Yesterday I popped into the park for less than an hour and was delighted to find lots of exposed mudflats and a variety of shorebirds. Unfortunately without a scope I was only able to identify a group of 6 Lesser Yellowlegs and 11 duck species (including two Northern Pintail).
Today I was lucky enough to return with a friend and her scope! Although last night's big rain managed to flood the marsh and most of those delicious mudflat buffets, we were still able to find a few good birds:
6 Stilt Sandpipers
4 Pectoral Sandpipers
1 Greater Yellowlegs
2 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Spotted Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
9 Killdeer
Many thanks to Reuven for confirming some of the id's.There were also a few that eluded us by staying on the farthest edges of the marsh where we just couldn't get good enough views or photos. Hopefully the water level will drop again before they start to leave. Of other interest today was a large group of Loons on the lake feeding near the mouth of the river where the storm must have stirred up the bottom. We counted 28 Common Loons, but no Red-throated or Pacific. You can see some of my blurry shorebird pics on the id forum. And, if you've never been to Rouge Beach Park, just drive east on Lawrence Ave until you run out of road.
-kris
