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Late Summer Shorebirds Are On Parade

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Tom Hodgson and the Waterloo Natural History Association for the information and photos in this column.)

The end of the summer usually marks the lowest water levels of the year in area lakes.

Beaches and mud flats that were once submerged are now exposed. They are patrolled daily by migrating shorebirds probing for mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic insects. Those of us who quietly paddle in canoe or kayak at this time of year may be rewarded with sightings of these shy birds. A pair of binoculars will allow close-up viewing without disturbing them.

Although shorebirds may be seen from time to time on any of our area lakes, there are certain locations in and around the Waterloo Recreation Area that are especially good including Mill Lake, Mud Lake south of the town of Waterloo, the marshy south end of Crooked Lake, Pond Lily Lake on Harvey Road, and the Winnewana Impoundment.

Identifying shorebirds is a challenge. Most lack the bold markings and bright colors of the more familiar songbirds. Some are seen only briefly in Michigan during spring and fall migrations. Because they often nest north of the Arctic Circle and spend winters in Central and South America, we don’t have much time to get to know them before they are gone. Below are the ones we are most likely to see in the Chelsea Area.

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Killdeer

The killdeer, one of the most successful of the shorebirds, has adapted to nesting near humans and favors gravel roof tops, driveways and even school playgrounds. It is famous for its “broken wing act” designed to lure potential predators away from its nest. It gets its name from its loud call that seems to say kill-deer, kill-deer, kill-deer.

This is perhaps our most familiar shorebird and does nest in Michigan. The photo of this bird in this article was taken at the south end of Crooked Lake in Washtenaw County.

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Spotted sandpiper

The spotted sandpiper also nests in Michigan. It’s a bird that believes in women’s lib. In the spring, the female arrives first and establishes a territory. When the males arrive she aggressively pursues them. She may set up housekeeping with three or four males at a time, building one nest for each male she mates with and filling each with a clutch of eggs.

The males incubate the eggs and care for the young while she takes the rest of the summer off. A sweet deal for her.

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Solitary sandpiper

The solitary sandpiper is a long distance traveler, nesting across northern Alaska and Canada and wintering in Central and South America. It is one of the few sandpipers that nests in trees. It does not build its own nests but uses old nests left by other birds from a previous season, especially those of the robin and kingbird, which are especially well constructed.

This bird is called solitary because it usually migrates alone or in small groups rather than the large flocks that some other shorebirds prefer. The photo of this bird was taken at Mill Lake.

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Greater and Lesser yellowlegs

The primary claim to fame of the greater and lesser yellowlegs is their long, bright yellow legs. The greater is slightly larger with a longer bill that is slightly upturned. The lesser’s bill is shorter and straight. If still in doubt, listen for the “tew” call, which the greater issues in threes and the lesser in pairs.

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Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Wilson’s snipe

The Wilson’s snipe is a chunky wetland bird that commonly nests in our area. In spring, the whoop, whoop, whoop sound created by its tail feathers during courtship flights is a common sound over area marshes. This snipe winters from the southern U.S. to the northern coast of South America. The Wilson’s snipe photo in this article was taken in the marsh at the south end of Crooked Lake in Washtenaw County.

Photo by Tom Hodgson.
Photo by Tom Hodgson.

Semipalmated plover

The semipalmated plover resembles a miniature version of the killdeer but has only one dark band across the chest, where the killdeer has two.

OK, what does semipalmated mean?

Palmated means possessing webbing between the toes as in ducks and geese. Semipalmated means that the toes are only partially webbed. This is something that is pretty hard to see on such a small bird. But now you know.

Many of these small shorebirds are collectively called peeps because the peeping sounds many of them make.

It’s time to get out that canoe or kayak and go peeping.

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