Sailbirding at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin on September 12, 2018

A first for everything I guess! Sailbirding, birding and bird watching from a sail boat! It took place today at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center from a moving sail boat. The purpose of this sail birding trip today was to document bird species on a portion of the breakwaters (breakwall to some). This portion of the breakwall has been changed by the Army Corps of Engineering by strategically adding smaller rocks to the giant ones along the breakwall structure. The Army Corps has collaborated with UWM with hopes to create breakwall habitat for a variety of living creatures including birds. It was an exciting time with bigger waves then we would have expected by the forecast. The great sailor Carl Eisenberg got us out to the breakwall, excellent birders Marilyn B. and Jennifer Rutten were present for birding ID. I went along for bird ID and taking a couple of photos for documentation of the birds. We did not get as close to the breakwall as we had hoped with the 18 mph winds out there but we could still ID birds well. We have formed a Facebook group “Wisconsin Sailbirding” for anyone who gets out and does this, there is a to report your sail birding adventure. A fun time for all! It was beautiful sunny day, along with mild temps. Images were taken on September 12, 2018.

Sailing out…

Still on the way out to the breakwall..

Black-bellied Plovers, 2 of them resting…

Sanderling…

Another Sanderling, 4 of them seen here today…

Double-crested Cormorants, approx. 50 seen at this location…

Black-bellied Plovers, 2 of them still present on our way back…

Spotted Sandpiper

Black-bellied Plover in flight from a distance…

More Double-crested Cormorants…

Double-crested Cormorant flying near the breakwall and lands a distance away…

On our way back…

Getting into calmer water on the way back…

The captain…

The sailbirding group…