Shorebirds and others at Bombay Hook and Taylor’s Gut.  August 2nd and 3d. 
Raymond Pool and other west side Bombay Hook ponds were replete with a 
variety of shorebirds including Semipalmated Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Stilt 
Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper Yellowlegs both greater and Lesser once in the 
same scope view, Stilts and Avocets. I’m sure an experienced shorebird birder 
with patience and more time would have found more varieties. There were also 
large numbers of waders including Glossy Ibis, Great and Snowy Egrets, 
Tricolored Heron. An immature Bald Eagle flushed some of the waders at one 
point. What we didn’t see was the Black Skimmers colony we saw late spring 
but there were the expected tern species. At the west side roadside pond at 
Taylor’s Gut there were Forster’s Terns, Common Tern, Royal Tern and also 
shorebirds: Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover 
and Killdeer. The peeps were together and close to the road, so close, I could 
see the palmation on the Semipalmated and the darkish yellow green legs of 
the Least and the clear difference in beaks-with close up scoping. Best 
viewing and photography on the west side ponds was in the morning with light 
from the east.  We did also investigate Port Mahon Road Friday afternoon but 
the tide was high and little exposed flats. There were, however, peeps and 
Ruddy Turnstones on the few that were there and of course close. It struck 
me as odd that nowhere were any other birders to be found. Not the 
afternoon and morning we were there. Possibly because Raymond Pool had in 
previous years allowed to go dry in the summer and birders were aware of this. 
It’s watered now but still with mudflats. Some pools were drying out with dying 
carp.