The shorebird invasion is in full force in Duluth, Minnesota. The wind has switched and is now blowing from the north. The shorebirds are aware of this fact, and I found hundreds and hundreds along mud flats next to the harbor. Surprisingly, my normal spot for shorebirds at the end of Park Point was almost devoid of shorebirds.
The largest numbers of shorebirds were Lesser Yellowlegs, and Semi-Palmated Sandpipers, but I also found plovers. The hawks and merlins knew the shorebirds were migrating through the area, as any bird which fed on the mud flats without keeping one eye towards the sky did so at its peril.
The largest number of birds by far were feeding in the mud flats at the Erie Pier. Also seen at this location was my Great Egret, a Marsh Hawk, a Trumpeter Swan and many more birds. The abandoned pier near Grassy Point and the C. Reiss Coal Company yielded fewer birds, but this is where I found the plovers and the Ruddy Turnstone.
Ruddy Turnstone & Semi-Palmated Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone Video
Thanks for this video! The first time I ever saw a RT, I was by myself in Florida without binoculars. The bird wouldn’t turn around for me to see much of it. However, it was that telling behavior that gave away his identity. Fun to watch, again.