copyright©MarjieGemmell
SHOREBIRDS & MUD FLAT BIRDING
Crisp autumn mornings in my home state of Ohio, are the perfect time to venture out onto local mudflats in search of shorebirds.
Many birders don’t give shorebirds ‘top billing’, nor indeed even try to identify them. But, to me observing and identifying waders and shorebirds is the ultimate bird watching experience. It is also the birding experience that takes the most patience, in my estimation.
Drawbacks to watching shorebirds are numerous. By reputation, “they all look alike”, in fact, they do not. However, feathered in subtle shades of browns and grays, and taking into consideration their many molts and plumages, they can be tough to identify. Habitat can be a sticky-wicket too. They seem to congregate several hundred yards out on a mud flat that is not only mushy to walk on, but as the temperature climbs the decaying odors of the mud flat rises around you like a ‘sweet perfume’.
This morning I had the pleasure of mud flat birding for several hours. Beginning just after dawn, the sun’s early rays, made even the mud look good, and I found several small pockets of shorebirds. I saw nothing exceptional or rare, but rather the usual suspects which today included Least, Semi-palmated and Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer and Semi-palmated Plovers, Lesser Yellowlegs and a small flock of Sanderlings. Causing a bit more excitement were four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, flying low and circling before settling down. Of course, they were just about as far away on the other side of the mud as they could be, but with the scope readily identifiable.
A couple other highlights of the morning included watching a Merlin chasing after Monarch Butterflies! It was quite a sight to see him wheeling and diving after the illusive prey. Also, not so ‘pretty’ to observe, but very interesting, the remains of a shorebird which had probably been last night’s dinner for the falcon. All that was left of the bird was its wings, two legs and feet, the head & bill. From the shape and size of the bill and feather coloration I made a preliminary identification of Stilt Sandpiper, but after conversation with other birders, we all agreed it was more probably a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher.
You just never know what you might find out on the mud! Perhaps that’s why mud flat birding is always an exciting prospect for me. Good Birding!
Cheeps & Chirps!
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
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