Avalon Fog Day 6...Southern Shore

[brucema...@gmail.com]

Took the Fog by the Horns and searched for European vagrants from Cape Spear to Bear Cove today. Checked out grassy parking lots, ball fields, big lawns, kelpy beaches, sheltered coves etc. Nothing found. Ferryland Pig Farm Delta looking particularly attractive as it does every spring. 75 gulls and various ducks that wintered there including the Eurasian GW Teal. Didn't see the pair of Euro Wigeons. The freshwater pool by road on north side of Renews harbour looking particularly attractive this spring. A bull tied up there last summer kept shoreline grass short. It is screaming out for shorebirds or Garganey.
The E to NE winds winds continue for at least another week. The exceptional feature is the winds are originating all the way from the other side of the ocean. Most of the NE and E winds of spring only come from the mid Atlantic while the European half is all. They are an excellent direction now but aren't that strong now but will be increasing. The different aspect from other spring is that these winds are coming from France, and southern UK. Not Iceland or not so much of Ireland. These winds are not likely to catch the large numbers of European Golden Plover Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks that winter in Ireland but migrate to Iceland to nest during April. Surely a few of these will get caught in the easterly flow as it is now and maybe some non-traditional European April vagrants will show up.

Newfoundland and Labrador is on the verge of the first European vagrant of the season. Who is going find it!?!?! Let's get this show started.
B Mactavish