Spent 9.5 hours at Van Wagner's Beach today......
Going to keep this short and sweet because I'm reaching the point in time where I need more sleep and prep time than blogging time....
The skinny: it was SLLLOWWWWWW
Hopefully the calm before the epic birding....
Some highlights from the day:
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (juvies)
1 2nd winter Kumliens' Iceland Gull
1 Sanderling
2 Greater Yellowlegs
2 Peregrine Falcons
1 ad male Black Scoter (rarely see Ad males here.. Female types every day, but no males)
1 Red-necked Grebe
1 Bonaparte's Gull (more typical VWB fashion - but why the crazy shift from yesterdays total?)
10 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES
Had 1 around 1:30, then 20ish minutes later, a flock of six flew RIGHT up the beach... I was there with Hugh Currie, and we were very excited to see this... 2 more 10 minutes later,, and 1 a few hours later...
One bird was a 2nd winter "adult" ...
It was exciting because it was proof (to me) that we were now getting birds from the St. Lawrence seaway.....
I was expecting all heck to break lose, sent crazy texts to all the birders I have in my phone (which is limited, because I switched phones less than a year ago and didn't save my contacts)... But yeah... exciting, considering it was just kittiwakes...
Some pics:
Ain't that a thing of beauty??
Sleep time!!!
aww jeez I can't sleep... Virtually every computer model is in agreement that the leftovers will pass over Lake Ontario...
ReplyDeleteLittle time for sleep this week!
ReplyDeleteThings were hopping at the mouth of Lake Huron today!