WEATHER: Winds were light out of the west and temperatures varied between 16-21 Celsius. Skies were cloudy.
WATERFOWL: Although not in fabulous numbers, a decent variety of ducks were tallied today. Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, and White-winged Scoter were counted in addition to Horned and Red-necked Grebe. No Red-throated Loons were seen today.
SHOREBIRDS: It was a good day for shorebird diversity with 11 species. Highlights included a Whimbrel the 1st hour and then a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers (first of the season) seen in the 5th hour. Interestingly, a single Whimbrel came and landed back within the Jack Pines just a couple minutes after the count. Other shorebird species seen today include Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and Baird's Sandpiper.
Another highlight of today was a distant jaeger in the 3rd hour. Like yesterday, this was a dark bird that just passed by without chasing much. It did stoop a couple times, dropping to the level of the water and rocketing forward.
Lastly, the Magnolia Warbler pictured below is lucky to be alive. It was being chased by the local Merlin for several minutes before, finally, the warbler collapsed to the ground mere feet from where I was standing. The Merlin wouldn't come any closer. After a breather, the warbler got up and flew safely to the Jack Pines.
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