Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Somer's Point Boat: Herons and Sharp-tailed Sparrows

We launched our inaugural Somer's Point Boat Trip last night. The herons were fantastic - there are multiple small rookeries in Great Egg Harbor Bay - and the patens marsh back of Margate held several Salt Marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows. A single Brown Pelican was roosting on a piling in the bay with gulls and cormorants, and a summering female Surf Scoter floated nearby. The full list is below, with notable observations bolded.

Location: Great Egg Harbor Bay & Inlet
Observation date: 6/30/09
Notes: CMBO Boat Trip out of Somer's Point, about 13 miles round trip. With T Geiger, G Dwyer, S Bamford
Number of species: 37

American Black Duck 2
Surf Scoter 1 female
Brown Pelican 1 imm roosting on pilings
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 50
Snowy Egret 25
Little Blue Heron 8
Tricolored Heron 5
Black-crowned Night-Heron 25
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 25
Glossy Ibis 75
Osprey 15
Clapper Rail 15
American Oystercatcher 20 at least 2 chicks
Willet 15
Ruddy Turnstone 4
Laughing Gull 300
Herring Gull 100 a few with downy chicks 1/2 size adults
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Least Tern 10
Common Tern 50
Forster's Tern 50
Black Skimmer 350
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 10
Barn Swallow 20
Common Yellowthroat 1
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 5 Maybe more, Lone Cedar and Pork Island
Seaside Sparrow 20
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Boat-tailed Grackle 30
House Sparrow 20

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