Shorebirds!

Prepare to be spammed with photos of sandpipers.

Now is the time of year where the shorebirds migrate in great numbers. The pond by my house is also experiencing an extra flurry of avian activity along its shorelines. I went for a quick scan of the pond recently and came across five species of shorebirds and a fair number of each of them. Obviously the Killdeers were around as they always are. I spotted some Spotted Sandpipers; these birds stick around to breed near the pond and their loud calls can frequently be heard at dusk... even from my house! There were a few Least Sandpipers on the shore, darting in and out among the rocks. They disappear so easily and blend in extremely well even when moving around. Here is a picture of one among some rocks. See if you can find it!

Least Sandpiper among some rocks.

Also seen at the pond (and featured in some photos below) were some Solitary Sandpipers and Greater Yellowlegs.

But before I bombard you with shorebirds shots, here are some photos of goslings that are sure to brighten your day!

Canada Goose with goslings

Canada Goose family

Gosling

Gosling

Another interesting find was this "Orange-winged Blackbird"... a Red-winged Blackbird with a nearly solid orange epaulette instead of the characteristic red with a yellow stripe. This is the best photo I got of him.

"Orange-winged Blackbird"

Here are the shorebird photos.

Greater Yellowlegs resting its yellow legs

Greater Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Least Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs with Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpipers

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Hope you enjoyed this post! The shorebirds are only here in these numbers for so long so if you're interested in practicing your shorebird id skills, now is the time. Happy birding!

Joel G.