Monday, May 24, 2010

Meadows Walk & All Points North

Despite misty, murky conditions we had a good turn out for the TNC Migratory Bird Refuge (The Meadows) walk this morning. The now resident Marsh Wren sang but typically kept well hidden, but other birds put on a better show, especially American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers on the beach - the latter giving us a full-on broken wing display as it succeeded in drawing a Fish Crow away from its nest. Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers were the most numerous shorebirds, along with a handful of Willets, Least Sandpipers and a single Spotted Sandpiper. Ospreys ferried fish overhead and we took time to learn the finer points of Forster's and Common Tern identification.

The weather stayed rather dreary down at the point for most of the day, but news from further north included Don Freiday's reports of Sooty Shearwater, Roseate Tern and Common Eider at Stone Harbor Point, while Tom Reed reported Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Mississippi Kite from Heislerville this afternoon. The rest of us were stuck indoors!

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