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Jordan Lake 751 bridge shorebirds



Hi,

There are more and more people ( I am sorry but I don't remember all of
your names...) looking at shorebirds on Jordan Lake's mudflats and more
and more people learn a lot. Birds are fairly close in good number and
nice variety of species. Most of birds were in vicinity of bridge
mudflats with areas just south from the "peninsula"  being rather empty
(with mostly Killdeers). There are more and more small islands farther
south from the peninsula toward the bridge, however birds are rather far
distance and some are hard to ID (we had a few Dowitchers I wasn't able
to make a positive ID). So, again north side of the 751 bridge was the
best.
That was very nice view to see all of these birdwatchers with scopes and
books working hard with those birds. That was good opportunity to learn
how to tel apart juvenile Western and Semipalmated or adult and juvenile
Stilt Sand.
Here you are some numbers (counted from the bridge to "peninsula"):

Black-bellied Plover     1 ad (looking at its plumage the same birds
since a few days)
Killdeer                           66
Semipalmated Plover    8 (could be a bit more but definitely most are
already gone)
Greater Yellowlegs         3 ad (nice and close distance 2 birds with
Lesser)
Lesser Yellow.                 54 (some 50% adults)
Stilt Sand.                        6 ad 8 juv. (near the bridge,
excellent view)
Pectoral Sand.               82 (as usually spread everywhere)
Western Sand                37 juv. 1 ad (flock of 33 near the bridge)
Semipalmated Sand.    13 juv. (almost 3 times less than Western!)
Least Sand.                    39 juv.  4 ad
Short-billed Dowitch.      9 juv. (watch for tertials, scapulars,
greater coverts pattern)
Dowitcher sp.                  3 juv. ( wasn't sure about that
pattern.....)
Wilson's Phalarope        6 juv. (these are the most cute birds! just
beautiful!)
Little Blue Heron            3 juv.
Caspian Tern                 2 ad
Forster's Tern                 1 ad (first for me for the season)

That was pleasure to be there with so many birdwatchers, thank you!

Mike


************************************************
Michal Skakuj  Ph.D.
4600 University Drive apt. 1312
Durham, NC 27707
phone:        919 402 9961
mobile phone: 919 599 3040