Last of September

Started the day at about 0930 at Tower Pond. Based on Marvin Smith’s good report from yesterday and a 0820 high tide in the Bay, probability favored good shorebird numbers. We were not disappointed. Although nothing rare, it was a great avian show: 14 Roseate Spoonbills, four – perhaps six – Reddish Egrets, dozens of Great egrets, and several each of Snowy Egret, Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Herons, many Black-bellied and Semi-palm Plovers, both Yellowlegs, Willets, S-b Dowitchers, Least and Western Sands, two juv. Red Knots, R Turnstones, a single Marbled Godwit. While sorting through all the foregoing, above, a Red-shouldered Hawk was dive bombing a Red-tailed Hawk, and several Ospreys did fly-bys. The success of a trip to Tower Pond is very tide dependent; get there when the tide is fairly high in the Bay.

To the lighthouse. The flats behind the lighthouse were empty of birds. A walk down the levee towards the picnic table was unproductive, but a nice flock of shorebirds was found along the shoreline just east of the picnic table: approximately 30 Sanderlings, and several each of Willet, S-b Dowitcher, R Turnstone, and Least Sand. I turned to look seaward (which I often do) and there was an American Flamingo flying just offshore, heading east. I suspect Mark and Lisa Hughes will have a photo on eBird of it’s transit.

Another good, but hot, day at the refuge.