OHIO-BIRDS Archives

August 2015

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From:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 1 Aug 2015 10:03:55 -0400
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Usually buff-breasted sandpipers are late migrants here, much later in
the month. But the reports of adults from the central flyway (Minnesota
[in the intriguingly-named Yellow Medicine County]), Arkansas, Missouri,
and even Ontario over the last couple of days signal a fairly early
migration. These are likely adult males, who having made their minor but
vital contribution to the species, are heading south. The females will
follow them soon, abandoning the young, who will be on their own,
departing still later.
These young birds will stray on their first migration, and regularly
appear as far east as Ohio by mid-August. They are not all that fond of
wetlands, and are most often seen in grassy areas: sod farms here are a
favorite place to see them. I recall we had a shin-dig about shorebirds
at Maumee Bay State Park ten Augusts ago, when quite a few of these
birds conveniently chose to forage for a week or two on the islands of
moved grass in the parking lot, snarfing moths. One bird, dubbed
"Groucho" because of a decidedly droopy bill, hung around for nineteen
days, and became the topic of an interesting article by Brian Zweibel
(Ohio Cardinal 29(1):35-37...back issues of the Cardinal may be read at
http://www.ohiobirds.org/site/publications/cardinal/archiveissues.php ).
  Anyway, while this species is not yet super-rare, it is often among
the shorebirds missed by observers because of its fairly late schedule
and its preferred migratory habitat. Look in short grass for its
distinctively cute head profile and color in plowed fields or turf farms
in a week or two.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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