We were at Rankin Bottoms on Saturday, 9/17, and were surprised that we
didn't see any shorebirds. Zero. We guided a group of canoes along the old
RR causeway to the river, intending to proceed downriver. When we turned at
the old trestle abutment, a stong, steady northwest wind made forward
progress practically impossible. We turned into the cove on the opposite
side of the causeway and were sheltered from the wind, as we had been all
the way from the tipple to the river. I think it's likely that the
shorebirds chose to take advantage of that strong tailwind and to continue
southward.
I've known peregrine falcons to clear out the shorebirds from the area.
Also, this year we've been monitoring some flats that aren't easily seen
from land and often found higher concentrations of shorebirds than can be
seen from the tipple road. We'll have to see what comes in through the
week.
Michael Sledjeski
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
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