Thanks for the SOSA, Tom!!

And congrats on your record early “fall migrant” date for the county by several days at least, since the eBird bar chart for Ada County shows it present beginning the 3rd week of July (presumably 15 July or later).

Someone will grab pix, right? 😉

Larry

—– Original Message —–

From: “‘Tom McCabe’ tmccabe9@cableone.net [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2018 3:43:07 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Solitary Sandpiper at ESP

Along the Whitewater Park Blvd. side of Esther Simplot Park there is a storm water runoff pond that at times is one long pond and at other times is a mud flat. Today it is mudflats with some shallow water and Killdeer, Mallards and C Geese and a Solitary Sandpiper. I first saw the bird on Wednesday, but I was in a hurry and thought it was a Spotted Sandpiper (because that’s what I was expecting). Then I started reviewing Sibley, iBird Pro and any other sources and began to wonder if it was a Solitary, even though the map in Sibley shows only scattered sightings. When I looked again yesterday, I only saw a Spotted (at the other end of the mudflats), so I decided I’d made a mistake.

But today I had the time to really observe the bird, finding the white spotting on the back and white on the face. So of course I emailed Larry and Missy to ask them to look at the bird. They just called to confirm it’s a Solitary and I’m a happy camper!

If you go looking for it, the runoff area is currently surrounded by orange mesh fencing (apparently because of high levels of e.coli). If you enter from the traffic circle at Stewart and Whitewater, park in the first available parking spot and walk towards the fencing. The bird has been at the end of the mudflats closest to the traffic circle.

Tom McCabe, Boise

Along the Whitewater Park Blvd. side of Esther Simplot Park there is a storm
water runoff pond that at times is one long pond and at other times is a mud
flat. Today it is mudflats with some shallow water and Killdeer, Mallards
and C Geese and a Solitary Sandpiper. I first saw the bird on Wednesday, but
I was in a hurry and thought it was a Spotted Sandpiper (because that’s what
I was expecting). Then I started reviewing Sibley, iBird Pro and any other
sources and began to wonder if it was a Solitary, even though the map in
Sibley shows only scattered sightings. When I looked again yesterday, I only
saw a Spotted (at the other end of the mudflats), so I decided I’d made a
mistake.

But today I had the time to really observe the bird, finding the white
spotting on the back and white on the face. So of course I emailed Larry and
Missy to ask them to look at the bird. They just called to confirm it’s a
Solitary and I’m a happy camper!

If you go looking for it, the runoff area is currently surrounded by orange
mesh fencing (apparently because of high levels of e.coli). If you enter
from the traffic circle at Stewart and Whitewater, park in the first
available parking spot and walk towards the fencing. The bird has been at
the end of the mudflats closest to the traffic circle.

Tom McCabe, Boise

hey Jon, I’ve misplaced your phone number, but email works better anyway, if you don’t mind sharing your email address with me, thanks!
I have questions….. =)
Larry

—

I want to comment of the function if IBLE as an intelligent and informative Forum. In operated as it was supposed to, from beginning to end. And for me , being up on the berm that morning with RL Roland, who talked about Ibis coloration and questioned the species we were scoping. And Janet Phillips, up on the berm, who took the photo of the bird and also  questioned the ibis.  To all the other individuals involved and their input. And the perspective that everyone gave in their eBird and emails and from Cheryl Huizinga whose email made me run to my 5th wheel and retrieve my Sibley ‘Guide to Birds’.  So kool, thanks. 

BOB