WPBO Sightings

Highlights: Parasitic Jaeger, Black Scoter

Waterbirds: The day started off slowly, but the last 2 hours of the count picked up. Sightings included all three scoter species, Redhead, Black-bellied and American Golden Plover and Baird's Sanpiper (photo below). We also had a nice pass from a Parasitic Jaeger (photo above).
Cory and I have been doing the best we can trying to identify jaegers to species and to determine if the same individual is remaining at the Point, a very difficult task. Just visible in the above photo are the pointy central tail feathers of a young Parasitic. These feathers were longer and pointier than the feathers on the Parasitics most recently seen at the Point (see photos in most recent posts). The last Parasitic we observed with streamers this long and pointy, other than an adult, occured on 9/19. The Sept. 19th bird also appeared more pale headed than today's bird, so I assumed this was a new bird. 40+ Dunlin came by the Point after the count had ended.

As I covered the waterbird count, the woods didn't get much coverage today. The Harris's Sparrow was still at the feeders. A cuckoo was seen from the Point, and Keith and Wendy had a Yellow-billed this afternoon. There were lots of Pine Siskins at the feeders today.