Sunday, August 16, 2009

Back Bay Lingering Waterfowl, Black Tern

In the unexpected category, on Saturday morning I had a female Lesser Scaup from my kayak in Stites Sound, which is the water body just north of the Avalon Causeway. There were plenty of shorebirds there as well, with dowitchers and Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers in the hundreds.

Another unexpected waterfowl species was the Atlantic Brant we had from Dave Githens boat, the Osprey, last night in Jarvis Sound. This bird has been summering there. The tide was high on that trip so we only had a few shorebirds, multiple Whimbrel among them, as well as four Willets.

At Norbury's Landing this morning, Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpipers aplenty fed on the flats, with a few Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, and Ruddy Turnstones. Two Whimbrel paused on the flats for a little while, as did a juvenile Black Tern. Both continued south and are probably in Cape May by now.

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