Top Photo: Solitary sandpiper feeds on north side of wetlands. The only shorebirds I’ve seen here at the museum are spotted sandpiper, killdeer and solitary sandpiper. Both spotted and solitary drop in on their respective ways north and south while migrating. I don’t see them every year. They’re more likely to stop in when the water’s low enough to expose mud along the edges of the pond. Though I have viewed them each briefly when the only thing above waterRead more
Posts tagged: #Spotted Sandpiper
Strictly For the Record
It’s September and if we’re going to see a solitary sandpaper, or any shorebirds here at the Museum, there’s a good chance it’s going to be in September. And so it was on 8 September. It was closing time and I was making the rounds. I spotted a small white object perched on a rock in the Wetlands. It had to be a shorebird, either spotted or solitary sandpiper. I took out my camera, had a look through the viewfinder and zoomed in. Sure enough,Read more
A Lone Sandpiper
We had a brief visit by a Solitary Sandpiper last week. I’ve recorded only three species of shorebirds in our little wetlands, Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers and Killdeer. Solitary Sandpipers are the most frequent visitors and that’s what showed up last week. You may remember when two years ago a solitary wandered in to our wetlands and nearly became dinner for a bullfrog. In fact, two solitaries dropped in that year due to the very low water levels, exposing theRead more
Spotted Sandpiper
A Spotted Sandpiper stopped in at the Museum on Saturday (4/7/11). We don’t often see shorebirds at the Museum, so whenever one does show up it’s worth mentioning. Spotted Sandpipers are one of four species I would expect to see here. The other three shorebirds likely to be seen are Solitary Sandpiper, Killdeer, and Least Sandpiper. All but the latter have been seen. I’m waiting patiently for the Least Sandpipers to arrive!Read more
Looking Back: Birds
With the closing of the year it’s perhaps time to look back and see what we’ve observed on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Below, in the appropriate segments, I give totals for some of the species seen since January of last year. There were 101 species of bird observed during 2008 at the Museum including such unlikely species as Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-heron, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Osprey, Bald Eagle (3), and Northern Harrier. All of those species wereRead more
Spotted Sandpiper Fly-by and other Comings and Goings
Top Photo: spotted sandpiper makes brief stop in wetlands. A Spotted Sandpiper was seen at the Sailboat Pond. The bird circled the pond once and then proceeded down the path toward Explore the Wild. Spotted Sandpipers prefer a muddy shoreline on which to forage for invertebrates. We don’t often see shorebirds at the Museum. If they stop in, they usually don’t stay long. A young Red-tailed Hawk, leisurely soaring over the Wetlands, was met by a Red-shouldered Hawk intent onRead more
A Night Heron, Birds on the Move
Top Photo: Green heron eyes blue dasher (dragonfly). A Black-crowned Night Heron was seen on two separate days at the beginning of the period. The bird was in immature plumage and had not yet acquired the “black crown” of its common name. It may take 3 years to acquire full adult plumage. Black-crowned Night Herons are active at night and sleep the day away, so it may still be about tucked in out of sight amongst the willows. This isRead more