Sod Farms - "and now for something completly different"

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Posted by Trey Mitchell on 20:40:00 08/19/06

With the limited numbers of warbler migrants Toe and I decided to head up to
the Sod Farm to look for shore birds. You never know when you might see a
Baird's Sandpiper or Wilson's Phalarope. We didn't see those but we did find
some pretty cool birds. It seemed to be much more difficult this year to find
fields that were suitable for shorebirds, but they are there. We started at
Rotenberger WMA to look for Yellow Warblers with no luck. We then stopped at the
entrance to the sod farm just south of the Tower where everyone hopes to find
Uppi Sandi Pipies. (don't ask things got really silly today) At those locations
we found.

Pectoral

Semi Palmated Sandpiper

Black Plovers - also known as Black-bellied Plovers

Black-necked Stilt

Least Sandpiper

Barn Swallows (we saw them everywhere we went)

and one Upland Sandpiper in flight as we pull up at the Tower

After straining to see shorebirds at a distance of about 500 yards we headed
to the "Cedar Stand". Along the road there we saw a few Yellow Legs, Grackles
and lots of Common Ground Doves. No Barn Owls were seen nor Cedars at the "Cedar
Stand".

We then headed for the spot where Brian R. saw the Golden Plover Sp. stopping
at may fields along the way checking for interesting shorebirds. At most of the
canals we found Black Terns and we saw one Tern-billed Gull along the way. Most
of the fields where we stopped had only a few shorebirds and only a few had good
numbers. One field did have good numbers of both Long-billed and Short-billed
Dowitchers along with Stilt, Pectoral, Greater Yellow Legs, Lesser Yellow-legs
and a few peep sp. Toe may be able to describe the location, but I'm not sure
exactly where, only that it was just east of 27 before CR-827 and there was a
large shade tree in the north-west corner of the field next to the road on which
we parked.

The best spot of the day by far was the location where Brian found the Golden
Plover Sp.

At that location we found all the species seen previously except the Uppies.

In addition we found Western Sandpipers, Sanderling and a single Golden
Plover Sp. It was about 100 yards away and mixed in with a large group of
Black-bellied Plovers. It stood out well in the crowd being slightly smaller,
much darker and had a very dark crown compared to the Black-bellied Plovers. We
stayed a while hoping to find something else, but had to head back around 12:30.

It was great to get out and bird and take a few photos. I am spoiled though
being that last year I was able to get close to shore birds at Cutler Wetland.
Oh, well...

Here are a few photos from far away...

American Golden Plover - Probably - although it is not beyond possibility that
it is a Pacific Sp. LOL