August 5, 2005
Last-minute shorebirding
I'm about to disappear from California for a conference in Montreal (any birding suggestions for central Montreal anyone?), so have been diligently checking out shorebirds for the last week. It's something of a deafening activity at the moment, as the protective parent Stilts and Avocets noisily defend their young.
North Davis Pond is just now becoming good shorebird habitat - this pimply bottom belongs to the Spotted Sandpiper which has been hanging around this spot for a few days.
The city of Davis Wetlands has been attracting huge numbers of Long-billed Dowitchers, among which were a scattering of Wilson's Phalaropes...
... and this morning, two moulting adult Marbled Godwits.
After countless attempts, perseverence finally paid off in the form of my first California Semipalmated Sandpiper, a distinctive juvenile lacking any orange tone to the scaps and with a decidedly stubby bill.
The trifecta: from l-r, Western, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.
Woodland WWTP came up trumps this morning with my second county bird (no 245) in two days - a moulting adult Ruddy Turnstone. Whilst phoning out the news I took my eyes off the bird, which promptly disappeared - rather careless of me! Also around was a hunting Peregrine, a winter-plumaged Dunlin for its second day, a flyover Black Tern and oodles of Great-tailed Grackles. One great thing about this site is the opportunity for close-up study of the commoner shorebirds such as Western Sandpiper (this juv was particularly bright)...
... and this confiding Semipalmated Plover.
I may not get the chance to update my blog for a couple of weeks, so until then, au revoir!