Bunche Beach 12/13--Wilson's Plover

With Ding Darling closed we decided to go to Bunch Beach, on the mainland, about 10 minutes off the causeway. We'd been there 4 years ago and I remembered it as being very productive, which is was again. The tide wasn't perfect but was low enough for sand bars to attract waders, sandpipers, and plovers. The best plover was another "practically a lifer:" Wilson's Plover. Certainly it was a country bird because the only other sighting we had of it was many years ago on a beach on the Bahamas.  I was able to pick it out because its bill was larger than a Semipalmated Plover's, all black instead of two-toned, and its breast band was larger.

Speaking of two-toned, in among the many Willets was one bird burnished brown instead of gray--it turned out to be a Marbled Godwit. There were also a couple of birds Shari & I were having a hell of time figuring out what they were--they had long bills with yellowish legs, but obviously weren't yellowlegs or godwits. There were many Short-billed Dowitchers there and it didn't dawn on me until much later that these two birds were cousins--Long-billed Dowitchers. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to take photos.

Other new birds for the trip were Piping Plovers, Caspian Tern and a large flock of Black Skimmers that suddenly flew in and took over one of the sand bars.

Bunche Beach, by the way, is named for Ralph Bunche. He wasn't from the area, but in 1949 they named the segregated beach after him. The ceremony was attended by 3000 people from as far away as Tampa and the festivities included a barbecue. I guess that made everyone feel better.

29 species
Red-breasted Merganser  45
Brown Pelican  25
Great Blue Heron  1
Little Blue Heron  1
Reddish Egret  2
Turkey Vulture  25
Osprey  1
Bald Eagle  4
Black-bellied Plover  1
Wilson's Plover  1
Piping Plover  3
Willet  20
Marbled Godwit  1
Sanderling  50
Dunlin  50
Western Sandpiper  10
Short-billed Dowitcher  20
Long-billed Dowitcher  2
Laughing Gull  10
Ring-billed Gull  5
Caspian Tern  1
Forster's Tern  1
Royal Tern  5
Sandwich Tern  5
Black Skimmer  50
Belted Kingfisher  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
Palm Warbler  2