Tag Archives: Black-bellied Plover

Fall Shorebirds

American Golden-Plover

American Golden-Plover (click to see the larger version)

Shorebird migration may be past peak but that doesn’t mean shorebird migration is over. Six species were at Montrose Beach on September 22, including

American Golden-Plover – 1 juvenile
Black-bellied Plover – 7 juveniles
Killdeer – 2
Pectoral Sandpiper – 3 juveniles
Least Sandpiper – 4
Lesser Yellowlegs – 2

A number of other shorebirds occur at this time of the year, including Dunlin (expected) and Long-billed Dowitcher (rare), and later in the fall Purple Sandpiper and Red Phalarope are possible. Link to my eBird checklist for the morning below.

eBird Checklist
September 22, 2020

The Sweet Season, May 9, 2019

Common Nighthawk

Common Nighthawk. Photo by M. Ferguson (click to see the larger version)

The sweet season has commenced. Days like May 9 make suffering through Chicago winters worth it. I don’t know if the volume of birds was better than the fantastic weekend of May 4-5 but the variety certainly was. I tallied 95 species in about 3.5 hours of morning birding, my best spring total to date (according to eBird, over 120 species were reported). My highlights include 3 Black-bellied Plovers, Willet, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common and Forster’s Terns, a roosting Common Nighthawk, 5 woodpeckers, 19 species of warblers (Pine, Northern Parula, and Blue-winged being the best), and Clay-colored Sparrow. Link to my eBird checklist below.

eBird Checklist
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56042131

June 5, 2013

A brief walk around Montrose this morning yielded the following birds:

Mute Swan – 5 (3 adults, 2 immatures) flying east
Black-bellied Plover – 1
Sanderling – 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper – 1
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – 2
Alder Flycatcher – 1
Mourning Warbler – 2
Wilson’s Warbler – 1

The fat lady still hasn’t sung.

May 21, 2013

There were decent numbers of birds this morning. Last night’s south winds did us some good. Flycatchers seemed to be everywhere. Warblers were dominated by American Redstarts, Magnolia, Wilson’s and Common Yellowthroat. Most sparrows seemed to have pulled out. Here’s some of what I saw in about an hour and a half:

Blue-winged Teal – 2, pair
Black-bellied Plover – 1
Semipalmated Plover – 2
Ruddy Turnstone – 2
Dunlin – 2
Sanderling – 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper – ~15
Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee – ~8
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – 3
Alder Flycatcher – 2
Willow Flycatcher – 2
Alder/Willow Flycatcher – ~8
Least Flycatcher – 3
Eastern Kingbird – ~10
Cliff Swallow – ~8
Bank Swallow – ~10
Eastern Bluebird – 1
Veery – 2
Swainson’s Thrush – ~5
Gray-cheeked Thrush – 2
Cedar Waxwing – ~60
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1
Magnolia Warbler – ~15
Black-and-white Warbler – 1
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
Bay-breasted Warbler – 1
Mourning Warbler – 2
Kentucky Warbler – 1 in the Magic Hedge
Canada Warbler – 1
Wilson’s Warbler – ~20
Common Yellowthroat – ~20
American Redstart – ~25
Bobolink – 1