I'd planned to be at Dead Creek from 9ish until 11 - but couldn't  
leave till almost 2:00. The BOD (Bird of the Day) was actually four:  
first one, then three, then four Short-billed Dowitchers in the same  
binocular frame! The first one confused me because it was much more  
reddish than any I’d ever seen, with the red extending farther down  
the belly than I thought was right for Short-Billeds. However, three  
of us soon agreed that they were indeed Short-Billeds. (Thanks to  
Kyle Rosenblad for finding the first bird, and to him and Peter  
Manship for helping with identification.)

There’s a great deal of mud between the main road and the Brilyea  
Bridge, so shorebirding might just keep getting better and better.  
Other birds feeding on the mud flats today:

Many Killdeer, possibly as many as two dozen

At least 2 Spotted Sandpipers

At least 2 Greater Yellowlegs

At least 7 Lesser Yellowlegs

At least 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers

At least 12 Least Sandpipers

A few distant and quickly-glimpsed mysteries – including a possible  
Solitary Sandpiper



Larry Haugh helped me determine that what looked like a fuzzy  
Semipalmated Plover was an immature Killdeer. The picture of the  
downy young killdeer in the big Sibley guide is perfect.



Also seen (starting with birds that elicited a “wow”, “yay” or “what  
the…???” response)

One lone Snow Goose visible from the viewing area on Route 17

4 Caspian Terns – one adult, two juveniles, and one undetermined

1 immature Common Merganser – probably – The bird didn’t hang around  
for long.

1 Brown Thrasher enjoying an energetic dust bath

1 Red-tailed Hawk with something in its talons, being chased by  
several furious red-winged blackbirds

2 Osprey

2 Great Blue Herons

Marsh Wrens – as always, audible but invisible



2 American Black Ducks

6 Mallards

Ring-billed Gulls

Herring Gulls

Mourning Dove

Eastern Kingbird

Warbling Vireo

American Crow

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Gray Catbird

European Starling

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow



This list has been entered in eBird.



Maeve Kim

Jericho Center