I spent a couple hours this morning at Kimble's Beach, which is located along the Delaware Bayshore off of Route 47, about five miles south of CMBO's Center for Research and Education. The road is home to the headquarters of Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. Likewise, almost the entire road is surrounded by accessible public land, consisting of several fields, mixed upland forest, some wet forest, salt marsh, beach and the Delaware Bay. This great mix of habitats makes it easy to see 40-50 species here in winter and summer, and 60-70+ in spring and fall. It is most certainly worth a visit any day of the year.
The nicest bird I could squeak up (literally) was a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow in the marsh behind the south end of the beach, along a small path that is part of The Nature Conservancy's Hand Landing Preserve. To get there, park at the end of the road and walk south about 1/4 mile and look for a narrow path leading back through the marsh. Additionally, two Bald Eagles, an adult (presumably of the Beaver Swamp pair) and a bird that was likely two years old, were present along the south end of the beachfront as well. The adult bird was sitting in a cedar for a while before making an unsuccessful attempt at picking off one of the American Black Ducks sitting on the bay. It then proceeded to chase off the young eagle, which was perched atop a piling, and minding its own business... a little uncalled for, if you ask me.
Complete list included-
Location: Kimble's Beach
Observation date: 1/19/08
Number of species: 43
Snow Goose 175
American Black Duck 200
Greater Scaup 6
dark-winged scoter sp. 1
Bufflehead 15
Hooded Merganser 2
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Ruddy Duck 75
Turkey Vulture 2
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Sanderling 25
Dunlin 175
Ring-billed Gull 6
Herring Gull 55
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 9
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 4
American Robin 5
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 45
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
Eastern Towhee 2
Field Sparrow 9
Savannah Sparrow 4
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 6
Swamp Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Brown-headed Cowbird 9
House Finch 20
House Sparrow 12
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Eagles and Rough-legged on the Bayshore, Barnacle Bill the goose, lingering Osprey, and January migrants
Highlights from today's CMBO field trip, Wintering Raptors on the Delaware Bayshore, included a dark Rough-legged Hawk nicely picked by Karen Johnson at Thompson's Beach at about 11:30 a.m., a brief look at a (the?) Golden Eagle at Jake's Landing at about 2:30 p.m., and Bald Eagles aplenty, e.g. 2 adult and an immature at Heislerville and one adult and one immature at Jake's Landing.
Heislerville continues to have some nice bird diversity, including a single Bonaparte's Gull, 4 Great Egrets, 15+ Great Blue Herons, 40+ Greater Yellowlegs, Hooded and R.B. Mergs, ~50 Ruddy Ducks, Belted Kingfisher, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and an assemblage of scaup including one female Greater and 8-10 Lessers.
I'm not including a full day list because I did a bad job of taking notes during the trip, but I've come upon a notion I'd like others to consider: whatever birds you decide to keep track of during your travels, keep actual counts of all the birds of prey. I've started doing this, for the same, obvious reason we count hawks in Cape May each fall: top predators are the canaries in the coal mine, as we so often say, indicating environmental disturbances early on.
A drive-by of Lily Lake in Cape May Point yesterday afternoon at around 4:00 p.m. yielded the Barnacle Goose there with a flock of Canadas, as well as the female Canvasback. No Redhead, however. I feel pretty safe saying this is the only Barnacle Goose in the area (though others are being seen elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic), and so it may be deserving of a name. Barnacle Bill? Barney?
An Osprey was detected along Route 47 north of the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen yesterday, and why not? Nothing's frozen down here so far. It's still a pretty crazy record, however.
A final thought for the day: a Winter Wren appeared at my house last Monday, a yard bird for me (I've only been here 9 months), and was still chimp-chimping in the yard this morning. This is of interest simply because it begs the question, where did that bird come from? It's January, for pete's sake, was it a migrant? The short answer is, yes. Once you start paying attention, you realize there is bird movement throughout the year, sometimes a lot of it when you don't really expect it. One reason birds are so engaging and successful as a group is because they can travel almost at will - something humans long to emulate.
Heislerville continues to have some nice bird diversity, including a single Bonaparte's Gull, 4 Great Egrets, 15+ Great Blue Herons, 40+ Greater Yellowlegs, Hooded and R.B. Mergs, ~50 Ruddy Ducks, Belted Kingfisher, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and an assemblage of scaup including one female Greater and 8-10 Lessers.
I'm not including a full day list because I did a bad job of taking notes during the trip, but I've come upon a notion I'd like others to consider: whatever birds you decide to keep track of during your travels, keep actual counts of all the birds of prey. I've started doing this, for the same, obvious reason we count hawks in Cape May each fall: top predators are the canaries in the coal mine, as we so often say, indicating environmental disturbances early on.
A drive-by of Lily Lake in Cape May Point yesterday afternoon at around 4:00 p.m. yielded the Barnacle Goose there with a flock of Canadas, as well as the female Canvasback. No Redhead, however. I feel pretty safe saying this is the only Barnacle Goose in the area (though others are being seen elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic), and so it may be deserving of a name. Barnacle Bill? Barney?
An Osprey was detected along Route 47 north of the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen yesterday, and why not? Nothing's frozen down here so far. It's still a pretty crazy record, however.
A final thought for the day: a Winter Wren appeared at my house last Monday, a yard bird for me (I've only been here 9 months), and was still chimp-chimping in the yard this morning. This is of interest simply because it begs the question, where did that bird come from? It's January, for pete's sake, was it a migrant? The short answer is, yes. Once you start paying attention, you realize there is bird movement throughout the year, sometimes a lot of it when you don't really expect it. One reason birds are so engaging and successful as a group is because they can travel almost at will - something humans long to emulate.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Cape May Birding Hotline January 18, 2008
CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE January 18, 2008
The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Friday January 18, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of BARNACLE GOOSE, KING EIDER, COMMON EIDER, REDHEAD, CANVASBACK, HARLEQUIN, ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER, SNOW BUNTING, GOLDEN EAGLE, BALD EAGLE, SHORT-EARED OWL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.
A BARNACLE GOOSE continues in Cape May, with the most recent report being January 14 along Seashore Road in farm fields south of the "No Frills Farm." Other favored hangouts for this bird include the fields along Batts Lane, Lily Lake, and the South Cape May Meadows.
8 COMMON EIDERS and 1 KING EIDER were near Poverty Beach January 15, and a single Common was reported south of the St. Peter's jetty January 17.
A male REDHEAD and female CANVASBACK continue, the latest sightings on Lily Lake January 17.
40 HARLEQUINS and 40 PURPLE SANDPIPERS continue at Barnegat Light January 16 with the usual assortment of ducks.
An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was on Reed's Beach Road opposite the "ibis pond" on January 16.
6 SHORT-EARED OWLS and 4 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were at Mott's Creek, north of Forsythe a.k.a. Brigantine NWR January 12.
20 SNOW BUNTINGS were at Stone Harbor Point near the pond along the path leading south from the parking area at 2nd Ave. on January 16.
187 BALD EAGLES (105 adults, 66 subadults, 16 unknown age) is the preliminary total from last weekend's survey of southern NJ Bald Eagle habitat. One GOLDEN EAGLE was also found, in the Lower Mullica River area.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CMBO'S Cape May School of Birding “Gulls Simplified” Workshop scheduled for February 17 still has a few spaces available; check http://www.birdcapemay.org/ under programs for info on this and other programs and events.
CMBO is offering a special to new and upgraded membership renewals. Join CMBO for the first time or upgrade from Individual or Family to The Hundred and receive Charley Harper's Migration Mainline- Cape May lithograph poster, valued at $50. Call either CMBO center to ask an associate about joining today!
******CMBO Bookstore hours are as follows; Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point, starting December 1, will be closed on Tuesdays. The center will be open Wednesday-Monday for the winter. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday- Sunday 9:30- 4:30.******
The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland, and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736. Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you’ll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discount in the stores).
Good Luck and Good Birding!
The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Friday January 18, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of BARNACLE GOOSE, KING EIDER, COMMON EIDER, REDHEAD, CANVASBACK, HARLEQUIN, ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER, SNOW BUNTING, GOLDEN EAGLE, BALD EAGLE, SHORT-EARED OWL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.
A BARNACLE GOOSE continues in Cape May, with the most recent report being January 14 along Seashore Road in farm fields south of the "No Frills Farm." Other favored hangouts for this bird include the fields along Batts Lane, Lily Lake, and the South Cape May Meadows.
8 COMMON EIDERS and 1 KING EIDER were near Poverty Beach January 15, and a single Common was reported south of the St. Peter's jetty January 17.
A male REDHEAD and female CANVASBACK continue, the latest sightings on Lily Lake January 17.
40 HARLEQUINS and 40 PURPLE SANDPIPERS continue at Barnegat Light January 16 with the usual assortment of ducks.
An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was on Reed's Beach Road opposite the "ibis pond" on January 16.
6 SHORT-EARED OWLS and 4 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were at Mott's Creek, north of Forsythe a.k.a. Brigantine NWR January 12.
20 SNOW BUNTINGS were at Stone Harbor Point near the pond along the path leading south from the parking area at 2nd Ave. on January 16.
187 BALD EAGLES (105 adults, 66 subadults, 16 unknown age) is the preliminary total from last weekend's survey of southern NJ Bald Eagle habitat. One GOLDEN EAGLE was also found, in the Lower Mullica River area.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CMBO'S Cape May School of Birding “Gulls Simplified” Workshop scheduled for February 17 still has a few spaces available; check http://www.birdcapemay.org/ under programs for info on this and other programs and events.
CMBO is offering a special to new and upgraded membership renewals. Join CMBO for the first time or upgrade from Individual or Family to The Hundred and receive Charley Harper's Migration Mainline- Cape May lithograph poster, valued at $50. Call either CMBO center to ask an associate about joining today!
******CMBO Bookstore hours are as follows; Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point, starting December 1, will be closed on Tuesdays. The center will be open Wednesday-Monday for the winter. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday- Sunday 9:30- 4:30.******
The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland, and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736. Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you’ll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discount in the stores).
Good Luck and Good Birding!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Thurs. 1/17: Canvasback, Redhead, Common Eider @ Cape May Pt.
A cold rain, occasionally mixed with sleet, overtook the Cape this afternoon and made birding a rather uncomfortable thing to do. However, an early evening visit to Cape May Point produced a few nice birds, highlighted by the continuing Redhead (male) and Canvasback (female) on Lily Lake, as well as a single female Common Eider just offshore from the dune crossover at the end of Coral Avenue (a little bit south of St. Peter's Church). I also checked a few fields on Cape Island for the Barnacle Goose, but came up empty-handed this time around.
According to the National Weather Service, winds are supposed to continue out of the east and northeast overnight at 15-25mph before gradually shifting to the north and northwest by tomorrow. If you're in town and looking for birding ideas, seawatching from Cape May Point first thing tomorrow morning could be rather productive. The rain should stop tomorrow morning as well. If you're out, let us know what you find.
According to the National Weather Service, winds are supposed to continue out of the east and northeast overnight at 15-25mph before gradually shifting to the north and northwest by tomorrow. If you're in town and looking for birding ideas, seawatching from Cape May Point first thing tomorrow morning could be rather productive. The rain should stop tomorrow morning as well. If you're out, let us know what you find.
Leica HD review now live on FeatherEdgeOptics.org and new poster
First and foremost, you may have noticed that we have an additional poster on View from the Cape. We have asked Tom Reed to help us keep the View from the Cape section more up to date by adding sightings information at times when it will be difficult for Don or I to make more routine sightings posts. Since Tom is young and energetic he will bring a new component to this section of BirdCapeMay.org when he is posting. We'd like to thank Tom for agreeing to work on this endeavour with us. You may already have seen some of his writing on BirdCapeMay.org in the Take A Kid Birding section. If not, he has written a great How To Guide for birding Cape May in the fall which is applicable for young birders and those birders who are young at heart!
We are also proud to announce the launch of our new on-line optics store; FeatherEdgeOptics.org. While we still maintain that you need to handhold an optic before you purchase, we are now providing you the ability to shop our store (with the same great customer service) on-line. Like our physical locations we have done some of the work for you and provide only optics we feel are applicable to stand up to the rigors of birding. This way you don't have to sort through all the riff-raff to find what you are looking for, like you have to do at other on-line optics stores. This is a store maintained by birders, for birders. The best part; all proceeds go to furthering the NJAS/CMBO conservation, research and education mission. You do have to be a member of NJAS or CMBO to purchase just like in our physical stores. Take a look around, even if you are not in the market for a new optic.
Lastly, also found on FeatherEdgeOptics.org, you will find the new Leica Ultravid HD's for sale as well as a review of this new optic. I have to say that I think it's quite a good review but, I am a bit biased. On this new site we will strive to bring you timely reviews of new product and occasionally older products which warrant a review.
We are also proud to announce the launch of our new on-line optics store; FeatherEdgeOptics.org. While we still maintain that you need to handhold an optic before you purchase, we are now providing you the ability to shop our store (with the same great customer service) on-line. Like our physical locations we have done some of the work for you and provide only optics we feel are applicable to stand up to the rigors of birding. This way you don't have to sort through all the riff-raff to find what you are looking for, like you have to do at other on-line optics stores. This is a store maintained by birders, for birders. The best part; all proceeds go to furthering the NJAS/CMBO conservation, research and education mission. You do have to be a member of NJAS or CMBO to purchase just like in our physical stores. Take a look around, even if you are not in the market for a new optic.
Lastly, also found on FeatherEdgeOptics.org, you will find the new Leica Ultravid HD's for sale as well as a review of this new optic. I have to say that I think it's quite a good review but, I am a bit biased. On this new site we will strive to bring you timely reviews of new product and occasionally older products which warrant a review.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Wed. 1/16: Tree Swallows & Harlequins at Barnegat Light, Orange-crowned Warbler in Reed's Beach
I took a trip outside the Greater Cape May Area this afternoon to Barnegat Light State Park. Barnegat makes for great winter birding in general (see Don's post from 12/17/07 for a review of a recent CMBO trip here). It is easily accessed via Exit 63 of the Garden State Parkway, where it is then a 15-minute drive east across Route 72 to Long Beach Island, and another 20 minutes north up Long Beach Boulevard/Central Avenue to the state park- all told, about 1.5 hours from the Cape May area.
Two hours spent there around high tide this afternoon produced about 40 Harlequin Ducks doing their thing, 6 rather cold-looking Tree Swallows shooting north across the inlet, several close adult Northern Gannets, and 6 Great Cormorants perched atop the markers at the end of the dual-jetties enclosing Barnegat Inlet.
My evening jog along Reed's Beach Road was highlighted by a calling Orange-crowned Warbler, which was located across the street from the wooded pond where Green-winged Teal are often numerous in winter, as are Glossy Ibis in spring. The bird was on private property when I heard it, but there is quite a bit of suitable Orange-crown habitat along the road between this pond and the marsh edge, so if you visit this pond in the near future, keep an eye and an ear out for this guy (Orange-crowns have a rather strong, relatively low-pitched, accented chip note). Other notable birds from my jog included 2 lingering Great Egrets in this wooded pond (which I'll likely be referring to as the "ibis pond" in the future), and several calling Clapper Rails in the marsh north of Reed's Beach Road.
Lists from both locations included-
1) Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Observation date: 1/16/08
Number of species: 21
Brant 25
Lesser Scaup 1
Harlequin Duck 40
Surf Scoter 4
Long-tailed Duck 35
Red-breasted Merganser 120
Red-throated Loon 24
Common Loon 8
Northern Gannet 4
Great Cormorant 6
Black-bellied Plover 3
Ruddy Turnstone 12
Purple Sandpiper 40
Dunlin 55
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 750
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Tree Swallow 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 2
House Sparrow 12
---------------
2) Reed's Beach
Observation date: 1/16/08
Number of species: 30
Snow Goose 25
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 4
Hooded Merganser 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Clapper Rail 4
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 5
Mourning Dove 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 5
European Starling 12
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Eastern Towhee 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 25
Northern Cardinal 4
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
Two hours spent there around high tide this afternoon produced about 40 Harlequin Ducks doing their thing, 6 rather cold-looking Tree Swallows shooting north across the inlet, several close adult Northern Gannets, and 6 Great Cormorants perched atop the markers at the end of the dual-jetties enclosing Barnegat Inlet.
My evening jog along Reed's Beach Road was highlighted by a calling Orange-crowned Warbler, which was located across the street from the wooded pond where Green-winged Teal are often numerous in winter, as are Glossy Ibis in spring. The bird was on private property when I heard it, but there is quite a bit of suitable Orange-crown habitat along the road between this pond and the marsh edge, so if you visit this pond in the near future, keep an eye and an ear out for this guy (Orange-crowns have a rather strong, relatively low-pitched, accented chip note). Other notable birds from my jog included 2 lingering Great Egrets in this wooded pond (which I'll likely be referring to as the "ibis pond" in the future), and several calling Clapper Rails in the marsh north of Reed's Beach Road.
Lists from both locations included-
1) Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Observation date: 1/16/08
Number of species: 21
Brant 25
Lesser Scaup 1
Harlequin Duck 40
Surf Scoter 4
Long-tailed Duck 35
Red-breasted Merganser 120
Red-throated Loon 24
Common Loon 8
Northern Gannet 4
Great Cormorant 6
Black-bellied Plover 3
Ruddy Turnstone 12
Purple Sandpiper 40
Dunlin 55
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 750
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Tree Swallow 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 2
House Sparrow 12
---------------
2) Reed's Beach
Observation date: 1/16/08
Number of species: 30
Snow Goose 25
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 4
Hooded Merganser 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Clapper Rail 4
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 5
Mourning Dove 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 5
European Starling 12
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Eastern Towhee 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 25
Northern Cardinal 4
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
187 Eagles Tallied (preliminary), and Birds at Stone Harbor Point
187 Bald Eagles (105 adults, 66 subadults, 16 unknown age) is the preliminary total from last weekend's survey of southern NJ Bald Eagle habitat. One Golden Eagle was also found, in the Lower Mullica River area. I also heard tell of numbers of Short-eared Owls and Rough-legged Hawks at Tuckahoe/Corbin City.
I walked Stone Harbor Point on Monday. The highlights included two distinguished vistors to Champagne Island (the island at the southern tip of Stone Harbor). One was a very interesting dark raptor that I couldn't quite make out until I got to the tip, and even then could only say it was a falcon (which made it even more interesting). However, when I asked to borrow my son's 10X Leicas (I was carrying 8X Zeiss), I could detect the mustache of a very dark immature Peregrine. The other neat find on Champagne was a hauled out Harbor Seal.
Stone Harbor Point itself hosted 31 American Oystercatchers, plus a raft of ~500 scoter offshore, with a couple dozen gannets fishing over them and a single female Common Eider drifting off to one side. On the return walk, we flushed about 20 Snow Buntings from the dunes along the path leading from the parking lot south towards the point. The buntings were feeding just north of the pond. A full list follows.
Location: Stone Harbor Point
Observation date: 1/14/08
Notes: With Tim and Becky. Also saw a Harbor Seal on Champagne Island.
Number of species: 29
Brant 75
American Black Duck 50
Common Eider 1
Surf Scoter 100
Black Scoter 400
Long-tailed Duck 12
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 5
Northern Gannet 25
Great Blue Heron 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black-bellied Plover 5
American Oystercatcher 31
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 50
Western Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 150
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 100
Great Black-backed Gull 25
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 10
American Robin 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Song Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 25
Snow Bunting 20
Red-winged Blackbird 3
I walked Stone Harbor Point on Monday. The highlights included two distinguished vistors to Champagne Island (the island at the southern tip of Stone Harbor). One was a very interesting dark raptor that I couldn't quite make out until I got to the tip, and even then could only say it was a falcon (which made it even more interesting). However, when I asked to borrow my son's 10X Leicas (I was carrying 8X Zeiss), I could detect the mustache of a very dark immature Peregrine. The other neat find on Champagne was a hauled out Harbor Seal.
Stone Harbor Point itself hosted 31 American Oystercatchers, plus a raft of ~500 scoter offshore, with a couple dozen gannets fishing over them and a single female Common Eider drifting off to one side. On the return walk, we flushed about 20 Snow Buntings from the dunes along the path leading from the parking lot south towards the point. The buntings were feeding just north of the pond. A full list follows.
Location: Stone Harbor Point
Observation date: 1/14/08
Notes: With Tim and Becky. Also saw a Harbor Seal on Champagne Island.
Number of species: 29
Brant 75
American Black Duck 50
Common Eider 1
Surf Scoter 100
Black Scoter 400
Long-tailed Duck 12
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 5
Northern Gannet 25
Great Blue Heron 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black-bellied Plover 5
American Oystercatcher 31
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 50
Western Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 150
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 100
Great Black-backed Gull 25
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 10
American Robin 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Song Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 25
Snow Bunting 20
Red-winged Blackbird 3