The rain storm didn't seem to stir things up very much, relatively low winds was likely a factor.
Nonetheless the volume and variety of birds did pick up today.
Nonetheless the volume and variety of birds did pick up today.
There is an ORCHARD ORIOLE around (likely the same one for the past several days) as well as at least 9 and likely 13 BALTIMORE ORIOLES.
2 adult LARK SPARROWS continue and have been joined by a juvenile.
Definately new today are 1 adult female DICKCISSEL; 1 first winter BLUE GROSBEAK; 1 adult female INDIGO BUNTING; 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES & 1 WILSON'S SNIPE.
Warblers are more apparent but nothing unusual ...... BLACK THROATED BLUES, BLACK THROATED GREENS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, YELLOWS, a few BUTTER BUTTS & KINGLETS.........
Butterflies remain very scarce and although HUMMINGBIRDS are slightly more numerous, the ASTER bloom isn't fuelling many migrants this year.
PUFFINS show a definate down swing since the storm so one could assume that most of the late Pufflings have, or soon will, depart the island. I took 2 chicks to the shore last night. I found 2 dead chicks today, apparent victims of the storm.
What I believe is the same, rather small, female MERLIN continues to hunt the island for the 3rd day. She was very active during the rain on Saturday, perching outside our kitchen window during the torrents and strafing the island for prey that tried to feed between the heaviest rain periods.
A handful of TREE SWALLOWS moved through yesterday, Friday, and today I saw two separate groups of BARN SWALLOWS, perhaps 50 birds in total.
Lots of gulls around with an especially large number of Great Black Backed.
There seems to be a fair bit of feed West of the island recently. I saw 2 MINKE WHALES very close to shore this morning, under a cloud of GANNETS and Gulls. Lots of plunging birds for about 20 minutes.
Shearwaters were notable for being a bit scarce. Storm Petrels were just so so.
BIRD OF THE DAY: a sub-adult GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL carrying Neon Pink streamers (similiar to flagging tape) on its leg. Too distant to get much detail.
RAREST MOMENT OF THE DAY: I watched a GRAY SEAL rocket up beneath a gull which was sitting on the water. The gull escaped but it was a near thing as the seal launched almost completely out of water with gaping mouth.
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