As I said in my previous post, we had our 4 Grandkids for most of the week for our annual “camp” so no birding happened. We did see the Ripley’s Aquarium with them, they ran their own Olympics, multiple games of hide and seek were played and there was an over consumption of sugar treats and late nights. We loved every minute of it.

Saturday we headed to Blenheim because there had been reports of Baird’s Sandpipers the last two days and it seemed like one of the few spots not forecasting lots of rain. We scoped the edges of the lagoons and once again thought we had a Baird’s but Steve C. arrived and quickly dashed our hopes declaring it a Semipalmated Sandpiper. Will we ever get this right? We walked down towards some other shorebirds and Steve found us a beautiful Baird’s within minutes. Thanks once again! It was very obviously a Baird’s once we saw it. But will the lesson stick with us until next year when we have to once again hunt for a Baird’s?

Jerry managed to get better pictures of a Wilson’s Phalarope although not in breeding plumage. Google it to see it in breeding plumage – they are such pretty birds! He has also added a number of better pictures to our Gallery so make sure you check that out again.

Next week another sandpiper species should start to arrive, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. They hang out in sod farms instead of lagoons so a change of destination will be happening. We also will start to do some Lake Watches if the winds co-operate. Stay tuned…

Week 33 1 new species added 314 species seen J&E