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Posted by Toe on 21:13:21 05/10/07
I stopped by Cutler Wetlands around 6:45 to find a surprise. Yes, the Burma Reed is now gone, the grass in the wetlands is almost all gone except for a large patch in the center, there are lots of shallow pools interspersed with mud flats, and a large segment of deeper water. It's awesome! I haven't seen it look this good in 2 years. When you put all these ingredients together, in the middle of Spring migration, you get instant shorebirds. The place is loaded, I mean loaded. I made 3 different stops of about 15 minutes each, and left at 7:00. Here's what I saw:
There were at least 40-50 White-rumped Sandpipers. There were 10 on the north edge in front of the gravel shoulder, and an equal number near the west edge viewing from the apartment complex parking lot. But, the biggest concentration of White-rumpeds was located along the southern edge of the wetlands about 150 yard from the 97th Ave. side. I tried walking over to get a better view, but I almost sank in the mud. Brian and Bill will attest to my experience in this matter, so when you see either of them, they will be happy to explain why I didn't go further. The adjacent ditches and the edge of the large lake also had shorebirds.
Other birds included (conservative estimates):
Semipalmated Sandpiper (500-1000)
Least Sandpiper (100-200)
Semipalmated Plover (500)
White-rumped Sandpiper (40-50)
Greater Yellowlegs (a few)
Lesser Yellowlegs (25-50)
Stilt Sandpiper (50, all in alternate plumage)
Dowitcher Sp. (20, all in basic plumage)
Solitary Sandpiper (3)
Spotted Sandpiper (5)
Ruddy Turnstone (15)
Black-necked Stilt (30)
Killdeer (?, I wasn't paying attention)
Least Tern (~6)
American White Pelican (4)
Connecticut Warbler (8, but who's counting anymore)
I'm sure if I had the time I would have found many more birds, but these estimates give you an idea of just how birdy it was. In two years of visiting this place, I seem to have better luck in the afternoons than in the morning. Not sure what this means, but it's just an observation
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