Slow bird week...but it picked up!

Barbara Seith
Sep 8, 2024
2 min read

Labor Day was breezy and a little chilly -- some odd birds nonetheless at Quonnie.

Lots of diversity, but a couple of things made me think the season has already changed. First of Season Eastern Phoebe, a Red Knot, Weird Semipalmated Plover scattered by a Northern Harrier -- oh yeah and Campers on the beach! I left @8:15 and they were still sleeping (and illegally parked). Crazy!

Quonnie Breachway

Sunrise

Semipalmated Plover

Lesser Yellowlegs

Red Knot -- looking very gray!

Northern Harrier scatters the lot of them

Semipalmated Plover

Ring-necked Gull

Blue Crab leg with Semipalmated Plover

White-rumped Sandpiper

Black-bellied Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red knot

Eastern Phoebe

Errant, late rising campers...

This guy was on my lawn when I came home...

Red-tailed Hawk

Tuesday I started early, so I could get my survey process done before my "Beach sit" event participants showed up. It was a fairly quiet day but we did get a great Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage. On Friday, someone reported and injured bird like that at Quonnie. The Common Loon that had been around for @a month was "rescued" recently too. Worries me.

Quonnie Breachway

Black-bellied Plover

Red-throated Loon

Black-bellied Plover

Snowy Egret

Black-bellied Plover

Skipped Quonnie this morning and started at Succotash instead. It is tidal phase that I don't really like this morning, so I thought I would take a drive and do a car bird instead. Not much going on anywhere.

Succotash Marsh

Gulls over Galilee

Great Blue Heron

Heaton Orchard

Eastern Bluebird

White Brook

Switch Road

Solitary Sandpiper

Thursday was a bit of a surprise -- I had two Marbled Godwits land on the Sandbar -- and tons of Swallows!

Quonnie Breachway

Tree Swallows

Black-bellied Plover & Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit on the wing

Friday was quiet on the point except for the Tree Swallow flyovers -- those were miraculous thousands of birds forming clumps and unclumping making patterns across the sky. As I was driving out, the swarmed around my car and once again I felt swallowed. The photos don't do it justice, but here they are anyway.

Quonnie Breachway

Tree Swallows

Started Saturday morning at Succotash Marsh then headed up to the Turf Fields -- there I found several birds that haven't been see much this year and I ended the day (without my camera) finding a bird that was in town while I was in Arizona -- everyone else had it, but not me -- I finally got my White-faced Ibis at Succotash thanks to a photographer friend.

Heaton Orchard

American-Golden Plover

Switch Road

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Started Sunday at a very chilly Quonnie -- I didn't stay too long, but was happy to see some American Oystercatchers on the Sandbar! Then I did another turn at the Turf fields that included a close encounter with a Peregrine Falcon and another visit with the Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

Quonnie Breachway

American Oystercatcher