[wisb] Horicon Avocet still there this p.m.

From: Peter Fissel <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 21:27:34 -0500
I stopped at Horicon in the morning and in the afternoon today.  Both times, 
the Avocet was far to the north of Hwy 49, west of the pumphouse.  It was still 
there as of 4:30 p.m., but many of the other shorebirds were leaving, and the 
radars are lit up tonight, so it's a coin flip as to whether it sticks 
overnight.
 
This a.m., I stopped briefly at the Int'l Education Center on Hwy 28 on the 
south end.  There were dozens of Tree Swallows swarming around, and several 
non-House Sparrows in the tangle of grape vines, wild cucumber, etc. along the 
fence near the Martin houses.   I saw two Lincoln's, at least eight 
White-crowns (mix of adult and immature plumages,) and a couple of Songs.  I 
also stopped along W. Point Rd. through the Bud Cook hiking area and tried 
pishing, but all I scared up was one Common Yellowthroat.
 
There were quite a few shorebirds north of 49 in the morning.  In addition to 
the Avocet, in that section were at least 50 Pectoral SP, several Greater and 
one Lesser Yellowlegs, plus a whole mess of Gadwalls and Green-winged Teal.  A 
couple of Am. Pipits were working the narrow wet area close to the road.  North 
of the historical marker were more Pectorals, a Least, a few Semi-palm SPs and 
one Semipalm. Plover, a Baird's, plus about a dozen sandpipers that have me 
stumped.
 
They were the approximate size of female Pecs (male Pecs can be up to half 
again as large,) and quite dull-plumaged - brown-gray and fairly unmarked 
above, white below, with some dusky streaking on the upper breast.  What threw 
me was the black legs and rather thick, tapered-tubular black bills.  Had I 
seen them with no direct size comparison, I'd have passed them off as rather 
large-appearing Semipalmated Sandpipers, but I saw some of them near the Least 
SP, and they were close to twice its size.  I was thinking Dunlin, but the 
bills were too short and straight.  They were much too dark for Sanderlings.  I 
had the thought that they could be dull Baird's (the one I was sure of was 
still fairly colorful and well-marked.)  I went through the Crossley "Shorebird 
Guide", but nothing is jumping out at me.  Unfortunately, it had started 
raining at that point, so I couldn't attempt digiscoping some photos.
 
Alas, they were gone when I returned in the late afternoon.  It was mostly Pecs 
and Greater Yellowlegs by then, plus the Avocet.  Many of the shorebirds moved 
from the north side to the south side east of the pumphouse, and then most took 
off when the Peregrine buzzed them.
 
Peter Fissel
Madison WI
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[wisb] Horicon Avocet still there this p.m.

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