Buff-breasted Sandpiper

 

August 29th (posted August 30th)

          We had a busy weekend and didn’t have time for birding, although several good birds showed up including a Ruff and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper.  I was supposed to play golf this morning, but was washed out by the morning rain.  With the unexpected free day, we decided to chase the Ruff and the Buff-breasted Sandpiper although we didn’t know if they would still be around.

          This meant a return trip to Wilderness Road and Funk Bottoms Wildlife area located between Mansfield and Wooster Ohio in Amish country.  We left the house about 8:00am and arrived around 10:30. Mike was skeptical that either bird would still be there, but we gave it a shot. 

At Funk Bottoms, we had to hike about half a mile on an overgrown grassy path in the rain to reach the spot where the Buff-breasted had been seen the previous day.  Initially, we couldn’t find the bird but with careful scanning using the spotting scope, Mike finally located him.  Unfortunately, his camera temporarily malfunctioned probably because it got wet so he couldn’t get a photo.

The rain stopped and next we went to nearby Funk Bottoms to look for the Ruff.  After a short hike on another overgrown trail, we arrived at the mudflat.  We couldn’t find the Ruff, but we did see an American Golden Plover, two Wilson’s Phalaropes, two Stilt Sandpipers, Sandhill Cranes, and a variety of other shorebirds.

It was after 1:00pm and I started to drive home, but Mike noticed that three Laughing Gulls had been seen at a park in Lorain earlier this morning.  Sometimes these birding excursions take on a life of their own, so we decided to chase the Laughing Gulls.  We were starving and stopped for lunch in Wellington, Ohio at the Bread N Brew which was excellent.  Onward to the Lakeview Park in Lorain.  There were many gulls on the beach, but we didn’t see any Laughing Gulls.

We headed for home on Route 2 but decided to make one last stop at Maumee Bay State Park to look for gulls.  We arrived about 6:00pm and suddenly the weather turned bad, the sky became black, and we could see a storm rolling in.  We took a quick look at the beach and decided to head for home.  As we hit the I-280 Skyway Bridge, the rain came down in buckets.  We were happy to arrive home safely after an adventurous day.  At this point, any new bird we find is a good bird.

(1 new species, total for the year 290)

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (scarce)

           
                                                  Maumee Bay State Park (storm)

            
                                                 Least Sandpiper
           
                                                 Wilson's Phalarope
           
                                                 American Golden Plover




  

 

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