White-winged Scoters
Willet (click to see the larger version)
I went over to Montrose this evening to check the beach for large shorebirds. No Whimbrel or Hudsonian Godwits but there were 3 juvenile Willets inside the protected area. There were also a few shorebirds in the fluddle just to the west of the protected area, including a bunch of Semipalmated Sandpipers, a few Least Sandpipers, a lone Pectoral Sandpiper and a couple or 3 Semipalmated Plovers.
I rode my bike over to Montrose early this afternoon to watch the Air and Water Show, but before the Blue Angels started flying I checked the beach and had a Willet and a Baird’s Sandpiper, both juveniles, inside the protected area. I also had a “flock” of 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers at the southeast corner of the point.
Baird’s Sandpiper. Photo by Clara Coen (click to see the larger version)
An adult Baird’s Sandpiper was inside the protected area at the east end of Montrose Beach this morning, August 1. The bird was seen yesterday too. Adult Baird’s Sandpipers are fairly unusual at Montrose; most of the Baird’s we see are juveniles. Also seen inside the protected area this a.m. were one each of Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)
Al Stokie found an adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Montrose Beach this morning, July 27. Al first saw the bird near the fence at the west end of the protected area. He said the bird flew off after a few minutes and I thought I wouldn’t get to see it but it magically reappeared in front of us while we were standing at the base of the fishhook pier. This was about 7:20. A Killdeer spooked the bird and it flew off to the west and wasn’t seen again. This is the first Buff-breasted Sandpiper I’ve heard of not only for Illinois but the upper Midwest. There were also Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Plovers on the beach.
Shorebirds and Algae (click to see the larger version)
Green gunk has returned to Montrose Beach. Green gunk is just algae that has washed up and accumulated on the beach. Shorebirds love to feed in this stuff. This morning, July 26, there were ~30 Sanderlings, ~6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, a fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, plus the local Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers feeding in the gunk inside the protected area at he east end of the beach.
Stilt Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)
I had an adult Stilt Sandpiper at Montrose Beach this morning. The bird was in the small fluddle between the west end of the protected area and the plastic boardwalk. It flew off when I first saw it but came back after a few minutes. Stilt Sandpipers are fairly rare at Montrose, and we don’t often see them on the beach.
Other than the Stilt San I saw nothing else of note and I had to leave early because of the rain. A cold front will move through northern Illinois early next week and there could be shorebirds moving ahead of it; Montrose Beach might be worth checking later today and tomorrow.