Seawatch - 25 September 2014

Observation time: 0559 - 1851

Observer: Skye Haas

[Two Brant flying past the Seawatch. Photo by Skye Haas.]

Species observed:

Brant – 2

American Black Duck – 1

Surf Scoter – 1

Black Scoter – 6

Dark-winged Scoter – 14

Brown Pelican – 1

Double-crested Cormorant – 17

Laughing Gull – 28

Herring Gull – 5

Greater Black-backed Gull – 3

Caspian Tern – 2

Forster’s Tern – 3

Royal Tern – 5

Parasitic Jaeger – 3

Long-tailed Jaeger – 1

Jaeger sp. – 1

Calidris sp. – 8

Total: 101

A note from Skye:

I must admit I didn't have high hopes for today as I drove up the Cape in the predawn stormy weather, and upon arriving at the count site, I couldn't even see the 8th Street Jetty for the first hour of the count due to the rain and fog. So imagine my surprise in the second hour when the fog rolled back a couple hundred meters when a small dark jaeger came fighting its way through the wind down the seawall! The bird was clearly a juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER and gave me some great looks as it flew right in front of me and up over the seawall before rounding the yellow house at the end of the lot! Very exciting and a rare treat for me! The next hour of the watch ended up being the most productive which is not saying too much, as only a few Parasitic Jaegers flew by and a handful of dark-winged scoters moved through the troughs. The afternoon was nearly dead, but a Brown Pelican and a pair of Brant gave me something to look at besides the Caspian and Royal Terns. I think the next few days should be a bit dryer, hopefully a few more ducks start flying. 

Now you can be treated to the worst Long-tail photograph ever!

[Long-tailed Jaeger. Photo by Skye Haas]