What? Shorebirds in the prairie? Last fall we broke some drain tiles near Walnut Creek, and the area seems to be forming a little wetland. There are now mudflats in the corn stubble field (recently planted with prairie seed). This morning I identified 7 species of shorebirds there: Killdeer (OK, no surprise, we have those all over anyway) Semipalmated Plover -1 (refuge first) Least Sandpiper-35 (at least) Pectoral Sandpiper-15 (refuge first) Lesser Yellowlegs-9 Wilson's Phalarope-3 (refuge first) White-rumped Sandpiper-6 (refuge first)
There were also 3 Blue-winged Teal. It was pretty exciting! -- Karen Viste-Sparkman Wildlife Biologist Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 399 9981 Pacific Street Prairie City, IA 50228 515-994-3400 --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/PayDues.aspx. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
