Young Stilts - 06 Jul 2026

Heavy rain Saturday night dropped 2.5" while Sunday morning gave us another 0.75". This morning clouds ruled and it was a cool 70ºF. I'd been hoping to get out and bird today but I'd have to wait until this evening when the skies cleared and temperature (and humidity) returned (78ºF).

I parked at Mouillee Creek and rode the Middle Causeway east to the Banana Unit and south to Cell 3. Bird life was minimal but the Halloween Pennants and clouds of midges kept me occupied while I rode.

I arrived at the south end of Cell 3 and had to look to find the cutout in the phragmites. Luckily, Justin had marked a large arrow in the road so I was able to find it. This evening I brought a pair of hedge clippers and spent some time cutting back the Black Mustard, phragmites, Sand Willow and scattered Cow Parsley so as to make the path to Cell 3 easier for me and everyone else. Meanwhile the Black-necked Stilts were flying overhead and voicing their displeasure.

I reached the water's edge at Cell 3 and noticed how much the water had risen from the rains. The beaver canal was at the edge of the vegetation so there was just a small mud patch to set up the scope. 

A half-dozen American White Pelicans were roosting in the middle of the pond but took off almost immediately upon my arrival. The Caspian Terns were roosting along the far (eastern) shoreline along with Ring-billed Gulls and a few Bonaparte's Gulls. Along the edges of the shoreline small flocks of Semipalmated Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers were foraging, while another dozen Short-billed Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs were foraging in deeper water. 

The entire flock of birds took flight, circled several times, then set back down. This Caspian Tern floated over the middle of the Cell

while a flock of 8 Black Terns followed. I managed to get one tern in flight when it circled back to the north and passed by me; the rest continued south.

I would end up counting 12 Short-billed Dowitchers and 8 Lesser Yellowlegs, and find a pair of Stilt Sandpipers at the south end of the pond (too far to photograph).

Along the near shoreline four Black-necked Stilts were foraging and yakking away ("Bet-Bet-Bet"). Two adults,

and two juveniles that were making all of the noise. Finally, I was able to spot the young ones up close.

With little else to find I turned the camera on a Halloween Pennant that lighted onto a stem out in front of me. 

I then headed back to the bike and rode north to the North Causeway. The mudflats along the east shoreline of the Vermet Unit should attract shorebirds in the coming weeks, but right now only held a pair of Black-necked Stilts. This one was near the shoreline, 

while the second was blending in with the lotus leaves on the covered mudflats. 

I spotted a Spotted Sandpiper nearby.

A family of Mallard were tucked in the grasses as I continued riding. 

I rode out to the North Causeway then looped back around Cell 5 south to Cell 4 and back to the Middle Causeway. I then rode to the Pump House and rode south along the Bad Creek to see if any more Black-necked Stilts were in the area. The mudflats were empty. I did see a Short-billed Dowitcher along the shoreline across the Middle Causeway so it will be curious if any other shorebirds use this area in the coming weeks.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 31), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 6, 2026 5:38 PM - 7:39 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.063 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mostly cloudy 78F, breezy 5-10 mph
48 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  14
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  68
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  14     Cell 3
Redhead (Aythya americana)  1
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  8     4 in Cell 3 includes 2 juv. 4 in Vermet includes 2 juv.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  12
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  12
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  8
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  4
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  10
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  4
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  8
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  8
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  8
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  14
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  16
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  16
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  16
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S368726273

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