poorly "birdulated" shorebird trip

[Brian A]

Did a shorebird trip for Benzie Audubon on Saturday.  We were to stop at Elberta Marsh, Arcadia, Portage Lake then the Onekama Sewage Ponds and Ludington Sewage Ponds.

We had to omit the marshes due to lack of mudflats and we didn't stop at the piers on Lake Michigan due to the tourists on the hot day.

Onekama sewage ponds were good for a close study of shorebirds but not much variety, list was:  Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Pectoral, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Down to Ludington, good amount of habitat but not as many shorebirds as I would expect this time of year: appx numbers :  1 Greater Yellowlegs, 25 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 3 Pectoral, 30 Solitary, 1(!) Semipalmated, 40 Least Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 30 Killdeer.  I was suprised to find no Baird's Sandpipers.

Back to Manistee and a stop at the Ferry to look out from the deck over the Manistee Marsh were there were no shorebirds and no habitat.  The group did enjoy the view and were interested in the boat.  As we left I mentioned to a British woman that had joined the trip that the stop was interesting but not very bird-related.  She misheard me and said "Not very birdulated? Does that mean underpopulated by birds? That is a good American expression!"  

BA
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