[TN-Bird] Just Back from St. Marks NWR

From: eyesew@xxxxxxxxx (Virginia Curtis)
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 17:58:13 -0500
I returned from St. Marks NWR and trying to see the Lesser Sandplover
about 5:00 p.m. today.  If any of you are considering going to look for
it this weekend, I'd advise you to check with the park headquarters or
someone from Florida Bird list or Florida RBA before making the drive.  

I arrived about 2:00 Wednesday afternoon and the bird had been seen
early that morning.  But in the afternoon the east winds from the
rotation of Hurricane Rita came in and drenched all of us with a
tremendous rain and there was no low tide in the afternoon as expected.
I was at the site early on Thursday and remained there until
mid-afternoon when it became apparent there would again be no low tide.
Stoney Bayou used to be a lake but Hurricane Dennis breached the dike
and now it is a tidal pool.  But the strong east wind kept piling in the
water and there were no exposed mud flats where the Lesser Sandplover
has been seen.  There were a few very small grassy areas still visible
but with many scopes trained on them, this rare bird never appeared.  I
went back to the bayou this morning to make one more attempt and the
wind was still pushing more water into the pool even though it should
have been low tide.  

A birder with knowledge of the behavior of Lesser Sandplovers said when
they have appeared on the west coast they normally have stayed quite a
while.  So there is hope for this bird still being around when the winds
finally subside and the tides return to normal.  I sure would have liked
to see that little beauty and hope it remains long enough for me to make
the nine hour drive again to find it.     

Tommy Curtis
Smithville, TN
DeKalb County

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[TN-Bird] Just Back from St. Marks NWR

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