[EBB Sightings] Baird's Sandpiper at Middle Harbor

As of today at 5:00 PM, at least one Baird's Sandpiper remains at Middle Harbor RP.  As I arrived at high tide at 4 PM, the shorebirds and terns were huddled on the top of the rock jetty nearest the salt marsh restoration area.  Both adult and juvenile Elegant Terns, Marbled Godwits, Willets, Least Sandpipers, Black-Bellied Plovers, and a lone LB Curlew were making up the crowd.  On the north side of the jetty 1 Spotted Sandpiper was grooming.

As the tide started to go out and a small beach was exposed in the 3 small coves between the amphitheater and the jetty, peeps suddenly appeared.  Most were Westerns, soon joined by the godwits and the Willets.  One Baird's stepped out of hiding behind the riprap and was feeding with the rest of the birds high on the mud.

A map of this beautifully restored area is available at: http://tinyurl.com/5meezd

Cheers,

Pat Bacchetti
Oakland