Whitesbog Shorebird Season Recap

Middle Bog 9/10/20

Blue-winged Teal

The boards are back in the gates of the 19th century water control system; the Middle Bog is filling up fast through rain and seepage, the Lower Bog looks like a sodden sod farm; Joe is getting his water back. Though there is still plenty of mud, sand, and open grassy areas in the two bogs, today I saw exactly one shorebird: a Killdeer flying over Union Pond. Ducks, including a filter-breaking flock of Blue-winged Teal have taken over the Middle Bog. I declare shorebird season at Whitesbog officially fini.  

American Golden-Plover

And it was quite a successful 5 weeks or so. Of course, Jim's Ruff on the first day of August was the highlight that could not be beat, but all the regular rarities made appearances: Both Black-bellied and American-Golden Plovers dropped in twice for brief periods, there were a few days of Buff-breasted Sandpiper sightings (probably two different birds), Western Sandpiper(s) for a week, multiple White-rumped Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers on and off, and, on one rainy Sunday, Stilt Sandpipers appeared after I had been there, for a teeth-gnashing miss on my part. In all, 18 species of shorebirds were recorded in August. The place is a mini-Brig. 

Waders were a disappointment though. Last year we had upwards of 25 Great Egrets feeding in the bogs. This year we were lucky if there were three. Glossy Ibis did not settle in as they usually do. I had one flyover flock. Jim and I had a fly by Snowy Egret, but Little Blue Heron did not appear this year. We could speculate as to why but there is no way we can ever know. The conditions seemed the same but same to us and same to birds is different. Also, Gull-billed Terns were recorded early in the month but I never saw any. In past years they would be regular feeders in the middle bog but they appeared ephemeral this year. 

It really is a special event when the boards are pulled and the bogs drain in a few days. The birds show up out of seemingly nowhere. If you give them habitat, they will come. 

In a few months those bogs will be filled with geese and Tundra Swans. Winter ducks will come in. There's plenty of pickerel for the diving ducks and with the grasses growing throughout the month, plenty of food a few inches below the surface for the dabblers. Let's hope for no breaches in the dikes or drought in the summer that would prevent the bogs from being drawn down next year. 

Buff-breasted Sandpiper