Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Decent Scoter Flight

White-winged Scoters

The White-winged Scoters finally showed up today in respectable numbers. It was very much a stop-and-go day, with 4 very slow hours and 4 busy hours.

Weather: Partly cloudy, wind 10-20 mph from the SE first thing in the morning shifted to the S. Warm, temperatures in the high 50s.

Waterbird Count: 229 White-winged Scoters and 22 Surf Scoters. Also 124 Red-breasted Mergansers, 18 Canada Geese 15 Common Loons and 8 Double-crested Cormorants.

Shorebirds: 3 Dunlin, 2 Killdeer, 2 Sanderlings, 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Whimbrel. The 3 Piping Plovers are also still present and accounted for.

Gulls: 28 Bonaparte's Gulls

Other Sightings: The Blue Jays remained very active, with the daily flock over the pines around 150. There were a few Red-winged Blackbirds mingling with the Blue Jay flock. Also 10 Bobolinks and 6 Brown-headed Cowbirds in the pines just off the trail to the shack.

Forecast for tomorrow doesn't look too great. Overcast skies, with 40% chance of rain. Winds from the W at 10-20 mph. The wind refuses to let up, and coming out of the W won't do any favors for the waterbird migration. Still, the scoters and mergansers may still have bigger days ahead. I'm also still waiting on LT Ducks and Canada Geese.

Andy N
Waterbird Counter

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