Brigantine 8/20

We zipped on down to Brig today--what a joy to be able to do that from the new house. As Shari said, it is a lot easier to enjoy the 8 mile wildlife drive when you haven't already driven 100 miles just to get there.

The shorebird activity was pretty good. A thousand, probably more, Semipalmated Sandpipers. There were likely some Least, maybe a Western, who knows, even a White-rumped mixed in to the various flocks but unless I'm standing practically on top of one of those I don't dare call it--especially now when the semis themselves have such variety in their plumage. Both yellowlegs were there in good numbers, some dowitchers, a Willet, which was a tiny surprise, and one Ruddy Turnstone.

The 2 highlights of the day were the Spotted Sandpiper that was incongruously running along the dry road, dashing in and out of the grass edges and the 3 Caspian Terns we spotted loafing on a sandbar along with 6 Black Skimmers, terns, gulls, peeps and dowitchers.
36 Species
Canada Goose  75

Mute Swan  3    Gull Pond
Mallard  10
Double-crested Cormorant  100
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret  100
Snowy Egret  20
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  60
Osprey  9
Black-bellied Plover  15
Semipalmated Plover  20
American Oystercatcher  4
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  10
Willet  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  20
Ruddy Turnstone  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper  1000
Short-billed Dowitcher  10
Laughing Gull  100
Herring Gull  20
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Caspian Tern  3    NW Pool
Common Tern  100
Forster's Tern  20
Black Skimmer  6    NW Pool
Mourning Dove  2
Willow Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  2
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  2
Gray Catbird  1
European Starling  100
Red-winged Blackbird  1
American Goldfinch  4