Willet by Tim Wallace.
Although the weather on August 21 was not what most people would consider promising, the rain created hopes among the Hoosier Gang that migrating shorebirds might be forced down. They stood in the descending water waiting. Yes they became wet but it was all worth it as they were rewarded by a large flock of whimbrels and an even larger flock of Hudsonian godwits. Several birders made independent counts and arrived at totals ranging from 52 (the birder closest to them) to 48. The higher figure would have tied the state record. Then a strange thing happened later that day. Ken Brock examined several of the photos taken and in every one all he could find was 43. Ken joked that “after numerous embarrassing experiences with the Identification of young jaegers, I finally adopted the maxim, never call a juvenile jaeger until it is safely out of sight. In view of today’s pervasive digital photography it now seems appropriate to create a similar tenet for the counting of passing bird flocks.” But what is a few godwits among friends?
Or the other approach is to just report one individual- impossible to over count, unless the identification is wrong. On Sunday Brendan Grube saw a parasitic jaeger. Therefore, between the possibility of large shorebirds and jaegers, and a day when the weather looked propitious, I joined Ken and John Kendall on the next Wednesday. I arrived early and waited for Ken’s arrival, when we headed to the top of a sand dune. Then John showed up and for him it was quite a feat. He had a bum foot so he was on crutches- struggling up the mound of loose sand took quite an effort.
We then sat there for about four hours. Mostly what we did was eat sand. There is nothing like the distinctive feel of grit between your teeth to sharpen your senses (or incisors). I had the fine particles in my ears and hair for a couple of days- mementos of what was actually a thoroughly enjoyable experience. (OK, given the place and company, I doubt I could ever not enjoy myself at Miller. Well, maybe there was that one day in late November when my hands were aching so bad due to the cold I had trouble extracting the keys from my pocket and manipulating them sufficiently well to open the car door. Nah, that was a good day too.)
Bird wise it was typical of Miller: nothing extraordinary but enough birds to keep one’s interest for half a day but not a whole day. Early on a flock of five willets flew by, there bright white wing stripes conspicuous in binoculars. While we spend most of our time staring out at the lake, it is important not to forget to scan the beach in front of us. Ken spotted a small flock of sanderlings, semipalmated sandpipers, and one Baird’s. I don’t see Baird’s that often so it was a treat.
Ken and John are also alert to how the gulls are behaving on the beach. Every so often, the birds would take flight and we all look every which way to try and figure what flushed them. Often the disturbing entity is a person or dog, but an avian cause Is not unusual either. Twice they were flushed by a pair of peregrine falcons- one adult and one immature that were likely local residents. The youngster tarried over us as it headed into the wind but unfortunately none of the cameras were at the ready as they were securely stowed away to protect them from the sand.
The only other birds of note were 70 black terns in two large flocks and 71 common terns. Black terns are now extirpated as a breeding species in Indiana and nest in no more that two or three places in northeastern Illinois so it is always a pleasure to see them. And this time of year they vary in appearance from slate colored birds still in breeding plumage to others that look white in the distance.
The day ended with lunch at Miller Bakery. The food was great as always, just the thing to eliminate the tiny bits of beach that still resided in one’s mouth. I left the place feeling full and gritless.
Less than record sized flock of Hudsonian godwits photographed at Miller, IN by Ken Brock.
Blogger and John Kendall perched atop Miller dune. (Photo by Ken Brock)
Tags: hudsonian godwit, sand, willet