Not many shorebirds at South Lubec yesterday, which was disappointing for my shorebird study, but I went to Campobello Island (New Brunswick) and saw whales, seals and ocean birds very close to shore at East Quoddy Head Lighthouse. There were black-legged kittiwakes, razorbills, common murres, red-necked phalaropes just off shore.
Today is very foggy with intermittent rain but I went to the sandbar anyway and found many more shorebirds — black-bellied plovers, semipalmated plovers and sandpipers, least sandpipers, sanderlings, short-billed dowitchers, red knots, whimbrel — plus a life bird Hudsonian godwit!
To top it off a merlin cruised by to find his breakfast, though I didn’t see him catch anything.
It will be hard to beat those two sightings in the rest of the day.
UPDATE at 5:00pm. I did beat those two sightings. I saw another Life Bird: spruce grouse! Thanks to Jim and Naomi Honeth for showing me the trail at Boot Cove where the spruce grouse lives.
(photo of a merlin by Chuck Tague)
Kate: Thank you for these wonderful reports while you are on VACATION! You don’t forget about us back here and all over who look forward to your stories and reporting. We are here reading even if we aren’t responding. It makes me feel like I am along for the “ride”. Thanks again.
It sounds like you had a great birding day, Kate! At least you got to practice your shorebird i.d. skills!
My biggest excitement back here in PA the last couple of days has been close encounters with Wild Turkeys and Common Ravens in and above my yard/property.
The juvie Raven reminded me of the peregrine youngsters when they chased after the adults, begging for food. Fond peregrine memories…
UPDATE at 5:00pm: Another Life Bird: Spruce Grouse! More news coming in a blog… later.