Avalon Seawatch - October 8, 2011

After consecutive five-digit days at the Seawatch, today was much quieter. Calm conditions slowly transitioned to a light seabreeze for the afternoon, without a cloud in the sky all day. The first 90 minutes of the day brought a modest push of Double-crested Cormorants, along with a few pods of Common Loons and a couple strings of Northern Gannets. We also tallied three more Common Eiders today, all females, and two relatively close Parasitic Jaegers were nice during a couple painfully slow hours this afternoon. Another 27 Brown Pelicans passed by today, upping the season total to 136.

[This female Common Eider, the season's first, was a close fly-by with a pair of Surf Scoters yesterday afternoon. Photo by Sam Galick; click to enlarge.]

I'd expect another quiet day tomorrow as temperatures are expected to climb to near 80 degrees- but you never know what the day will bring at 7th Street. Today's totals are included below.

Brant - 23
American Black Duck - 10
Green-winged Teal - 9
Common Eider - 3
Surf Scoter - 83
Black Scoter - 41
dark-winged scoter - 160
Common Loon - 56
Northern Gannet - 82
Brown Pelican - 27
Double-crested Cormorant - 1,942
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 306
Ring-billed Gull - 14
Herring Gull - 50
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 162
Forster's Tern - 48
Royal Tern - 55

(Total = 3,073)