Report created by Paul Martin, Shorebird Counter and Educator for the Shorebird Conservation and Education Project with the Saint John Naturalists Club.
Start time: 6:50 am
High tide: 10:53 am (7.4 M)
Finish time: 5:30 pm
Weather:
Start: 12 Deg Cel, Fog, Wind: 6 km/h NNW
Finish: 22 Deg Cel, Clear, Wind: 24 km/h North
Boardwalk (6:54 am) View Full eBird Checklist
15 Species: Canada Goose, Mallard, American Black Duck, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow, American Pipit, Common Raven
Irving Nature Park Tidal Flats (12:06 pm) View Full eBird Checklist
10 Species: Black-bellied Plover, American Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, American Pipit
Parking Lot by Gate, beside Rules Sign overlooking Marsh (1:40 pm) View Full eBird Checklist
2 Species: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper
Tidal Flat Head Lookout (4:52 pm) View Full eBird Checklist
8 Species: American Black Duck, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant
Disturbances to Birds:
There was limited time between stations as I juggled between doing 2 tours for Aquila Tours today on top of my shorebird counting. I started the day on the boardwalk at sunrise where a coyote sat on the opposite shore and watched me for a while, there were no birds of prey present.
Between the 2 tours I had an hour to go to mudflats and watch as the tide was falling, again I did not see any birds of prey and there were limited peeps on mudflats. Small flocks of birds were flying often which suggests birds of prey were present in the area.
While waiting for the bus to arrive, I was sitting in the parking lot overlooking marsh when I began to witness flocks flying over the road, down across the marsh to the river and moving down river to the flats. Automatically I started counting them and added station to eBird. It’s interesting to note that the numbers are greater than what we have been seeing on the beach, which suggests either the Island or birds coming from further up shoreline to go to mudflats.
To finish the day, I drove up to the low tide point out on the tip of Taylor Island, where I witnessed peeps feeding both at the edge of flats to bay and along mudflats. I couldn’t tell for numbers but there was a significant amount of birds off towards Lorneville.
All day the winds have been blowing from the North, I will not be surprised to see a large decrease in remaining numbers over this next few days.
Counter/Educator: Paul Martin
The Shorebird Conservation and Education Project is supported by our funders at the NB Wildlife Trust Fund, the NB Environmental Trust Fund and Birds Canada.
