This week was pretty wild to begin with, but by Wednesday, the storm had moved on and a perfect mid-fall day greeted us. Dave Williams and I took an optimistic group over to Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm to check for late migrants and any early ground birds. Before we left the parking lot an amazingly well-formed flock of Double-crested Cormorants passed right over us, one of many big flocks we would see migrating that morning, though the only one that maintained a clean “V.”
Double-crested Cormorants’ tatty skein
At the farm there were a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers calling from the hedgerows, but few other passerines. A Red-throated Loon flew over high above us, while a few American Crows and Blue Jays passed through. We pulled the plug and headed back to the vans, where a Northern Flicker perched in a far tree. The pipits, longspurs, and larks we hoped for will arrive at some point, but we’re not there yet.
Bufflehead off parking lot # 1 – Susan Balser
The dune platform at parking lot #1 gave us a view of a glassy sea dotted with birds in every direction. Many were a mix of Common and Red-throated Loons, with two Red-necked Grebes mixed in. Flocks of cormorants flew south well out to sea and over the marsh to the west. A flock of eight or nine Bufflehead joined in the southward movement of many White-winged Scoters. Scoters also rested here and there, especially near the jetties north of the refuge, where a couple of pairs of Black Scoters mixed with the White-wingeds.
Wood Duck – Patti Wood
The Main Salt Panne was typical of fall and winter, as many American Black Ducks dabbled in the shallows. Three Re-breasted Mergansers lolled in the middle, and a female Wood Duck poked around and flew back and forth as if wondering how she ended up in a place so different from her swamp. A few Greater Yellowlegs were scattered along the shore, and then a Stilt Sandpiper unexpectedly made an appearance out there as well.
The Warden’s area was rather devoid of the sparrows we were seeking when we first got there, but things got incredibly exciting when a Tufted Titmouse showed up out in the pines at the edge of the marsh. To give perspective, this was Dave Williams’ first TUTI on the island, and Dave Williams leads trips out there all the time! We speculated that the poor thing got blown over the scary open spaces off the mainland by the severe winds of the day before. That bird had its usual effect, which was to bring out the other passerines hunkered in the shrubbery, including a Song Sparrow and a bunch of American Goldfinches. A nice little flock of White-throated Sparrows had us hoping to find a rare thing back near the vans, but nothing else turned up.
Green-winged Teal – Susan Balser
The real show of the day, as is so often the case, was at Bill Forward Pool from the dike at Hellcat. The place was covered with ducks. Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeons scurried and dabbled in the vegetation on the edges, while a raft of Buffleheads and Hooded Mergansers mixed together in the middle. With the substrate of American Black Ducks and Mallards, it was about as ducky as the pool gets. A Dunlin kept a yellowlegs company in North Pool, a couple of Great Blue Herons cavorted int the Marsh, and a Mute Swan flew over in tribute to Dave Weaver, who will return to Wednesday Morning Birding next week.
American Black Duck Hero – Patti Wood
Our list from Plum Island:
Canada Goose 20
Mute Swan 2 BFP and Salt Pannes.
Wood Duck 1 Salt Pannes with black ducks.
American Wigeon 3 BFP.
Mallard 75
American Black Duck 240
Northern Pintail 40 BFP.
Green-winged Teal 30 BFP.
White-winged Scoter 60 From lot 1 platform.
Black Scoter 9 From lot 1 platform.
Bufflehead 24 From lot 1 platform, BFP, PI Sound from Wardens.
Hooded Merganser 7 From lot 1 platform.
Red-breasted Merganser 4 Salt Pannes.
Red-throated Loon 15 From lot 1 platform.
Common Loon 35 From lot 1 platform.
Red-necked Grebe 2 From lot 1 platform.
Double-crested Cormorant 700 Numerous skeins seen all morning of these birds. Three skeins were especially huge.
Great Blue Heron 3
Northern Harrier 2
Black-bellied Plover 1 Salt Pannes
Stilt Sandpiper 1 Salt Pannes. First winter adult.
Dunlin 2 NP from Hellcat dike and Salt Pannes.
Greater Yellowlegs 16
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) X
Mourning Dove X
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
Tufted Titmouse 1 Warden’s
White-throated Sparrow 2 Warden’s
Song Sparrow 3 Warden’s
Northern Cardinal 2
American Goldfinch 17 Warden’s