Red Knot

 

September 10th

          New birds on back-to-back days!  We were having a leisurely morning at home when Mike mentioned that the Red Knot was seen again at Walnut Beach Park in Ashtabula.  This Red Knot has been reported on and off for a week.  We really hesitated to chase it, because Ashtabula is a good three-hour drive and is way east of Cleveland.  Mike had mentioned several times that he thought a Red Knot would probably turn up closer to home.  In the end, we decided “a bird in the hand”.  So, we got organized and left the house about 11:00am.

          We had an uneventful trip and arrived in Ashtabula about 2:30pm.  After a short walk along the beach to a mudflat, we found the juvenile Red Knot almost immediately very close to shore.  A Red Knot is a large, stocky sandpiper with a straight, medium-length bill and rather short legs.  The breeding adults are orange below with an intricate pattern of gold, buff, rufous and black upperparts.  The juvenile has a gray scaly pattern on the wings with pale underparts and a white eyebrow.  It usually shows dark barring on the flanks with dull yellow-olive legs.

          The Red Knot migrates long distances from their arctic breeding grounds to wintering areas in southern South America.  While migrating northward in the Spring, the majority of Red Knots stop to refuel along the Delaware Bay where they gorge on horseshoe crab eggs to gain weight for the final leg of their trip.  The overharvesting of horseshoe crabs has created a shortage of eggs and the Red Knot population has plummeted.  Conservation groups are trying to ban the harvesting of the horseshoe crab to help protect the Red Knot.

(1 new species, total for the year 292)

Red Knot (scarce)

                                          Red Knot (juvenile)

                                           Another view


         

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Summary

Image
  February 1 st           The first month of our Birding Big Year has drawn to a close.   Mike and I have worked hard to find the important winter target birds as well as some rarities.  We are pleased with our progress.   Here is a list of the winter target birds that we have found:           Snow Goose                                           Snowy Owl           Ross’s Goose                                        Long-eared Owl           Greater White-fronted Goose                   Short-eared Owl           Cackling Goose                                       Northern Saw-whet Owl           White-winged Scoter                               Northern Shrike           Long-tailed Duck                                    Purple Finch           Iceland Gull                                            Common Redpoll           Glaucous Gull                                         Lapland Longspur           Rough-legged Hawk                                Snow Bunting
Read more

Chuck-will's-widow

Image
  May 22 nd             This morning Mike and I left for southern Ohio but took a round about way of getting there.   First, we went east to Lorain to look for several birds that had been reported there.   We did find a Cattle Egret at the Lorain Impoundment which is a marshy area near the boat launch and pier.   Cattle Egrets are common in the South but are scarce in Ohio.   Our view of the egret was somewhat obstructed, but it was definitely in full breeding plumage.           From here we headed south for our destination which was Shawnee State Park.   Some of you will remember that we were here just about a month ago with Ann and Howard Rosenberg. That trip ended with the “stomach flu” episode.   We arrived about 4:00pm today and went out for a walk.   There had been a report of a pair of Mississippi Kites seen near the firepit in the cabin area.   We found the spot and immediately saw a kite perched high on a dead snag.   As Mike was taking pictures, I spotted the second kite.
Read more

Saturday March 25th - Black-legged Kittiwake

Image
  Saturday March 25 th – Black-legged Kittiwake           A Black-legged Kittiwake had been hanging around at the Spitzer Riverside Marina in Lorain, Ohio for more than a week and was seen by many birders.   Mike and I had actually gone to chase this bird the previous Sunday without success.   Since so many people had found the bird, we decided to give it one more try.           We drove 1 ½ hours to Lorain, pulled up to the marina and immediately saw the kittiwake floating by itself really close by.   Mike was able to get some great pictures, and it was worth the trip.   This is only the second time we have seen a Black-legged Kittiwake in Ohio.   The previous time was in 2015.           A Black-legged Kittiwake is a type of gull that gets its name because of the shrill sound of its call “kittee-wa-aaake”.   A kittiwake is a small gull and the breeding adults are pale gray above with black wingtips, white below and a yellow bill. The legs are jet black.   Juveniles are quite st
Read more