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Yesterday evening I went on the Saltmarsh Trail to check for shorebirds. I parked and walked in from the Cole Harbour side. In the marsh ponds to the right, just after leaving the woods I had one of the rare opportunities to compare three different Tringa species close-up next to each other. Two Greater Yellowlegs, two Lesser Yellowlegs and a single Solitary Sandpiper, all lined up in the same field of view less then 20 meters away. Great to compare the fieldmarks of the Yellowlegs side by side, including the significant size difference. Seeing them side by side it is hard to believe how much trouble the identification of individual Yellowlegs can make. We all know about the pitfall size as a fieldmark... The plumage of the Solitary Sandpiper was nice and crisp. Very sharp defined pattern and an outstanding eyering. This time of the year such fresh plumage should be evidence for a young bird. On the opposite site of the pond a 2nd Solitary Sandpiper (same plumage features) was briefly joined by a Spotted Sandpiper (adult, still spotted) for another side by side comparison. Who could ask for more? Well, I didn't go home and kept walking toward the bridges. At 7pm the tide was rising, but there was still plenty of mud exposed, mostly in the distance between bridge 1 and bridge 2. Nice close-up views of more Yellowlegs, Dowitchers, and Black-bellied Plovers (some are still with lots of black, others almost all gray) along the way. However, the numbers where further out. Compared with the situation 11 days earlier there was some change in the numbers of birds evident. It is my impression that the numbers of Dowitchers were down a bit, still plenty around, and Willets seemed more immature birds around (one flock with ~20 went by). Numbers of Black-bellied Plovers are way up compared to late July when there were few scattered over the place. So are the numbers of Semipalmated Plovers. Distance mudflats were just covered with them. Mixed in were peeps, but compared to the massive number of Semipalmated Plovers a small minority group. There was also half a dozen Ruddy Turnstones and a small group of Sanderlings on the long-stretched mudflat. To bad that the action is so far out. Half the distance from the trail and it would be even more of a blast to be there. Numbers: Semi-palmated Plovers , in the five digit numbers Black-bellied Plovers, 500-600 , likely more Yellowlegs, 300 2/3 Greater Dowitchers >1000 Sanderlings 20 Turnstones 6 Spotted Sandpipers 3 Solitary Sandpipers 3 Great Blue Herons ~150 Ospreys 2 Bald Eagle 2 adults, 2 imm. NO TERNS Ulli
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