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Southern Shore - Greater Scaup breeding, Blackpoll fallout
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brucema...@gmail.com
Aug 28, 2016, 5:06:03 PM8/28/16
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Birded mainly Biscay Bay and Trepassey today. Just after sunrise coming across barrens north of Portugal Cove South with glassy calm ponds ducks and loons stood out like sore-thumbs. I was surprised to see a female Greater Scaup with five young about 80% grown, stubby wings, downy heads and necks (photos) on a pond on west side of the road about 1 km north of the site of the former Loran C tower.
Greater Scaup are known to nest in the Wilderness Area of the central Avalon. Otherwise the northern part of the Great Northern Peninsula is the only other part of Newfoundland that I know they've nested on insular Newfoundland.
The change in weather from the constant SW winds and warm humid weather to clear cool, crisp NW winds over night seems to have triggered a big Blackpoll migration. I knew something was on the go as soon as I stepped out of the car at Johnnie's Hot Corner, Biscay Bay. I saw ten Blackpolls feeding in the warming sunny side of the alders by the road before I had my first pish. Then I had Blackpolls every where I pished in the alders but it wasn't until I started on the west side of Trepassey Alders, known as Fish Plant Road that I realized the magnitude of the wave. Every where I pished 10-30 Blackpolls came in. They were flying back and forth across the road all the time even in the heat, wind and sun of late morning. Take your pick 1) the alders were dripping with Blackpolls, 2) the alders were alive with Blackpolls, 3) the place was maggoty with Blackpolls. Yellow Warblers were also unusually abundant. Despite looking at so many warblers there was not a single unexpected species.
Rough Totals
Blackpoll Warbler - 250
Yellow Warbler - 45
Northern Waterthrush - 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 30
Wilson's Warbler - 20
Black-and-white Warbler - 25
Common Yellowthroat - 4
Black-throated Green Warbler - 2
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 8
Hermit Thrush - 8
WW Crossbill - 10
Pine Grosbeak - 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
The cool NW wind seems to have cleared out some of the shorebirds as well and didn't bring in anything new. St Shotts beach = 3 Semipalmated Plovers Sod Farm = no shorebirds. Low numbers of shorebirds at Bear Cove and Renews on a quick pass.
Cliff Swallow - 2 Biscay Bay (with Todd & Anne)
3 moose, 1 mink & a partridge in a dogberry tree.
B Mactavish
Greater Scaup are known to nest in the Wilderness Area of the central Avalon. Otherwise the northern part of the Great Northern Peninsula is the only other part of Newfoundland that I know they've nested on insular Newfoundland.
The change in weather from the constant SW winds and warm humid weather to clear cool, crisp NW winds over night seems to have triggered a big Blackpoll migration. I knew something was on the go as soon as I stepped out of the car at Johnnie's Hot Corner, Biscay Bay. I saw ten Blackpolls feeding in the warming sunny side of the alders by the road before I had my first pish. Then I had Blackpolls every where I pished in the alders but it wasn't until I started on the west side of Trepassey Alders, known as Fish Plant Road that I realized the magnitude of the wave. Every where I pished 10-30 Blackpolls came in. They were flying back and forth across the road all the time even in the heat, wind and sun of late morning. Take your pick 1) the alders were dripping with Blackpolls, 2) the alders were alive with Blackpolls, 3) the place was maggoty with Blackpolls. Yellow Warblers were also unusually abundant. Despite looking at so many warblers there was not a single unexpected species.
Rough Totals
Blackpoll Warbler - 250
Yellow Warbler - 45
Northern Waterthrush - 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 30
Wilson's Warbler - 20
Black-and-white Warbler - 25
Common Yellowthroat - 4
Black-throated Green Warbler - 2
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 8
Hermit Thrush - 8
WW Crossbill - 10
Pine Grosbeak - 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
The cool NW wind seems to have cleared out some of the shorebirds as well and didn't bring in anything new. St Shotts beach = 3 Semipalmated Plovers Sod Farm = no shorebirds. Low numbers of shorebirds at Bear Cove and Renews on a quick pass.
Cliff Swallow - 2 Biscay Bay (with Todd & Anne)
3 moose, 1 mink & a partridge in a dogberry tree.
B Mactavish
lancy cheng
Aug 28, 2016, 5:46:18 PM8/28/16
to
Shorebirds: there were 3 Sanderlings, 3 Semipalmated plovers on Maddox cove beach. I don't remember seeing them there before.
Also, two small shorebirds were flying over the start of East coast trail to Maddox cove at Cape Spear (didn't have binoculars with me)
LC
Also, two small shorebirds were flying over the start of East coast trail to Maddox cove at Cape Spear (didn't have binoculars with me)
LC
edhayde...@gmail.com
Aug 28, 2016, 8:47:36 PM8/28/16
to
Shorebird and tern numbers were down considerably at Bellevue Beach too, with just a trickle of turnstones and peeps, but twenty sanderling, a dozen white-rumped sandpiper and seven dowitcher. Terns still feeding capelin to juveniles. Ten Bonaparte's continuing, including one juvenile, along with a few black-headed gulls. Nothing of interest at Arnold's Cove Bird Sanctuary.
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