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Jordan Lake shorebirds



A group of a dozen or so explored the New Hope Creek mudflats at Jordan 
Lake NC today (8/21).  The lake is very dry, so we saw nothing from the 
old railroad peninsula.  We headed south towards the lake and eventually 
(a mile down the shore) found the mudflats and shorebirds.  Highlights:

- good numbers of shorebirds, though nothing rare.  We saw about 4 
Semipalmated Plovers, which is the most seen this early in the season 
here.  Also Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, 
Semipalmated,  Least, and Pectoral Sandpipers, and lots of (presumably) 
Short-billed Dowitchers
- 6 Caspian Terns sitting with some egrets
- 2 Snowy Egrets among the many Greats
- a flock of 7 Blue-winged Teal (most missed this)
- 1 Merlin - earliest local record ever (by 10 days)!
- 1 imm male Baltimore Oriole - earliest local record ever (by 2 days)
- a good variety of neotropical migrants (some of which may be local 
residents), including a female Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, a stunning 
Prothonotary (aren't they all?), Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Red-eyed 
Vireo, and a flock of 6 E. Kingbirds.  Lots of Pine Warblers and Bluebirds 
on the mudflats.


--
Charles W. "Will" Cook                w 919-660-7409
cwcook@acpub.duke.edu                 h 919-967-5446
Duke University Botany Dept., Durham, North Carolina
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook