Monday, May 10, 2010

Spring Migration Notes

Eric Mills reports...

The migration count on Saturday was cut short by rain, but the Brier Island highlights were:
75 Brant; 34 Red-throated Loons (off Northern Point and at sea); 27 Greater Yellowlegs (17 in one area, 10 in another); 32 Purple Sandpipers; 3 Razorbills off Northern Point; 2 Eastern Kingbirds in Westport; a fine pre-dawn chorus of Winter Wrens; singing Hermit Thrushes; 2 Gray Catbirds; a (resident) N. Mockingbird; an influx of N. Yellowthroats; at least 5White-crowned Sparrows in Westport; and (not to be sneezed at!) 2 House Sparrows in Westport.
Observers were Eric & Anne Mills, Carl Haycock and June Swift.

Friday (May 7) and Sunday (May 9) were actually better birding days: a beautiful adult female Peregrine; an E. Willet; a flypast of hundreds of Razorbills on Friday; arrival of Catbirds; the resident Mockingbird singing up a storm; a Brown Thrasher strolling along the Lighthouse Road; a scattering of warblers (Nasheville, Magnolia, Myrtle, Black-throated Green, Parula, Black and White, N. Yellowthroat); a scattering of Chipping Sparrows;several singing White-crowned Sparrows in Westport; up to 5 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at a time in Westport; a brilliant ad. male Indigo Bunting at the N end of Second Street today;and an immature male Baltimore Oriole in Westport this morning.

Very pleasant birding, and, except for a few hours of rain during the NSMC and strong winds today, good conditions too.

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