Day two of the delayed spring waterbird count saw a drop in species diversity, but higher counts of common species like Canada Geese and Common Mergansers. The open water that was close to Shepler’s Cove the previous day had all frozen over, leaving very little for waterbirds to rest in. Fortunately, the winds today were strong- at an average of fourteen miles per hour- and from the east for most of the day. By 9:30 AM the thin ice was breaking up and getting pushed to shore, resulting in re-opened channels by the end of the count. Sunlight briefly broke through the cloud cover at around 11:30 AM, and by 3:00 PM the cloud cover began to dwindle rapidly. Highlights for the day include a Merlin seen flying east at about 10:45 AM, and a pair of Gadwalls. After completing the survey at Shepler’s Cove I returned to McGulpin Point to see how much of the ice had been blown away, and found enough had been removed to begin surveying there tomorrow.
Canada Goose – 53
Gadwall – 2
Greater Scaup– 1
Common Goldeneye – 44
Common Merganser – 91
Red-breasted Merganser – 4
duck sp. – 3
Others Species:
Bald Eagle – 1
Merlin – 1
