Report created by Erin Brown, Shorebird Counter and Public Educator for the Shorebird Conservation and Education Project with the Saint John Naturalists Club.
Public Engagement
- There were 14 people on the beach during the shift and 7 were approached. All interactions were positive with 2 groups saying they would go and take a look at the birds and one man detoured around the birds on his walk by actually leaving the beach for the road.
- 1 unleashed dog and 1 leashed dog were observed on the beach.
Counts
Saints Rest – Main Beach
- 1,081 shorebirds were counted including 265 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 7 Least Sandpipers, 44 Semipalmated Plovers, and 6 Sanderlings. The rest were 759 flocks of “peeps.”
- Other birds counted included 4 Gulls, 1 Great Blue Heron, and 1 Bald Eagle.
Saints Rest – East Beach
- A group of 20 “peeps” roosted at the far end of the beach.
- Other birds included 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Gulls, and 1 Turkey Vulture.
Flats
- An estimate of “peeps” feeding across the mud flats was 1500.
- Other birds included: 9 Black Bellied Plovers, 2 Dowitchers, and 13 Cormorants.
Marsh – After High Tide
- 674 “peeps” were seen with most flying out towards the mud flats and others foraging on the mud banks of the stream. Of the ones able to be identified, 2 were Semipalmated Plovers, 9 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 1 Least Sandpiper.
- Other birds seen included 7 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Great Egret, 8 Gulls, 1 Mallard, 1 Savannah Sparrow, 1 Osprey, 6 Great Blue Herons, 1 Cormorant, 1 Eider, and 5 Dowitchers.
Pocket Beaches
A: 2 Spotted Sandpipers – 1 was still in breeding plumage.
B: 13 Semipalmated Plovers, and 1 Sanderling. 13 Surf Scoters and 1 Common Loon foraged offshore.
C: No shorebirds observed. 6 Surf Scoters and 1 Black Guillemot foraged offshore.
D: 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 2 Semipalmated Plovers.
D/E: 1 Semipalmated Plover.
E: 1 “peep” flew past the beach. 4 Common Eiders and 1 Red Throated Loon foraged offshore.
Inaccessible Beaches: No shorebirds observed.
This project was made possible with the support from our funders at the Environment and Climate Change Canada. We would like to thank our partners at Irving Nature Park and NatureNB.