The fall 2016 season has come to an end. Things were slowing down in the past few days and more birds were resting in the Straits than migrating. The last day was overall unremarkable, but at least it was warm despite strong SW winds. The highlight was probably 2 Black Scoters. This season brought more Black Scoters than I had anticipated. I suspect that Black Scoters may have surpassed Surf Scoters in total individuals. I will post a season summary once I have all the data compiled.
It was a very enjoyable season with many wonderful birds. This season’s data will tell us a lot about how waterbirds utilize the Straits in the fall. I’m grateful MSRW invited me to do the count!
Mallard – 3
Redhead – 53
Lesser Scaup – 1
White-winged Scoter – 26
Black Scoter – 2
Long-tailed Duck – 291
Common Goldeneye – 8
Red-breasted Merganser – 14
Common Loon – 10
loon sp. – 1
Horned Grebe – 1
Red-necked Grebe – 4
Double-crested Cormorant – 1
Bald Eagle – 4
