Usually I have to travel to Lake Erie to see migrating shorebirds in spring and fall. But every so often they stop to forage in some of our nearby wetlands on their way to/from their breeding grounds on the tundra.
Which is where I saw over two dozen Dunlin this weekend, in a nearby southeast Michigan easement pond where they were foraging in shallow water with Lesser yellowlegs and Least sandpipers.
The black belly patch stood out along with the reddish brown speckled back and slightly curved black bill.
What I loved watching: when the group of Dunlin took flight, the white and black flash as they quickly change direction simultaneously before landing in wetlands again.
