A small group of JAS members braved the threatening rain predicted for the Monroe area for a trip to Pt. Mouillee.  This year's trip was a bit better than last year with lower water levels and lots of mud.

The ponds were full of Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, and Great Egrets everywhere we drove.    We saw a single Snowy Egret in Unit 8 and lots of Black-crowned Hight Herons further on.  The ducks were not too varied, but we did find a good-sized raft of them in the Humphries Unit. 

(Steve Jerant)

As for shorebirds, we spotted only 9 species but did see a single immature Piping Plover, so it was worth the drive down.   The rain held for most of the day, but then we got hit a few times. Luckily, no lightning was spotted and the showers were fairly light and brief.

(Steve Jerant) 

Species List:

4 Canada Goose

13 Mute Swan

50 Wood Duck

9 Blue-winged Teal

1050 Mallard -- About 1000 in Humphries unit

40 Pied-billed Grebe

6 Mourning Dove

7 Common Gallinule

10 Sandhill Crane

2 Semipalmated Plover

1 Piping Plover -- @Long pond, yellow leg, short black bill, distinctive walk.

90 Killdeer

12 Least Sandpiper

2 Semipalmated Sandpiper

4 Short-billed Dowitcher

4 Spotted Sandpiper

5 Greater Yellowlegs

45 Lesser Yellowlegs

30 Ring-billed Gull

1 Herring Gull

204 Caspian Tern -- 195 in humphries unit

1 Common Tern

50 Double-crested Cormorant

14 American White Pelican

95 Great Blue Heron

140 Great Egret

1 Snowy Egret -- Unit 8

2 Green Heron

7 Black-crowned Night-Heron

2 Turkey Vulture

5 Osprey

7 Bald Eagle

2 Red-tailed Hawk

1 Belted Kingfisher

1 Northern Flicker

5 Eastern Kingbird

1 Blue Jay

1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow

100 Tree Swallow

30 Barn Swallow

1 House Wren

200 European Starling

1 Gray Catbird

2 American Robin

3 American Goldfinch

1 Chipping Sparrow

2 Song Sparrow

2000 Red-winged Blackbird

6 Common Grackle

Number of Taxa: 49

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