David Moon and I led today’s Wednesday Morning Birding program out of Joppa Flats Education Center on to Plum Island. Skies were clear to partly cloudy; temps ranged from 59 to 63 degrees; and winds were ENE/10-15 mph. With the tide low around 9:30 a.m., we headed immediately to Emerson Rocks off of parking lot #7. En route, we spied two Gadwalls and eight American Black Ducks on the Main Panne. The lead vehicle of our once-again sizeable caravan had a couple of Northern Flickers cross the road in front of it. The weather conditions and school being in session meant fewer “beach creatures” vying for parking on the refuge. We had no trouble parking at lot #7. Disappointingly, birds were sparse on the beach and the ocean. Ring-billed Gulls were in and among Emerson Rocks; a few Herring Gulls here and there. About 20 Sanderlings chased about doing their “wave running” thing; several Semipalmated Sandpipers were among them. On the water, some Common Eiders, mostly subadult males, were in among the ocean-end of the rocks. Some of us saw a small raft of Black Scoters. Hmmm, can the cooler temperatures of autumn be far behind??
As we exited the lot #7 boardwalk, a couple of Northern Mockingbirds made their presence known. On to Stage Island Pool, where we parked in lot #6 and walked the cartway to the water control structure. On the bay side of the structure, we had a fabulous show of five Greater Yellowlegs doing their running, chase-about behavior going after little fishies. As often happens, a Snowy Egret got into the act and did its part in stirring up prey and foraging. A Great Egret graced us with its presence providing an excellent comparison of size and structure with the Snowy. We checked out the bay-side shrubs from atop the small hill in hopes of roosting night-herons, but to no avail. As we straggled back toward the parking lot, David Moon called out, “Raven!!” Sure enough, the unmistakable hulking shape of a Common Raven flew over the road and out over the marsh. Nice! A few Tree Swallows lingered, but the tens-of-thousands seen earlier had moved south from their Plum Island staging area.
We spent the rest of our morning on the dikes of Hellcat, being totally entertained by the variety of shorebirds and duckies present. Really, a good time was had by all! On the flats of North Pool seen from the dike, were loafing yellowlegs, nice comparisons between Greater and Lesser, along with a few Short-billed Dowitchers. Several other Short-billed Dows fed there in the shallow waters in their characteristic sewing-machine-like behavior. Two juvenile Green-winged Teal also were in the mix, and appearing seemingly out of thin air, were two shorebirds feeding in the center of the vegetated flats — a Pectoral Sandpiper and a Spotted Sandpiper. A second Pec was seen for a brief moment before it was off.
The grand attraction of the Hellcat show was located by David Salt — in the dry, vegetated flats of Bill Forward Pool, not more than 50 to 60 yards away, was a molting adult American Golden-Plover! As compared to the Black-bellied Plover, the American Golden-Plover is smaller, slimmer, has a darker cap contrasting with a white supercilium, and its bill is smaller. This bird’s undertail coverts had molted to mostly white, but some black remained from its breeding plumage (a Black-bellied’s undertail coverts are totally white in all plumages). We place this plover in the category of “grasspiper,” because of its favored habitat . . . . Other shorebirds also seen in Bill Forward Pool were: many Semipalmated Sandpipers, a few White-rumped Sandpipers, a number of Semipalmated Plovers, and more Short-billed Dowitchers. Some of us briefly picked up on a Western Sandpiper. Rounding out the birds of Bill Forward Pool this absolutely beautiful Wednesday morning was a nice gathering of Green-winged Teal, most collected toward the south end of the pool.
Next Wednesday, I hope that you will join us as the autumn migration continues. Also, please be aware, if you are interested, following Wednesday Morning Birding (1:00 – 2:00 pm), I will be giving my lecture, “Botswana Wildlife & Wild Spaces,” which I presented as a part of Joppa’s Wednesday Evening Lecture Series this past Wednesday evening. Y’all come, and bring your brown-bag lunch.
Cheers and warmest regards!
Dave Weaver
Our list:
Canada Goose (~ 20) – Bill Forward Pool (BFP)
Gadwall (2) – Main Panne.
American Black Duck (8) – Main Panne.
Mallard – some, mostly BFP & North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Green-winged Teal (~ 25) – mostly BFP; 2, North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Common Eider (~ 10) – Emerson Rocks.
Black Scoter (7) – seven ocean.
Double-crested Cormorant – common.
Great Blue Heron (2) – Stage Island Pool (SIP).
Great Egret (~ 40) – various.
Snowy Egret (2) – 1, panne n. SIP; 1, North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Turkey Vulture – common.
Black-bellied Plover (4) – 3 in flight n. SIP; 1, BFP.
American Golden-Plover (1) – ad. in molt; BFP.
Semipalmated Plover (~ 35) – mostly BFP.
Spotted Sandpiper (1) – North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Greater Yellowlegs (~ 27) – 7, SIP; ~ 20, BFP & North Pool from Hellcat
Dike.
Lesser Yellowlegs (5) – North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Sanderling (~ 20) – seven beach.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (~ 100) – 3, seven beach; ~ 25, SIP; ~ 70, BFP.
Western Sandpiper (1) – BFP.
Least Sandpiper (2) – North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
White-rumped Sandpiper (5) – BFP.
Pectoral Sandpiper (2) – North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Dunlin (1) – BFP.
Short-billed Dowitcher (~ 20) – BFP & North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Ring-billed Gull (~ 8) – Emerson Rocks.
Herring Gull
Northern Flicker (2) – S-curves.
Common Raven (1) – flyover, lot #6.
Tree Swallow (~ 30) – SIP vicinity.
American Robin (~ 10) – roadside.
Gray Catbird (1) – roadside.
Northern Mockingbird (2) – vicinity lot #7.
European Starling
Song Sparrow (~ 5) – mostly vicinity Hellcat Dike.
House Sparrow (1)