A bit over four hours of birding, beginning about 0915 produced 67 species representing 23 bird families. No effort was made to find passerines. Lighthouse Pool and Tower Pond were very productive, with good numbers and diversity of waders and shorebirds. Some highlights, in order of encounter:
FOS Wilson's Snipe (3) flying over East River Pool
A few dozen Roseate Spoonbills and several dark ibis (and many other herons and egrets) at the north end of Mounds 1. Bad light prevented resolution of the ibis, but a few hours later on the way out found one White-faced, seven Glossy, and four distant Plegadis sp.
Nine Pectoral and two Stilt Sandpipers on the small circular pool near the south end of Mounds 1
A Wilson's Phalarope in SE corner of Lighthouse Pool. No flamingo, but many shorebirds, waders, gulls, and terns. FOS Ring-billed Gulls
Tower Pond had eight more Pectoral Sandpipers, four Am. Avocets, and plenty of other shorebird action, including a banded Wilson's Plover (right leg blue, left leg white over red)
Matt Johnstone
SMNWR 10/5