Susan Yurkus and I led a small band of hearty folks out into the wilds today, with some interesting results. We started at Scotland Road, with a variety of ducks including a pair of Northern Shovelers, a few Wilson’s Snipe, and, after much searching, a Reeve (presumably the continuing bird from the weekend.) We checked the wet field on Turkey Hill Road without finding any more snipes. Then we headed out to the Parker River NWR on Plum Island.
On the refuge we motored determinedly down to Sandy Point to check for Piping Plovers and found one just over the line in the refuge. In the large crashing surf at high tide there were scoters, eiders, long-tailed ducks, and one Horned Grebe. We headed back north on the refuge looking for ducks or anything moving. At the blind on the Bill Forward Pool we had Northern Pintails, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, and American Black Ducks and Mallards. We added Gadwall and a marvelous display of three male Red-breasted Mergansers competing for one female’s attention at the main pannes. With the sun coming out, it turned out to be a glorious day.
Dave Larson
Our List: Scotland Rd/Plum Island
Scotland Rd:
Canada Goose – common.
American Wigeon (2).
American Black Duck (4)
Mallard common.
Northern Shoveler (2)
Northern Pintail (2).
Green-winged Teal (10)
Common Goldeneye (1)
Great Blue Heron (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Killdeer – Common.
Reeve (Female Calidris pugnax) (1)
Wilson’s Snipe (3).
Herring Gull – detected.
Rock Pigeon – common.
Mourning Dove – detected.
American Robin – common.
Song Sparrow – common.
Dark-eyed Junco (2)
Northern Cardinal (1)
Red-winged Blackbird – common.
Common Grackle – common.
In transit:
Turkey Vulture (3) – at Joppa Flats.
Cedar Waxwing (12) – at Joppa Flats.
Plum Island:
Canada Goose – detected.
Mute Swan (2)
Gadwall – common.
American Wigeon (4)
American Black Duck – common.
Mallard – common.
Northern Pintail (20)
Common Eider – common.
White-winged Scoter – detected.
Black Scoter – common.
Long-tailed Duck (4)
Bufflehead – common.
Common Goldendeye (7)
Hooded Merganser (7)
Red-breasted Merganser – detected.
Horned Grebe (1)
Great Egret (2)
Osprey (3) – t Pines Trail platform, 2 copulating.
Piping Plover (1) beach/south end of PRNWR
Killdeer – detected.
Herring Gull – detected.
Great Black-backed Gull (2)
Mourning Dove – detected.
American Robin =- common.
Northern Mockingbird (1)
Song Sparrow – common.
Dark-eyed Junco (2)
Red-winged Blackbird – common.
Common Grackle – common.