I made the rounds in the black dirt this morning, searching for shorebirds of course. I was once again optimistic after last night’s storms. The best spot of the day was Turtle Bay, where there were many shorebirds present. I ran into Kathy Ashman out there early and we sifted through some quite distant birds and had 5 species of shorebird: Least Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, and Killdeer. I checked back a little later and ran into John Haas, who had located an additional, excellent species: SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. The bird of the day for me, however, was a single AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER out at Skinner Lane. The bird was close enough for some decent photos, and at one point was kind enough to confirm its identity with a nice wing stretch, exposing clear wing-pits. Kathy Ashman and Linda Scrima both ran for the bird and enjoyed good looks at the bird as well.
That was a pretty good shorebird day Matt! Its still early in the season and hopefully a lot more will show up. Thanks for posting to the app and keeping us all informed. John
Yeah, John, I was thinking the same thing – it’s still very early. Good to see you today. Matt
Hats off to you, devoted birders. While you slosh in rain and mud, I enjoy the birds of your labour. . . many thanks!
And we enjoy the birds! I’m glad you are getting so much out of the blog Norma. Good to hear from you. Matt
Good to see you this morning, Matt. The American Golden Plover was a real treat and I enjoyed watching it. Thanks for letting us know. I ran for the Short-billed Dowitcher just before the deluge hit, and managed to get that one as well. An excellent day of shorebirding in the Black Dirt.
Good to see you too Kathy, and yes, excellent day for sure. Nice that you got the SBDO as well! Matt