Gotta Love Those Sewage Lagoons: Spring Shorebird Report

Although last year I had a wonderful Fall of shorebirding at El Paso Sewage Treatment Center in Woodford County, IL and Gridley Wastewater Treatment Ponds a few miles down the road in McLean County, this was my first Spring of shorebirding at these sewage lagoons. If I had gone last Spring, my car would have probably gotten stuck because it was so wet and muddy.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to bird at both locations this Spring because of renovations being done at each location. For Gridley, this meant a lot of workers and machines that seemed to scare most of the shorebirds away. For the larger facility at El Paso, the shorebirds did not seem to mind the activity and hung around. The problem at El Paso was that someone stole some of the equipment they had laying around for the renovations, and the workers responded by locking the gate at about 3:00 p.m. every day to protect the town's property. I know I missed at least four species this Spring partly as a result of this access issue--Willet, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope, Baird's Sandpiper. All four of these species were seen at El Paso this Spring by Ted Hartzler. Two of these birds would have been lifers if I had seen them. The thieves not only stole the equipment. They stole a birding experience from me. I'm sure Hartzler would have picked up a few more species as well had the gates not been locked every evening. I'm hoping things will eventually return to normal at both locations so that Fall shorebirding will be good.

Although I saw common shorebirds at both locations in mid-March, I will begin this report with April 2. The only shorebird I photographed that day was this Pectoral Sandpiper at Gridley.



However, I did stumble upon a small group of Lesser Scaups.





Also present at Gridley was this Snow X Ross's Goose Hybrid, which I had seen there previously. As you will soon see, this is its good side.



During April Vesper Sparrows hung out on rocks on the edges of the ponds and on the roads around the ponds, but they would not allow a close enough approach for photography. I did get close enough to this one less than a mile down the road from the ponds.



When I returned to the ponds in Gridley on April 11, I saw the bad side of the hybrid goose. This guy's eye looks badly infected, if he even had an eye. At time it appeared his eye had been plucked out of its socket.



Then on April 16, I saw a couple of Wilson's Snipes at Gridley.



Also present were about ten yellowlegs, and the injured hybrid goose.



On April 17, my only shorebird at Gridley was Killdeer, but I saw my first of the year American Pipits. These little artic nesters, which often feed in the mud alongside the shorebirds, have become one of my favorite birds to see at the sewage ponds. They come through early in the Spring and late in the Fall, and are much easier to see when they come to the ponds than they are out in the fields. They usually pose nicely on the rocks. I saw this pipit the next day at Gridley.





On April 20, I saw one Spotted and one Pectoral Sandpiper at Gridley, and I saw the following shorebirds at El Paso.

Solitary Sandpiper 2
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 25
Least Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 12
Wilson's Snipe 1



This was the day that Matt Fraker had thought he had seen a Western Sandpiper, but had actually seen a Dunlin instead. Matt was there when I arrived looking for the Marbled Godwit that Ted Hartzler had seen the previous day. He told me where the alleged Western Sandpiper was, but when I drove to the Northeast lagoon, a few of the birds flushed in spite of my slow approach, and the bird which eventually became known as a Dunlin was not still remaining among the rest of the birds on the ground.

The shorebirds were on the move in increasing numbers, but so were the swallows, and they were a little easier to photograph that day from where they were sitting on the rocks.







On April 24, I had a Pectoral Sandpiper and this American Pipit at Gridley.



I also enjoyed photographing this Savannah Sparrow. The Savannah Sparrows were more numerous than the Vesper Sparrows at the Gridley ponds in April, and they are easier to photograph from the car because they remain on the rocks next to the water, allowing a closer approach.







I finally had a Spotted Sandpiper at El Paso on April 27. Then on Monday, April 30, Ted Hartzler had 50 Willets and 21 Long-billed Dowitchers, but it was very rainy for several days, which would mean mud and possibly getting stuck since I drive a Hyundai Sonata. Furthermore, I was busy at work and they had already started closing the gate early. I did not get to the lagoons until Thursday, May 3.

When I did, the Long-billed Dowitchers and Willets were gone, but there were plenty of shorebirds present, and no time for photographing swallows. Below are the shorebirds I saw that day

Killdeer 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 60
Pectoral Sandpiper 4
Dunlin 2
Short-billed Dowitcher 9

Here is a mixed flock of Short-billed Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs.



And here are most of the Short-billed Dowitchers with the two Dunlin.



I could not help but find it humorous when this little Solitary Sandpiper awkwardly walked in front of the more graceful dowitchers.



Only a few minutes later, the dowitchers were dwarfed in height by two Greater Yellowlegs, which towered over them as they high-stepped onto the scene.







On May 4, I returned to El Paso very briefly, and finally saw a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers amongst the Short-billeds.



When I returned on May 8, the shorebirds had thinned out quite a bit. The only shorebirds I saw were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, but I did have a new Woodford County bird that day. Three male Bobolinks were foraging in the grass just North of the lagoons.



There were also at least three Savannah Sparrows present near the North lagoons, and the most elegant American Coot I have ever seen.





On May 10, there were yellowlegs everywhere at El Paso. Below are photos of the yellowlegs, a Pectoral Sandpiper, and a Solitary Sandpiper I photographed.







The Bobolinks were still around as well.



And there was a new group of dowitchers--probably 10-15 on the rocks on the West side of the middle lagoon. At the time, I thought these were all Short-billed, but now I am not certain. Feel free to share your thoughts if you agree or disagree. These birds allowed an amazingly close approach while I was viewing them from my car.





















There were also a few Pectoral and Least Sandpipers mixed in with the dowitchers.





The next day, most of the dowitchers were gone, but there were still quite a few yellowlegs, Pecs, and Least Sandpipers. I felt so bad for this poor Lesser Yellowlegs. I did not think it would be able to eat with the bottom half of its bill broken. I wonder how this happened. It looks so sad.



Don't be fooled by the lighting! Both of these Least Sandpipers had yellow legs.



When I returned on May 14, I saw a nice variety of shorebirds and enjoyed my best looks ever at Semipalmated Plovers. Below is the list of shorebirds I saw and some photos of the plovers.

Semipalmated Plover 3
Killdeer 6
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Least Sandpiper 11
Pectoral Sandpiper 5
Short-billed Dowitcher 2







I had seen few shorebirds at Gridley in May because of all of the renovations going on there, but I did see this Spotted Sandpiper there on May 15.



On May 16, I found this Snapping Turtle on the road beside the sewage facility in El Paso. I picked it up and moved it off the road so that it would not get run over. This made a lady, who had stopped her van on the road out of concern for this turtle, very happy.



Ted Hartzler saw a White-rumped Sandpiper the same day, but I was only there a short time after moving the turtle, and I did not see it. The next day I saw more Semipalmated Plovers, but I missed the Wilson's Phalarope that Hartzler saw. I had missed what could have been two new Woodford County birds in two days.





I did not return to El Paso for a couple of weeks, and I missed Baird's Sandpiper, which was reported by Hartzler on May 25. But hoping to add a couple more for the Spring, I checked my records from last year and noticed that I had seen a good-sized group of White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers just a few miles from El Paso in Livingston County on May 30, 2011. So I checked El Paso on May 30, thinking I might find my first of the year White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and like clock-work, I did.

Here is my shorebird list from the May 30.

Semipalmated Plover 3
Killdeer 8
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 25
White-rumped Sandpiper 1

Here are some shots of the Semipalmated Sandpipers. In some of these shots, you can see why these birds are called semipalmated. Notice their partially webbed feet! Notice also the variations in plumage and posture.













Here are a couple of shots of the Semipalmated Plovers including a shot of one with its partially webbed feet showing.





I stopped to photograph a group of Semipalmated Sandpipers and found this beautiful White-rumped Sandpiper hiding behind them in the rocks by the Northeast lagoon.





And finally, here are some more shots of the White-rumped by itself--no webbed feet on this bird.









I did not visit Gridley very often this Spring because it became so dead, and I did not get out to El Paso as often as I wanted to because it was locked up in the evenings, but I still had a nice variety of shorebirds at El Paso. Below is a list of the shorebirds I saw at El Paso this Spring, including two new Woodford County birds for me--Dunlin and Long-billed Dowitcher.

1. Semipalmated Plover
2. Killdeer
3. Spotted Sandpiper
4. Solitary Sandpiper
5. Greater Yellowlegs
6. Lesser Yellowlegs
7. Semipalmated Sandpiper
8. Least Sandpiper
9. White-rumped Sandpiper
10. Pectoral Sandpiper
11. Dunlin
12. Short-billed Dowitcher
13. Long-billed Dowitcher
14. Wilson's Snipe

Below is a list of other shorebird species seen at El Paso that I missed.

1. Willet
2. Marbled Godwit
3. Wilson's Phalarope
4. Baird's Sandpiper

And finally a list of the few shorebird species I saw at Gridley . . .

1. Killdeer
2. Spotted Sandpiper
3. Solitary Sandpiper
4. Greater Yellowlegs
5. Lesser Yellowlegs
6. Pectoral Sandpiper
7. Wilson's Snipe

I hope to pick up Marbled Godwit and a few other shorebirds in Florida next week, and I hope to find some new species at El Paso and Gridley this Fall. Migrating shorebirds begin showing up in late July. So stay posted to find out what the Fall migration brings!

Written and published on June 24, 2012