Odd Pigment Least Sandpiper
Here’s another odd coloration on a Least Sandpiper from Hornsby yesterday. I had a similar one last year. The least in the back is more normal colored. The front one looked almost red in person.
Hornsby Visit
Made an early morning visit to Hornsby yesterday. I don’t recall seeing the water levels in ponds quite this low. Lots of floating mats in pond 1W and an island has appeared in pond 2 that birds are enjoying. 14 species of shorebirds including American Golden Plover is a pretty good total for Hornsby. Here…
Hornsby Shorebird Habitat
Made a short visit to Hornsby this morning to check conditions for Shorebird class. It doesn’t seem that the hard rain of Monday hit Hornsby. Drying beds are dry (and full of brush). But pond 1W had ample shorebird habitat, in the form of floating mats — as much as I’ve ever seen. There were…
Shorebird Class Field Trip Hornsby
We had a nice field trip to Hornsby this morning to finish up the Spring Shorebird Class!!. 12 species of shorebird, plus 2 gull and 1 tern species. Some of us also had a bonus bird near the end of the field trip. White-rumped sandpipers are the stars of the show right now, but I…
Wilson’s Phalarope Hornsby
I estimated 330 Wilson’s phalarope at Hornsby in this flock, about 100 in a 2nd flock yesterday. 12 shorebird species.
Shorebirds in Spring Hornsby
Now is a good time to visit Hornsby to study the 3 small peeps (as Allan and I did this morning). Notice how the “frostier” semipalm and Western stick out in a group of brown Least. Notice the chevron marks on flanks of Western and lack of on Semipalm. Notice how colorful western is and…
Migration & Hornsby Big 4
Migration !!! Had a few hundred of these guys near La Grange yesterday. Then I stopped by Hornsby about noon and it was almost devoid of shorebird habitat. Water is up and meets the grass, so no “shore”. I did manage to find 3 of the the “big 4”: Least, Killdeer & Spotted.
Migration Hornsby
Migration is happening!! Tons of yellow warblers and gnatcatchers at Hornsby and a few others sprinkled in like Clay-colored Sparrow and a Flycatcher someone can ID. Also 14 species of shorebirds including Avocets and Semipalm Plovers.
Juvenile Green Heron Hornsby
This is a juvenile Green Heron from Hornsby this morning. It was hunting water bugs. The Green Heron was the first bird I identified by myself at age 10. In the 51 years between then and now I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a juvenile green Heron before.
Red-necked Phalarope Hornsby
Thanks to Terry for letting me know about this Red-necked Phalarope at Hornsby. I re-found it at noon today.