Western Sandpipers and Piping Plovers resplendent in early alternate molt, plus several FOS sightings

Mon 28 Mar 2016

   We had a great day on Bulls Island today for the waterfowl/shorebird survey, warm and sunny with more than enough breeze to keep all the bugs at bay. Justin Johnson, Grant LeMarquand, and Wendy LeMarquand, all affiliated with Camp St. Christopher, joined me today. Grant and Wendy came all the way from Ethiopia, yea…that one, in Africa. Honestly. The F&WS folks got us out to the island (thanks, Alex) and back (thanks, Sarah). 

   The rain gauge had accumulated 2.73 inches of rain from this weekend's rain event, no piddling amount. Both New Pond and Pool 3 are full to the brim and both either leaking (New Pond) or draining (Pool 3) into Jack's Creek. Even so, the water in Jack's has dropped just a bit but has much more to go so that the dike construction can get back on track. Fortunately their recent dike repairs seem to be sound and holding well.

   The birding was pretty good today. We tallied 47 species on the survey proper, 73 on the island, and 86 on the day's outing. Our combined eBird checklist on the day is appended, below, FYI. Notable sightings included modest numbers of several remaining waterfowl species, many Western Sandpipers looking quite resplendent in early alternate (breeding) plumage, an uncommon (for Bulls) Red Knot in early pre-alternate molt, Wilson's Plovers, Piping Plovers (none sporting leg bands or flags but some showing beautiful early alternate plumage), high numbers of both Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitchers, and first-of-season (FOS) sightings of Black-necked Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Sandwich Tern, Barn Swallow, and Painted Bunting.

   Non-avian sightings included many horseshoe crab carapaces washed up on the beach, fox squirrel (2), bobcat (scope view of the cat walking across the mudflats well out in Jack's), deer tracks, and a smattering of butterflies. 

   Looking ahead at the tidal calendar and my personal calendar suggests the following dates to consider for our next survey:

Fri 8 Apr 2016 5.8 ft high tide forecast at 9:14 AM

Mon 11 Apr 2016 5.1 ft high tide forecast at 11:54 AM

David

dcmclean

eBird Checklist Summary for: Mar 28, 2016

Number of Checklists: 2

Number of Taxa: 86

Checklists included in this summary:

(1): Bull's Island Ferry

Date: Mar 28, 2016, 08:51

(2): Cape Romain NWR--Bull Island

Date: Mar 28, 2016, 09:23

27 Gadwall -- (2)

32 American Wigeon -- (2)

13 Mottled Duck -- (2)

134 Blue-winged Teal -- (2)

52 Northern Shoveler -- (2)

7 Lesser Scaup -- (2)

33 Black Scoter -- (2)

34 Bufflehead -- (1),(2)

1 Red-breasted Merganser -- (2)

1 Common Loon -- (1)

2 Horned Grebe -- (1)

550 Double-crested Cormorant -- (1),(2)

2 Anhinga -- (2)

1 American White Pelican -- (2)

40 Brown Pelican -- (1),(2)

1 Great Blue Heron -- (2)

8 Great Egret -- (1),(2)

51 Snowy Egret -- (1),(2)

2 Little Blue Heron -- (2)

17 Tricolored Heron -- (1),(2)

2 Green Heron -- (2)

180 White Ibis -- (2)

26 Glossy Ibis -- (2)

1 Black Vulture -- (2)

5 Turkey Vulture -- (2)

1 Osprey -- (2)

1 Northern Harrier -- (2)

2 Bald Eagle -- (1),(2)

1 Clapper Rail -- (2)

1 Sora -- (2)

11 Common Gallinule -- (2)

2 American Coot -- (2)

26 Black-necked Stilt -- (2)

6 American Oystercatcher -- (1)

11 Black-bellied Plover -- (2)

2 Wilson's Plover -- (2)

20 Semipalmated Plover -- (2)

8 Piping Plover -- (2)

1 Killdeer -- (2)

21 Greater Yellowlegs -- (2)

28 Willet -- (1),(2)

11 Lesser Yellowlegs -- (2)

2 Marbled Godwit -- (2)

5 Ruddy Turnstone -- (2)

1 Red Knot -- (2)

25 Sanderling -- (2)

1002 Dunlin -- (2)

8 Least Sandpiper -- (2)

210 Western Sandpiper -- (2)

1145 Short-billed Dowitcher -- (2)

1 Bonaparte's Gull -- (1)

28 Laughing Gull -- (1),(2)

1 Ring-billed Gull -- (2)

13 Herring Gull -- (1),(2)

89 Forster's Tern -- (1),(2)

28 Royal Tern -- (2)

4 Sandwich Tern -- (2)

8 Black Skimmer -- (2)

12 Mourning Dove -- (2)

4 Belted Kingfisher -- (1),(2)

2 Red-bellied Woodpecker -- (1),(2)

1 Downy Woodpecker -- (1)

1 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) -- (2)

2 White-eyed Vireo -- (2)

2 crow sp. -- (2)

42 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2)

26 Barn Swallow -- (1),(2)

3 Carolina Chickadee -- (2)

2 Tufted Titmouse -- (1)

1 Marsh Wren -- (2)

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- (1)

4 Gray Catbird -- (1)

5 Northern Mockingbird -- (1),(2)

20 Cedar Waxwing -- (1)

2 Northern Parula -- (1),(2)

1 Pine Warbler -- (2)

4 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) -- (1)

1 Yellow-throated Warbler -- (1)

1 Savannah Sparrow -- (2)

2 Eastern Towhee -- (2)

7 Northern Cardinal -- (1),(2)

1 Painted Bunting -- (1)

21 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2)

4 Common Grackle -- (1)

34 Boat-tailed Grackle -- (1),(2)

3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1),(2)

This trip summary was created using the eBird app for iPhone and iPad.