Hi All,
First ....a quick note about the West Perth Wetlands (Mitchell) and the current
state of the shorebird habitat.
For those who expressed concern about how much the shorebird cell had dried out
you'll be happy to know that over this past weekend we managed to pump water
back into this cell (behind the parking lot) and water levels are almost
perfect for shorebirds at this point The predicted rain this week and
(hopefully) southerly winds should help bring in more birds. There's also
decent mud and shallows around the other cells too.
Birds observed today (May 1st):
Shorebirds: Dunlin (1), Stilt (1), Lesser Yellowlegs (sev.), Great Yellowlegs
(sev.), Pectoral (2). All pretty much into alternate plumage (the Stilt looked
great!) Also of note....a Killdeer with 2 young....seen actively out and about
on the mud already as of last Thursday the 26th of April and again
today...which means a VERY early nesting date...likely within the first couple
of days of April (incubation for Killdeers is I think around 24-28 days).
Waterfowl: Pintail, Shovelers, Wigeon, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy
and Lesser Scaup (a few of each)
Passerines and Others: Brown Thrasher (1), Belted Kingfisher (1 male),
White-crowned Sparrow (sev.), Song Sparrow (sev.), Savannah Sparrow (Sev.),
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1 female), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1 male), Great Blue
Heron (4) (Thanks to Katy and Gerry Kolkman for their report and pics of
several of these birds).
And a few surprises so far this spring (apologies for not posting these when
they occurred....but I just got subscribed back onto this listserv)....
Greater White-fronted Goose (observed and photographed March 21st by Mark
Cunningham) - was with a small flock of Canada Geese. This is the first one I'm
aware of at Mitchel WPW.
Lesser Black-backed Gull (observed April 29th by me) - Also a first for the
WPW...the bird was standing alone in the shorebird cell in excellent viewing
conditions. It appeared to be an adult bird...and I noticed the dark mantle
immediately (charcoal coloured contrasting slightly with the black tipped
primaries) and the conspicuous thick yellow legs....light yellowish eye with
red orbital ring. Watched the bird in my scope from 100 ft. for several
minutes. It then took to the air and circled around to right over my head
providing some nice views of both the topside and underside of the wings. Great
bird! And me with no camera and no one else around to see it. The last I saw
the bird was headed northwest toward the river.
Also had a Great Egret that hung out for a couple of days last week (the bird
had no wing tags) though it appears to have moved on.
That's it for now. I'm hoping to get out to keep an eye on water levels and
any new arrivals and will try and keep you posted.
Take care...and good birding,
Dave
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