Wed 15 May 2013
some local shorebirds on May 15 and new arrivals
Posted by Dan Williams under Bird SightingsNo Comments
This morning, there were 3 Short-billed Dowitchers in the flooded field along Baxter Road just north of the entrance to upper Kilbuck FP. Also in the puddle were Lesser Yellowlegs (10), Solitary Sandpiper (1), Spotted Sandpiper (4), Least Sandpiper (at least 5, but likely more), some Killdeer and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. The puddle along Kishwaukee Road held 4 Spotted Sandpipers and 8 Least Sandpipers.
Down near Byron, in a flooded field on Kishwaukee Road just N of IL 72, in addition to Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers, there were at least 3 Semipalmated Plovers (they were playing hide and seek in the corn stubble) and 4 or more American Pipits. Well, ok, these aren’t shorebirds, but they hang around the edges of puddles.
Finally, Lake Sule in Rochelle has had an increasing number of Black Terns throughout the day. Aaron Boone texted me at 8:10 a.m. to report that he had 15 of them. When I got there at 10:30, I counted 23. Russ Cline just called me to report that he counted 3x and had between 24-28.
Today I saw and heard my first Willow Flycatchers of the season. Many pewees are now calling, as are Great Crested Flycatchers. A Clay-colored Sparrow that I found at Indian Hill Manor, across from the Forest Preserve, was most likely still migrating, but the 2 Lark Sparrows calling from the ag fields across the road were seemingly on territories.



