This Stilt Sandpiper showed itself to Rick K. and I for 5 minutes before flying off, never to be seen again after a trip completely around the flats.

A Black Tern sat for a couple hours on this log in the middle of the water. It’s an amazing second sighting of the species in county this year.

Other birds included a Common Tern that came flying around for a few minutes before heading back out to the river, 15 Dunlin, 6 Semipalmated Plovers, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, plenty of Spotties and Solitaries, both Yellowlegs species and roughly 75 Least Sandpipers hanging out as well as a group of 17 Short-billed Dowitchers that gave a flyby— roused by atv riders from the other side, right past me, and out of the flats.

I was very pleased to find a mid-October push of Pipers at Plymouth Flats this morning. Three species are still in their peak migration: White-rumped, Dunlin, and Golden-Plovers. Plymouth held two out of three of those species (1 White-rumped, 6 Dunlin). Besides that was a large group of 16 Pectoral, 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 30 Killdeer, and an early morning flyby Wilson’s Snipe.

Also of note is Harvey’s Lake sightings are on the rise. Yesterday had an FOS Bonaparte’s Gull (very far out and I’m still iffy as to whether I think it was definitely Boney’s and not something better) and the day before saw the first Common Loons of the season.

This juvenile White-rumped isn’t the first I’ve had locally this year, but the first I managed a photo of, even if not a great photo. I really should have tried harder but with the push I wanted to get to a second location.

Another 6 Dunlin appeared all winter plumaged.

Shorebirds in Peak of Migration Thru Pennsylvania:

• American Golden-Plover (adult)
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Ruddy Turnstone (juvenile)
• Red Knot
• Sanderling (juvenile)
• Semipalmated Sandpiper (juvenile)
• Least Sandpiper (juvenile)
• Baird’s Sandpiper (juvenile)
• Pectoral Sandpiper

Shorebirds in Typical Migration thru PA

• Black-bellied Plover (adult)
• Semipalmated Plover (adult)
• Greater Yellowlegs (juvenile)
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Upland Sandpiper
• Whimbrel
• Hudsonian Godwit
• Marbled Godwit
• Semipalmated Sandpiper (adult)
• Western Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper (adult)
• White-rumped Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper (juvenile)
• Short-billed Dowitcher (juvenile)
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Red-necked Phalarope

Shorebirds in Possible but Rare Migration thru PA:

• Black-bellied Plover (juvenile)
• American Golden-Plover (juvenile)
• Red Phalarope
• Dunlin
• Long-billed Dowitcher (adult)