Hello Everyone,

This is my first post to MOBIRDS, so a personal intro proceeds my report
from Riverlands. I began birding 9:45 am-ish. I missed the Sora and
bittern. Very disappointed. The highlighted birds are "Lifers" for me!

The backside of Heron (?) Pond where Orton Road ends at a Pkg. lot...
1 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Solitary Sandpipers--pretty confident of this I.D. Eye ring, dark
shoulders, heard the vocals
5-6 Wilson's Snipe
2 Blue Winged teal

Front side of Heron Pond from Riverlands Access Road;
100 semipalmated sandpipers (among them, Western Sandpipers); fed for 1/2
hour or so on mudflat and flew off.
I'm not terribly experienced at I.D. of shorebirds but feel confident I
I.D.'d some Western Sandpipers in this flock and heard their vocalizations.
When 1/2 of the flock flew off, 1 bird was left behind and I saw plainly a
rufous crown, ariculars, and shoulder and a longer-than-the-other's bill.
I heard the characteristic vocals of Western from this bird. I checked
several guides and my Peterson's CD of bird calls. It seems Westerns would
be rare and a bit early so I'm doubting myself. Anybody would agree these
peeps are "toughys." Any refutations/ criticisms about finding Westerns are
invited.

Ellis Bay
Caspian Tern
Hundreds of Pelicans ;)

Personal intro... I am 33 yo., I've been birding for almost 10 years but
not obsessively until the past few years. Almost entirely within STL area.
I've been on 2-3 trips with SLAS and WGNSS but you may not remember me. I
work for Missouri Botanical Garden as Herbarium assistant and plan on going
back to school after I pay off some debt. I am working towards becoming a
Highschool Biology teacher.




Eric J. Feltz
Herbarium Assistant
Missouri Botanical Garden
Monsanto Center, 1st floor
4500 Shaw Avenue
St. Louis, MO. 63110
[log in to unmask]

__________________________________________
"Orchid Island" 2005
Hundreds of exotic, fragrant orchids
amid lush tropical foliage
January 29- March 13
www.mobot.org






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