Just heard from Bill Jones, who reminded me that southbound least
sandpipers, yellowlegs, and killdeers showed up today at the Mahoning
Co. fish farm he's made into a shorebird sanctuary.
        Just about now, many North American shorebirds begin abandoning their
precocial young in the Arctic, and return south to the wintering
grounds. The young will follow, in some species lagging nearly two
months behind the old birds. Most shorebirds we'll see here in the near
future will be in worn plumage, bleached and battered.
        Next will be waves of the first juveniles, in fresh and often very
different plumage (one thing that makes shorebirds challenging is so
many species have three distinct sets of feathers). We'll also start to
see adults of some species that have molted into winter feathers before
they reach our latitude, and a few that are in mid-molt. It's pretty
complicated, but we are at the beginning of the period when shorebirds
are most numerous.
        We are also entering their period of maximum variety in Ohio. In
spring, many species---stilt and western and Baird's and buff-breasted
sandpipers, the godwits, and others--hurry hormonally north in a narrow
migration corridor well to our west, mostly unseen by us. Beginning now,
we'll see a lot more of them, as they spread out and proceed at a more
leisurely pace. Whimbrels, for example, streak through Ohio in a matter
of days in spring; in fall, they may hang around for weeks if the
habitat's right. It's also a better time for rarities, as inexperienced
birds stray far off the normal routes. So, if you're lucky enough to
have a patch of shorebird habitat nearby, enjoy.....
        Bill Jones describes his successful labors to make a shorebird haven
near Youngstown in the spring issue of The Ohio Cardinal, now in
preparation.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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