorebirding time!

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 31), Monroe, Michigan, US
May 20, 2026 1:50 PM - 3:05 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.451 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Overcast, cool, 57F, calm, damp
51 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  3
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  1
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)  2     Adult and immature calls coming from phragmites to my left
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  1
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  1
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  1     Continues N end of Walpatich. Pics
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  2
Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus)  200     Large flock flying west over Walpatich and turning south. May still be in the SGA. Counted by 20’s. Exact count pending from photos.
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  3
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  60
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  14
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  1
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)  1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  2
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  6
Eastern Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  6
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)  2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  5
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  4
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  3
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  6
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina)  1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  1
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)  12
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S342989371

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