Registrar: Miriam Rakowski
Participants: 5
Weather: 30 degrees F, sunny am, cloudy pm, winds, mild to slightly breezy. Due to a severe snow storm, this trip was rescheduled from Sunday, 1/8/2017 to Saturday, 1/14/2017. We did not bird Point Lookout, because the weather was becoming threatening in the afternoon.
Bird Species: 49
We saw five species of shorebirds, including excellent looks at Purple Sandpipers. The male Surf Scoter very close to the shore was a surprise. Our reliable Black Scoter at the Coast Guard Station swam very close to the Boardwalk and posed for photographs. The Snow Buntings put on a wonderful show at the West End 2 parking lot. The Lapland Longspur was with a group of Horned Larks in the swale. Some of us enjoyed seeing it. We scurried from the swale to the jetty where we were greeted by perhaps over l,000 Dunlins sitting on the jetty, with their heads tucked in. How we wished they would raise their heads!
We noticed that the weather was changing. Dark clouds were rolling into view. Richard then led us back through a path in the Dunes. We were rewarded as we completed the walk with beautiful sightings of American Tree Sparrows. After a brief lunch, Richard made a wise decision to skip Point Lookout and make a short stop at Camman’s Pond. At the pond we enjoyed close looks at Hooded Mergansers, N. Shovelers, Gadwall and Black-crowned Night Herons. Ultimately, we did drive home in a snowstorm, but we had our day!
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Sanderling
Dunlin
Purple Sandpiper
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Downy Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Common Grackle
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
