July 20, 2005
Woodland shorebirding
Joan, Sami and I finally managed to get out to the Woodland wastewater ponds in search of shorebirds, which we found in abundance - Red-necked and Wilson's Phalaropes spun in the water while Semipalmated Plover, Least and Western Sandpipers foraged at the muddy edges. When seen well, adult summer Least and Western Sandpipers don't present much of an ID challenge.
Neither does this species pair!
We detected two Short-billed Dowitchers among the many Long-billed, the first by flight-call, and this second individual by its spotted breast, striped flanks and white underparts.
The first Semipalmated Sandpiper of the fall has already been detected (my county bogey bird), while a Lesser Sandplover just crossed the state border into Oregon. This is a good time to stay vigilant!