ALABAMA & MISSISSIPPI 
^ h Accounts of vagrancy associated with tropical storms usually focus on pelagic species such as 
»)fltubenoses, frigatebirds, and tropical terns, or more generally on coastal species moved inland. 
However, another frequent side effect of these storms is the grounding of migrants during the event, as 
well as creation of temporary habitats by virtue of sometimes heavy rainfall. Both factors can have a sig- 
nificant effect on transient shorebirds in areas where they are fcquently scarce. Parts of cen. Alabama, 
often depauperate of shorebirds, turned into wind-bird hotspots in late Aug, thanks to the copious rain- 
fall of Tropical Storm Fay. This slow-moving cyclone swept the Florida Panharrdle 22-23 Aug, crawling as 
a tropica! depression through Mississippi and n. Alabama over the foiowing three days. Though 160-300 
km or mors from the storm center, Montgomery and Birmingham received about 13 cm of rain, convert- 
ing local sod farms into chains of lakes. Observers working these sod farms 24-27 Aug found a total of 25 
species of shorebirds, quite exciting for areas where, in many years, just a small variety is notable. The 
bounty was particuiarly fine at the Sprague sod farm in Montgomery, where 22 species were discovered. 
Significant records from that site are digested in Table 1 . Sod farms e. and se. of Birmingham could not 
match that array of shorebirds but still yielded 17 species after Fsy (Table 2). Soon after the storms, the 
sun appeared, the sod dried, and the bonanza was over — but it was fiin while it lasted! 
Table 1 . Shorebirds recorded at the Spragye Sod Farms, Montgomery, AL after the passage of Tropi- 
ca! Storm Fay, 24-27 August 2008. 
Species 
Ns. 
Datefsl 
§bs«r¥irCs) 
Status/Nstes 
American Golden-Plover 
2 
24 & 27 Aug 
LFG, CT&PSetai. 
rare but regular fall 
Piping Plover 
1-3 
26-27 Aug 
TRPetal., ph. 
7th record I.C.P. 
Willet 
3 
24 Aug 
LFG,CT&PS 
rare inland 
Red Knot 
1 
24 Aug 
LFG,CT&PS 
3rd record I.C.P. 
Sanderling 
1-10 
24-26 Aug 
TRP,LFG,CT&PS 
high number inland 
White-rumped Sandpiper 
1 
24 Aug 
LFG, CT&PS 
rare in fall 
Baird's Sandpiper 
2 
24 Aug 
LFG, CT&PS 
rare I.C.P. 
Stilt Sandpiper 
2 
26 Aug 
TRP 
rare I.C.P. 
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 
1 
27 Aug 
LFG 
uncommon/rare I.CP. 
Short-billed Dowitcher 
5 
24 Aug 
LFG, CT&PS 
rare I.C.P. 
Long-billed Dowitcher 
1 
24 Aug 
LFG, CT&PS 
occasional I.C.P. 
Wilson's Phalarope 
1 
24&26 Aug 
LFG, CT&PS etal. 
occasional I.CP. 
Red-necked Phalarope 
1-5 
24 & 26 Aug 
LFG, TRP, CT&PS 
5th record LC.P., state max. inland 
Table 2. Shorebirds recorded at the sod farms around Birmingham, AL after the passage of Tropica! 
Storm Fay, 24-27 August 2008. All reports from St. dm except where specified’ otherwise. 
Species 
lo. 
Date(s) 
0bser¥tr(s| 
Status/Notes 
Black-bellied Plover 
1 
26 Aug 
GDJ, DGJ 
rare M.R. 
Black-bellied Plover 
3 
27 Aug 
HHW,ASC,JG 
Shelby; rare M.R. 
Willet 
1 
27 Aug 
HHW,ASCJG 
rare inland 
Baird's Sandpiper 
1 
26 Aug 
GDJ, DGJ, ph. 
rare M.R. 
Baird's Sandpiper 
1 
27 Aug 
KHW,ASCJG 
2nd site; rare M.R. 
Stilt Sandpiper 
4 
24 Aug 
GDJ 
uncommon/rare M.R. 
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 
1 
26 Aug 
GDJ, DGJ 
uncommon/rare M.R. 
Short-billed Dowitcher 
2 
24 Aug 
GDJ 
uncommon/rare M.R. 
Dunlin 
15+ 
27 Aug 
HHW.ASCJG 
Shelby; 3rd Aug state record 
the l.C.E, were in Peny 16 
Aug (LFG); rare but regular 
in the T.V in fall, another ap- 
peared in Lauderdale 26 Aug 
(DJS). Single Baird’s were un- 
usual for inland Mississippi 
in Lafayette 14 Sep (GCK, 
SGK) and in Washington 22 
Oct (SJD). At least one ad. 
Dunlin in near-alternate 
plumage was at Blakeley I., 
Mobile, 10-12 & 30 Aug (CH 
et al, ph.), providing only the 
2nd Aug record for Alabama. 
Up to 8 Buff-breasted Sand- 
pipers were noteworthy for 
the M.R. 6-16 Sep in Shelby 
(GDJ, DGJ, MS, HHK et al). 
Sabine’s Gull is a sought- 
after prize anywhere in our 
area. One was observed at 
Enid L., Yalobusha 15 Sep 
(GCK, SGK), furnishing the 
10th record for Mississippi 
and the 5th inland (p.a.). A 
boat trip in 'Wheeler L. 3 km 
above Wilson Dam, Col- 
bert/Lauderdale 18 Sep yielded 
a juv. Sabine’s (DJS, JMM, 
RJM, ph.), representing Al- 
abama’s 6th record and the 
2nd for the T.V. (p.a.). Laugh- 
ing Gull is rare but expected 
inland in autumn, and this 
season there were nine reports 
of 17 birds in Alabama and 
Mississippi 28 Aug-29 Nov. 
Usually more difficult to find 
than Laughing (especially in 
Alabama), but sometimes in 
larger concentrations, Frank- 
lin’s Gull is a regular fall visi- 
tor to our Region. The highest 
count in Mississippi was of 3 1 
birds 25 Oct at Grenada L., 
Yalobusha (GCK, SGK, SJD). 
It was a banner year for 
Franklin’s in Alabama. In the 
T.V, 31 were at Guntersville, 
Marshall 25 Oct (GDJ, ph.), 
and another was at that loca- 
tion 23 Nov (SWM); a flock of 
182 Franklin’s was unprece- 
dented 8 Nov at Wheeler 
(LBR, N.A.B.S.), well surpassing the previous 
Alabama maximum. Coastal Alabama had rare 
occurrences of a single Franklin’s 8 Nov at Ft. 
Morgan (HEH, m.ob.), up to 3 at Dauphin 2- 
9 Nov (HEH, TS, GDJ, DGJ), and 6+ in Mag- 
nolia Springs, Baldwin beginning 11 Nov 
(GDJ, DGJ et al, ph.). 
Alabama’s 7th California Gull was a treat 
25 Oct+ at Guntersville, Marshall (GDJ et al., 
ph., p.a.). At the same site 22-26 Nov, an Ice- 
land Gull provided the 9th record for Ala- 
bama (SWM et al, ph., p.a.). Lesser Black- 
backed Gull has become a rare but regular 
visitor to our Region, with numbers gradual- 
ly increasing. Following Gus- | 
tav, extremely early Lesser ( 
Black-backeds appeared on f 
the Mississippi coast, with 4 i 
in Hancock 2 Sep (SE, ph., 
p.a.) and another in Harrison 
3 Sep (JNW, p.a.). The ad. 
at Wilson Dam, Colbert/ 
Lauderdale 18 Sep (DJS, JMM, 
RJM) set a new early record 
for inland Alabama. Up to 2 
ads. were in Marshall, AL be- 
ginning 4 Oct (LBR, RAR, 
m.ob., ph.), with a first-cycle ( 
bird at this site 14 Nov j 
(LFG). Adult and third-cycle 
Lessers were at Dauphin be- I' 
ginning 11 Oct (GDJ, RSH et |j 
al., ph.), and a first-cycle bird 
was at Ft. Morgan 4 Nov . 
(LFG). More unusual, though 
becoming expected on the Al- 
abama coast, is Great Black- 
backed Gull. An ad. begin- 
ning 6 Sep at Dauphin (JNW 
et al.) provided an early state 
arrival date; also on Dauphin, 
a third-cycle bird was spotted 
2 Nov (HEH, TS). 
Casual in our Region, and 
almost always associated with , 
tropical storms, Mississippi’s 
7th Brown Noddy was a 
thrilling find just after the [ 
passage of Ike 13 Sep at 
Ocean Springs, Jacfeson QNW, 
MSW, p.a.); the bird was seen 
initially in flight, then fortu- 
nately landed nearby, allow- 
ing close study. Sooty Tern is 
another well-known waif of 
tropical storms, and several 
were pushed onshore this fall j, 
by Fay, Gustav, and Ike. Ala- 1; 
bama birds included 3 ads. at 
L. Oliver, Lee 24 Aug (WFC), 
for the 5th M.R. record, an- 
other at W. E George Dam, 
Henry 28 Aug 0FF)> and a 
juv. on Lay L., Shelby 7 Sep 
(RR et al., ph.). Mississippi t 
had even more Sooties (p.a.). ; 
In Jackson 1 Sep, 14 birds | 
were discovered ONW, EP, | 
AW); one was at Waveland, Hancock 4 Sep j 
(NB); and an ad. vzas at Columbus L., Lown- 
des that day (TLS). Seven Sooties were in 
Hancock 14 Sep (NB), and at the other end of . 
the state that day, another was on Sardis L., 
Lafayette (GCK, SGK). A Least Tern was un- ; 
usual in Oktibbeha, MS 14 Aug (TLS). After ' 
98 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
