Scarborough Marsh Audubon weekly bird walk this morning 7/1

[Noah Gibb]

This morning's weekly bird walk was quite productive this morning. 

Down at the pier at Pine Point, there were a few good signs of things to come as we spotted a Whimbrel across the flats among several locally breeding Willets. We also had a very dense collection of waders (as well as some others scattered about) feeding in the Scarborough River that included ~20 Great Egrets, 12 Snowy Egrets, 14 Glossy Ibis (I don't think I have seen this species feeding in the river here), 1 Black-Crowned Night-Heron, 1 Little Blue Heron, and the continuing presumed Snowy Egret X Tricolored Heron hybrid. Over the next several weeks, numbers of these birds along with shorebirds, will grow substantially.

2 Roseate Terns gave good looks and offered nice comparisons with Common Terns. ~60 Bonaparte's Gulls (including some adults) were a nice bonus as well.

The rain picked up as we headed to the marsh behind the Pelreco building, but birding from the car offered great looks at Cliff, Barn, and Tree Swallows. Also Least Terns, a Great Blue Heron, a singing Marsh Wren, Swamp Sparrow, and Nelson's Sparrow rounded out a nice morning that was nearly a total washout.

Hopefully I will see some of you next Wednesday at 7!

Bird haahd!

Noah Gibb-Portland