Morning Report
7:30AM – 11:30AM
Weather: Rain, freezing rain and ice pellets; winds NE to E @ Beaufort 3-4; seas very choppy with whitecaps developing; visibility 5 to 20km
Observers: Todd Watts, Wendy Smith, Susan O’Brien
Continuous counting recorded in 15 minute blocks (the standard protocol is 15 minutes of observations followed by 15 minutes of rest)
Few birds moved into the stiff headwind. Relatively few parked offshore.
Seabird counts: Eastbound 127, Westbound 26 (standard count periods); Eastbound 203, Westbound 3 (rest/break periods)
Species observed over the bay: Common Eider, Black, Surf, and White-winged Scoters, Red-breasted Merganser, Harlequin, Long-tailed Ducks, Bufflehead, Common and Red-throated Loon, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, American Herring, Great Black-backed, Iceland and Ring-billed Gulls, Northern Gannet, Purple Sandpiper
Parked birds: Common Eider (roughly 70), Black Scoter (roughly 15), Long-tailed Duck (1), Harlequin Duck (5), Black Guillemot (1), Razorbill (3), Red-breasted Merganser (3), Common Loon (1), Red-throated Loon (1), Purple Sandpiper (8)
Two Song Sparrows consumed seed placed in front of the building.
The woods and fields were not explored. No raptors were observed.
The NB Wildlife Trust Fund and NB Environmental Trust Fund help support this project.
Todd Watts
Official Counter
Point Lepreau Bird Observatory