Orange County Caspian Terns, 08/15/21

Shorebird migration hitting its stride has really gotten my birding blood pumping. On Saturday and early Sunday morning I birded the black dirt and Liberty Marsh and had a total of 10 species of shorebirds (Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, and Solitary Sandpiper). If I add my mystery shorebirds from last Sunday, which turned out to be UPLAND SANDPIPERS, that’s 11 species of shorebirds in a week.

~Caspian Tern in flight above Cornwall Bay, 08/15/21.~

But, as much as I love shorebirds, the real excitement began later in the morning when Bruce Nott notified me that he had several CASPIAN TERNS at Cornwall Bay. I headed straight over and joined Bruce. Two of the terns had departed, heading south, but that still left six Caspian Terns present. We enjoyed watching as the 3 adult birds actively fished and periodically brought back their prey to feed the waiting and calling 3 juvenile birds. We also had some shorebirds fly in and stay on the sandbar briefly – by my count there were 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a single Least Sandpiper. Eventually the terns all settled in on the sand bar presumably content for the moment. We departed definitively content. Huge thanks for Bruce for the heads up and the awesome company.

~Caspian Tern at Cornwall Bay, 08/15/21.~

~Caspian Tern over the treetops, Cornwall Bay, 08/15/21.~

~CATE at Cornwall Bay 08/15/21.~

~Great Blue Heron at Beaver Pond on Friday evening, 08/13/21.~
~For all the shorebirds I’ve seen recently, decent photos are tough to come by as the birds are always so distant. I’ve looked at hundreds of Killdeer this week, here’s one at Skinners Lane, 08/12/21.~
~Sandhill Cranes in a ditch in the black dirt, 08/14/21.~
~House Wren in the black dirt, 08/14/21.~
~Red-tailed Hawk in the black dirt, 08/15/21.~

3 thoughts on “Orange County Caspian Terns, 08/15/21”

  1. Loved your recent photos as always, but the house wren made me wish I could have been close enough to chuck it under the chin which is what I’d like to do with the one at our house who comes and burbles in the arbor next to the kitchen window in the morning.

    1. It’s nice to hear you enjoyed that photo, Mary, I almost didn’t include it. For all the House Wrens I have in my yard, they never allow for photos. I had to go all the way to the black dirt, lol. Matt

  2. GlAd you saw the terns. I am on a non birding trip to Romania and so far wS able to see about 25 species including spoonbill, lapwing,serin , green woodpecker, black tailed Godwit, little egret, whiskered tern,black winged stilt, red backed shrike, chaffinch, squacco heron ,little owl, crested lark etc. all of these I have seen before. Hope to be home Saturday.
    Bruce

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