Rollins Savanna 8/27/06

Stilt Sandpipers with Semipalmated & Least Sandpipers
Northern Harrier[As always, click on the images for larger versions] An interesting afternoon at Rollins Savanna, with several species of shorebirds and a visit from a Northern Harrier! This afternoon was my reward for completing all my work. When I left home, the weather was sunny but that didn't last long. Ah well, at least I got out!

I took great pains to get to a concealed location without disturbing the birds (which I managed to do) when this Northern Harrier stirred them up much better than I ever could. Still, I can't complain too much as it headed straight towards me, then flew directly over me - as close as I've ever been to a Northern Harrier!

After the harrier had gone and birds returned, I could see the birds suddenly getting very jumpy, then I could hear someone walking through the grass and looked up to see someone in a bright white shirt, camera in hand walking through the grass directly towards the birds I was photographing! I was, needless to say, rather disappointed on two fronts, first that he was there at all and second that he managed to scare ALL the birds by approaching so closely. I assume he had no idea I was there (I was well hidden) and decided not to let him know. I guess he didn't know that even though birds see only in black and white, white is white no matter who sees it! I won't say I've never scared a bird away when trying to photograph it but I do try not to disturb them too much...I guess he didn't share those sentiments!

When the birds did return, I caught the above Stilt Sandpipers (with three Semipalmated Sandpipers and one Least Sandpiper) landing not far from me. Perhaps he had gone and scared the birds somewhere else!?
Short-billed DowitchersShort-billed Dowitcher

I spent quite some time watching these Short-billed Dowitchers (making sure they were Short-billed first!) feeding with various other waders - mainly Stilt Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs. There were at least four dowitchers in all, these three feeding very closely together just for my photo!

Semipalmated PloverSemipalmated Plover

Then there were these two Semipalmated Plover, an adult and a juvenile bird. I have seen the same combination of adult & juvenile before and wonder whether it is the same two, or a coincidence?

Black Tern, Chlidonias niger

Black Terns at FermilabAfter a successful morning finding the Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Baird's Sandpipers at the Kaneville Sod Farms and seeing an Osprey at Dick Young FP in Kane County (thanks to two other birders for pointing out this great preserve - thanks guys!), Jeff and I headed to Fermilab.

After a fairly non-eventful walk, we stopped to look over the lake and saw these three Black Terns fly in, fly around for a couple of minutes, do a bit of fishing, then fly on.

There appear to be two non-breeding adults and a juvenile bird (could this be a family group?) based on plumage. The Black Tern is very similar to the White-winged Black Tern, which I have seen in Australia (alas always in non-breeding plumage).

Black Terns are rare migrants through Illinois, breeding in Northern US and Canada and wintering in northern South American coastlines. After this we saw a large group of Double-crested Cormorant roosting in trees along the shore of one of the lakes.

Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia

Spotted Sandpiper Adult breedingThe Spotted Sandpiper is alone in its species group in North America, and a group that has only two species in the world (the Spotted and the Common Sandpipers). In non-breeding plumage, the two are very hard to tell apart but fortunately, their ranges do not overlap and ours are always Spotted.

I have seen the Common Sandpiper in Australia and other parts of Asia and still have a habit of calling the Spotted Sandpiper a Common when I see it. The bird in the photo above is in adult breeding plumage, although it has lost some of its spots through molting, most of which it will do on its wintering grounds.

The images below are both juvenile birds, as can be told by the lack of spots and barring on the wings. Note also that the legs of the juveniles are yellow, while the adult breeding plumage bird often has dull legs (at least the bits that aren't covered in mud!).

Spotted Sandpipers are most often seen alone at the edge of water, sometimes with other waders but rarely in any numbers. The juvenile pictured below spent time with two other juveniles, although most of it was chasing eachother. Spotted Sandpipers are often found in similar habitat to Solitary Sandpipers, although, from my observations they prefer sand, mud and rocks rather than tree branches that Solitary sometimes stand upon.
Spotted Sandpiper juvenileSpotted Sandpiper juvenile

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla

Semipalmated Sandpiper juvenileThe Semipalmated Sandpiper is another of the 'peeps', a group of small sandpipers and stint that look similar depending on plumage and the view you get of them. This Semipalmated Sandpiper was feeding with the Sanderling below on the beach at Illinois Beach State Park.

Semipalmated are fairly common and often occur with other shorebirds, particularly the Least Sandpiper, which is very similar but can often be identified by its greenish legs, which the Semipalmated lacks. The Semipalmated has a dark cap in its juvenile plumage, which this bird is in. They are often fairly trusting, allowing you to approach within a short distance. They are not as active as Sanderling, nor as large, being only 6¼" long.Semipalmated Sandpiper juvenile

This bird, along with the Sanderling below, approached me while I sat still on the beach. These pictures are close to full-frame, with only minor cropping for the web. It is amazingly difficult to manually focus on a bird so close, so I switched to auto-focus for these shots (usually I manually focus everything).

Sanderling, Calidris alba

Sanderling breeding adultThe Sanderling is one of the most widespread shorebirds in the world, being present on every continent except Antarctica. I remember seeing many Sanderling when I was younger in Australia, although I never saw them in breeding plumage, or even partial breeding plumage. This bird is molting out of it's breeding plumage, which is redder than this bird.

The bird you see here was photographed today at Illinois Beach State Park, with five other Sanderlings, three Semipalmated Sandpipers and one Spotted Sandpiper. The Sanderling are amazingly trusting, allowing fairly close approach. However to get this shot I literally sat and waited for it to come to me! Actually, I laid down, holding the camera by leaning on my elbows. The Sanderling came within approximately six feet of me!

The two shots below show an adult feeding -- which they do very actively -- and the other is a juvenile bird (see captions for both). This is very early for a migrating juvenile, as the adults breed in the high arctic! Unfortunately these pictures don't do justice to the detail in these photos, which are close to full-frame.
Sanderling adultSanderling juvenile

Taking the photosSanderling in flight with Spotted Sandpiper

American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus

American BitternAnother trip to Rollins Savanna this morning yielded some excellent views of this American Bittern, that flew in quite close to where we were standing watching shorebirds, then flew off again shortly afterwards.

These are one of those birds that you rarely see standing, rather they're often flushed out or flying over, which at Rollins I have seen them doing several times. When it flew in, it looks like a very large Green Heron until the color becomes more resolved and the flight pattern not quite right.

This bird flew in from what appeared to be a long way off and when it left, it really left giving basically one shot at taking pictures of it. The picture here was taken by Alan Fletcher - sadly for me his pictures were much better than mine...but at least he was willing to share!American Bittern

I have heard Least Bitterns at Rollins Savanna but so far have never actually seen one. American Bitterns are rare in Chicagoland, making this an even more enjoyable sighting. The shot below shows the bittern landing -- no wonder they are hard to find...their coloring will match very will with that grass!

Rollins Savanna, 8/16/06

Stilt SandpiperVirginia RailDowitchersRollins Savanna continued to turn up great shorebirds on my most recent trip there this last Wednesday. The combination of open savanna and marshes seem perfect for the stopover of many of the migrating shorebirds. And all this fifteen minutes from my home!

Here are some of the pictures of the interesting migrants - and one resident rail that was very obliging.

Semipalmated Plovers

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilocus colubris

Ruby-throated HummingbirdI have long wanted to get close enough, long enough, to take pictures of a hummingbird. For me, they still feel exotic as we had none in Australia. I have seen plenty over here from time to time but trying to get a camera aimed and focused in time has been almost impossible.

However, thanks to a recent trip to Volo Bog's Education Center, where they have several feeders set up, including two hummingbird feeders, I was able to get these shots of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the only hummingbird that regularly occurs in Illinois (there are other occasional records of others).

I decided to set up and wait for the hummingbirds (it was around lunchtime - not a time I would normally bird or take photos). After about 15 minutes I saw a hummingbird fly in, take a sip at the feeder and fly out - and I barely had time to say hey, there's a hummingbird! So, armed with the knowledge I had to be ready, I aimed my camera at the feeder and waited again. After another ten minutes or so, another hummingbird flew in. Then to my surprise, it alighted in a sunflower not ten feet away from me, where I got these photos.

Interestingly, shortly after this, it flew even closer and hovered about 2 feet away from me, seeming to check me out (got GREAT views of it) but as I'm sure you're aware, there's no way you're gonna move the camera and focus on a hovering hummingbird two feet away! Ah well, I was very well pleased with the shots I did get. I waited another half-an-hour for another one, but none ever showed up.

This bird is a sub-adult male, which can be told by the streaking and single metallic-red feather on his throat. I will definitely be going back to see if I can capture some of his friends on [digital] film! As always, click on the images for larger versions. These photos make it look large, but its hard to believe this hummingbird is less than 4" long and weighs about one tenth of an ounce!
Ruby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated Hummingbird

Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria

Solitary SandpiperThe last time I got close enough to take a picture of a Solitary Sandpiper was at the end of April (see posting here). This bird was a Rollins Savanna recently and kept feeding (while keeping an eye on me) on these dead branches in the water.

Somehow this is how I always expect to see Solitary Sandpipers - not just solitary, but on branches rather than on land. This is a juvenile bird, with a whiter throat and chin and darker upperparts than a worn adult breeding bird. The juvenile will become increasingly difficult to tell from a non-breeding adult in the next few months.

According to the literature, the Solitary Sandpiper molts mostly on its wintering grounds rather then prior to, or during migration. It breeds in Canada and Alaska and is one of the earlier migrants to come south. It is a little larger than the Spotted Sandpiper that it often shares feeding areas with. It bobs less and doesn't have a white wing-stripe of the Spotted. Its easily told from the Lesser Yellowlegs by its greenish instead of yellow legs.
Solitary SandpiperSolitary Sandpiper in flight

Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa Flavipes

This isn't the first post on a Lesser Yellowlegs but it is the first photos I have of the fall 2006 migration. This bird was at Rollins Savanna last weekend along with plenty of its friends.

The yellowlegs are some of the most active and noisy shorebirds around at this time of year and I have watched them chase eachother and many other shorebirds that get too close. It seems as though they don't want other birds on their 'patch' of ground (or water) and sometimes will call incessantly until the intruder moves.

Sometimes the yellowlegs will fly at other birds, as can be seen in the shot above where the Lesser Yellowlegs has scared off a Stilt Sandpiper (the yellowlegs is the one in the water with its wings open).

The Lesser Yellowlegs sounds similar to their Greater cousins but their call is less strident. The bird above still has a great deal of its breeding plumage visible. They will molt out of this on their way south.

Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla

Least Sandpiper JuvenileThe least of Sandpipers...in fact the smallest shorebird in the world is the Least Sandpiper seen here. This bird is a juvenile, as can be told by the rich rufous color on its back and the thin white "V" on its back.

The Least Sandpiper can be distinguished from other small sandpipers and stint by the greenish color of its legs, other small sandpipers and stint being black. Because of the direction of the light, the pale legs are not particularly obvious in these pictures but in the picture below left, you can see the legs are greenish.

The Least Sandpiper tends to feed a little further away from the water than many of the other shorebirds and will venture into grassy fringes, as this one did for some time (making it almost impossible to see). They can gather in large flocks (up to hundreds), but not as large as some other sandpipers, which can sometimes be seen in flocks of thousands.

This bird was at Rollins Savanna on August 5th, feeding with other shorebirds including Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, Killdeer and Pectoral Sandpipers. These birds often seem quite trusting, allowing you to get quite close to them. It also makes them easy prey for some predators!
Least Sandpiper juvenile note greenish legsLeast Sandpiper juvenile note white "V" on back

Dowitcher, Limnodromus

It seems incredibly difficult to tell the Long-billed from the Short-billed Dowitchers - especially when not in juvenile plumage. After consulting seven different guides and researching material on the internet, I have concluded that the birds pictured here, particularly the breeding plumage adult, conform to Long-billed Dowitchers. There are three sub-species of Short-billed, the most closely resembling the Long-billed being the hendersoni.

There are several reasons for believing these birds are Long-billed, including that...

• The Long-billed molt its primary wing feathers while on migration, while the short-billed molt only in coastal areas, mostly near their wintering grounds. These birds are in heavy primary molt.
  
• The complete orange color underneath is typical of Long-billed (but may be shown in some hendersoni Short-billed)
  
• The dense markings on the neck supports Long-billed.
  
• The tail barring is equal size, meaning it could be either Long or Short-billed.
  
• It shows a strong wing-to-belly contrast, as expected in long-billed.
  
• The coloring on the back is darker and a simple pattern, consistent with Long-billed.
  
• The Long-billed is more likely to be on inland waters than coastal.
  
• These birds appear quite fat, consistent with Long-billed.
  
• In flight, the underwing coverts show a contrast between white and the barring, consistent with Long-billed.
  
• Most guides agree that the Long-billed, while it tends to migrate later than the Short-billed, migrates late July-September
  

So, while no single factor is the clincher, there is a lot of evidence that supports the Long-billed. To be a Short-billed, it would have to be one of the hendersoni sub-species, flight-feather molting out of typical location, with atypical underwing marking, complete under-belly color, with unusually dark and simple patterning on its back.

However, all that being said, there was a time when they were considered a single species so there never was much difference! I certainly heard a call that sounded like the keek of the Long-billed but I could not confirm it came from the birds seen here.

Click on any of the images for larger versions!

Stilt Sandpiper, Calidris himantopus

Stilt SandpiperThanks to a post on IBET from Jim Solum, we headed out to Rollins Savanna to see if we could locate one of the Stilt Sandpiper Jim had seen. For both my father & I, if we saw it, it was going to be a 'lifer'. I am much more familiar with the Curlew Sandpiper, which I used to see in the thousands in Australia.

With a little local knowledge, some luck and a scope, we found a single Stilt Sandpiper feeding with some Lesser Yellowlegs in one of the areas of water at Rollins Savanna. It has an almost amusing sewing machine-like method of feeding, constantly probing into the water & mud as it waded around in the water (hiding its legs, which are greenish yellow).

As this bird is an adult in breeding plumage, it is fairly easy to identify (it could otherwise be hard to pick from the [very rare] Curlew Sandpiper). The most obvious features at a distance are the longish, slightly down-curved dark bill, a dark cap with heavy barring on the chest & stomach and a prominent white eyebrow. It feeds by wading [there's a reason these birds are called waders!] belly deep.

The Stilt Sandpiper is an uncommon (but welcome) visitor to the Chicagoland area. It migrates through the area and does not breed or winter here. I hope to see a great many more of these and other shorebirds this fall.
Stilt Sandpiper in flightStilt Sandpiper (right) with Lesser Yellowlegs