Shorebirds at River Bay

I stopped at River Bay, St. Lucy on Friday.  Lots of shorebirds were present. Here are just a few example of the species I saw:

lots of Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) like this on on its own island

I was surprised to find this American Golden - Plover (Pluvialis dominica) there

a few nice looking White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) like this one

only about three Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) but this one was photogenic 

I tried hard to turn these Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) in to the much rarer  Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) but alas to no avail 

 

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 7

September 7th, Global Shorebird Counts Day 7

I had an anticlimactic conclusion to the  2021 Global Shorebird Counts after I was unable to do any birding on day seven.  So after visiting five locations, two of them twice, taking eight counts, I saw sixteen shorebird species totaling 661 birds thus ending another year of the Global Shorebird Counts and World Shorebirds Day. Here are the name and images of the birds I saw.

Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola)

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)

Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)

Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

Solitary Sandpiper  (Tringa solitaria)

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Willet  (Tringa semipalmata)

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

World Shorebirds Day - Day 6

White-rumped Sandpipers @ WSR 

On World Shorebirds Day, Day 6 of the Global Shorebird Counts, I made it to two locations and added a new species to my  count checklist.  My first stop was to WSR for a second count.  I tallied over thirty more birds and added one new species, Solitary Sandpiper  (Tringa solitaria) to my Global Shorebird Counts checklist.  There was also a significant increase in the number of White-rumped Sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis)(34) over the first visit.   

Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage

At the second location, I saw my first Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola) in breeding plumage for the migration season.  On the final day of the count, I will make a huge effort to see new shorebirds. 

Here is a summary of day four's birding:

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 14
New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 1 (Solitary Sandpiper)
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 4: 146 (White-rumped Sandpipers)
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 17
Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 551

Images

White-rumped Sandpiper in flight showing diagnostic white rump 

Comparing White-rumped & Semipalmated Sandpiper in flight

Pectoral  with two Semipalmated Sandpipers

Stilt Sandpiper 

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 4

September 4th, Global Shorebird Counts Day 4 

Shorebirds, mostly Semipalmated Sandpipers, feeding in a Sargassum Pool at Long Beach

Day four of the Global Shorebird Counts took me to the south coast of the island, where I birded the Sargassum Seaweed littered beach of Long Beach.  I then went to Chancery Lane, and finally Inch Marlow, for its second counting of the event.  At Long Beach, the most common shorebirds were Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla). A new addition to my Global Shorebird checklist, Sanderling ( Calidris alba) was also on the beach.  The water levels at the neighboring Chancery Lane Swamp were high, with little to no mudflats areas, so I was not surprised by the lack of smaller shorebirds in these conditions.  The larger ones though were still able to strive in these conditions, wading and finding food in the shallow parts.  In one such area in the middle of the swamp three Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), two Willets (Tringa semipalmata), and a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) could be seen doing just that.  The second time around at Inch Marlow tallied 30 more individual birds and one species, White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) than before.  Day 5 is most likely an off day for me until World Shorebird Day on September 6th and day 6 of the count.                                                                             

Here is a summary of day four's birding:

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 14
New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 4
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 4: 312 (149 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 86 Ruddy Turnstones)
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 16
Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 521

New Species

Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Willets (Tringa semipalmata)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Seen running checklist here

Images from Day 4

Lesser Yellowlegs at Long Beach

Two Semipalmated Sandpipers gingerly walking among the Sargassum slush @ Long Beach

Three Ruddy Turnstones on the mound of Sargassum Seaweed at Long Beach 

more Ruddys

A Sanderling and a Ruddy Turnstone at Long Beach

A Willet inflight at Chancery Lane's Swamp

Two Short-billed Dowitchers at Inch Marlow

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 3

September 3rd, Global Shorebird Counts Day 3 

In the fading evening light of day three of the Global Shorebird Counts, I found myself at the most northern part of the island, North Point, St. Lucy.  Late last month I recorded over one hundred Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) at that very location and was happy when I saw that many of them were still there.  I added one more species, Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri), to my species list, bringing the total seen thus far to 14.  My plan for day 4 is to visit a few areas in the south of the island, including Long Beach and Chancery Lane. See a summary of day three numbers below.

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 3: 7

New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 3: 1 - Western Sandpiper

Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 2: 100 (84 Semipalmated Sandpipers)

Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 12

Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 209

Seen running checklist here

Semipalmated Plover

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 2

September 2nd, Global Shorebird Counts Day 2 

Day 2 of the Global Shorebird Counts found me at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR), at Woodbourne, St. Philip.  There were many shorebirds there that afternoon wading in the shallow water.   In total there were seven species of shorebirds, including five new ones for the count. These were Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), and Greater ( Tringa melanoleuca) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipesr).

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 2: 8
New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 2: 5
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 2: 67
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 11
Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 109

Seen running checklist here

Images from Day 2

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

The Fattest Short-billed Dowitcher I have ever seen

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 1

September 1st, Global Shorebird Counts Day 1

Ruddy Turnstones & a Semipalmated Sandpiper on the rocks at Inch Marlow

It was a slow start to the Global Shorebird Counts 2021.  I only got out to one location, Inch Marlow, Christ Church, but was unable to do a comprehensive count.  The highlight though was a  Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) with a green band on its leg but sadly I was unable to see the code printed on the band. I will visit this location again during the count for sure.

Day 1 numbers at a glance:

Total Shorebird Species for the Day: 6
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day: 42
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts: 6
Total Individual Bird For the Global Shorebird Counts: 42
New species for the count: 6 

1. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
2. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
3. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
4. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
5. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
6. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

Images from Day 1 of Global Shorebird Counts

Ruddy Turnstone  with a green band

Ruddy Turnstone & Semipalmated Sandpiper

Global Shorebird Counts - Checklist

Global Shorebird Counts Running Checklist

Number of Species Seen: 17

Total individual Birds : 661

Ruddy Turnstones & a Semipalmated Sandpiper on the rocks at Inch Marlow
on day one of the Global Shorebird Counts

The list of shorebirds seen during the Global Shorebird Counts

1. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
2. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
3. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
4. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
5. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
6. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
7. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
8. White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
9. Pectoral Sandpiper  (Calidris melanotos) 
10. Greater Yellowleg ( Tringa melanoleuca) 
11. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipesr)
12. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
13. Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
14. Willets (Tringa semipalmata)
15. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
16. Sanderling (Calidris alba)
17. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)