Shorebirds at Grand Haven Tuesday Revisited

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In reply to "Shorebirds at Grand Haven Tuesday" posted earlier, Kathryn Mork writes, "I was at the north pier on Tuesday too.  I saw 5 Ruddy Turnstones, a lot of Sanderlings, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Plover and a Baird's Sandpiper."
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Green Heron

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Bruce Delamarter sends two photos of a Green Heron at the Causeway on Monday.
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Albino Grosbeak Near Big Blue Lake

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Here are two of four photos sent to us by Jim and Tracy Zervos of a mostly white male Rose-breasted Grosbeak visiting their feeder on the north side of Big Blue Lake with the comment, "We hope that these photos are okay; they were taken through our front window."
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The photos are great!  Thanks for sending them.
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- Ric
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Shorebirds at Grand Haven Tuesday

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Carol and I walked along the north pier at Grand Haven hoping for Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones reported earlier by Charlie DeWitt.  Thanks, Charlie!  Several of these birds almost walked on our shoes!
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- Ric
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Grand Haven Channel Northside, Ottawa, US-MI
Aug 30, 2011 1:15 PM - 1:45 PM

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)  3
Sanderling (Calidris alba)  24
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  3
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  1
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This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
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Red Knot at Grand Haven Monday

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Thanks to a call from Dave Herdegen I was able to go to the Grand Haven south pier (Aug. 29) and see this Red Knot.  It was on the beach where the pier and beach come together.
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- Charlie DeWitt
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Good Shorebirds on Sunday

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Charlie DeWitt:
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This picture was taken at the southeast corner of the Wastewater's east lagoon.  There were 4 Stilt Sandpipers there.  I also saw a pair of Horned Grebes in the same area.
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This is the same pair of Stilt Sandpipers.  In Cell #2 there were 6 Stilt Sandpipers, 1 Solitary Sandpiper and many peeps.
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After the Wastewater I went to the north pier at Grand Haven.  I had a few Sanderlings and right at sunset a flock of 6 Ruddy Turnstones came in.  It was too dark for pictures.
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Carolyn Weng:
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Here is the Wastewater Shorebird Survey conducted August 27 by Brian Johnson, Kathryn Mork and Carolyn Weng.  Note that the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was on the crud crust in Aerator 3 (middle aerator) and a White-rumped Sandpiper was in Aerator 5 (easternmost) among the Baird's Sandpipers.

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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI

Aug 27, 2011 4:20 PM - 8:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
25.0 mile(s)

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Comments:  Temp 84-66 degrees F; NW 10 mph; 20%-10% cloud cover; Shallow flooding in basin D5; Lagoons high, muddy corners only; Aerators 1, 4 full; Aerator 2: 1/3 full with muddy shallow and heavy vegetation growth along shoreline obscuring views of shorebirds; Aerator 3: full with 1/8 surface with a crud crust used by feeding shorebirds; Aerator 5: 1/2 full, with muddy shoreline. In the south of Apple Ave. section the Clay Pond continues very high; crops prevent viewing the flooded field but the presence of shorebirds flying up from the area as well as Sandhill Cranes coming in to roost at dusk indicates some shallow flooding still present at the far east side of the field. Depressions in the field near the road have dried up. 

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13 species
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Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  6   
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  2  
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  44  
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)  5  
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  41  
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  36  
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  19  
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)  1  
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  20  
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  6  
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  5  
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis)  1  
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  1     

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Turnstones and Sanderlings at Grand Haven

. Friday night about 7:45 (Aug. 26) there were 4 Ruddy Turnstones and 8 Sanderlings on the north pier at Grand Haven. The turnstones usually stay for a few days once they show up.

.- Charlie DeWitt
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Sandpipers at Grand Haven Monday

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Charlie DeWitt took these three sandpiper photos (Least, Semipalmated and Stilt) yesterday (Aug. 22) from the north pier at Grand Haven.  He found it strange seeing the Stilt Sandpiper on the pier.  (Click and click again for super close-ups!).
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Four Field Trip Photos

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Carol Cooper sends these photos from our last two field trips.
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July 16: Ruby-throated Hummingbird on its nest and a Beaver at the Clear Springs Nature Preserve near Montague.
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August 20: Lesser Yellowlegs and (though a bit blurry) an excellent quick for-the-record shot of the Baird's Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Wilson's Phalarope feeding together along the west edge of Aeration Lagoon #5 at the Wastewater.
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Wilson's Phalarope, Great Egret at W.W.

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Charlie DeWitt, Carol DeWitt, Feller DeWitt, Karen Zipser, Carol Cooper, John Walhout, Connie Peoples, Pat Bazaney, Ken Sherburn, Kevin Dine, Dave Jacobs and Kathryn Mork (with a brief appearance by Rosemary Radius of Grand Rapids Audubon) followed Ric Pedler around various Wastewater locations this morning tallying 89 shorebirds of 8 species despite our late start (for which Ric was justifiably chastised).
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Aerator #3 provided the most shorebirds (49 of 5 species) but Aerator #5 the most shorebird diversity (9 individuals, but 6 species!): Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird's Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper and Wilson's Phalarope.
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Besides the shorebirds reported to eBird below, our group also found a Great Egret at the Clay Pond and a Cooper's Hawk alongside Swanson south of White.
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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI
Aug 20, 2011 9:20 AM - 11:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Muskegon County Nature Club Shorebird Fieldtrip
8 species

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  21
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  8
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  6
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  47
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  1
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)  1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2. 
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Green Heron

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"Green Heron practicing Yoga."
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- Bruce Delamarter
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Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes at WW

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On the Wastewater Shorebird Survey yesterday (Aug. 14) Carolyn Weng observed the following species, including Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes.
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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI
Aug 14, 2011 4:20 PM - 8:35 PM
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11 species.

Semipalmated Plover  2     Aer3/2
Killdeer  15     EL/7  Aer3/1 WL/2 SwansonS/4 LaketonE/1
Spotted Sandpiper  74     WL/13 EL/8 Center DikeE/39 Center DikeW/14
Solitary Sandpiper  4     Aer3/1 Aer2/2 LaketonE/1
Lesser Yellowlegs  46     EL/2 WL/8 Aer3/13 Aer2/9 Center Dike W/9 Center Dike E/1 SwansonS/1 LaketonE/3
Upland Sandpiper  4     SE corner alfalfa field at Swanson & Laketon; flushed, flew calling
Semipalmated Sandpiper  7     Aer3/6 EL/1
Least Sandpiper  62     EL/9 Aer3/49  Aer2/3  LaketonE/1
Pectoral Sandpiper  1     LaketonE/1
Wilson's Phalarope  1     Aer3/1 juvenile plumage
Red-necked Phalarope  5     EL/5 juvenile plumage.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2.
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More Causeway Pics

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A pair of  Great Egrets not seeing eye to eye:
 

                     

  
Great Blue Heron making his presence known:
 

   

Don Neumann
 

Lesser Black-backed Gull at Wastewater

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"I found what I believe is a Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Wastewater at about 4:00 p.m. yesterday (Aug. 10) on the east side of the East Lagoon. The bird had yellow legs and was smaller than the Herring Gulls it was associating with. I forgot my camera and this grainy image is a capture from the video I took.  Thanks."
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- Hank Veldman, Grand Rapids
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Shorebirds at Wastewater Wednesday

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Anticipating the August 20 field trip, I spent a couple hours surveying the shorebirds in Aerator Lagoons 5, 2 and 3 this morning.  Phil Willemstein showed up along the way.  We found 8 species.
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- Ric
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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI
Aug 10, 2011 9:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  3
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)  1
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  19
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  3
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  49
peep sp. (Calidris sp.)  32   (Most probably Least Sandpipers.)
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This report was generated automatically by eBird.
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Several Egrets at the Causeway Tuesday

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At least 7 Great Egrets were flying around by the Causeway this morning.  They didn't seem to get along with the Great Blue Heron.  The Belted Kingfisher wasn't sure what to think.

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Don Neumann

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August 7 Wastewater Shorebird Survey

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On Sunday, August 7, I conducted our early August shorebird survey at Muskegon Wastewater. Although numbers and diversity were generally lower than on July 23, it still proved to be a productive outing. Ten species were encountered:

Semipalmated Plover 4

Killdeer 50

Spotted Sandpiper 18

Solitary Sandpiper 6

Lesser Yellowlegs 56

Upland Sandpiper 2

Semipalmated Sandpiper 12

Least Sandpiper 47

Pectoral Sandpiper 2

Short-billed Dowitcher 4

Other birds of note included a female Gadwall with 10 ducklings, 5 Great Egrets in the clay pond, 1 juvenile Bonaparte's Gull, 1 adult male and 4 juvenile Brewer's Blackbirds (probably recently hatched in one of the infiltration basins), and 2 Dickcissels still singing.

Afterwards I ran a couple nets and caught 5 more Grasshopper Sparrows, plus 2 Bank Swallows. I have now banded 90 Grasshopper Sparrows in the fields south of Apple this year.

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Brian Johnson

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Red-tailed Hawks

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They wouldn't smile, but the adult screamed at me and the immature just looked cute.

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Bruce Delamarter

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Finally Got Out to Shoot !

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A few shots from this past week; while you're looking up names for Mike V's blue wasp (see Aug. 4 post below), please see if you can I.D. these too:
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Double-crested Cormorant and Green Heron (and turtle) at the Causeway.

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A group of 9 Sandhill Cranes at the Wastewater Thursday evening in the field NE of the Swanson Laketon corner. Yes, Mike, I know there are not 9 in the picture; trust me, they were there!

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This fawn was also at the Wastewater.

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Mom and the kids: Bald Eagles

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Wow, what a fun week!

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Don Neumann

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Green Heron

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This Green Heron was nice enough to stay mostly in focus for three shots.
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Bruce Delamarter
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I.D. a Wasp, Anyone?

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It's about 9/16" long and "obviously" blue.  I've never seen a Blue Wasp before.  I can find some similar pictures on the Web, but none have an I.D. attached to them.

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Mike VanderStelt
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Cedar Waxwing Family

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I found "Momma" Cedar Waxwing hiding her two babies in the dense branches of a pine tree this morning. They stayed right next to each other all during the 4-5 trips Mom made for food.

Mike VanderStelt
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