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
- The number of “peeps” feeding was estimated at 300. There were also 64 Black-Bellied Plovers and a Short-Billed Dowitcher mixed in.
- Other birds included: 3 Gulls, 3 Great Blue Herons, 7 Cormorants, 10 Eiders, 1 Black Duck, 1 Merlin, and 1 Peregrine Falcon.
Pocket Beaches
- A: No shorebirds seen.
- B: No shorebirds seen.
- C: No shorebirds seen.
- D: 13 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Sanderling.
- Beach between D and E: No shorebirds observed.
- E: No shorebirds seen.
- Inaccessible Beaches: No shorebirds observed.
Main Beach
- Shorebirds roosting: 58 Semipalmated Plovers, 306 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 160 “peeps,” 7 Sanderlings, and 3 Black-Bellied Plovers, and 3 Dunlin.
- Other birds included 13 Gulls, 1 Common Eider, 2 Cormorants, 1 Bald Eagle, and 1 Merlin.
- There were 5 people on the beach and 1 leashed dog. 3 people were spoken to about the birds and seemed interested.
East Beach
- Not surveyed due to rough surf closing off the access.
Marsh – after high tide
- Around 53 “peeps” seen flying around in the marsh.
- Other birds seen included: 5 Great Egrets, 14 Black Ducks, 126 Gulls, 23 Canada Geese, 3 Crows, 3 Great Blue Herons, 26 Cormorants, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Ravens, 4 Common Eiders, 3 Green-Winged Teal, 1 Merlin, and 1 Belted Kingfisher.
- Again, a flock of around 25 small brown passerines were seen flying over the marsh and landing in the grasses. Sound ID confirmed them as American Pipits.
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.