Greetings Again

I'll risk being tedious here.

Firstly, we all speak from personal experience. Wayne's post is full of such.
I've birded along the west coast from Mexico through Vancouver BC for the
last 17 years. I've focused more on shorebirds than any other group of
birds. I think that allows me to make some statements and draw some
conclusions.

Indeed, the one spot that I have seen a Stilt Sandpiper on a tidal flat is
along Boundary Bay at the spot Wayne mentions. This particular point on
Boundary Bay is, perhaps, unique because of the freshwater outflow. Even at
low tide, birds (such as Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpipers, and yes,
accumulations of Semi Sandpipers) are still close to the dike in large
numbers. By contrast, at other locations (elsewhere on Boundary Bay, at
Jensen Access, at English Boom, etc) the great majority of shorebirds are out
at the mud's edge.

If Wayne wants quotes from literature and not personal experience

"The Stilt Sandpiper frequents shallows at the edges of lakes, sloughs,
ponds, and sewage lagoons." Campbell et al. (1990) Birds of British Columbia,
vol. 2

"Stilt Sandpipers are usually seen in fresh or brackish marshes or sewage
lagoons and only rarely on mud flats, even in coastal areas." Paulson (1993)
Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.

Crockett Lake is a brackish marsh. The Mansion area of Boundary Bay is
probably a brackish area due to the freshwater outflow there. Jensen access
is like the rest of Skagit Bay and the Puget Sound.

Does this make a Stilt Sandpiper impossible on a tidal flat. Of course not.
This would be foolish thought. Do I get a twinge of anxiety when I hear of
such a report. Yes. Hence a desire for more details.

Regarding Semipalmated Sandpiper -- I did not address this bird in the detail
it warranted in this post, but those who are interested can go back to a
previous post to Tweeters that included this species account in the upcoming
Birds of Washington.

Semipalmated Sandpipers are found, in greater proportion, on nontidal flats.
The top high counts for both BC and WA come from such areas (See Paulson
1993). In BC, where Semis occur in significantly larger numbers than WA,
large numbers are sometimes seen in tidal areas. Nonetheless, the proportion
of Semis: Westerns is distinctly higher in places like Iona than any location
on Boundary Bay, except perhaps at the Mansion sight. The same is true on
Whidbey. The tidal portion of Deer Lagoon has a lower Semi:Western ratio than
Crockett Lake. In Grays Harbor County, I think most would agree that a large
percentage of the Semi Sand reports are from the Damon Point Pond and the
Brady Loop Pond. I do think there is some observer bias here, in that
nontidal areas usually afford a closer look and make the Semis easier to pick
out. Nonetheless, I think the overall tendency is there. (For those itching
for a fight, please take note of the word TENDENCY).

Now, onto today. Clearly many birds have moved out.

West 90 Ponds: 3 Lesser Yellowegs, 2 Wilson's Phal, 2 RN Phal, 1 Am Golden
Plover, 1 Least Sand, 6 LB Dow.

Jensen Access (thoroughly walked at high tide): 7 LB Dow, 3 Greater
Yellowlegs, 1 BB Plover, 4 Least Sand, 1 Killdeer.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow