Red Knot, White-rumped Sandpiper, 6/12/13 Milford Pt

White-rumped Sandpiper (WRSA) and Red Knot (REKN) at Milford Point spit today, 6/12/13.  Red Knot in breeding plumage, and WRSA also in alternate plumage, judging by O'Brien et al.  Notice orange at base of WRSP lower mandible; its dark greenish-gray but not black legs.  There were at least 3, perhaps 5, WRSAS around but not many shorebirds (we're in the period between northern and southern migrations).  The REKN and WRSAs were, predictably, hanging out where the Horseshoe Crabs are most abundant.

WRSA,  REKN 6/12/13 Francis St spit, note WRSA's  long primary projection

Shell Ave PIPL, adults 3 chicks, 6/12/13

Now eight days old, the family from 99 Shell Ave consists of the 2 adults and 3 chicks.  A few photos below:

PIPL chick, 99 Shell, 4 June 13

Below, the adult male sheltering a chick 6/5/13; adult with chick 6/5/13; chick 6/5/13.  All four chicks had hatched by this morning.  Yesterday, 6/4/13, 2 chicks had been hatched by 5:00 PM.  BNA estimates hatching of all four eggs usually takes between 4-24 hours.

Got a call from the owner of 99 Shell in Milford at 7:45 AM: first chick has been hatched.  A few photos of male tending the chick while the female remains on nest incubating.

incubating dad, 6/4/13, Shell Ave

Chick 1 with incubating mom, 6/4/13 99 Shell

mom, off nest, 99 Shell Ave 6/4/13

incubating dad, closer view

First chicks, Milford Pt, 26 May 13

A few photos of the first chicks of the season.  They hatched out of exclosure #1 on Cedar Beach.

Adult sheltering chicks, 5/26/13 Milford Pt, Cedar Beach nest 1

chick from Cedar Beach #1, 5/26/13

Male sheltering, 1 chick waiting, 5/26/13

chick from Cedar Beach #1, 5/26/13

Milford Point, 5/23/13

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Milford Pt, 5/23/13

Some shorebirds at Milford Point on 5/23/13, a few of about 3,000, mainly Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Sanderling, 5/23/13, Milford Pt

Horseshoe Crab with Semipalated SPs and Sanderling eating HC eggs

Sanderling, 5/23/13

Semipalmated SP, 5/23/13

Least Tern couple courting, Mlfd Pt, 5/23/13

Silver Sands 5/18/13

On a cool day at Silver Sands SP, best bird was a male Blackpoll, but below a few shorebirds: a Lesser Yellowlegs to compare with a few Greaters, an Eastern Cottontail; above, Least Sandpiper.

Lesser with Greater Yellowlegs, size comparison

Lesser with Greater Yellowlegs, size comparison

2 Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs, 5/18/13

Lesser Yellowlegs, 5/18/13, Silver Sands State Park

Greater Yellowlegs, 5/18/13, Silver Sands SP

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Eastern Cottontail, 5/18/13 Silver Sands

Shell Ave PIPL, 5/16/13

The scene at 99 Shell, Milford, on 5/16/13.  Owner had placed red traffic cones to warn off walkers.  Both male and female on nest within exclosure.  Machine grooming/grading going on near 851-55 East Broadway.  The 99 Shell male flew to this area where he confronted another PIPL pair: could we have another couple nesting on Silver Beach?

male on nest 99Shel

99 Shell with exclosure, sign, and owner's signed red cones

851-859 E Broadway in middle, with machine grader at work

female on nest 99 Shell

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