It's a dark, wet, windy, "I'm-not-going-out-in-that!" sort of a day.
There's about a hundred gulls patrolling the lawn for worms and a
couple of nondescript sparrows clinging to the patio. Everything else
is hunkered down just like me. No birding today by the mutual consent
of both bird and birder.
Yesterday, at least until late afternoon, was the polar opposite.
Thursday was a decent day leading into a clear, nearly-full moon
lighted night. So yesterday (Friday) dawned early, clear, cool and
dead calm: a perfect fall migrant day.
Against my better judgement, I waited until full daylight before going
up-island to my raptor blind. It was no surprise when I found two
PEREGRINES were sitting there when I arrived. They decided to
relocate.
In spite of my late start I decided to wait around for a couple hours.
Only one PEREGRINE came in to pose with feather covered feet, obivious
evidence of it's Flicker breakfast.
Otherwise, all of the activity was at the blind, including a FLICKER,
2 SWAMP SPARROWS, a MARSH WREN, a BLACK & WHITE WARBLER and a PALM
WARBLER which came inside with me to glean insects.
The blind is some 10 feet square, roofed, and constructed from rock,
drift wood, netting and cloth. There are lots of holes & crevices that
the birds love to explore.
I spent the last hours of the morning and the first half of the
afternoon just standing still at a handful of locations, letting the
birds feed past me undisturbed. Undisturbed by me but definately
disturbed by raptors.
Every few minutes there would be a Peregrine, Harrier, Merlin or Sharp
Shinned cruise low along the island, moving a wave of Flickers,
Waxwings and others ahead of them.
Most of the raptors continued Westward, under powered flight, without
making a kill. Only the Peregrines seemed determined to feed until
midafternoon when the Sharpies began making serious attacks before
climbing to soaring altitude and departing.
Between the predator strafing runs the insects were catching hell.
Dead calm, warm and sunny made for perfect feeding conditions and
everyone was making the best of the opportunity.
Numbers weren't especially large, about average for a fall migration
day but there was a fair variety with 75 odd species identified.
10+ PEREGRINE FALCON;
10+ SHARP SHINNED HAWK;
08+ HARRIER;
04 MERLIN;
01 KESTREL;
01 BALD HEADED EAGLE;
03 AMERICAN CROW;
02 RAVEN;
01 MOCKINGBIRD;
30+ FLICKER;
01 MOURNING DOVE;
01 ROBIN;
01 BROWN CREEPER;
01 WHITE BREASTED NUTHATCH;
12 RED BREASTED NUTHATCH;
75+ SAVANNAH SPARROW;
20+ SWAMP SPARROW;
08 SONG SPARROW;
03 CHIPPING SPARROW;
01 LARK SPARROW;
02 LINCOLN'S SPARROW;
02 CLAY COLOURED SPARROW;
01 GRASSHOPPER SPARROW;
01 NELSON'S SPARROW;
50+ WHITE THROATED SPARROW;
11 DARK EYED JUNCO;
06 DICKCISSEL;
04 BALTIMORE ORIOLE;
01 ORCHARD ORIOLE;
20+ GOLDFINCH;
06 PURPLE FINCH;
03 AMERICAN PIPIT;
33 CEDAR WAXWING (All juvenile);
02 STARLING;
20+ YELLOW WARBLER;
10+ COMMON YELLOWTHROAT;
02 YELLOW THROATED WARBLER;
10+ YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER;
09 MAGNOILIA WARBLER;
10+ BLACK THROATED GREEN WARBLER;
01 BLACK THROATED BLUE WARBLER;
20+ PALM WARBLER;
02 PINE WARBLER;
06 BLACK & WHITE WARBLER;
08 REDSTART;
03 WILSON'S WARBLER;
03 BLUE HEADED VIREO;
01 RED EYED VIREO;
04 WINTER WREN;
02 MARSH WREN;
02 EASTERN PHOEBE;
01 EASTERN KINGBIRD;
04 FLYCATCHER SP.;
02 SAWWHET OWL;
04 COMMON LOON;
08 GREAT SHEARWATER;
04 SOOTY SHEARWATER;
50+ SHEARWATER SP.;
02 LEACH'S STRORM PETREL;
01 WILSON'S STORM PETREL;
100+ STORM PETREL SP.;
100+ NORTHERN GANNET;
200+ DOUBLE CREASTED CORMORANT;
06 GREAT CORMORANT;
03 GREAT BLUE HERON;
50+ COMMON EIDER;
03 HARLEQUIN (1st of year);
05 RED BREASTED MERGANSER;
03 SPOTTED SANDPIPER;
01 RUDDY TURNSTONE;
02 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER;
04 LEAST SANDPIPER;
01 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER;
500+ HERRING GULL;
500+ GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL;
01 ICELAND GULL;
10+ BLACK LEGGED KITTYWAKE;
02 JAEGER SP.
18 RAZORBILL;
02 PUFFIN.
The bird of the day? A juvenile Cedar Waxwing that perched on my
camera lens (and my index finger), a foot from my face, begging to be
fed, while I tried to photograph its flock-mates at my feet.
Butterflies have been abundant all week and before but even with the
perfect weather their number was down.
Food plants, are quickly going out of bloom. Our most abundant fall
flower is PURPLE ASTER, covering much of the island but I'd say that
more than half of it has gone to seed.
MONARCHS were still common but getting fewer every day.
SULPHURS are about the same: scattered but daily.
WHITES were very abundant on Friday, much increased over the earlier
week.
RED ADMIRALS & QUESTION MARKS were not seen but AMERICAN LADY seem
unchanged.
COMMON BUCKEYES checked in at about 10 individuals, the first that
I've seen this year and a species rarely seen here in any year.
Lots of GRAY SEALS float sleeping near the island lately. I counted 86
around the north end Friday AM at high water.
A few HARBOUR SEALS are seen every day, mostly hauled out on Gull Rock
or swimming around MSI but occasionally on shore here.
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