Well, we skirted around coastal fog early Saturday afternoon and made it to the island after a 2-day weather delay.
This is my first rotation since late May.
The colony is winding down, but all species are still represented, except for RAZORBILLS & COMMON MURRES.
Not surprisingly, visible seabird activity was nearly non-existent between Saint John and Grand Manan.
Exiting Grand Manan to the west, scattered GANNETS and a few Gulls started to show. Foraging groups of Gannets, some Shearwaters and quite a few gulls worked the tide streaks and upwellings from about 3 miles north of MSI and off towards the west southwest.
On the island the PUFFINS are still numerous and there are even two or three ARCTIC TERNS still unfledged.
PEEPS are scattered around with small groups of mainly SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS moving about the intertidal zone. A few other common species, like LEAST SANDPIPER, are also foraging in the puddles and pools. There is also a fair number of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS remaining on the island, which I think indicates that they had a pretty successful season.
SAVANNAH SPARROWS (our resident breeding species) are everywhere and appear to have had a good summer. There are some newly fledged and I suspect that they are 3rd brood.
Otherwise, songbirds seemed spotty, with nothing jumping out, except numerous TREE & BARN SWALLOWS.
Sunday and Monday revealed little unexpected for the date.
Gannets are around in numbers, the majority being sub-adults. Our "nesting" Gannet has dropped in a few times and attracted some attention from over-flying individuals.
Gannet feeding activity and flocking gulls seem to indicate some feed spread over a wide area. However, the stuff that I've seen the Puffins bringing home isn't particularly impressive.
The swallows picked up through Sunday, into Monday, with a flock of some 50-odd Tree Swallows assembled at one point. By Tuesday, nearly all swallows were gone.
Monday did produce at least 5 PEREGRINE FALCONS, with 3 of them (all adults), at one point perching within 30 feet of each other.
I didn't see any of them actively hunting but the handful of Terns still on the island were definitely trying to convince them to move along. A couple Peregrines were seen on both Tuesday & Wednesday.
Tuesday dawned clear and sunny and near windless. It also revealed that the stopovers from the night flight of passerines were quite numerous and the species well mixed.
Our patio railing was lined with flycatchers and warblers hawking morning insects. It was likewise all around the buildings. At least 3 species of flycatcher and a dozen warblers were present, including Phoebes, Butter Butts, Redstarts, Blackburnians and Black Throated Greens.
Through Tuesday a few other species were observed, including 3-4 MOCKINGBIRDS; a couple immature GRACKLES; 3-4 immature R.W. BLACKBIRDS; a half dozen immature CEDAR WAXWINGS.
On the water, a mix of HERRING & GR. BLK. BACKED GULLS waxes and wanes but upwards of 5,000 can be seen roosting on Gull Rock, with another 2-3 thousand spread around the island.
They make quite a flock when an EAGLE puts them to flight. That's happened a few times each day, with a young adult cruising around. Last night, that Eagle spent the night here on the island, something that they do very seldom.
Some COMMON EIDERS are hanging around. Many are young-of-the-year and I assume hatched here on MSI.
There are also frequent mixed Eider flocks observed flying past the island.
A few RED BREASTED MERGANSERS are scattered around and this morning a couple WIGIONS foraged along the shoreline for a hour or so.
DOUBLE CREASTED CORMORANTS are always present and also flying past but in no great numbers. Travelling flocks rarely top a dozen birds and those on or near the island are often single or fewer than 10.
I haven't heard many STORM PETRELS these past nights but there should be lots of chicks waiting for food delivery.
They are still gray fluff balls and a long way from fledging.
BUTTERFLIES have been scarce and food plants aren't well blossomed. Until today, I had seen only a couple CABBAGE WHITES. Today the Whites jumped in number, and I saw my first couple of MONARCH BUTTERFLIES.
GRAY SEALS seem to be at about summer-normal and give quite a serenade when they congregate next door on quite days.
I've seen one with a definite shark bite and another possible shark wound. (It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between a bite and a propeller strike.)
HARBOUR SEALS are scarce.
-- This is my first rotation since late May.
The colony is winding down, but all species are still represented, except for RAZORBILLS & COMMON MURRES.
Not surprisingly, visible seabird activity was nearly non-existent between Saint John and Grand Manan.
Exiting Grand Manan to the west, scattered GANNETS and a few Gulls started to show. Foraging groups of Gannets, some Shearwaters and quite a few gulls worked the tide streaks and upwellings from about 3 miles north of MSI and off towards the west southwest.
On the island the PUFFINS are still numerous and there are even two or three ARCTIC TERNS still unfledged.
PEEPS are scattered around with small groups of mainly SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS moving about the intertidal zone. A few other common species, like LEAST SANDPIPER, are also foraging in the puddles and pools. There is also a fair number of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS remaining on the island, which I think indicates that they had a pretty successful season.
SAVANNAH SPARROWS (our resident breeding species) are everywhere and appear to have had a good summer. There are some newly fledged and I suspect that they are 3rd brood.
Otherwise, songbirds seemed spotty, with nothing jumping out, except numerous TREE & BARN SWALLOWS.
Sunday and Monday revealed little unexpected for the date.
Gannets are around in numbers, the majority being sub-adults. Our "nesting" Gannet has dropped in a few times and attracted some attention from over-flying individuals.
Gannet feeding activity and flocking gulls seem to indicate some feed spread over a wide area. However, the stuff that I've seen the Puffins bringing home isn't particularly impressive.
The swallows picked up through Sunday, into Monday, with a flock of some 50-odd Tree Swallows assembled at one point. By Tuesday, nearly all swallows were gone.
Monday did produce at least 5 PEREGRINE FALCONS, with 3 of them (all adults), at one point perching within 30 feet of each other.
I didn't see any of them actively hunting but the handful of Terns still on the island were definitely trying to convince them to move along. A couple Peregrines were seen on both Tuesday & Wednesday.
Tuesday dawned clear and sunny and near windless. It also revealed that the stopovers from the night flight of passerines were quite numerous and the species well mixed.
Our patio railing was lined with flycatchers and warblers hawking morning insects. It was likewise all around the buildings. At least 3 species of flycatcher and a dozen warblers were present, including Phoebes, Butter Butts, Redstarts, Blackburnians and Black Throated Greens.
Through Tuesday a few other species were observed, including 3-4 MOCKINGBIRDS; a couple immature GRACKLES; 3-4 immature R.W. BLACKBIRDS; a half dozen immature CEDAR WAXWINGS.
On the water, a mix of HERRING & GR. BLK. BACKED GULLS waxes and wanes but upwards of 5,000 can be seen roosting on Gull Rock, with another 2-3 thousand spread around the island.
They make quite a flock when an EAGLE puts them to flight. That's happened a few times each day, with a young adult cruising around. Last night, that Eagle spent the night here on the island, something that they do very seldom.
Some COMMON EIDERS are hanging around. Many are young-of-the-year and I assume hatched here on MSI.
There are also frequent mixed Eider flocks observed flying past the island.
A few RED BREASTED MERGANSERS are scattered around and this morning a couple WIGIONS foraged along the shoreline for a hour or so.
DOUBLE CREASTED CORMORANTS are always present and also flying past but in no great numbers. Travelling flocks rarely top a dozen birds and those on or near the island are often single or fewer than 10.
I haven't heard many STORM PETRELS these past nights but there should be lots of chicks waiting for food delivery.
They are still gray fluff balls and a long way from fledging.
BUTTERFLIES have been scarce and food plants aren't well blossomed. Until today, I had seen only a couple CABBAGE WHITES. Today the Whites jumped in number, and I saw my first couple of MONARCH BUTTERFLIES.
GRAY SEALS seem to be at about summer-normal and give quite a serenade when they congregate next door on quite days.
I've seen one with a definite shark bite and another possible shark wound. (It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between a bite and a propeller strike.)
HARBOUR SEALS are scarce.
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