Susan Yurkus and Dave Williams led a hardy bunch of 14 WMBers out onto the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on March 4. Conditions were less than ideal with winds steady at 20-30 MPH and gusting much higher. Thank goodness the temperatures were in the upper 40s! At the boat ramp we got good looks at a flock of 10 male and female Common Goldeneyes. We then sought refuge from the wind at the base of the parking lot #1 boardwalk. Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, and Red-Necked Grebe all showed well, but the highlight was a Snowy Owl perched just south in the dunes.
Making our way down the Refuge road we encountered numerous American Black Ducks, Canada Geese, several American Wigeon, Mute Swan, a single Red-Breasted Merganser, and a distant Northern Harrier.
With the winds buffeting the cars and trees along the road, the pickings were pretty slim. At parking lot #7, Emerson Rocks held lots of Common Eiders, some Black Scoters, Long-Tail Ducks, Common Goldeneye, and a Horned Grebe.
We decided to walk the first part of the Plum Island Bluffs Trail in search of a Short-Eared Owl, but we quickly came upon a dozen Horned Larks by the side of the path. All of us had wonderful looks at these birds foraging and fighting the wind.
Stops at the new blind and the Pines Trail only provided us with some exercise so we headed for home. At the main salt pannes we located two Killdeer, the first of the year for most of us and a nice way to end our day. A complete list of the birds seen today is below.
Our List:
Canada goose – C
Mute Swan – 2 salt pannes, BFP
Gadwall – 2 salt pannes
Am. Wigeon – 4 – salt pannes
Mallard – 1
Am. Black Duck – C
Common Eider – 35, Emerson Rocks
Long-Tailed Duck – 3, Emerson Rocks
Black Scoter – 15, ocean parking lot 1, Emerson Rocks
Surf Scoter – 5, ocean parking lot 1, Emerson Rocks
White-Winged Scoter – 3, ocean parking lot1, Emerson Rocks
Bufflehead – 2
Common Goldeye – 14, boat ramp, Emerson Rocks
Red-Breasted Merganser – 1, salt pannes
Horned Grebe – 1, Emerson Rocks
Red-Necked Grebe -1, from parking lot 1 beach
Herring Gull – 20
Great Black-Backed Gull – 1
Common Loon – 1, Emerson Rocks
Killdeer – 2, salt pannes
Northern Harrier – 1
Snowy Owl – 1, from parking lot 1 platform
Common Grackle – 10, just south of parking lot 1
Horned Lark – 12, from the beginning of the Plum Island Bluff trail