Wastewater Gulls, Ducks and Shorebirds

October 17 to Mich Chat:

I spent a couple hours today looking for the California Gull that was reported on the Muskegon Nature Club web site a couple days ago.  I did not find the Cal. gull, but did find an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull sitting on the cement wall north of the west pond.  I rarely see Ruddy Ducks anywhere other than the Wastewater, and when I do, they are in relatively small numbers.  This was true when I lived in the Saginaw Bay area also.  Today, there were at least 15,000 Ruddy Ducks at the wastewater along with the many Northern Shovelers and a smattering of other ducks (Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, American Black Ducks -- and many Mallards).   A few shorebirds remain (most were in the small cells just north of the cement aeration ponds) including 2 Baird's Sandpipers as well as Pectoral Sandpipers, Dunlin and Killdeer.

Chip Francke