Saints Rest Beach Report for Sunday, September 21, 2025
The volunteer team for the day included Shantel McCracken, Tawnee Dwyer, John Pickle, Rebecca Rolo, Mark Biddulph, and Jessica Moore, with Hank Scarth serving as lead volunteer.
On a beautiful September day, some 32 people visited the beach. Volunteers engaged in positive conversations with 28 individuals, including some on the boardwalk. These interactions were both friendly and inspiring, as visitors expressed enthusiasm for stories about bird migration and ongoing conservation efforts. Only one couple continued on without appearing to be looking out for roosting birds.
Recent northerly winds evidently had encouraged migrating birds to continue on their migration to South America. The day’s bird count included six Semipalmated Plovers, nine Sanderlings and seven Least Sandpipers, with one sandpiper seeming unwell. Sanderlings, which typically migrate later than the other shorebirds, provided lively activity along the shoreline for volunteers and visitors to observe.
No significant disturbances were reported. Of the six dogs present on the beach, four were on leashes.
This marked the final day of beach visits for SCEP volunteers in the 2025 season. Counter/Educator Paul Martin will continue monitoring and reporting bird numbers through the end of September to document the INP’s role as a stopover site for a wide variety of species. Afterward, the team will review volunteer and Counter/Educator observations and recommendations, verify the collected data, and begin drafting the Annual Report for review by the SCEP Committee and the SJNC Executive.
Shift time: 11:00–13:30
Temperature: 14°C rising to 17°C Winds: N5 shifting to SW 20 kph. Sunny
Report submitted by Hank Scarth, Lead Volunteer