Shorebirds 8/31

I had heard that there were Avocets down at Montrose Harbor the last couple of days, so I went down there tonight after work. No avocets, but I did get 3 new life birds! I also got schooled by 3 completely separate teenage boys on my bird identification. That's humbling. The pictures are pretty awful because my camera didn't want to focus in the dusk, but here's what I got.


This is the Short-Billed Dowitcher (my ID confirmed by a kid that couldn't have been more than 13 years old)

ADORABLE juvenile Semipalmated Plovers. I mean, they're cute anyway, but when they're also super-small, they are VERY cute

This is my excruciatingly bad picture of the Sora. I was thrilled to tiny pieces to see this little guy. He's a type of rail (a type of ground bird) and he's actually really gorgeous! He was smaller than I thought he'd be. I was seriously within 5 feet of him and my stupid camera wouldn't focus. I don't have a single in-focus, non-blurred picture. Argh.

I also saw a Baird's Sandpiper, but the picture is so blurry it's not worth posting.

The List:

Sora*

Spotted Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Sanderling

Dunlin (maybe)

Semipalmated Plover

Baird's Sandpiper*

Short-Billed Dowitcher*

(* is a bird for my life list)