Sunday, August 18, 2019

Milford Point and Sandy Point 8/18

Hey y'all,
Today I went to Sandy Point with Eli Holton and then to Milford Point. 

Weather: cloudy then sunny. Temperature: 90 F

Overview of Sandy Point:
We picked Eli up from the Eli Whitney Museum than drove to Sandy Point. When we arrived we quickly got out of the car. Once we entered on to the trail we were getting bit by mosquitoes. Right away we saw a Marsh Wren and a Bank Swallow! Both lifers for me! We moved on to the pond area where we saw a few Clapper Rails, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Greater Yellowlegs, and a Lesser Yellowlegs, a lifer for me!   We ran into Sean Milnes. We then looked out into the LIS where we saw a few Common Terns, Black bellied plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, and the other usual suspects, including Fiddler Crabs! We left without seeing the previously reported Whimbrel. While we were walking back we ran into Greg Hanisek.
                                                            Sandy Point Photos:
Great Blue Heron

Fiddler Crab

Tagged American Oystercatcher

 Black-bellied Plover

Herring Gull

Molting male Black-bellied Plover

Black-bellied Plover
                                                                       Milford Point:

After Sandy Point we went to Milford Point. First we went to the Wheeler Marsh platform by the parking lot, and Eli found a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Then we were joined at the platform by Jo Fasciolo, who found a Short-billed Dowitcher, a lifer for me, and then found a Spotted Sandpiper. We made our way to the sandbars. There were tons of Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers, and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We moved onto to another spot that had least  1,000 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 15 Sanderlings, 20 Semipalmated Plovers, and 1 Piping Plover. Further down the sand bar Jo found a Red Knot! A few passersby flushed the bird so I didn't see it, but Eli did. We moved on to the tern colony. There was the continuing Brant, Great black-backed Gulls, Laughing Gulls, American Oystercatchers, Common and Least Tern. Eli found himself a Roseate Tern! A lifer for him. I found another Roseate Tern, then shortly after Jo found a Solitary Sandpiper, lifer for Eli and year bird for me! We moved onto to another spot where there were a lot of Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers and Short-billed Dowitchers. Eli re-found the Red Knot! The flock flew off and finally I saw the Red Knot in flight! Lifer!!!
                                                                             Milford Point Photos:
                                                                                                
Me (left), Eli (right)
                                                                                   
Semipalmated Sandpiper




Semipalmated Sandpiper

Barn Swallow

Dead Horseshoe Crab tag

Semipalmated Plover

American Oystercatchers

Continuing Brant

Baby Least Tern

Mute Swan

Mute Swan

Black-bellied Plover

Well today was very successful! 2 lifers for Eli, 5 for me
- Tony
                                                               

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