Wastewater Shorebird Survey September 18

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Carolyn Weng sends this Wastewater Shorebird Report for September 18:
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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI
Sep 18, 2011
3:10 PM - 7:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
24.0 mile(s)

Comments:   Start at 15:10 (71°, 80% cloud cover, wind 14 mph SE), end at 19:00 (67°, 100% cloud clover, wind 8 mph SE) - 3.75 hours, 24 miles; basins, aerators, center dike, west lagoon, east lagoon, White and Swanson north, Laketon west (BJ and CW only), Laketon east (many shorebirds in short alfalfa along east service road north of Laketon), clay pond - basins empty or nearly so; aerator 1, 3 and 4 full,but aerator 3 still had a crud crust hugging the SE corner attracting shorebirds, aerator 2 low with shallows and mudflats, aerator 5 half full; lagoons dropping from summer high by several feet; clay pond high; some water in fields east of Swanson south - 12 species encountered.
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Observers: Brian Johnson, Kathryn Mork, and Carolyn Weng
44 species
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Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)  3     2 White and 1 Dark
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  X
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  X
Gadwall (Anas strepera)  X
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  X
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  X
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)  X
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)  X
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  X
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  X
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  X
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  X
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  6     along Laketon West perched on wires, tree, post
Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1     hunting shorebirds/others in the Aerators; too distant to determine if legband present
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)  X
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  3     WL/1   EL along center dike/2
American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)  59     EL along center dike/1  Laketon East/ 58 (in same north side field as AMGP seen last survey;  foraging with KILL and CAGO in alfalfa field)
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  2     WL/2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  37     Aer2/2  Aer5/5  WL4  EL/13 EL center dike/ 1 Laketon East/12 (foraging with AMGP and CAGO in alfalfa field)
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  3     WL/2  EL center dike/1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  13     Aer 2/13
Sanderling (Calidris alba)  6     WL/3  EL center dike/3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  3     Aer3/3
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  2     Aer/3 on crud crust
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  3     EL/1  Laketon East/2
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  9     Aer2/9
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis)  1     Aer 3/1 feeding on the crud crust along with 2 Baird's sandpipers
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  X
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  X
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  X
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  X
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  X
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  X
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  X
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  X
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  X
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  X
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  X
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 

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