Bird Migration and Misc Birding Thread

[GrindingAway]

Yes, they are common along with Semipalmated, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral, Solitary, and our nesting Spotted. Sadly all shorebirds have declined horribly from decades ago so heartening to hear you got a pond full of them.

I'm still a pretty new birder (just crossed one year on ebird) and shorebirds are the one group I haven't really figured out. If I look at my top 10 needs list of Iowa half of them are in your post.

Other than the obvious "hang out by the shore" (or wetlands) any advice?

 

[StClone]

I'm still a pretty new birder (just crossed one year on ebird) and shorebirds are the one group I haven't really figured out. If I look at my top 10 needs list of Iowa half of them are in your post.

Other than the obvious "hang out by the shore" (or wetlands) any advice?

Finding shorebirds can definitely be trying as they are habitat dependent. They often migrate fairly high and at great speed and will rest and feed where the right habitat occurs. As of now there should be later migrant shorebirds around right into early June. Mid-July they come back in a leisurely Fall migration. Concentrations can be found late summer where drying wetlands reveal muddy edges.

Don't know your location but eBird and Iowa Bird Facebook are often updating bird observations including shorebirds:

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Since you use eBird check this out:



Look for locations on eBird where your target species are showing up near you. And, depending on rain, Fall migration can be very productive. Also places where lakes, ponds, reservoirs, water impoundments are drained or lowered.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Late afternoon today I was raking leaves from under my Japanese yews and pruning out all of the dead needles and the deer gnawed damage. Was probably at it an hour or so and noticed what looked like an owl pellet on my ground level deck. I looked up into my crab apple and there was a barred owl only six feet above where I had walked half a dozen times in the last hour.

Called a birder friend who lives nearby but owl had flown just as he got to my house. We walked over to my neighbors backyard and heard an adult owl's whine call and owlets hissing and found mom feeding two owlets. So cool! The owl in my yard was likely the dad.

Just some cell phone snaps:

 

[Fishhead]

I'm still a pretty new birder (just crossed one year on ebird) and shorebirds are the one group I haven't really figured out. If I look at my top 10 needs list of Iowa half of them are in your post.

Other than the obvious "hang out by the shore" (or wetlands) any advice?

Though farm fields are pretty much all drain tiled now, look at flooded fields and you will definitely see them during migration

 

[BoxsterCy]

And here's the barred owl owlet I found after spying one of the adults in my yard. Two owlets were in my neighbors backyard oak and I had a really good twilight look at this one.