26 May 2016Lake County
Bad weather = Good Birds!!!!
I arrived at the Phillipy Pits just as it started to rain. I noted that the
only shorebirds present were 2 Killdeer. Shortly afterwards, 12 Least
Sandpipers and 6 Semipalmated Plovers dropped in. The rain kept getting heavier
and the winds began to pick up and the storm moved in from the north. Just as I
was about to pull away 3 large shorebirds dropped in - godwits! It was raining
so hard that I was struggling to see them well but I thought I could see 2
Marbled Godwits and 1 Hudsonian Godwit! I got a picture of the Hudsonian and
then the rain slacked up just long enough for me to get a picture of the
closest Marbled Godwit. Then the rain started pouring again. I got one distant
pic of the 2nd Marbled as the rains came down. Just as the rains slacked up
again, an adult Bald Eagle came soaring over the water and flushed the godwits
as well as the Canada Geese and Mallards. They all flew off to the west towards
the Mississippi River and could not be relocated. I came back a short time
later and the geese and ducks had returned but there was no sign of the
godwits. It's possible that they flew across the river into MO or north into KY.
Pics can be seen on eBird.
Other birds of note today were a Ruddy Turnstone on Tiptonville Bar, a Common
Tern on the MS River at Boothspoint in Dyer County, and a few Least Terns at
Slough Neck Landing on the MS River in Lake County.
A possible jaeger was also seen at the far south end of Tiptonville Bar but it
was just too far away to do anything with and unfortunately could not be
relocated for better looks. :(
Good birding!
Mark GreeneTrenton, TN
