Hi Tweets,

Got to the settling ponds way later than earlier thanks to a flat tire, so I
missed the high tide and thousands of small Calidris shorebirds in the
ponds. There were still a few hundred of them and Ken Klimko and I worked
them over pretty well. Since July 20 is the average arrival date for
*juvenile* Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris semipalmatus, I had hoped to see
one on the date, but no dice. Did see a juvenile LEAST SANDPIPER C.
minutilla, though, the first for Iona this year, and four days earlier than
its average of July 24.

Just shorebirds:

Killdeer 17
Semipalmated Plover 1 ad
Semipalmated Sandpiper 22 all Alt
Western Sandpiper ~700 all Alt
Least Sandpiper ~100 99a 1jv (local juv arr)
Spotted Sandpiper 6 2a 2jv 2y
Long-billed Dowitcher 11 all Alt

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery, and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)