Shorebirding in Perth and Oxford.

I spent most of my day along with members of the Stratford Field Naturalists checking out the shorebirds.  The plan was to start at the Mitchell Sewage Lagoons in the morning and after lunch check in on the birds on Wildwood Lake outside of Harrington.

I arrived at the lagoons at 9 am and we began our search.

 The leader of the day was skilled in picking through the birds and we found killdeer, lesser yellowlegs, solitary, least and semipalmated sandpipers in a quick sweep of the first cell.

 Further along, a northern harrier flushed the birds and when they landed, we found spotted and baird's sandpiper.

Ducks and geese were also present in good numbers.  Good numbers of blue-winged and green-winged teal along with a few shovelers, a single black duck and the numerous wood ducks and mallards.

Several snapping turtles showed themselves.

Many butterflies as well.  Plenty of monarchs and the odd viceroy.

viceroy

After a lunch break, those of us that had the time headed over to Harrington to continue the shorebird studies.

Great Egrets

The group leader discovered the first stilt sandpiper of the day.  It was mixed with the lesser yellowlegs but almost everyone managed to see it.  We also managed to find pectoral sandpiper and greater yellowlegs, two species that we had missed in Mitchell.  The shorebirds were not close enough for great photo opportunities, but I managed a decent shot of the two species of yellowlegs earlier this month.

Great weather and a great day to be outdoors.