Southshore birds

["Neville, Ann (KUCC)" <kanevill at kennecott dot com>]

We're still doing bird counts here on the South Shore (Old Salt Air dike to Goggin Drain) and thought you might want to know what's out there.  'We' being Deedee O'Brien, Bob Huntington, sometimes Jack Torrey, and me (and any relative I can hunt up to help me at 6:00 am)

Monday - 8 July 2002 600-845.
GBH			1
Cananda Goose	112
Mallard		8
Northern Pintail 	1
Duck spp.		32
Snowy Plover	50
American Avocet	1428
Willet		44
LB Curlew		2
Wilson's Phalarope 1
CA Gull		2817 - lots of young very dark gulls - gulls seem to be everywhere more lately - I guess the kids are off the nest and everybody wants to party!  Where are the Franklin's?

Over 2/3's of the snowy plovers were hanging out in newly exposed Tufa about a mile north of Lee Creek - I'm sure I underestimated them because there was so many places to hide!

On another note, I usually don't like to tantalize you with stuff I see on the ISSR, because I can't let everybody out there, BUT you may want to know that shorebirds are starting to come through already.  Today in one pond I had one each of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 each of Least and Western Sandpipers, and one semi-palmated plover.  Along with my killdeer, Black-necked stilt, and pintail chicks (and parents), avocets, snowy plovers, willet, gadwall and a hunting Peregrine.

All the best birding, 
Ann