It was a cloudy day with light rain during the first few hours of the count and off and on drizzle through the remainder of the day. Winds were stiff out of the E/SE and temps were near 60.
Waterfowl: A very slow day, perhaps because of the rain and sometimes poor visibility. The most common species were Canada Goose with 49 (represented by one flock) and Red-necked Grebe with 41. It was a poor day for loons as well with 16 Commons and 2 Red-throateds. A Pintail was seen for the first time in a couple weeks and is hopefully the beginning of the main movement for this species.
Gulls/Terns: The highlight was a 1st winter Forster's Tern. Although not rare, this is an uncommon bird at Whitefish Point. 6 Common Terns were seen as well. The balance of gulls is beginning to shift from Ring-billed to Herring.
Shorebirds: The day started with no shorebirds on the beach but 6 Sanderling, a Least Sandpiper, and an American Golden Plover flew in during the afternoon.
Other: A hummingbird flew in off the lake late in the count and Lapland Longspurs continue to increase in number with the Horned Lark flock.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment