From: Chris Howard and Jerry Zatorski
Date: 8/28/01
Time: 9:34:20 AM
Remote Name: 209.209.67.193
8/28 - This morning we birded the Bishop Sewer Ponds from 7:30-8:45. The southeast ponds are really starting to dry up, showing a good sized mud-island in the middle. On the island and around the pond margin were 13 species of sandpiper:
2 Pectoral Sandpipers (both juvs, first of fall in Inyo, as far as we know)
1 Solitary Sandpiper juv
1 Lesser Yellowlegs
3 Greater Yellowlegs
10 Common Snipe
6 Black-necked Stilts
1 Semipalmated Plover, juv
12 Killdeer
8 Long-billed Dowitchers, all adults in breeding plumage or molting to basic
5 Spotted Sandpipers, including 1 adult still in breeding plumage
40 Least Sandpipers
20 Western Sandpipers
1 Red-necked Phalarope, swimming near island
Also in the vicinity were 2 Great Egrets, 2 White-faced Ibis, 11 additional Red-necked Phalarope in the SW pond, 1 Long-billed Curlew and a Caspian Tern both flying and calling overhead. Quite unexpected while shorebirding were a Great-horned owl flying up to a snag and a racoon lurking in the reeds.
Shorebird viewing is excellent with the sun behind in the morning from the east side of the pond.
This is certainly the most exciting time of the year!