Plenty of birds have been migrating this week. Most days saw triple-digit numbers of loons, although none beat last week’s high count. Many ducks seem to be tapering off this week, with only a handful of dabblers and scaup being seen each day. May 3 saw the biggest push of Bufflehead for the season, with a whopping 63 birds. We also had the first Trumpeter Swan fly over the Point on May 4.

Shorebirds have become much more reliable, with Sanderling being present nearly every day and decent numbers of Spotted Sandpipers hanging around. The first Least Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers were also spotted on the beach this week. There have also been at least five Piping Plovers hanging around the Point, and they are becoming much more vocal and aggressive, gearing up to nest very soon.

One of the most exciting things going on this week has been gulls. A massive push of 703 Bonaparte’s Gulls was seen early on May 7. The second Great Black-backed Gull of the count was also seen this past week, as well as an early Common Tern heading south on May 3.

This week also saw the arrival of several heron species. Two Great Blue Herons were recorded this week, as well as a single Great Egret. While not on the official count, a Green Heron was seen flying over the road about a mile south of the Point on May 8.

Songbirds have finally started to show up in good numbers, and a decent diversity of warblers, including Nashville, Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, and a couple of Blackburnian Warblers, are newcomers. Massive flocks of Blue Jays have also begun to fill the sky above the Point, with over 500 individuals being tallied on several days.

~ Troy Herrel
2024 Spring Waterbird Counter

Featured photo: Great Egret. Photo by Troy Herrel

You can keep up with the 2024 Spring Waterbird Count by reading Troy’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X). The spring waterbird count runs April 15 through May 31.

Troy is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University where he obtained a degree in zoology. He has experience banding passerines and raptors, conducting point counts, and doing migration surveys. He spent last fall at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, where he assisted the biologists with various research and educational outreach. He hopes to one day get a master’s degree and continue working with wildlife.