Greetings,
I'd been wanting for some time to get out to Macalester Park to work on my
shorebird identification skills. Finally this late morning, about 11 am, I
went out there with the scope. Not too hot yet, not too windy.
Sandpiper activity seemed kind of light compared to other reports, but I only
viewed one location, that arm of shallow water extending toward the library.
Among the migrants I noted were:
Lots of black-necked stilts—perhaps the same and same numbers as Jennifer
reported last night. A number of avocets and a host of killdeer.
7 Dowitchers—I presume long-billed. Too distant and too far beyond my skills
to speculate on species. But clearly dowitchers.
1 Baird's Sandpiper.
1 Stilt Sandpiper (may be a first for me—I've got to check; my records all are
all still boxed up from moving).
7 Wilson's phalarope, engaging in that un-phaloropy (phalaropish?) behavior of
scooting around on the mudflats.
And on the stroll back to the car:
7 lark sparrows
1 female yellow-headed blackbird. Just sitting quietly in the reeds where the
culvert comes out of the library parking lot.
And the usual suspects. (Am I the only one who's noticed how, at times, a
pigeon can imitate almost anything?)
If anyone's planning on heading out there (when temperature is still in double
digits), and wants to give me tips on identifying peeps and such, at a
reasonable social distance, send me an email at wwenthe@xxxxxxxxxxx. I wish
I'd boarded this train about a week earlier.
Bill
