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Arriving at South Side beach just as the high tide was receding this morning, Aileen Smith saw what she believed was a Snowy Plover. As I was setting up the scope to scan the hundreds of Sanderlings and other shorebirds in the kelp, she said "There's a very light plover that has dark legs - It's not a Piping Plover." (Aileen is a beach guardian, so very familiar with Piping Plovers). We did not have a camera with us, and I did not get a good look. It was with the Sanderlings and assorted peeps which were feeding voraciously on the kelp flies very near to us. A crow put up the birds, and when they landed we could not relocate the vagrant plover. We checked with Johnny and Sandra Nickerson, and both had seen a Snowy Plover there the day before. Terry Crowell may also have seen the bird today. We returned to the beach after a visit to the Hawk Wharf where we saw 2 adult Laughing Gulls, and other gulls in various plumages and a lot of Greater Yellowlegs. There was a Pied-bill Grebe still at the Guzzel, and the usual Great Blue Heron. When we arrived back at the beach at South Side later on, and went to the right towards the Hawk, there was a very light plover at the far edge of the flock. It went up with a few other birds, but we could not relocate it, so I missed the "tick". Perhaps the SNPL can be relocated tomorrow. We also saw Dunlin, Semi- Palmated Sandpipers, a couple of Leasts, and a few Ruddy Turnstones in the huge flock of Sanderlings. It was a delight to see so many shorebirds feeding so well. There were six American Pipits busy along the South Side dunes, and I put up an Ipswitch Sparrow near Dean's camp. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Am. Goldfinch were along the Hawk Road. Robins, Mourning Doves and Starlings seen in good measure. Only one Merlin seen, and in Barrington ( near Oak Park Cemetery) a large Peregrine. Cheers, Joan
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