[birding] E.E. Wilson shorebirds, Wilson's Warbler wave, two more MacGillivray's

[Joel Geier]

Hi all,

The marsh in the NW corner of E.E. Wilson today had more shorebirds than
I've seen on the wildlife area all year:

 2 KILLDEER
 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS
 6 DUNLIN
30 LEAST SANDPIPERS
 2 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER

All of the above were in breeding plumage (well, not sure I can tell the
difference with Killdeer), with the dunlin and dowitchers particularly
stunning. I looked hard for a Western Sandpiper or anything else among
the peeps, but they were all Least Sandpipers.

Along my walk I encountered several migrant flocks of WILSON'S WARBLERS
using willow and Oregon ash growth, including one group of more than 20,
some of them associating loosely with AUDUBON'S WARBLERS. There were
singing YELLOW WARBLERS in the same habitat, but they seemed to be on
territory.

I also saw & heard one MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and heard another, in a
riparian thicket with some sword ferns growing underneath on the south
side of the canal. This species is seldom recorded as a spring migrant
in the wildlife area.

Happy birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis