Global Shorebird Count - Day 1

Three shorebirds listed on day one at WSR - L-R White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Lesser Yellowlegs

I am participating in the Global Shorebird Count which is part of World Shorebird Day. This international bird count will run from today, September 1st to 7th, the day after World Shorebird Day, which is observed on the 6th.   On the first day and visited three sites in the eastern parishes of St. Philip and St. John. The first site was Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, a wetland that hosted a variety of shorebirds thus far for the migration season. However, on this occasion, I only saw eight species there. The most abundant species were the Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) with 89 individuals and the Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) with 20 individuals. This wetland is the first shorebird sanctuary on the island.

(L-R) Stilt Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher at site #2 

The second site was another shorebird sanctuary which is known to attract a high volume of birds, but that was not the case this afternoon.  This was due in part to the high water levels at this artificial wetland caused by extensive rainfall just hours before.  The high water levels cover the mudflats, the main feeding area of the smaller birds.  Still, while the bird count was low, 52 individual birds, it was divided among nine species, which included 16 Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). The last site was a field in Redland, St. John, where chicken guano was stored for fertilizing the grass fields. This attracted seven shorebird species, among them two American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica). In total, I recorded 13 shorebird species and 234 individual birds on the first day of the Global Shorebird Count.

Total Shorebird Species seen today - 13

Total shorebird species for the count - 13

See Day 1 images here

List of Shorebirds seen:

1. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
2. American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica
3. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
4. Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
5. Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
6. White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
7. Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos
8. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
9. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
10. Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
11. Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
12. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
13. Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes