We hiked out to the west end this afternoon and it was pretty busy. We
found a Whimbrel in with Curlews in the Sagebrush and a male Pectoral
Sandpiper (only the second I’ve seen in spring) in flooded Sagebrush a
long way from the reservoir. The res is only 85% full so there’s a lot
of habitat out there right now. There was probably more small terns than
I’ve seen before, all Forster’s (I usually don’t see Common until late
May so not unexpected they were all Forster’s). There was a flock of 10
Black-bellied Plovers and 11 dowitchers too far away to ID. A small
mixed flock of Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, a flock of maybe 80
American Avocets, 11 Sanderlings (I think the most I’ve seen up here),
plenty of Willets, a few Killdeer and Wilson’s Snipe and single Spotted,
Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers rounded out the shorebirds.

Cliff

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Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com