Waves and a Lark (Sparrow)

Monday was a quiet but lovely morning at Quonnie, but left early to take a walk at Trustom with Maria. Lots of other birders looking for the Prothonotary - good company but no new birds anywhere -- but a fun, albeit humid, morning.

Red Knot

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Egret Coven

Snowy Egret

This was my favorite thing on the Trustom walk Monday - it hopped cross the path or I never would have seen it. Clearly I was having trouble seeing it through the iPhone screen because it isn’t centered (top right). I hear tell it’s a Bullfrog

Lots of usuals at Quonnie Tuesday morning -- all looking for food -- I saw more food fights this morning that ever. 27 Snowy Egrets close up on the point -- too close. Just a few photos.

Great Egrets (and one Snowy in the front)

Snowy Egrets

Lesser Yellowlegs

Gathering of the Cormorants et. al.

Double-crested Cormorants and a Laughing Gull

Double-crested Cormorant

Wednesday I woke to intermittent rain and thick fog. I was planning on ocean birding, but that was not going to happen with the heavy fog, so I went to the woods. I returned to one of my favorite spring spots -- Buckeye Brook Road and boy was I glad I did. First I was treated to a symphony of four Veerys talking to each other and flitting through the canopy. I only wish it the light had been good enough to capture it.

Further down the road I realize how much I love being in the woods in the rain. It reminds me of camping with my family and the girl scouts. Rain sounds different in the woods and I feel lucky that in addition to the ocean, I have such lovely thick woods nearby.

Buckeye Brook Road in the rain

I did eventually get to the ocean and I decided to give the Cinematic video on my iPhone a try. the water at Camp Cronin in Point Judith was the highest I have ever seen it with the waves regularly crashing over the breakwater that is normally about 15 feet over the water.

Camp Cronin

I ended up at the beach, parking lot! A nice surprise this morning -- a Whimbrel. I could barely see it from the road, but my camera got it. Misquamicut State Beach Parking Lot...

Whimbrel in the fog

Greater Yellowlegs

Great Black-backed Gulls

Laughing Gulls

About 3:45 on Wednesday the word came out there was a Lark Sparrow at Snake Den Farm. A Lark Sparrow is a life bird for me and Snake Den is about an hour away. I had to be at my sister's house to pick them up for a family dinner by 5:10 -- there was no way to go. By the time we got to dinner there was a second bird seen and folks got great photos.

Early Thursday morning, very early, I started to Snake Den and arrived before the sun came up. Another birder arrived shortly after and we took a walk out to the fields. I heard a Red-shouldered Hawk and then a Cooper's Hawk landed on the farm shed in the middle of the field. Those two birds are bad news for other birds. A large number of Killdeer hid hunkered down in the field and shortly after the Cooper's left they all flushed at once -- flew off and came back later.

There were Bobolink and more birders -- then someone spotted the Lark Sparrow -- but it flew and disappeared quickly. At the point I need to use the restroom, so I drive a few miles to Cumberland Farms. As I was coming back -- it was found again, of course, by the time I arrived, it was gone again. Luckily shortly thereafter it showed itself again (just one today). I had a lot of help from Stan to get on the bird and some lousy backlit photos. Then it relocated and I got better (still not fabulous) photos.

Bobolink - one of many

Eastern Phoebe

Lark Sparrow

Stopped back at Camp Cronin to see what the surf looked like -- the waves and the crowds were bigger today.

Friday a long delayed (scheduling three people and weather/marine forecast issues) Whale Watch. Some other birders were thinking it was a good time to look for vagrants, so we ended up with a group of eight. My folks were new or fairly new at Pelagic birding, and frankly I am fairly new at it too. Having more experienced folks on the boat was very helpful and as usually I learned a lot.

I did not get a lot of bird photos because they went by quickly, but we had some great Dolphin time & 10 humpback whales at one time. Did not know where to look.

Great Shearwater

Wilson's Storm Petrel

Common Loon

Great Shearwater

Common Dolphin

Humpback Whales

Saturday I drove to New Jersey and tried to stop on the way to see a Roseate Spoonbill that has been hanging out in Milford/Stratford CT. By the time I got there, it was a madhouse (even though the bird has been there over a week) and despite the fact there was one parking spot left, I wasn't looking for a mod scene. I drove over to the other area the bird had been seen, but the beach cost $40 to get it and the road I thought would give me access to the lagoon looked like a private road. I pulled into a restaurant parking lot (it was before the lunch hour) and scanned the beaches across the way -- saw three Whimbrel on the near shore of Milford Point. Nice consolation! Too far for decent photo.

I left Jersey @7am and arrived at the Jamacia Bay National Wildlife Refuge a little after 8am. It was quiet, but already somewhat hot and after a short walk, I decided to was too buggy - including a LOT of Spotted Lanternflies - yuck. Had some good shots in the parking lot and very cooperative Yellow Warbler still looking very yellow.

Northern Mockingbird

Gray Catbird

Spotted Lanternfly - pretty but no bueno

Yellow Warbler

My reason for the trip to Jersey/NY was to have my Global Visit interview at JFK Airport. I arrived 1.5 hours early and they took me in pretty quickly -- I was back in Stamford, CT by my appointment time. It was nice to be home @3:30 to catch up on a few things.

Tomorrow is the last day of Tourist Summer -- I am so happy it is over!