In a recent Dawn Chorus, I wrote about the history of Howard Marsh Metropark and why I’m so heartened by the transformation of farmland along southwest Lake Erie to thriving wetland in such a short time. And gave kudos especially the public/private consortium that planned, funded and carried out the project. What turned out to be Howard Marsh Part 1 covered my visits in July this year. This diary highlights a visit on August 19th. I went with my birding pal, both of us hoping to see a Wilson’s Phalarope that had been reported on eBird, plus whatever other water and shorebirds might happen by.
Map from a Magee Marsh kiosk showing lakeshore parks along western Lake Erie. Howard Marsh is #5 (circled). Bigger.
Map of Howard Marsh. Phase two on the left and phase one on the right. Zoomed. The photos for this Dawn Chorus are all from phase two.
The weather was perfect. The birds were phenomenal, and I’ll highlight several. I also had two memorable encounters of the human kind. But more about those later. I won’t keep anyone in suspense and start with not one, but two Wilson’s Phalaropes.
Wilson’s Phalaropes
For comparison, Wilson’s Phalarope behind a Blue-winged Teal hen.
Phalaropes are distinguishable not only because of their profile, but also because of their feeding style. They spin in deeper water, almost frantically, stirring up small aquatic prey. An additional cool fact from Cornell’s All About Birds:
Unlike most birds where the female has the predominant role in caring for young, female phalaropes desert their mates once they’ve laid eggs. While the male raises the young by himself, the female looks for other males to mate with. This unusual mating system is called polyandry, and it’s reflected in the way the two sexes look, with the females more brightly colored than the males.
The two Wilson’s Phalaropes with a Semipalmated Sandpiper in the foreground. I believe that’s an immature on left, and a non-breeding adult on the right. Corrections please! On this or any of my other identifications. Closer look.
The pair seemed to be taking a break, having done the spinning feeding earlier on the other side of the boardwalk. Here, they were mostly chilling, bathing and preening.
A look at the underside of the immature bird. Closer
Pied-billed Grebes
Pied-billed Grebes nest at Howard Marsh. They were present all summer, lately with their brilliantly patterned chicks. Adults were still feeding the chicks, although I noticed the adults sometimes kept their catch to themselves.
Adult Grebe making off with its catch. Bigger.
Like other grebes, the Pied-billed Grebe eats large quantities of its own feathers. Feathers may at times fill up more than half of a grebe’s stomach, and they are sometimes fed to newly hatched chicks. The ingested plumage appears to form a sieve-like plug that prevents hard, potentially harmful prey parts from passing into the intestine, and it helps form indigestible items into pellets which they can regurgitate. All About Birds
Chick begging from an adult. Zoom
No food this time, but the chick stayed close to the adult.
Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers
These tiny Peeps were in abundance, especially the Semipalmated. They posed nicely as they went about their foraging and bathing.
Aptly named, the Least is the smallest shorebird worldwide. They prefer shallower water than the Semipalmated.
Least Sandpiper, I think immature based on the bright rust tones.
Researchers studying Least Sandpipers discovered a new feeding mechanism. While probing damp mud with their bills, the sandpipers use the surface tension of the water to transport prey quickly from their bill tips to their mouths. All About Birds
A bird’s eye view from the boardwalk of a Least Sandpiper. Zoom
Semipalmated Sandpipers with Blue-winged Teal hen.
The Semipalmated Sandpiper gets its common name from the short webs between its toes (“palmated” means webbed). The Western Sandpiper is the only other small sandpiper with similarly webbed toes. All About Birds
A short bathing sequence of a Semipalmated Sandpiper:
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Don’t do what I did and initially confuse the Semipalmated Sandpiper with the Semipalmated Plover.
Stilt Sandpipers
Look for this arctic-breeding species during spring and fall migration. Its affinity for freshwater means it may be easier to find in the central parts of North America, in places such as Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, than on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts. To find the species, look for places where both dowitchers and yellowlegs congregate, then look for the “in between”-looking Stilt Sandpiper, with its distinctively if subtly decurved bill. All About Birds
Four Stilt Sandpipers in the morning. I don’t think that’s a Stilt Sandpiper flying off to the left. Any ideas? Closer
Another group in the early afternoon. The size, bill and leg color (yellowish green) makes these handsome birds distinctive.
The Stilt Sandpipers got more restive as the day went on, chasing each other. This is the best shot I got of their leg color. Closer.
Short-billed Dowitcher
The first bird we saw that day was a Short-billed Dowitcher, working the shoreline right next to the parking lot and kayak launch.
Short-billed Dowitcher viewed from the parking lot. I correctly guessed this was a Dowitcher because of its sewing machine-like probing motion.
Unlike the Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitchers migrate in stages, first moving to intermediate areas to complete their molt, then moving on to their ultimate wintering areas. This strategy is called “molt migration.” All About Birds
Sewing machine needle down.
Sewing machine needle up. Zoom
Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilts were what first drew me to Howard Marsh. With several nesting pairs, they never fail to delight. Seeing the youngsters develop so quickly from puffball chicks to juveniles has been extra fun.
Immature Black-necked Stilt, based on the light brown scalloping on its back. The legs don’t quite have the neon pink color either. I liked how this view looks like an arrowhead. Zoom
Adult Black-necked Stilt foraging in the low water.
I mentioned up top that two human encounters made this visit to Howard Marsh especially memorable. I’ve generally been on the shy side my entire life. Birding has changed that for the better. First, I live in a large metropolitan area, so the birding sites I frequent are apt to have other birders. Second, I’m knowledgeable enough to know I’m missing something, so I’ve learned to ask other birders what they’ve seen and compare notes. Many times that has led to broader discussions. A common question is where people are from.
That’s exactly what happened on the boardwalk when my birding pal and I met two very amiable birders who obviously were much more experienced than we were. Both were happy to share information, pointing out and identifying different shorebirds, including the lifer Wilson’s Phalaropes. After exchanging hometowns, one of them recognized mine and asked if I possibly went by another name, like, maybe Clickadee? Woot! A fellow Kossack!! Imagine that — meeting ChrisP751 by chance on the Howard Marsh boardwalk! He and his friend continued to graciously share bird sightings when we met them again at nearby Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
Black-necked Stilt pair with Terns and Gulls. Photo taken from the boardwalk where I met ChrisP and his friend. Zoom
The second encounter happened in the afternoon as we were leaving Howard Marsh for the day. Newly arrived birders were just starting to walk along the dike out to the boardwalk. This western Ohio group was a newly formed birdwatching club, with what looked to be high school seniors and their retired teacher/mentor. At the mention of the Wilson’s Phalaropes, one of the student’s eyes lit up and he whirled around, all set to run down the trail. We had to stop him so we could give him specifics on where and what to look for. The enthusiasm of the entire group made me smile, as did the fact that the students were all planning on majoring in some area of environmental science. We talked for several minutes, sharing other sightings and our love of birds, until the siren call of the Wilson’s was too much for the kids to ignore.
Blue-winged Teal juveniles. The students we met were just as cute in their own way. I can say that because they’ll never read this.
That got me to thinking and I changed my criteria for a great birding day. Just being able to get out makes for a good day. The thrill of seeing a lifer or satisfaction of getting a great shot with perfect lighting makes a better day. But my best birding days are those where I can help someone else have their best birding day.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.
THE DAWN CHORUS IS OPEN FOR YOUR WEEKLY BIRDY NEWS!