by Laurie Pocher
MYBC welcomed a special guest walk leader, Dan Gardoqui, who took us through a couple of hotspots in Wells - Drakes Island and Harbor Road - in search of migrating shorebirds. We were not disappointed!
The morning was cool and foggy and threatened to be quiet… but a Bonaparte’s Gull and a Gray Seal welcomed us to Drakes Island shortly after we arrived. We walked a short distance to the beach near the jetty, where we saw several hundred sandpipers and plovers feeding along the water’s edge. Most were Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers, with a handful of Sanderlings and Least Sandpipers, a pair of Piping Plovers, and a single Greater Yellowlegs.
Other species on Drakes Island included a dozen Double-Crested Cormorants, a few Feral Pigeons and European starlings, American Goldfinch, Northern Mockingbird, Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher (15 species in total).
We relocated to the marshes along Harbor Road, where yesterday’s rain and the high tide had created the perfect habitat for lots of shorebirds. A couple of MYBC members added lifers with Black-Bellied Plovers and Stilt Sandpipers. Foraging nearby were a small group of Short-Billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Green-Winged Teal, a Belted Kingfisher, a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and a Great Egret.
The large mixed flock continued foraging, completely unfazed by an adult Bald Eagle perched nearby, although they did scatter momentarily when a Merlin flew through and landed in a tree on the side of road. A large mixed flock of Great and Snowy Egrets were gathering further out in the marsh, and Tree and Barn Swallows were feasting on an abundance of insects.
On the northern side of Harbor Road, we saw a flock of Canada Geese, more Egrets, a single Herring Gull, and a few Lesser Yellowlegs. We also saw (or heard) a Carolina Wren, a Gray Catbird, a Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrows, a Yellow Warbler, and a few American Crows.
We headed down to the harbor, where we saw a couple of Spotted Sandpipers, a ton of Double-Crested Cormorants, as well as Herring, Ring-Billed, and Great Black-Backed Gulls, and a single Harbor Seal. An adult Red-Tailed Hawk cruised over the marsh, but the egrets and gulls didn’t take flight until an immature Bald Eagle headed in their direction. We watched as an Osprey repeatedly dive-bombed the Eagle, eventually driving him to land on the marsh.
All in all, Harbor Road and the Harbor netted us 35 species, bringing our total to 42for the day. You can view our trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/153573
Keep your eye out for our September trip announcement coming soon! Happy Birding!
