Hello all, Today (21 July 2005) was the first big day of PIPL numbers here on Little St. Simons Island, Georgia. They first started arriving on 10 July 2005, but I had not counted more than 5 or 6 during one survey of the entire Island (which is only about 11 km). Well earlier this evening/today the tide was coming in high due to the full moon, and tons of birds were roosting at Bass Creek (place where multiple species roost). Fall migration for shorebirds is officially underway, but I had at least 27 Piping Plovers just in this small area (approximately 1 km), which it was difficult to gauge, because all the birds were very jumpy causing the PIPL's to jump as well. Of the 27, 8 were banded and 7 were definite Great Lakes birds, but there was one plover that I have no idea where he/she is from and if anyone knows, please let me know. Here is the band combination:

Left: Light blue over Yellow lower Right: Green Flag (this is what puzzles me as I know nothing about green flags on Piping Plovers) above, and Black over Black lower. (-,bY,Gf,LL) shorthand band combo

There were a total of 31 Piping Plovers seen on the Island, and I surveyed again at low tide on 22 July 2005, resulting in 31 Piping Plovers again and 9 confirmed birds from the Great Lakes, 1 from the Great Plains, and with the aforementioned bird, totaling 11 bands.

Other birds have shown up in huge numbers, as I didn't get to count any since I am doing research on Piping Plovers, but highlights of other birds I saw were A LOT of Western and Least Sandpipers, easily 75 Marbled Godwits, at least 10 Whimbrels, 10 Reddish Egrets, at least 3 Long-billed Curlews, approximately 500 Least Terns, 100 Black Terns, 200 Black Skimmers, 10 Gull-billed Terns, 500 Red Knots, 1000 Dowitcher sp., 250 Sanderlings, 1 Dunlin (probably a few more, but saw at least 1), 20 American Oystercatchers, 200 Semipalmated Plovers, 70 Wilson's Plovers, 100 Black-bellied Plovers, immature Lesser and Great Black-backed Gull, and throw in at least 8 Roseate Spoonbills seen earlier in the morning (21 July 2005) while surveying for sea turtles. It will be exciting to see the beaches here in August as migration will be at it's peak. Take care everyone!

Brandon L. Noel Little St. Simons Island, Glynn County, SE Georgia (mouth of Altamaha River) bnoelmarinebio@hotmail.com http://www.bio.georgiasouthern.edu/bio-home/Chandler/chandler.html#graduates