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August 2007

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From:
Nathaniel Nye <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Nathaniel Nye <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:22:04 -0400
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Hi there,
It was definitely a hot one out there today and I guess the shorebirds
didn't like it so much!  The boardwalk at Hoover was pretty much dead today
in terms of shorebirds.  I was there from 10:30 - 11:30, and Gene Stauffer
showed up around 11 or so and stayed after I left.   Here's my list:

Pectoral Sandpiper - 9
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 4
Least Sandpiper - 1
Spotted Sandpiper - 1 immature
Red-necked Phalarope - 1  (flew east over the boardwalk toward the old
bridge piers, then turned back around and headed over toward the Weise Rd.
mudflats.  I clearly saw the large dark eye spot against white cheeks and
throat.  I was unable to relocate it over at Weise Rd.)
Killdeer - ~25
Little Blue Heron - 1
Great-blue Heron - abt. 6 or 8
Osprey - 1
Turkey Vulture - 4 or 5
Barn Swallow - 10
Ring-billed Gull - about a doz.
Blue-winged Teal - at least 4 or 5 among lots of Mallards
Canada Goose - ~40

I then headed over to the Weise Rd. mudflats. There was no activity at all
except near a small cove area about 1/4 mile to the south.  I walked down
that direction along the flats, and saw:

Turkey Vulture - ~12 sitting on beach
Ring-billed Gull - ~15
Caspian Tern - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1
Spotted Sandpiper - 1 (I think that's what it was)
Killdeer - ~8
Double-crested Cormorant - 10

I then went south to Pickerington Ponds M.P. and was at the Wood Duck Picnic
Area from 1:45 to 3 pm.  I saw the following on Blue wing Pond w/ one noted
exception:

Great-blue Heron - 3
Black-crowned Night-heron - 3
Green Heron - 1 (along stream by the old county bridge)
Killdeer - ~6
Least Sandpiper - 1
Lesser Yellowlegs - 3
STILT SANDPIPER -  2  (caveat: these were the first Stilt Spprs I've ever
seen, so I have no experience with them except in field guides.)  I studied
them for about an hour at about 40 or 50 yards in good light with a 20x -
60x scope and binocs, comparing them with eachother and the other shorebirds
that were around.  I am very confident that one was a juvenile and the
other I think was an adult mostly in winter plumage but retaining a little
of its barring on the undertail coverts (any comments on that would be
nice).  It had unpatterned gray back and wings, lighter eye stripe,
and longish, slightly-drooped bill.  It was just a little smaller than the
Killdeers and Lesser Yellowlegs nearby.  It had the exact same body
structure as the juvenile.  The juv's undertail coverts were pure white,
breast was warm buff with fine streaking, tertials and back feathers were
dark with bright buffy borders, well-defined light eye-stripe, and longish,
slightly drooped bill.  They both had a "big-headed" look, as Sibley notes.
If anybody could confirm this ID, that would be awesome!

That's about it, except other more common stuff.  Top it all off with a nice
sunburn, and it made for a pretty good afternoon.  Hope you all have a great
weekend!

-Nate Nye

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