South beach birding

This past Monday Jeff and I joined a Wellfleet Audubon trip to South Beach led by Ellison Orcutt.

A short boat ride is the only way to access this area.

Just last year we were able to hike here from Lighthouse Beach.

A long six mile walk one way..

This year its much different..a few storms have made a cut about half way thru the long sandy peninsula..making it impossible to walk the distance.

We scanned the area where we first arrived..

Lots of terns and peeps.

We walked south..

More peeps..

Mostly Semipalmated Plover

taking cover on an island of beach debris..

While searching thru this area of gulls, terns and shorebirds…

A birder spotted a gull that needed a closer look..

See the gull in the water middle of photo..

My 20x zoom couldn't reach it..

So Jeff tried digiscoping a few..

A bit blurry..

Life Bird for us!

Little Gull!

More Plover..

 Wilson’s Phalarope

It was a beautiful day..

A few clouds and a nice breeze blowing..

We walked on..

Plovers..Hiding Piping Plovers

can you count them all?

A cropped version of the photo above..

see them now?

We walked further south..

Stopping to scan thru more terns and gulls..

We find Godwit and Whimbrel and other goodies..

Did I say it was a beautiful day?

Yeah..it was…

Commercial clammers..

Raking for clams..

The Loot..

Back to the birders..

Here they are..

The clouds are pointing to another special bird..

Down here somewhere..and too far for my tiny lens..

Black Tern..

Long distance views..

Scopes are needed..

We walk from the bay to the Ocean side..

Looking for Pelagics..

Enjoying the scene..

The seals..

This boat is tagging sharks..

During the next month, they hope to capture 20 white sharks and attach technology that will make it possible for anyone to track the surface activity of each fish on the team’s publicly accessible website.

click on the link below to read more..

Surging shark activity puts Cape Cod in the jaws of a craze / Video

Oh lookie here..

More terns!

It was time to walk back to the bay side..

Four hours go by quickly when birding..

We stop to scan thru more peeps..

Mostly Semipalmated Plover

We *tern* around and 

low and behold

Yep..more tern..

Ellisons count on the tern we saw

1 Black Tern
450 Roseate Tern
2400 Common Tern (Common)
1 Forster's Tern

We need to leave..

But not until we pish out a Saltmarsh Sparrow..

Then…Sadly

The boat awaits..

 

Birds of the Day~

South Beach, Chatham, Barnstable, US-MA
Aug 19, 2013 9:33 AM - 1:33 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:     <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.6.2
36 species (+2 other taxa)

American Black Duck  
Common Loon  
Double-crested Cormorant  
Great Egret  
Snowy Egret  
Osprey  
Black-bellied Plover  
Semipalmated Plover  
Piping Plover  
American Oystercatcher  
Willet  
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs  
Whimbrel  
Whimbrel (American)  
Hudsonian Godwit  
Marbled Godwit  
Ruddy Turnstone  
Red Knot  
Sanderling  
Semipalmated Sandpiper  
Least Sandpiper  
White-rumped Sandpiper  
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic)  
Wilson's Phalarope  
Little Gull  
Laughing Gull  
Ring-billed Gull  
Herring Gull  
Great Black-backed Gull  
Black Tern  
Roseate Tern  
Common Tern  
Forster's Tern  
Horned Lark  
Tree Swallow  
Barn Swallow  
Saltmarsh Sparrow  
Red-winged Blackbird  

Wellfleet Audubon walk..

Last week Jeff and I took a drive to Wellfleet Audubon.

We wanted to sign up for a boat trip to South Beach.

We were able to nab two spaces on a newly formed trip to South Beach..the following Monday..(photos of that awesome trip soon)

We decided to take a short walk to the bay to see what shorebirds were around.

This fella below is not a shorebird. :)

We walked into one of the viewing platforms that overlooked the saltwater marsh..

We saw one Great Egret and scads of American Crows.

On our way off the platform I sighted these beautiful old screws and screw holes…

I took a photo with my camera…

and one with my ipod..

Which one do you like better?

The colors are certainly very different ..

We took the boardwalk over to the beach..

Many American Goldfinch frolicking about..

A quick scan showed very few shorebirds..

We spotted an someone from Audubon ..she said the numbers of birds were low today.

We did see a small assortment of Plovers, sandpipers, gulls and terns.

Nothing close enough for my small lens..

We were on a tight schedule and had to be back in Chatham..

We plan to visit again and hope the numbers of birds have increased with migration.

Jeff and I are currently back in Lexington without Homey..staying in a family members home. I have an annual Drs. visit today. We head back to the Cape soon!