16 May 2015

Sat 16 May 2015 Bulls Bay Nature Festival birding and nature walk on Bulls Island


Sat 16 May 2015

   Wil Christenson and I co-lead today's birding and nature walk on Bulls Island for the 3rd Annual Bulls Bay Nature Festival. As one of the key sponsors of the Festival, Coastal Expeditions (CEX) got us out to the island and back with our group of 16 other birders. Bulls was busy today with overnight customers, a FULL 9 AM ferry of regular customers, plus two groups of Festival participants touring Bulls. (The other, larger group took a driving tour of the island with Bob Raynor.)

   We walked on our tour today through the picnic grounds, out Turkey Walk Trail, to the beachfront, and back along Beach Road. Upper Summerhouse Pond (USP) had the best birds of the day for us. We had brief scope views of a near Least Bittern, long scope views of a nearby Anhinga, good scope views of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (4) flying in and then floating at distance, good scope views of a male and female pair of Wood Ducks out in the middle of USP, and a quick flyover flock of Red Knots. 

   Other notable avian species included Gull-billed Terns, Caspian Tern, Whimbrel, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and several Painted Buntings.

   Non avian sightings of note included Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin and fox squirrel. 

David

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