Red-necked Phalarope, Ionia Co.

[Karl Overman]

Robert Epstein, Scott Jennex and I went birding in and around Ionia  
and Barry Counties today, August 27th, in western Michigan.  At the  
Lake Odessa sewage lagoons in extreme southern Ionia County, we found  
a Red-necked Phalarope in one of the lagoons.  This is a very birder  
friendly place as you can walk all around the numerous ponds, once  
you have signed in at the office.  Other birds we saw there today  
included 1 Golden Plover, 1 Baird's Sandpiper,  4 Semipalmated  
Sandpipers, 12 Least Sandpipers, 15 Shovelers, 200 Chimney Swifts,   
and  20 Bobolinks.

Following up on Dave Slager's suggestion, we checked the county line  
between Allegan and Barry Counties on Patterson Road just south of  
131st Ave (Allegan County name)/Cobb Lake Road (Barry County name)  
where there are two large farm ponds across from each other.  Both  
were productive for shorebirds.  A Baird's Sandpiper was on the  
Allegan County side.  A sight guaranteed to warm the hearts of county  
listers was having a Buff-breasted Sandpiper lift off from the  
Allegan County pond and land amid the cattle on the margins of the  
Barry County pond.  There can't be many records for Buff-breasted  
Sandpiper in Barry County.

We made a number of attempts to find migrant warblers today but  
failed miserably, having only one Magnolia Warbler at the Portland  
State Game Area in Ionia County.

Cheers,

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi.