It was the coldest day of the fall so far with temps topping out in the upper 40's. Cloudy skies gradually turned mostly sunny and brisk north winds gradually decreased throughout the day. I was hoping that the continued north winds would mean a good flight but unfortunately, I was wrong.
Waterfowl: A very slow day. Red-necked Grebes were the most common species with 61 seen. Low numbers of loons (10 Common and 8 Red-throated) and Red-breasted Mergansers (18) were seen as well as a few Scaup, Redhead, and Long-tailed Ducks to round out the divers. Dabblers had an even worse showing with 5 Mallard, 2 Green-winged Teal, 2 American Wigeon, and a Pintail.
Shorebirds: Only 2 Sanderlings and a Golden Plover. A couple more quiet days and this will no longer have it's own paragraph every day.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: Just the normal Ring-billeds and Herrings today.
Other: Nothing uncommon. The highlight was watching a Merlin bullet from the MErlin pole to the beach and grab an unwary and unlucky American Pipit.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 29, 2009- Geese, GBB Gull, Jaeger
As soon as I stepped out of my car this morning I could hear the lake roaring. As advertised, the gales finally hit last night and continued through the day. Winds were sustained out of the north around 25mph and probably gusted to around 50mph at times.Waterfowl: Things started slow but really picked up in the afternoon. The highlight was an excellent goose flight during the last three hours of the count. 2482 Canada Geese and 12 Cackling Geese were counted, all in this three hour period. Loons also had a good flight during this time with 105 Commons and a few Red-throateds seen. It was a pretty slow day for other ducks but a few highlights were around 70 Scaup, 22 Pintail, 9 Black Ducks, and 3 Long-tailed Ducks.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: Glen Belyea and Tex Wells found an adult Great Black-backed Gull on the breakwall in the harbor which could be seen through a scope from the point. Chris and I watched a juvenile jaeger work the wave troughs from north to south but it never cam close enough to ID.
Shorebirds: The only shorebird was one American Golden Plover.
Other: a Peregrine Falcon (possibly 2) made a couple passes over the point during the afternoon.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Monday, September 28, 2009
September 28, 2009
Well, Lake Superior had a curveball up her sleeve today. Either the weathermen botched the forecast or the gale-force winds and heavy rain are late. It was a very calm morning with the wind gradually picking up to a breeze out of the NW by the afternoon and the only sign of rain throughout the day was a few sprinkles.
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day but another decent Wigeon day with 73 seen. Other dabblers were 28 Mallard, 2 Black Ducks, and a few Shoveler, Pintail, and Green-winged Teal. Aythya showed in low numbers today and grebes and loons also showed in low to moderate numbers. The highlight was a hen Hooded Herganser, a rather uncommon bird here.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: Chris and I saw a probable distant jaeger in the afternoon but it was way too far to even think about ID'ing.
Shorebirds: 15 Sanderling, a couple Golden Plovers, and a late flyover Solitary Sandpiper.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day but another decent Wigeon day with 73 seen. Other dabblers were 28 Mallard, 2 Black Ducks, and a few Shoveler, Pintail, and Green-winged Teal. Aythya showed in low numbers today and grebes and loons also showed in low to moderate numbers. The highlight was a hen Hooded Herganser, a rather uncommon bird here.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: Chris and I saw a probable distant jaeger in the afternoon but it was way too far to even think about ID'ing.
Shorebirds: 15 Sanderling, a couple Golden Plovers, and a late flyover Solitary Sandpiper.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27, 2009- Jaeger & Brewer's Blackbird
Change is in the air with overcast skies and a stronger wind out of the south today. Birds were moving well before a major front and weather system hits tonight.
Waterfowl: A very good day all around which started slow but picked up towards mid-morning. Dabblers had a great day with 117 Mallard and 110 Wigeon. Others were 10 Pintail, 5 Gadwall, a drake Wood Duck, and a few of each species of teal. Aythya had a good day as well with 107 Greater Scaup, 27 Lesser Scaup, and 85 Redhead. Some other highlights were 10 Long-tailed Duck, 57 Red-breasted Mergansers, 15 Red-throated Loons and 33 Commons, and 11 Horned Grebe and 44 Red-necked.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: A juvenile jaeger came in off the bay during the second hour. It milled around the tip for around 10 minutes and assaulted a Ring-billed Gull but I never was able to ID the bird because it was always in harsh sunlight and the only field mark I could see was a white wingflash on an otherwise dark jaeger. Also, 13 distant terns flew by that were likely Commons.
Shorebirds: Brutal. 2 Golden Plovers and 3 Sanderlings.
Other: A few highlights at the shack were a flyover Osprey, a few Sharp-shinned Hawks migrating in off the lake, and a kingfisher. The highlight though was a female Brewer's Blackbird near the parking lot that I found when I returned to the car after the count. Brewer's are a fairly uncommon bird at the point and this may be a first September record for the species.
Tomorrow will be my first experience of true Lake Superior fall weather-- the forecast calls for NW winds up to 50mph and a driving rain.
Waterfowl: A very good day all around which started slow but picked up towards mid-morning. Dabblers had a great day with 117 Mallard and 110 Wigeon. Others were 10 Pintail, 5 Gadwall, a drake Wood Duck, and a few of each species of teal. Aythya had a good day as well with 107 Greater Scaup, 27 Lesser Scaup, and 85 Redhead. Some other highlights were 10 Long-tailed Duck, 57 Red-breasted Mergansers, 15 Red-throated Loons and 33 Commons, and 11 Horned Grebe and 44 Red-necked.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: A juvenile jaeger came in off the bay during the second hour. It milled around the tip for around 10 minutes and assaulted a Ring-billed Gull but I never was able to ID the bird because it was always in harsh sunlight and the only field mark I could see was a white wingflash on an otherwise dark jaeger. Also, 13 distant terns flew by that were likely Commons.
Shorebirds: Brutal. 2 Golden Plovers and 3 Sanderlings.
Other: A few highlights at the shack were a flyover Osprey, a few Sharp-shinned Hawks migrating in off the lake, and a kingfisher. The highlight though was a female Brewer's Blackbird near the parking lot that I found when I returned to the car after the count. Brewer's are a fairly uncommon bird at the point and this may be a first September record for the species.
Tomorrow will be my first experience of true Lake Superior fall weather-- the forecast calls for NW winds up to 50mph and a driving rain. Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
September 26, 2009
It was another very nice day with temps close to 70 and a breeze out of the SE.
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day overall but a few species were moving in decent numbers. It was another decent day for White-winged Scoters with 57 and a decent day for Greater Scaup with 73. Red-breasted and Common Mergansers were seen in OK numbers and loons put in a modest showing with 39 Commons and 6 Red-throateds. Grebes seen today were 41 Red-neckeds and 4 Horneds.
Shorebirds: Very slow. 4 Golden Plovers and 14 Sanderling.
Other: Nothing of note besides a Peregrine Falcon that made a few close passes in the afternoon.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day overall but a few species were moving in decent numbers. It was another decent day for White-winged Scoters with 57 and a decent day for Greater Scaup with 73. Red-breasted and Common Mergansers were seen in OK numbers and loons put in a modest showing with 39 Commons and 6 Red-throateds. Grebes seen today were 41 Red-neckeds and 4 Horneds.
Shorebirds: Very slow. 4 Golden Plovers and 14 Sanderling.
Other: Nothing of note besides a Peregrine Falcon that made a few close passes in the afternoon.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25, 2009- Pacific Loon
Today marked a fairly substantial change in the weather-- temps were cooler (around 60), skies were cloudy, and the wind was strong (around 25mph) out of the SE. The winds meant that most of the birds flying were rather close.
Waterfowl: The highlight of the day was an alternate plumaged PACIFIC LOON that flew by during the first hour of the count. It was an ok day for other loons as well with 51 Commons and 16 Red-throateds. Other highlights were the first Long-tailed Ducks of fall (10) and the best numbers of White-winged Scoters (68) and Red-breasted Mergansers (78) yet. It was a slow grebe day with 16 Red-neckeds and 1 Horned and a pretty slow dabbler day with a dozen Pintail and a couple Gadwall, Mallard, Wigeon and Green-winged Teal.
Shorebirds: Pretty slow-- 2 Black-bellied Plovers, a Golden Plover, and 8 Sanderlings.
Other: Not much as birds near the tree line were hard to detect from the shack because of the wind. Numbers of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs are noticeably building.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: The highlight of the day was an alternate plumaged PACIFIC LOON that flew by during the first hour of the count. It was an ok day for other loons as well with 51 Commons and 16 Red-throateds. Other highlights were the first Long-tailed Ducks of fall (10) and the best numbers of White-winged Scoters (68) and Red-breasted Mergansers (78) yet. It was a slow grebe day with 16 Red-neckeds and 1 Horned and a pretty slow dabbler day with a dozen Pintail and a couple Gadwall, Mallard, Wigeon and Green-winged Teal.
Shorebirds: Pretty slow-- 2 Black-bellied Plovers, a Golden Plover, and 8 Sanderlings.
Other: Not much as birds near the tree line were hard to detect from the shack because of the wind. Numbers of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs are noticeably building.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Thursday, September 24, 2009
September 24, 2009
It was a gorgeous day with mostly sunny skies and temps in the mid 70's. Unfortunately the calm weather and SE winds made for a poor waterbird movement.
Waterfowl: Aythya continue to move with 25 Greater Scaup, 6 Lesser Scaup, 10 Redhead, and about 60 unidentified aythya. Loons were moving a little but not nearly as much as yesterday-- 16 Red-throateds and 35 Commons. Red-necked Grebes made a poor showing with 35 birds. Wigeon were the most common dabbler with 27 followed by 6 Mallard and a few teal.
Shorebirds: A decent day with the highlights being a dozen American Golden Plovers, about 10 Sanderling, and a Pectoral and a Baird's Sandpiper.
Other: The highlight was the number of American Pipits coming in off the lake. Groups of 15-25 came in all morning, some of which landed on the beach and some of which continued south. I counted 131 total. A decent number of Horned Larks (see photo below) and a few Lapland Longspurs were present.
Tom Prestby
Waterfowl: Aythya continue to move with 25 Greater Scaup, 6 Lesser Scaup, 10 Redhead, and about 60 unidentified aythya. Loons were moving a little but not nearly as much as yesterday-- 16 Red-throateds and 35 Commons. Red-necked Grebes made a poor showing with 35 birds. Wigeon were the most common dabbler with 27 followed by 6 Mallard and a few teal.
Shorebirds: A decent day with the highlights being a dozen American Golden Plovers, about 10 Sanderling, and a Pectoral and a Baird's Sandpiper.
Other: The highlight was the number of American Pipits coming in off the lake. Groups of 15-25 came in all morning, some of which landed on the beach and some of which continued south. I counted 131 total. A decent number of Horned Larks (see photo below) and a few Lapland Longspurs were present.
Tom PrestbyWaterbird Counter
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
September 23, 2009: Loon movement
Winds were out of the north and NW today and early fog and clouds soon vanished, making way for another gorgeous day.
Waterfowl: The best day of the past couple weeks, possibly the best day of the fall. Variety was good and numbers of a few species were very good. Most notable were 86 Red-throated Loons (last fall's high count was 52) and 219 Common Loons. Red-necked Grebes had their best day of the month with 634 counted. It was the best day of the fall so far for Scaup (around 200) and Redhead (45) as well. Scoters also made a decent showing with 32 White-wingeds and a Surf. 5 species of dabblers flew by as well including the second Wood Duck of the fall.
Shorebirds: A Pectoral Sandpiper was present for the first couple hours and the first Baird's Sandpiper in the last couple weeks was present with a few Sanderlings.
Other: It was interesting to see a few Northern Flickers fly in off the lake, lucky for them there were no Peregrines around.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: The best day of the past couple weeks, possibly the best day of the fall. Variety was good and numbers of a few species were very good. Most notable were 86 Red-throated Loons (last fall's high count was 52) and 219 Common Loons. Red-necked Grebes had their best day of the month with 634 counted. It was the best day of the fall so far for Scaup (around 200) and Redhead (45) as well. Scoters also made a decent showing with 32 White-wingeds and a Surf. 5 species of dabblers flew by as well including the second Wood Duck of the fall.
Shorebirds: A Pectoral Sandpiper was present for the first couple hours and the first Baird's Sandpiper in the last couple weeks was present with a few Sanderlings.
Other: It was interesting to see a few Northern Flickers fly in off the lake, lucky for them there were no Peregrines around.
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
September 22, 2009- LONG-TAILED JAEGER
The day started with dense fog which slowly dissipated throughout the morning. Winds were weak out of the SE and the temp topped out in the low 70's.
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day overall but the best day of the fall so far for Red-throated Loons. 43 were counted including 27 during the 6th hour of the count. Modest numbers of Common Loons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes and Canada Geese were seen with a few dabblers including 28 Wigeon, a Black Duck, and a few teal of both species.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: By far the highlight of the day was a intermediate juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER. The bird actually showed up just after the count had ended (around 3:30PM Eastern time)-- good thing we stuck around for a little bit. We were alerted to its presence when we heard a gull give an alarm call and once we spotted the bird we watched it give a nice close flyby a little more than halfway between the waterbird shack and the tip of the point. Chris took some excellent photos which reveal the identity of this bird. They can be seen on the sightings blog.
Shorebirds: Highlight was a Pectoral Sandpiper that flew in towards the end of the count. An American Golden Plover also flew over earlier.
Other: A dark morph Red-tailed Hawk put on a brief show with a half-dozen other Red-tails. Very neat looking bird!!
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Waterfowl: A pretty slow day overall but the best day of the fall so far for Red-throated Loons. 43 were counted including 27 during the 6th hour of the count. Modest numbers of Common Loons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes and Canada Geese were seen with a few dabblers including 28 Wigeon, a Black Duck, and a few teal of both species.
Gulls/Terns/Jaegers: By far the highlight of the day was a intermediate juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER. The bird actually showed up just after the count had ended (around 3:30PM Eastern time)-- good thing we stuck around for a little bit. We were alerted to its presence when we heard a gull give an alarm call and once we spotted the bird we watched it give a nice close flyby a little more than halfway between the waterbird shack and the tip of the point. Chris took some excellent photos which reveal the identity of this bird. They can be seen on the sightings blog.
Shorebirds: Highlight was a Pectoral Sandpiper that flew in towards the end of the count. An American Golden Plover also flew over earlier.
Other: A dark morph Red-tailed Hawk put on a brief show with a half-dozen other Red-tails. Very neat looking bird!!
Tom Prestby
Waterbird Counter
Monday, September 21, 2009
September 21, 2009- Forster's Tern
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
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
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