Shorebirds around The Basin
Kevin Spencer
I traveled around The Basin, making stops at locations known for shorebirds. The water situation for shorebirds is well below average (abymsal with outlook dismal), and is especially dismal considering the peak of shorebirds, AND watefowl is yet to come. Tule Lake NWR Sump 1B, mostly the west end, but worth going to the east end, Lower Klamath NWR, ONLY unit 6A, south of intersection F (will likely become jam packed if that's the only place around.... it's already getting that way), and some flooded(ing) permanent pastures along Stateline Rd. and Lower Klamath Lake Rd. (have to search around for those... there was a flooded field at Fugate and Stateline Rds., but later it was empty of shorebirds). Those were the most interesting stops.
Here's yesterday's results, (4 Sept. 2010):
SPRING LAKE: peeps sp.: 40, Western Sandpiper-15, Least Sandpiper- 8, Killdeer-3, Greater Yellowlegs-1, Ring-billed Gull-1, PEREGRINE FALCON-1
FUGATE RD. (flooded pasture along Stateline Rd.):
White-faced Ibis- 285, LONG-BILLED CURLEW- 27, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER- 2, Greater Yellowlegs- 6, LESSER YELLOWLEGS- 3, Least Sandpiper-6, Wilson's Snipe-1, Killdeer- 13, dowitcher sp. (likely long-billed)- 12, Ring-billed Gull- 60, Caspian Tern-1, SANDHILL CRANE-4
WHITE LAKE (CA side; just a few puddles, and I don't know where that water came from):
ducks sp. , SANDHILL CRANE- 26, dowitcher sp. (likely long-billed) 15 and 2, Killdeer-5
TULE LAKE NWR, SUMP 1B:
Killdeer- 5, Long-billed Dowitcher- 71, BLACK-NECKED STILT- 200, Western Sandpiper- 15, Least Sandpiper-10, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER-1, AMERICAN AVOCET-8, Greater Yellowlegs-2, Red-necked Phalarope-65, Ring-billed Gull- 100, Caspian Tern-8 (1 HY banded), (saw Virginia Rail sunning-2, and AMERICAN BITTERN-1 SE corner)
LOWER KLAMATH NWR UNIT 6A only:
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER- @ 3,000, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 215, GREATER YELLOWLEGS- 9, Least Sandpiper-4, BLACK-NECKED STILT-70, Killdeer- 12, California Gull-10
INDIAN TOM LAKE (CA side of Stateline Rd., near Hwy 97):
GREATER YELLOWLEGS- 24, Killdeer-2
Kevin Spencer
rrip...@charter.net
Klamath Falls, OR