Duluth, Park Point, Saturday 10/6 Sabines Gull: about 2pm on the beach by the airport Whimberel: on the beach further out Surf Scoters: about 15, 2 males in breeding plumage in the harbor, before the rowing club Black Scoters: one in same group Barrows Goldeneye: by rowing club
I awoke this morning, rolled over, and tried to remember the accident. I had gotten up yesterday about 3am in the morning. Jumped out of bed, showered and realized that I had an hour before I had to start getting ready for the pelagic trip. I went back to bed and again got up before the alarm. The trip had been easy getting out of the cities, but the last quarter of the trip was through fog. But, even though slowed I got there safely in time. The trip home was even foggier and dark, and I was almost nodding off. But, I arrived home in one piece. Although I don't remember much of the trip, that was not why I was hurting this morning. Perhaps, it was when the wave hit the boat. I was standing by a rail in the back of the boat. When the wave hit, I jumped up on the rail. When I came down, I was standing in at four inches of water and regretting that I had decided not to wear wool socks. Next time I would do that differently. Although that was the adreneline rush of the trip, I did not feel sore when we debarked (or disembarked). The trip had been enjoyable. I missed the White-winged Scoters, but saw the Caspian Tern and the Bonapart's Gulls. The best bird of the trip could have been an Arctic Tern, but no one saw it well enough to make the difficult ID. There had been other oportunities to get wet, but the birds had for the most part not been cooperative. After lunch and warming my wet feet, I headed back out Park Point. The first stop, marked by a birder peering through his scope, was at the first opening in the houses along the bay. The large flock of ducks included seven species. The most numerous were Greater Scaup and Surf Scoters. The fifteen or so Surf Scoters included two males in formal breeding plumage. If I found nothing else, that made the trip. There was also a Black Scoter. One of the other birders claimed to see a male White-winged Scoter in breeding plumage, but I concluded it was one of the Surf Scoters, which on one side had somewhat more faded features. The next stop by the rowing club marked by even more scopes. they were focused on two goldeneyes. One of which was a Barrows in indistinct eclipse plumage. You could barely see the crescent on its face, but the beek and head shape were distinctly different. The woods in the marsh point by the rowing club were quite birdy. I found five different sparrows, an Orange-crowned Warbler, a second warbler that was sulking in the bushes that had a bright yellow underside, several Brown Creepers, and other birds. I could have gone deeper in and found more passerines, but birds I hoped to find that day would not be here. Before I got back into the car, a black-crowned Nightheron flew overhead. I drove out to the end of the road and headed over the dune with my scope and binoculars. Looking down the beach, I could see shorebirds and decided to hike all the way down the beach to the shiping channel. I finally reached the flock of shorebirds, which included about 55 Sanderlings and 3 Dunlins. Looking back toward town, I could see a large group of bird watches focused on something. I headed back. I kept looking around because they seemed to be studying something out my way. When I got to about 50 yards from them they signalled for me to stop. Mid-way between us was a Sabines Gull sitting in the sand. I went back over the dune and fetched my camera. The immature gull was very accomodating as it flew all around us. I got several great shots, which I will post later on the web. A young birder was counting his findings for the day. It was about 2pm and he already had 50 species, including 5 lifers, including this amazing Sabines. I finished the day with slightly more than that. I now continued on my journey out along the beach. The crashing waves and gray skyes reminded me of the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Walking in the soft sand, you had to keep one eye on the waves, which occassionally washed right up to the grass. I found and photographed a Whimberel, several black-bellied Plovers, Pipits, Lapland Longspurs, and a female Rusty Blackbird. By the time I reached the shipping channel, I was exhausted, my gear was wet from the spray, it was beginning to rain, and getting darker and closer to sundown. I headed back rarely pausing. I found hundreds of Juncos and large numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches, along with other birds along the trail. I reached my truck before nightfall totally spent, hungry, and sore. Now I realize, there was no accident. I am just suffering the aches and pains of day of extream birdwatching. Hopefully by tomorrow, I will be recovered from this birdy day. Today I did not leave home. Birds in the backyard included a Tennessee Warbler, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Belted Kingfisher, and a one eyed House Finch. Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN sweston2 at comcast.net