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Nature Link

With Blake Mann

MID SUMMER ALREADY!

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

It is hard to believe, but it is already the middle of summer and I am writing Nature Link 170. It will be Christmas bird count season before we know it! Shorebirds are in big numbers on their southward journey, and Big Bluestem is maturing in the grasslands and prairies. Not much to report this week, as the hot steamy weather kept everything at bay.

Last Thursday I visited Blenheim sewage lagoons and found an abundance of shorebirds. I was not able to get a good survey of them due to the severe storm that hit while I was there. The weather was fine until south of Chatham, but then the clouds and thunder rolled in. I went out anyway!! Not a smart move while there was lightning, but it shows how unreliable the weather is (and forecasts).

There were well over 200 shorebirds and about twelve species at Blenheim on Thursday. Many birds took off as the storm rolled in, but in my estimation there were: 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, 1 Wilson's Phalarope, 140 Semi-palmated Sandpipers, 25 Short-billed Dowitchers, 8 Stilt Sandpipers, 6 Semi-palmated Plovers, 30 Greater Yellowlegs, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs, many Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, and Killdeer. There were also two Great Egrets and one Green Heron among several Great Blue Herons. By Saturday, most of these had left.

A Piping Plover (banded) was found at Kettle Point on Thursday afternoon, and continued to be seen on Friday.

Butterflies were a bit scarce on the weekend. At Moore WA, I came across some Giant Swallowtails (see attached photo), a couple more Hickory Hairstreaks, as well as a couple of Striped and Edwards' Hairstreaks. The hairstreaks were quite worn and scarce, indicating that they were at the end of their life cycle. Summer Azures were quite numerous though, as well as Question Marks and Commas.

Southbound warblers will be showing up in numbers shortly. Another sign of autumn! Autumn migration is less hurried and more drawn out, so I enjoy it more than spring in some respects. One can get some fabulous birding days in late summer.