[MASSBIRD] eBird Report - Cape Ann--Andrew's Point, Apr 23, 2012 (belated)

[davi...@comcast.net]

Massbird,

 

I'm sorry for the belated post regarding Monday AM's nor'easter.  I'm feverishly packing for a 6 week trip to Colorado.  Tim Spahr, Brian Harris and I were at Andrew's Point in Rockport for 4 hours Monday AM.  There was a strong passage of birds in the first hour after sunrise and the numbers tapered off after that.  The best birds were clearly 2 parasitic jaegers, 30+ northern fulmars, Leach's storm-petrel, and a single common murre.  Scoter numbers were impressive as well.

Subject: eBird Report - Cape Ann--Andrew's Point, Apr 23, 2012

Cape Ann--Andrew's Point, Essex, US-MA
Apr 23, 2012 6:23 AM - 10:24 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     With Tim Spahr and Brian Harris <br>Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.4.2. 
28 species (+4 other taxa)

Mallard  3
Common Eider (Atlantic)  65
Harlequin Duck  2
**Surf Scoter  1030 good count
White-winged Scoter  54
**Black Scoter  703 good count
Surf/Black Scoter  75
Long-tailed Duck  105
Red-breasted Merganser  4
Red-throated Loon  8
Common Loon  7
*Leach's Storm-Petrel  2     1-2 seen well and relatively close; 1 distant bird also seen.  Long wings w/nighthawk-like flight
storm-petrel sp.  1     likely a Leach's
Northern Gannet  86  (90% adults)

Northern fulmar  32  Tim had a passage of about 30 birds at sunrise, before I got to Andrew's.  Brian Harris had 2 distant birds early as well.

Double-crested Cormorant  30
Great Cormorant  2-  we saw one choke down an enormous fish. We were all shocked it was able to get it done.
*Laughing Gull  9 (all adults)
Herring Gull (American)  37
Great Black-backed Gull  30
**Parasitic Jaeger  2     Suprisingly early.  The bird I was able to see well was a light morph adult.  It lacked the "chesty" look of a pomarine jaeger and had even, dark coloration on the upperside, eliminating long-tailed jaeger which shows two-toned wings.  The bird appeared paler below than in a light adult pomarine and the central tail feathers were clearly elongated but there wasn't  a discernible "bunching" at the distal end as the twisted retrice of pomarine would likely show.  The bird's flight was swift and direct.  There was white in the primaries and the underside of the primaries showed a white flash, but lacked the double-white flash often seen (usually seen) in a pomarine.   Overall impression was of a smaller, faster jaeger than a pomarine.  It also seemed to be a little more pale overall than most pomarines I see.  Tim Spahr observed another individual later that I was never able to stay on.  His was clearly a parasitic as well. 
jaeger sp.  2
large alcid sp.  2
Black Guillemot  1

**Common murre 1  (Tim only)

Razorbill 1  (Brian only)
Rock Pigeon  1
American Robin  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
Song Sparrow  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
House Sparrow  3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 

Elsewhere today,

 

Fish Crow, 1 at the 1st roundabout on 128 in Gloucester.

Glossy ibis, 26 along Hwy 133 in Essex in a wet pasture near the Island Road.  All were closely scrutinized for

        white-faced ibis.  Unfortunately, there were none in the group.

Lesser yellowlegs, 1   in field with ibis

 

I spent about 30 minutes looking for the Ipswich cattle egret, but had no luck.

 

David Ely

Salem, MA and Boulder, CO

 

davidely At comcast dot net