Peeps Arrive

I stopped by Sue's Ponds (just west of the Logan Landfill) this afternoon to see if the nasty weather might knock down some migrants, and I wasn't disappointed. The highlights were the peeps, which have finally arrived just a bit behind schedule. Today I added four species to my year list: six Western Sandpipers, one Least Sandpiper, one Semipalmated Sandpiper (a lifer!), and one Sanderling. All four of these were new for the year. By the time Craig showed up about an hour after I got there, the Sanderling was gone, but the others hung around the whole time we were there. Other good birds included no less than twenty-two Bonaparte's Gulls, one Caspian Tern, and three Wilson's Phalaropes. There were also at least three and maybe five species of swallows flying around, but the only ones I got really good looks at were the species I've already seen - Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows. I'm pretty sure there were also Cliff and Bank Swallows there, and a Northern Rough-winged swallow was there a few days ago, but I was too focussed on the peeps to pay much attention to the swallows, which will all be common very soon.