Sora The Explorer - 11 Aug 2026

Skies were relatively clear when I arrived at Mouillee Creek parking lot shortly before 8 am. They would gradually become more overcast and dark as the morning progressed. My plan was to survey the Walpatich Unit, head north to the North Causeway, then east to the Banana and south to Cell 3.

The Walpatich Unit was pretty quiet. I could hear the occasional Lesser Yellowlegs and Killdeer crying as I rode the south dike, middle dike, and north dikes. Great Egrets (6) barely outnumbered Great Blue Herons (5) in unit.

The Lautenschlager Unit remains flooded and devoid of action.

The North Causeway was quiet, as well. I didn't need to make any stops until I reached the east end of the Vermet Unit where I found two large roosts of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. If anyone needs these birds still for their year list I believe ALL of them are here; I counted 100+ egrets and 200+ herons!

I then headed south along the east side of the Vermet Unit and found only a couple shorebirds: Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. The Black-necked Stilt pair continues to be seen along the shoreline but otherwise all was quiet.

I made a cursory scan of the Vermet Unit and found a Bald Eagle perched on the only post in the area.

As soon as I finished photographing the eagle I turned to continue south and stopped when I saw a tiny rail in the middle of the dike in front of me. I initially thought that it was a Virginia Rail, but when I got it focused in the viewfinder of the Sony a1 II I saw the yellow beak of an immature Sora!

I expected the Sora to flush as soon as it saw me, but either curiosity or machismo caused it to stay put, cock its tail and strut in front of me for almost a minute. It gave me time to get some pics as it surveyed me and the area around it.

Instead of running into the brush it turned and walked a bit down the dike and around the corner at the NW end of Cell 4. 

It continued exploring its surroundings before finally taking flight into the phragmites.

I continued south past Cell 4 and headed to the pond at the south end of Cell 3. The path to the pond is overgrown (again) so I'll need to widen it again when I head back next time. Currently, Cell 3 was fairly quiet; a couple of Stilt Sandpipers, dozen or so Lesser Yellowlegs, half-dozen Short-billed Dowitchers, and a half-dozen Black-necked Stilts (2 ad + 4 juv). Vegetation (Smartweed) is growing high enough to obscure the north end of the pond and the near shoreline, so visibility is deteriorating, rapidly. 

I'd return to the Middle Causeway and head back to the car without any additional excitement. 

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 31), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 11, 2026 7:45 AM - 9:26 AM
Protocol: Traveling
7.64 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Overcast, humid, calm, 70F
52 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  34
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  6
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  30
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  2
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  4
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Sora (Porzana carolina)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  4
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  9     4 juv and 2 ad in Cell 3. 2 in Vermet. 1 in Humphries by Pump House.
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  36
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  9
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  12
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  4
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  4
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  1
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  8
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  4
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  54
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  4
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  124
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  241     All in Vermet Unit. Two roosts of 120 each counted by 2s. Another dozen in Walpatich Unit.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  16
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  12
Purple Martin (Progne subis)  2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  11
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  4
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  5
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  20
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  2
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S382253859

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