Thursday, November 14, 2013

Plum Island & vicinity - 11/09/2013


A group of eight individuals were present for our annual fall Plum Island Trip.
Also, one of the first cold blasts of the season was present. A 10-15 mph wind was almost constantly present, which brought down the wind chill. If you could get out of the wind, it was not so bad.

Sharing hats and gloves, the group set out to find the focus of this trip, ducks, loons and alike. For the most part, we were not disappointed. Eighteen species of ducks were found.

However, the best bird was not a duck, but an American Avocet. It had been seen off and on for a week prior to the trip. So I was hoping it was still around. And it was. Originally found at the far end of the Pannes, the bird then flew in closer and merged with a raft of ducks. But all the up ended bottom feeding and associated paddling and splashing by the ducks, coaxed the Avocet to move on; luckily closer to our vantage point.


Trying to fit in...


My better side


Time to move on





Other highlights included a flock of Snow Buntings that flew right over us as we scanned the ocean from the reconstructed platform at parking lot #1. This was followed up by a smaller flock of Horned Lark. Neither of which were seen again.
 
We had hoped to find one of the Eurasian Wigeons reported recently, but most of the Wigeons seen this day were far beyond the Pannes. Even with scopes, the distance, wind and heat haze was too much to call one for certain.

Here is my list for the trip. Numbers I am sure are on the conservative side.


Canada Goose 6
Plum Island
Mute Swan 2
Plum Island
American Wigeon 18
Plum Island
American Black Duck 75
Plum Island
Mallard 12
Plum Island
Northern Shoveler 6
Plum Island
Northern Pintail 3
Plum Island
Green-winged Teal 1
Plum Island
Ring-necked Duck 13
Cherry Hill Res.
Common Eider 5
Plum Island
Surf Scoter 5
Plum Island
White-winged Scoter 500
Plum Island
Black Scoter 12
Plum Island
Long-tailed Duck 25
Plum Island
Bufflehead 5
Plum Island
Bufflehead 6
Cherry Hill Res.
Hooded Merganser 2
Cherry Hill Res.
Common Merganser 1
Plum Island
Common Merganser 4
Cherry Hill Res.
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Plum Island
Ruddy Duck 50
Cherry Hill Res.
Ruddy Duck 3
Plum Island
Red-throated Loon 16
Plum Island
Common Loon 5
Plum Island
Horned Grebe 4
Plum Island
Northern Gannet 2
Plum Island
Double-crested Cormorant 7
Plum Island
Great Cormorant 1
Plum Island
Great Blue Heron 3
Plum Island
Turkey Vulture 5
West Newbury


Northern Harrier 1
Plum Island
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Plum Island
American Coot 13
Cherry Hill Res.
American Avocet 1
Plum Island
Greater Yellowlegs 8
Plum Island
Sanderling 2
Plum Island
Purple Sandpiper 1
Plum Island
Dunlin 6
Plum Island
Ring-billed Gull X
Plum Island
Herring Gull X
Plum Island
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Plum Island
Mourning Dove 6
Plum Island
Blue Jay 2
Cherry Hill Res.
Horned Lark 8
Plum Island
Eastern Bluebird 1
Cherry Hill Res.
American Robin 1
Plum Island
Northern Mockingbird 2
Plum Island
European Starling 1
Plum Island
Snow Bunting 120
Plum Island
Chipping Sparrow 1
Plum Island
Song Sparrow 8
Plum Island
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Plum Island











49 Species













Mike Emmons




















































































































































































 51 Species


Mike Emmons

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