Report created by Erin Brown, Shorebird Counter and Public Educator for the Shorebird Conservation and Education Project with the Saint John Naturalists Club.
Counts
Flats
- From the parking lot above the flats, I observed a Peregrine flying over the flats and then chasing a small bird. This seems to have sent most of the birds off the flats. Only 20 “peeps” were seen. A group of 60 Black-Bellied Plovers was counted.
- Other birds included: 129 gulls, 7 Black Ducks, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 11 Canada Geese, 5 Great Blue Herons, 16 Cormorants, 1 Eider, and around 30 unidentified ducks.
Marsh
- 74 “peeps” were seen.
- Other birds seen included: 6 Great Egrets, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 54 Canada Geese, 4 Gulls, 8 Great Blue Herons, 16 Black Ducks, 2 Mallards, 3 Green-Winged Teal, 3 Common Goldeneyes, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Northern Harrier, and 1 unidentified small raptor.
Main Beach
- Shorebirds roosting: 14 Semipalmated Plovers, 1,253 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Sanderlings, 1 Black-Bellied Plover, 1 Baird’s Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin, and 35 “peeps.”
- Other birds included 2 Common Loons and 2 Gulls.
- 6 People were on the beach. All too distant to approach.
East Beach
- Shorebirds roosting: 247 Semipalmated Plovers, 1,093 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 70 “peeps.”
- Other birds seen included 5 Gulls and 1 Black Duck that flew over the beach.
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.