Prevailing north winds have kept this past week fairly slow, with little changing in terms of species diversity. The numbers of White-winged Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks are slowly increasing, with the number of loons and grebes slowly decreasing. Red-breasted Mergansers have also begun to move in pretty good numbers, with May 13 netting 440 individuals.
Some more shorebirds have popped up this week: a pair of Black-bellied Plovers, three Dunlin, and a flock of 10 Short-billed Dowitchers being the highlights. Another highlight this past week was an immature Iceland Gull seen on the 9th.
Songbirds seemed to have stagnated due to the winds as well, with no decent pushes this week. Blue Jays and American Pipits are still the most common songbirds passing by the beach.
The next several days are bringing some south winds, so hopefully, there will be more to report next week!
~ Troy Herrel
2024 Spring Waterbird Counter
Featured photo: Killdeer. Photo by Troy Herrel
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.
