I visited the Jackson Reservoir mudflats along the receding shoreline of the Northeast quadrant of the reservoir from 4-8 pm this afternoon. I parked in the easternmost Jackson Lake SWA parking area. I hiked about 3 miles round trip on dry mud – sneakers were fine. Through my scope I could see that more shorebirds were in the Southeast quadrant, but there were still plenty of birds to sort through. Telescope was useful, although many of the birds allowed me to get close enough for good viewing with binoculars. I counted 12 species of shorebirds in the Northeast quadrant. The most unusual were:
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER – 8. (Obviously it has been a great year for southbound Buffies in Colorado, and also other parts of the central US). They were all in one spot, but spread out among a large flock of Baird’s Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs, with a few Least Sandpier, Pectoral Sandpiper, and singles of Sanderling and Western Sandpiper. I wonder if 8 is a high count for Colorado?? MOUNTAIN PLOVER – 7. Near the water’s edge on the north shore, a little further east of the SWA parking area. The flock was larger in recent days according to posts. E-bird considers them rare in September. They were isolated from other species but remarkably difficult to see as they were the same color as the mud, and were resting in depressions in the dried mud, so that sometimes only their heads were visible. Leave it to Mountain Plovers to blend in with their surroundings. SABINE’S GULL – 1. A gorgeous adult still in breeding plumage. Apparently early according to e-bird. These were all photographed for documentation, available upon request. Nick Komar Fort Collins, CO www.pbase.com/quetzal -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
