It was a mostly cloudy day with light to moderate winds out of the north.
Waterfowl: By far the highlight of the day was the number of Red-necked Grebes that were seen flying by. The highest numbers moved through in mid-morning when I counted 568 during the third hour of the count, 410 during the fourth hour, and 377 during the fifth hour. The total for the day reached 2313 birds, beating last fall's high count by over 700 birds! It surprised me that there was this big of a push in August. Other waterfowl included 32 White-winged Scoters, 7 Horned Grebes, 17 Common Loons, the first Common Goldeneye of the fall, and a small assortment of dabblers.
Gulls/Terns: Still quiet on the gull front but 19 Common Terns moved through, all in the sixth hour.
Shorebirds: Another pretty shorebird day. A lone Whimbrel was present making this 3 days in a row for this species and the juvenile Piping Plover was still present as well. A Ruddy Turnstone and Black-bellied Plover were mixed in with the peeps.
Other: Two groups of White-winged Crossbills flew over and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird flew in from the lake.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
August 22, 2009: More Whimbrel
As expected, I was greeted at the point by strong north winds this morning-- sustained around 30mph and gusting to near 40mph. With the winds came the best birding day of the fall so far...
Waterfowl: Red-necked Grebes and Common Loons both had their best day of the fall so far with 369 RN Grebes and 51 Loons. Still waiting for the first Red-throated Loon... White-winged Scoters are also beginning to show in better numbers with 17 seen today. A few MAllard, Blue-winged Teal, and DC Cormorants rounded out the group.
Shorebirds: Any day is a good shorebird day when Whimbrels are around. Two flew in during the second hour and remained for the rest of the day. They spent most of their time working the dune grass and other vegetation fairly far from the water. At one point they walked to within 10 yards of the waterbird shack--see the photos above. I was a little surprised to see Whimbrel two days in a row. Also present were 9 other shorebird species including the Piping Plover, a Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Black-bellied Plovers, and all of the normal Peeps.
Other: A flock of White-winged Crossbills was heard overhead during the afternoon, hopefully a sign of things to come after their epic invasion last winter.
Tomorrow looks like a very pleasant day, we'll see how the birds react...
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Friday, August 21, 2009
August 21, 2009: Whimbrel
It was an interesting day at the point with weather changing by the minute. Overall it was mostly cloudy and windy but showers (sometimes heavy) passed by on occasion, almost on the hour. The wind also shifted several times-- first from the SE, then the east, then finally the north.
Waterfowl: Very Slow. Common Loons had their best day of the fall this year with 20 birds, almost all of which were during the first hour. Also seen were a few Red-necked Grebes, Blue-winged Teal, Mallards, and the first two American Black Ducks of the season.
Shorebirds: A very fun day with the shorebirds. By far the highlight was a Whimbrel (see pictures) that flew in about halfway through the count after a rain shower. It enjoyed the pools created by the recent rains and lingered for a couple hours. While I was watching this bird 4 more Whimbrels flew by but never landed. Several other shorebird species were present today including 3 Black-bellied Plovers in almost full breeding plumage and the Piping Plover.
Waterfowl: Very Slow. Common Loons had their best day of the fall this year with 20 birds, almost all of which were during the first hour. Also seen were a few Red-necked Grebes, Blue-winged Teal, Mallards, and the first two American Black Ducks of the season.
Shorebirds: A very fun day with the shorebirds. By far the highlight was a Whimbrel (see pictures) that flew in about halfway through the count after a rain shower. It enjoyed the pools created by the recent rains and lingered for a couple hours. While I was watching this bird 4 more Whimbrels flew by but never landed. Several other shorebird species were present today including 3 Black-bellied Plovers in almost full breeding plumage and the Piping Plover. Piping Plover update: I learned from Erin Roche that the Piping Plover is one of the juvenile birds that was born at the point this year. Thanks Erin!
Other: 4 Chimney Swifts and 7 Cliff Swallows came in off the lake and a Vesper Sparrow was hanging out near the waterbird shack.
North winds are forecasted for tomorrow which hopefully will bring some ducks.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Thursday, August 20, 2009
August 20, 2009
The day started out with driving rain and 20mph winds out of the SE gusting close to 30mph. Thankfully, after a couple hours, the rain let up and the winds settled down a little bit.
Waterfowl: Not much flying into the headwind. 8 Common Loons and 3 Red-necked Grebes were it besides the resident family of Common Mergansers.
Gulls/Terns: 2 adult Bonapartes Gulls and 8 Common Terns didn't seem to mind the heavy rain and migrated by early in the morning. 2 Caspian Terns loafed on the beach during the afternoon.
Shorebirds: A Black-bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstone briefly stopped at the point when the rain stopped and were not seen again. After assuming that yesterdays Piping Plover was gone, it flew in with 15 minutes left in the count to prove me wrong.
Other: Not much at all with the poor weather conditions. My friend the local juvenile Goshawk is still seen hunting near the tree line regularly.
Tomorrows forecast looks eerily simular to todays....
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: Not much flying into the headwind. 8 Common Loons and 3 Red-necked Grebes were it besides the resident family of Common Mergansers.
Gulls/Terns: 2 adult Bonapartes Gulls and 8 Common Terns didn't seem to mind the heavy rain and migrated by early in the morning. 2 Caspian Terns loafed on the beach during the afternoon.
Shorebirds: A Black-bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstone briefly stopped at the point when the rain stopped and were not seen again. After assuming that yesterdays Piping Plover was gone, it flew in with 15 minutes left in the count to prove me wrong.
Other: Not much at all with the poor weather conditions. My friend the local juvenile Goshawk is still seen hunting near the tree line regularly.
Tomorrows forecast looks eerily simular to todays....
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
August 19, 2009: Piping Plover
It was another gorgeous day at the point-- probably the most pleasant day yet. Winds were light and variable and temps were in the low 70's.
Waterbirds: Very slow because of the weather. The highlight was my first White-winged Scoter of the fall. I counted 82 Red-necked Grebes (almost all just after sunrise) and about a dozen Common Loons. A handful of Blue-winged Teal and Common Mergansers rounded out the group.
Gulls/Terns: A good day for Common Terns with 33 flying by. One Caspian hung out at the point during the afternoon.
Shorebirds: The lowest numbers yet but included an always welcome Piping Plover. Piping Plovers nested at the point this year for the first time in 23 years but the bands on this bird did not match either of the adults from that pair. Also, that family has not been seen here in more than a week. It is likely that this is a migrant from somewhere else-- I'll provide an update when we learn about the history of this bird.
Waterbirds: Very slow because of the weather. The highlight was my first White-winged Scoter of the fall. I counted 82 Red-necked Grebes (almost all just after sunrise) and about a dozen Common Loons. A handful of Blue-winged Teal and Common Mergansers rounded out the group.
Gulls/Terns: A good day for Common Terns with 33 flying by. One Caspian hung out at the point during the afternoon.
Shorebirds: The lowest numbers yet but included an always welcome Piping Plover. Piping Plovers nested at the point this year for the first time in 23 years but the bands on this bird did not match either of the adults from that pair. Also, that family has not been seen here in more than a week. It is likely that this is a migrant from somewhere else-- I'll provide an update when we learn about the history of this bird.
Other: The raptors provided a lot of entertainment today. A Peregrine Falcon made a brief appearance at the tip during the second hour and one of the local Merlins had a very successful time picking off tired passerines that tried to migrate in off the lake. I watched it catch and eat 3 different birds-- two of which were Song Sparrows. The local Goshawk was also around and another juvenile Goshawk came in off the lake.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
August 18, 2009
It was another very pleasant day with temps near 70 and partly sunny skies. I know I'll pay for this later in the fall! The winds started light out of the south but switched to fairly strong out of the west. As the winds switched, the waterbirds started moving east and south over the lake.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: The best day yet for Red-necked Grebes and Common Loons with 255 and 17 respectively. A smattering of Blue-winged Teal (43 total) mixed in with the grebes and the first flock of Green-winged Teal of the fall (19 birds) flew by. Other species included 2 Horned Grebes, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, and 5 migrating DC Cormorants.
Shorebirds: A fairly quiet day for them. 27 Sanderling, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Bairds Sandpipers, and 2 Semipalmated Plovers worked the bay side of the point all day. A Solitary Sandpiper and the first Killdeer of the fall count were heard overhead.
Gulls/Terns: 9 Common Terns was it besides the normal Ring-billed and Herrings.
Other: It was the best day yet for passerines as several were heard coming in off the lake in the early morning. A small flock near the Merlin pole included 15 Palm Warblers, 5 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.
The Waterbird Shack
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Monday, August 17, 2009
August 17, 2009
It was a very pleasant day with mostly sunny skies and temps in the lower 70's. The forecast was correct-- winds shifted to NW overnight.
Waterfowl: Red-necked Grebes were moving fairly steadily in the morning with 203 birds recorded. 2 Horned Grebes were seen as well. Teal also put in a good showing with 66 Blue-winged and 36 teal sp. Other species included 8 Common Loons, 2 Mallards and 1 Red-breasted Merganser.
Shorebirds: Shorebird numbers continue to increase. There was a nice group of Sanderling (up to 39 birds) working the point all day as well as 7 Semipalmated Plover, 2 Ruddy Turnstones, 10 Bairds, 3 Semipalmated, and 2 Least Sandpipers. A Solitary Sandpiper was also heard migrating over.
Other: An American Kestrel came in off the lake and the local Merlins, Goshawks, and Sharp-shinneds hunted the point on and off throughout the day.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: Red-necked Grebes were moving fairly steadily in the morning with 203 birds recorded. 2 Horned Grebes were seen as well. Teal also put in a good showing with 66 Blue-winged and 36 teal sp. Other species included 8 Common Loons, 2 Mallards and 1 Red-breasted Merganser.
Shorebirds: Shorebird numbers continue to increase. There was a nice group of Sanderling (up to 39 birds) working the point all day as well as 7 Semipalmated Plover, 2 Ruddy Turnstones, 10 Bairds, 3 Semipalmated, and 2 Least Sandpipers. A Solitary Sandpiper was also heard migrating over.
Other: An American Kestrel came in off the lake and the local Merlins, Goshawks, and Sharp-shinneds hunted the point on and off throughout the day.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Sunday, August 16, 2009
August 16, 2009
It was another warm mostly sunny day with some haze. Winds were from the SE at 10-15mph.
Waterfowl: Very slow. Only 3 Red-necked Grebes, 3 Common Loons, and 9 Double-crested Cormorants.
Shorebirds: The day started with only 1 Black-bellied Plover on the beach but ended with 10 Sanderling, 7 Semipalmated, 4 Bairds, and 4 Least Sandpipers, 5 Semipalmated Plovers, and a single Ruddy Turnstone.
Other: 2 Northern Harriers (both juvs) came in off the lake and the immature Goshawk kept me company during the slow afternoon.
There is supposed to be a cold front tonight with winds shifting behind it so hopefully there will be some kind of waterfowl movement tomorrow.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: Very slow. Only 3 Red-necked Grebes, 3 Common Loons, and 9 Double-crested Cormorants.
Shorebirds: The day started with only 1 Black-bellied Plover on the beach but ended with 10 Sanderling, 7 Semipalmated, 4 Bairds, and 4 Least Sandpipers, 5 Semipalmated Plovers, and a single Ruddy Turnstone.
Other: 2 Northern Harriers (both juvs) came in off the lake and the immature Goshawk kept me company during the slow afternoon.
There is supposed to be a cold front tonight with winds shifting behind it so hopefully there will be some kind of waterfowl movement tomorrow.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Saturday, August 15, 2009
August 15, 2009
The 2009 count season opened up with very warm conditions (temps in the lower 80's) and sunny skies. Winds were light out of the SE. By the afternoon, haze over the lake made scoping at any distance very difficult.
Waterfowl: The highlight was 65 Red-necked Grebes-- all of which were recorded in the first 3 hours. 2 Common Loons were the only other waterfowl species.
Gulls/Terns: 10 Common Terns flying NE, 1 Caspian Tern, 2 Bonaparte's Gulls, and standard RB and Herring Gulls.
Shorebirds: A decent number including 3 Bairds, 10 Semipalmated, 3 Least Sandpipers, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, and 3 Sanderling.
Other birds: 2 young Northern Goshawks were the highlight. One of them spent a good amount of time circling low over the waterbird shack and beach. 2 Merlin (see photo) hung out at the tip most of the day including one that ate a Red-breasted Nuthatch for breakfast.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: The highlight was 65 Red-necked Grebes-- all of which were recorded in the first 3 hours. 2 Common Loons were the only other waterfowl species.
Gulls/Terns: 10 Common Terns flying NE, 1 Caspian Tern, 2 Bonaparte's Gulls, and standard RB and Herring Gulls.
Shorebirds: A decent number including 3 Bairds, 10 Semipalmated, 3 Least Sandpipers, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, and 3 Sanderling.
Other birds: 2 young Northern Goshawks were the highlight. One of them spent a good amount of time circling low over the waterbird shack and beach. 2 Merlin (see photo) hung out at the tip most of the day including one that ate a Red-breasted Nuthatch for breakfast.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Monday, June 1, 2009
Spring 2009 Final Post
SPRING 2009 SUMMARY
The waterbird count for the spring 2009 season came to an end at 1:49 pm on May 31st; after 47 days and 370.75 hours of observation. A grand total of 16,247 individuals of 69 species were tallied.
The 5 most numerous species this spring: Sandhill Crane (3,273), Common Loon (2,209), Canada Goose (2,198), Red-breasted Merganser (1,620), White-winged Scoter (1,022).
Many species had below average numbers this year, and the grand total is the lowest since 1993. However, as anyone who paid a visit to Whitefish Point this spring can attest to; it was a chilly, windy spring, and these weather conditions likely had negative effects on waterbird migration (or at least our ability to observe it). Lets not dwell on the low numbers however, and take a look at some highlights from the season.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sandhill Crane: The Sandhill Crane had its best season since the start of the waterbird count in 1984. It's 3,273 mark beat the previous high total by over 500, and shattered the yearly average of 646. The Sandhills accounted for a rather amazing 20% of the total migration.
Other species with above average years include Northern Pintail (129, yearly average 47), Common Merganser (330, yearly average 284), and Common Tern (98, yearly average 50). A combination of all Scaup catergories (Greater, Lesser, sp) adds up to 1,107; compared to a yearly average of 829.
Snowy Owls: Not a waterbird, I know, but having 3 visit the tip this season was quite a treat.
Shorebirds: Many of the shorebirds showed up a bit late this season, but they had good numbers overall. The Ruddy Turnstone (70), Black-bellied Plover (63) and Semipalmated Plover (68) were all well above average. Perhaps most memorable were the 4 Piping Plovers who spent a good chunk of May on the beach. As of June 1st, a nest has been found. Other shorebirds included Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit, and American Avocet (technically not included in the count but a doozy of a bird).
Gulls: Gull species that showed up this spring; Glaucous, Iceland, Great-black Backed, and Thayer's along with the usual Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.
Bird-a-thon: We totaled 131 species for the Bird-a-thon this year, thanks to all those who made pledges!
That about does it for the last post, if anyone has questions about anything I may have left out feel free to email (andominium222@gmail.com). I'll be heading home for the summer, but am returning for the fall 2009 count.
Until August 15, Good Birding
Andy N
Waterbird Counter
The 5 most numerous species this spring: Sandhill Crane (3,273), Common Loon (2,209), Canada Goose (2,198), Red-breasted Merganser (1,620), White-winged Scoter (1,022).
Many species had below average numbers this year, and the grand total is the lowest since 1993. However, as anyone who paid a visit to Whitefish Point this spring can attest to; it was a chilly, windy spring, and these weather conditions likely had negative effects on waterbird migration (or at least our ability to observe it). Lets not dwell on the low numbers however, and take a look at some highlights from the season.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sandhill Crane: The Sandhill Crane had its best season since the start of the waterbird count in 1984. It's 3,273 mark beat the previous high total by over 500, and shattered the yearly average of 646. The Sandhills accounted for a rather amazing 20% of the total migration.
Other species with above average years include Northern Pintail (129, yearly average 47), Common Merganser (330, yearly average 284), and Common Tern (98, yearly average 50). A combination of all Scaup catergories (Greater, Lesser, sp) adds up to 1,107; compared to a yearly average of 829.
Snowy Owls: Not a waterbird, I know, but having 3 visit the tip this season was quite a treat.
Shorebirds: Many of the shorebirds showed up a bit late this season, but they had good numbers overall. The Ruddy Turnstone (70), Black-bellied Plover (63) and Semipalmated Plover (68) were all well above average. Perhaps most memorable were the 4 Piping Plovers who spent a good chunk of May on the beach. As of June 1st, a nest has been found. Other shorebirds included Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit, and American Avocet (technically not included in the count but a doozy of a bird).
Gulls: Gull species that showed up this spring; Glaucous, Iceland, Great-black Backed, and Thayer's along with the usual Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.
Bird-a-thon: We totaled 131 species for the Bird-a-thon this year, thanks to all those who made pledges!
That about does it for the last post, if anyone has questions about anything I may have left out feel free to email (andominium222@gmail.com). I'll be heading home for the summer, but am returning for the fall 2009 count.
Until August 15, Good Birding
Andy N
Waterbird Counter
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