Shorebird Season Part II

Recently I went on a trip with some friends to bird at many great hotspots in Ottawa, Michigan. Our main targets of the day were waterfowl and shorebirds, both of which we found many of.

Our first stop was at Holland State Park, where we were delighted to a mixed flock of Bairds, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Alongside those was a young Herring Gull that let us get close while it was feeding.

Our next stop was Window at the Waterfront, where there weren't any shorebirds, but plenty of mallards and wood ducks. The coolest find there was a female Redhead, a species we don't see very often this early in the season. While some of us rested, I took the time to weed through some flowers and found a couple bluets (I unfortunately couldn't catch to ID), as well as a Buffalo Treehopper, which I had never seen before.

Our last stop was Muskegon Wastewater, which was by far the most busy location. We immediately were bombard with a mixed flock of shorebirds in one of the drainage ditches, which consisted of Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, and a single Long-billed Dowitcher (a lifer!)
During the drive along with lakes, we must've seen 10, maybe 15 Eastern Meadowlarks in the road, which was crazy for me since I'd only ever seen one here. Since I hadn't gotten a photo of one before, I snapped a solid 0-star photo before we drove away.

While it was a great trip with plenty of lifers for my sister, it didn't make too much of a dent in my year list. I'm planning on going again before the month ends while I still have momentum. With luck, before shorebird season ends, I'll get my lifer Golden-plovers (I'm still missing both), Pectoral Sandpiper and Stilt Sandpiper. Best case scenario, I find a Buff-breasted, my favorite shorebird species. Leave it to luck, I guess.

Posted on August 12, 2024 08:41 PM by