Today was a nice flight, totaling 14,000+ birds, primarily scoters and cormorants. Double-crested Cormorants were evident throughout the day, with large flocks here and there with smaller groups filling the time between. Over 6000 were counted, with early morning and dusk pushes containing the biggest flock sizes. Most birds were heading down Sea Isle, but many were far out at the horizon, disappearing for extended periods of time when they got too close to the water.
6400 scoters graced the Seawatch today, a respectable number for this time of year and sub-optimal winds. Many flocks were too far out to confidently assign to species, but some of the late evening flocks came close and gave great views in the afternoon lighting. 142 Green-winged Teal, along with an Eider, a couple Long-tailed Ducks, and 7 Bufflehead highlighted some of the diversity today. Also worth mentioning is that Northern Gannets have become more common and were easily seen throughout the day, many close to the jetty, so if you are looking to see some gannets and good scoter numbers, then these next few weeks are best!
Thanks to the 15+ mph Northwest winds, quite a few birds were flying in off the ocean today. Four Northern Harriers and an American Kestrel were the most interesting raptors coming off the ocean today, along with the more expected Merlin and Peregrine Falcons. Passerines coming in included a good number of Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Goldfinches, along with some Pine Siskins, a couple Chipping Sparrows, a Brown-headed Cowbird, a Purple Finch, and an American Robin.
Check out the Trektellen totals here: http://trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20181024
-David
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