Sea Watch Thursday December 9, 2010

Despite the nearly frigid weather at Avalon, or quite possibly due to it, the waterbird flight was most enjoyable. The Goose flight once again stole the show, and was like yesterday on steroids. The single day Canada Goose record was shattered, and it was actually nearly beaten in just the first three hours of the day. Once again, Canadas dominated early and gradually gave way to Snow Geese as the day progressed. The single season record for the Avalon Seawatch for Canada Goose was apparently broken as well. Spicing up the Goose flocks were intermittent Blue morph Snow Geese (6-8), as well as 5 Cackling Geese, including one mixed in with a Snow Goose flock. Double-crested Cormorants also put on a nice showing for December, topping out at almost 200, and there was yet another group of (11) Redheads. Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls continued to move, and 2 Great Egrets were my first from here in quite a while. The number of Purple Sandpipers hanging around the jetty is now up to 38.

There are currently thousands of Snow Geese migrating overhead around here, most visible. Tomorrow should be yet another decent day for them, at least in the morning before the winds shift completely around.

Total Individuals counted: 31,102

Location:     Avalon Seawatch
Observation date:     12/9/10
Number of species:     44

Snow Goose     6610
Brant     9
Cackling Goose     5
Canada Goose     20325
Tundra Swan     5
Wood Duck     1
American Black Duck     93
Mallard     54
Northern Pintail     1
Redhead     11
Ring-necked Duck     17
Greater Scaup     11
Lesser Scaup     2
Greater/Lesser Scaup     5
Aythya sp.     39
Common Eider        24 (no new migrants)
Surf Scoter     186
White-winged Scoter     10
Black Scoter     26
Surf/Black Scoter     26
scoter sp.     24
Long-tailed Duck     59
Bufflehead     16
Common Goldeneye     9
Hooded Merganser     33
Red-breasted Merganser     42
duck sp.     38
Red-throated Loon     1219
Common Loon     9
Horned Grebe     2
Northern Gannet     418
Double-crested Cormorant     197
Great Cormorant     2
Great Blue Heron     15
Great Egret     2
Turkey Vulture     6
Bald Eagle     1
Sharp-shinned Hawk     1
Cooper's Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Killdeer     2
Ruddy Turnstone     3
Sanderling     4
Purple Sandpiper     38
Dunlin     4
Bonaparte's Gull     391
Ring-billed Gull     833
Herring Gull     332
Great Black-backed Gull     5
Rock Pigeon     X
Red-breasted Nuthatch     2
American Robin      55
European Starling      X
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)      1
Song Sparrow      1
Dark-eyed Junco      2
Red-winged Blackbird      X
Boat-tailed Grackle        2
House Finch       1
House Sparrow        X