Birding Emergency!

 

July 8th (posted July 9th)

          I had just finished my afternoon Mah Jongg game where I was the big winner, when Mike called me.  “Where are you?” he asked excitedly.  “I’m on my way home.  Where are you?” I replied.  He had just walked off the golf course and checked the bird alerts that he gets daily and sometimes hourly.  Apparently, there had been multiple sightings of several birds that we needed.  An American Avocet and Stilt Sandpiper had been reported in Huron, Ohio and a Willet and Marbled Godwit in Lorain.

          This qualified as a Birding Emergency!  We both got home, changed into our birding clothes, and gathered our water and provisions.  We left the house about 4:30pm and took off for Huron Harbor which is about 1hr 20min away.  We took a fairly long walk on the pier to a viewing platform.  From there, we got distant scope views of the mudflats where the shorebirds were.  Right away Mike spotted the American Avocet.  Success!  We spent a lot of time sorting through the many other shorebirds.  At first, we thought we saw a Stilt Sandpiper, but it was so far away that we couldn’t be sure.

          We continued on to the Lorain Impoundment which has become all too familiar.  We walked onto the dike where several birders had binoculars up and cameras pointed.  The Marbled Godwit was on the mudflat with his head tucked in.  We waited for him to show his face and checked for other shorebirds.  The Willet was no longer around.  Finally, the godwit lifted his head and Mike got some good photos.

          It was 7:40pm and we were starving.  We had dinner right there at the Erie Steak and Seafood, sitting on the deck enjoying the sunset.  Another successful chase.

(2 new species, total for the year 279)

          American Avocet (scarce)

          Marbled Godwit (rare)

Marbled Godwit

American Avocet


Short-billed Dowitchers

   

 

 

Comments

  1. AnnJuly 10, 2022 at 6:36 AM

    Amazing that you are adding birds even during the quiet season of birding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 10, 2022 at 7:50 AM

    Good report.

    ReplyDelete

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