Dennis Forsyth writes:
This morning I started from the Morning Beach Stairs at about 8:10 and walked at a mid-tide out to the spit and back, finishing up at about 11:30. Lots of stuff happening. With binoculars I saw a few Yellowlegs south of the stairs. The highlight though were some mixed flocks of Least and Western Sandpipers . I’m including a shot of one of the Least Sandpipers below – it’s the first photo. For those of you who might be unsure of your ‘peeps’ the Least is the smallest and the only one with greenish legs. Semi-palmated and Westerns both have dark legs and are slightly larger.
These guys can be tricky to spot as they forage in the washed up weed. I find I need to walk slowly and watch carefully. Because they are so easy to walk up on unawares I strongly recommend that you leave the dog at home if you go out there these days or at least keep it leashed. The birds I saw today seemed absolutely focussed on feeding and I suspect that they are seriously hungry.
You will possibly get some warnings of birds ahead as our very common, noisy, but still most elegant, Killdeer is often keeping other shorebirds company.
Lots of other birdlife this morning also. This is a hotspot for Kingfishers with at least four having established territories between the stairs and the spit. And I saw a solitary, and somewhat uncommon, American Pipit this morning and lots of Rough-winged Swallows and possibly two Tree Swallows. A good morning – and good birding to you all. Dennis
