20 miles of beach ...

doesn't hold as much as you might think.

A couple weeks ago Rhoda and I found a whimbrel on a hike between Cherry Beach and Weko.  We've tried a couple more times recently, repeating that hike as well as the slightly longer New Buffalo to Cherry Beach stretch (ok "slightly" is in the eye of the beholder).  I've made a few Tiscornia to Klock or Rocky Gap walks too.  The results? Limited.

A few more juveniles of various species are showing up.  Today was my first juvie Forster's Tern and Bonaparte's Gulls of the year.

The Bonaparte's is from Klock this morning, the Semi Plover from Tiscornia I think Sunday

We covered about 7 miles in the south county this morning.  There was a Willet in the New Buff harbor, but after several more miles the best we could manage was a year-old Lesser Black-backed Gull.

It's adding the black mantle it will carry into 2nd winter plumage and starting to get some darker primaries and primary coverts.

This evening a last check of the Tiscornia to Klock stretch revealed a Greater Yellowlegs in the gull flock.  I don't recall ever seeing a yellowlegs on the beach before though they do fly by now and then in varying numbers.

One of the juvie Herring Gulls decided it looked weird too since it made a pass at it flushing it right past me.

It's in wing moult too.  Sibley notes Greater moults in migration whereas Lessers moult afterward.