Clapper Rail, Pine Point, Scarborough, ME, October 2015

While away on a business trip a post came across the ME listserve of a Clapper Rail near Pine Point in Scarborough.  The post mentioned that the bird was “continuing” from 8 days earlier – I must have missed that earlier news or perhaps it wasn’t posted on-line.  So the good news was that it was sticking around.  The bad news was that it would be at least a week until I could get there to give it a try.

I kept monitoring the listserve and eBird alerts from the road and would see occasional posts of birders still seeing the Rail.  Most birders mentioned it was seen 3-5 hours after high tide in Jones Creek, and in most all cases the bird was only visible for a few seconds.  Although all that may sound pretty specific, I couldn’t even find Jones Creek on a map.  And given that the likely viewing time would be very brief, and there was a broad expanse of marsh in the area in which to look, it would be very easy to miss the bird when it did come out into the open unless you happened to be looking at the exact right spot. 

I noticed that Louis Bevier was one of the birders who had seen it, so I reached out to him for details.  He offered to come to the site the next morning to help me find the bird.  I also contacted Denny Abbott to see if he needed the bird for his ME list.  It turns out Denny already had Clapper Rail for ME.  If I’ve got the story right, the 2015 bird may well be only the second record for this species in ME, and Denny found the first state record about 40 years earlier.  But Denny agreed to come along anyway.  Since there had been no updates for a couple days I also sent a general message to the listserve to ask if anyone had tried for it recently.  I got two replies –both birders had tried for it unsuccessfully at the right tide cycle in the last 2 days.  So although I was happy that Louis would be along to point us in the right direction, I wasn’t too optimistic that we would find our bird.

Denny and I arrived at Pine Point a short time after high tide, and found another birder, Rob Speirs, already on site.  A few minutes later Louis arrived and suggested we all go to a slightly different location, along Jones Creek Drive, to have a closer view of the best spots for the bird.  Louis pointed out a small island of spartina grasses roughly 200 yards to the northwest of our location – apparently the bird was spending it’s time at higher tides in this island, and briefly coming out to the nearby flats at lower tides.  So we all set up our scopes and began our vigil.

About an hour later, and at about 3 ½ hours after high tide, Rob yelled – I’ve got the bird!  Sure enough there was the Clapper Rail walking along the edge of the island of vegetation exactly where Louis told us.  A few seconds later it disappeared back into the island, just as it had previously.  But this time it soon came back out, and we were able to watch the bird off and on for the next several minutes as it kept walking in and out of the grasses.  It even stayed out in the open long enough to snap this passable phonescoped photo. 

Many thanks to Louis Bevier for his expert help on pointing us in the right direction – I doubt we would have been able to find the bird on our own.  And thanks go to Rob Speirs for first spotting the bird. 

Clapper Rail is #337 for my ME list, and New England total tick #2,014.  I’ve now seen this species in every coastal state touching the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (see my statebird map below).  Plus I’ve seen the recently split Ridgway’s Rail in CA and AZ.

After seeing the Rail Denny and I went to Hills Beach in Biddeford where we found an adult Little Gull and a Hudsonian Godwit.  All in all a very nice day!

105 Species (including a Lifer!) in Nova Scotia, Canadian Maritimes Vacation – Part 3 of 3 –September 2015

This post summarizes the Nova Scotia portion of my Canadian Maritimes birding trip.  The previous posts summarized my first 2 days of birding in New Brunswick, and the 2 days on Prince Edward Island. 

Day 4 – Ferry to Caribou, NS and Ride to Halifax

As the ferry motored out from the PEI shoreline into open waters I not only kept an eye out for birds passing by, but also kept checking my GPS to see when we would cross into NS waters.  Birding north of the PEI/NS line was rather slow, with just the regular gulls and occasional Gannet, so nothing new for my PEI list.  But of course just after the boat entered NS waters all these regular birds were new for my NS list.  And then a Red-throated Loon flew by and landed near the boat – tantalizingly close to PEI waters but I could only add it to my NS list.  As we neared the Caribou harbor I added the only Great Cormorant, Razorbill, and Common Tern I would get for NS, along with a large flock of gulls that was too far away to check for rarities.  I was tempted to do a little birding nearby, but still needed to make a 90-minute drive to my Halifax hotel that evening, so just decided to just head to the hotel.  Along the way I had the only Red-tailed Hawks for NS, and a couple Mourning Doves which I missed in the PEI portion of the trip.  I ended the day with just 20 species, but several good ones to start the NS portion of my trip.

Day 5 – Halifax Area

I started my day just before sunrise at Hartlen Point in Dartmouth which is known as a great migrant spot.  The first bird of the morning was a Pheasant, which was a surprise but I presume countable given that I would see 4 or 5 more on the peninsula that morning.  After a short walk along some brush-lined paths I neared the trail to Back Cove which is the spot for migrants.  But it was easy to tell this wasn’t going to be a big migrant day – I had just a couple Yellow-rumps calling overhead and a few Savannah Sparrows calling from the brush along the way.  I got to the cove and found next to no passerines at all.  Complicating my trip was that I wasn’t on the right path, and found my way to the shoreline instead of a bit inland among the brush and trees.  Though I did find an immature Goshawk which was my only one of the trip.  I only spent a couple minutes looking out on the ocean, finding a pair of Surf Scoters which surprisingly turned out to be my only ones for NS, and a couple Guillemots.  And I’m certainly not complaining about the view of the rising sun over the ocean.

I backtracked and finally found the correct trail to the woodlands at the cove.  But it was overgrown with waist-high grasses that were full of morning dew.  After just a couple minutes my jeans were soaking wet, so I abandoned the trail and this part of the peninsula altogether.  I made a quick stop near a small pond along the northern edge of the golf course, and added my only Pied-billed Grebe of the trip, my first Greater Yellowlegs, and Mallards.  As I left Hartlen Point a Willet flew by, giving me just 22 new birds so far for NS – a very slow start at what I had hoped to be one of my best stops in NS.  But I was leaving the area a lot earlier than expected, so that would give me more time at other hopefully birdier locations.

I next headed east toward the boreal forests at Mines Road in Chezzetcook.  Along the way I picked up a flyover Sharpie and my only NS Grackle at a small town park.  When I arrived at the western end of Mines Road the habitat was just as advertised - very nice conifer forests with a scattering of boreal bogs.  My strategy was to drive along very slowly listening for bird activity, then get out when I would run into pockets of birds.  Although birding was slow in places, I quickly added regulars like Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and White-throated Sparrow.  Mixed in with the groups were occasional warblers like Palm, Blackpoll, Magnolia, Wilson’s, and Black-throated Green.  Several places I ran into small groups of Boreal Chickadees, though I couldn’t find any of the other hoped-for boreal specialties.  And my only addition from the bogs was Ring-necked Duck.  I left Mines Road, still a bit ahead of schedule, and with 14 new NS species which was a very respectable total.

Next I was heading for Three Fathom Harbor to try for shorebirds and waterbirds.  Along the way there were numerous tidal wetlands and freshwater lakes deserving a few stops here and there.  I kept finding Greater Yellowlegs but no other shorebirds – where were the other species?  At one spot I noticed a flock of about 50 ducks flying overhead and then landing in a small lake next to the road.  I pulled over and with a quick glance realized that they were Wigeon.  As I started to pan thought them I told myself that it would be nice to find a Eurasian mixed in.  And just then I picked out a male Eurasian Wigeon.

I arrived at Three Fathom Harbor at a rising mid-tide, and eventually found a small group of shorebirds on a sandbar including Semi and Least Sandpipers, along with a few Black-bellied Plovers.  But that was it for shorebirds.  A couple stops looking out on the open water were also slow.  I was now starting to worry about finding seaducks on the NS part of the trip.  Still my only Scoters were a pair of Surfs at my early morning stop. 

The final stop of the day was Salt Marsh Trail in Cole Harbour, which is a converted railroad line running more than 2 miles one-way through tidal marshes.  The NS birdfinding guide described this spot as being one of the very best shorebirds spots in NS, which certainly got my attention.  But a long walk this late in the day might take its toll.  I arrived a couple hours before full high tide, and the first shorebirds I found were more Greater Yellowlegs.  There had to be more species somewhere…  A bit later I noticed some shorebirds flying to a very distant sandbar.  Even at 50 power I was struggling to identify the birds, though the Black-bellied Plovers were easy to pick out.  Then I saw another larger shorebird that I tried to turn into a Knot.  Just when I was about to say it was too far away to be sure, a flock of 40 others flew in.  This time I could see their uniform grayish coloration above, confirming the ID.  Not sure I’ve ever seen so many Knots in one spot. 

As the tide continued to rise the shorebirds kept flying into this one sandbar.  So I decided to keep scanning this one spot in hopes that other species might fly in.  Eventually I was able to pick out a few Dunlin, a couple Short-billed Dowitchers, and a Willet.  Then a calling pair of Golden Plovers flew overhead and landed with the others.  When the entire flock was flushed by a Merlin that made a couple passes through the area I decided to move on to check out other parts of the marsh.

Now the tide was nearly full high, and there were many Yellowlegs flying around looking for high tide roosting sites.  Finally I found a few Lessers in a large flock of Greaters.  With no other mudflats exposed, I decided to call it quits and head back.  On the trip back I realized that the salt marsh along the trail looked like great Nelson’s Sparrow habitat.  I’ve never tried to get one to respond to tape, but on a whim I thought I’d give it a try.  On my second stop playing Nelson’s call notes I heard some chip notes coming from the grasses nearby – there were 2 Nelson’s just a few feet away from me.  (On the NB part of my trip I was in similar saltmarsh habitat but didn’t play Nelson’s tape – sure wish I had now.)  As I was putting away my speakers a small group of calling Pectoral Sandpipers flew overhead – my 11th shorebird species for this stop.  A great way to end the day. 

Or at least I thought they were the last birds of the day.  As I drove to my hotel in Shelburne I passed through a wooded area near dusk where a Woodcock fluttered over the roadway.  That gave me 69 species for the day, and 75 new species for the NS part of the trip – the low end of my target range for the province.  The birds weren’t coming easily, but I was slowly checking them off.  And with another full day of birding plus a ferry ride in NS, I was optimistic that I would reach if not exceed the upper end of my target range of 100.

Day 6 – Cape Sable Island and Yarmouth

My plan for Day 6 was to spend much of the day on Cape Sable Island, one of the very best birding spots in NS for both migrant passerines and shorebirds.  But if birding was slow as it had been for many of my NS stops so far, I picked out a nearby inland woodland spot, the Clyde River Loop, to bird late in the day.

I arrived a bit before dawn at a spot called “The Hole”, detailed in the birdfinding guide as one of the best migrant spots on the island.  But migrant passerines were few and far between – here I added only Waxwings and Robins.  Though a Peregrine and several Merlins were nice.  And the best birds were 3 calling Whimbrels that flew over at dawn.  And of course I can’t forget this sunrise.

I then took a little walk around the area and added Black-and-white and Yellow Warblers and a pair of Catbirds, but landbirding remained slow.  I then decided to head to a different part of the island and came upon a marsh that featured a mixed flock of Yellowlegs.  Then I noticed 3 larger shorebirds which turned out to be Hudsonian Godwits – a nice surprise.  Another stop yielded a Harrier, a late Barn Swallow (my only swallow of any species for the trip), and a pair of Cowbirds in a Starling flock.  Then I headed to the coast where I finally got Sanderlings on a rising tide.  Plus I ran into this first year Lesser Black-backed Gull.

But that gave me only 13 new birds for the day and 88 new species for NS – I was getting worried about reaching my upper end target of 100. 

At one of my next stops a car pulled up alongside.  The driver turned out to be another birder, and a Cape Sable Island resident to boot.  He offered to help me fill some gaps in my list, with the first stop being the spot for Oystercatcher on the island.  Right on cue, there was an Oystercatcher on the flats next to the road.  This species turns out to be a key target for the Cape Sable area since there is a small isolated breeding population there, the northernmost nesting location anywhere.  He took me to a couple other spots but with no luck on several targets.  As we parted ways he suggested another landbird spot on the island where I was able to add Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  He also agreed that the Clyde River Loop would be a good spot for some woodlands birding.  Plus he told me about a spot in Yarmouth where good migrants had been seen lately. 

Since birding was slow on the island I had some extra time on my hands, so I headed to the Clyde River Loop in Shelburne County for some more woodlands birding.  Birding was quite good here, and I added the only Pileated Woodpecker of the trip, and finally got Red-breasted Nuthatch.  But now it was starting to get late and I realized I wouldn’t have time to bird both the rest of the Loop and go to Yarmouth.  It was a bit of a toss-up, but with the potential for additional migrants I headed to Yarmouth.

Unfortunately the Yarmouth spot was a bust – good habitat but no birds.  But my late evening route to my hotel passed by some good coastal habitat where I added a lone White-winged Scoter, but another distant Scoter flock was too far away to ID.  That gave me 68 species for the day and 93 new birds for NS. 

Day 7 – Yarmouth and Ferry to Portland, ME

The only remaining birding I planned for the trip was the ferry ride from Yarmouth, NS to Portland, ME.  And although I was expecting to get a few new birds from the ferry, I worried that I wouldn’t get the 7 new species I needed to get my NS tally to 100.  So I wondered if I could squeeze in a little birding time in Yarmouth before getting on the ferry.  But then again, would I even have a realistic chance of finding anything new in that urban location that I hadn’t already seen in 2 days of birding in excellent habitat?  Until now my strategy was to focus on birding at the best hotspots.  But now perhaps I could target specific species I still needed for my list.  For instance the Cape Sable birder mentioned that House Finches were regular in Yarmouth.  And maybe House Sparrows might be a reasonable target in downtown Yarmouth as well.  Hard to believe I had missed both of these on the trip so far, yet they are so common in New England.  So I went onto eBird and looked for recent sightings of both species.  Most of the recent House Finch reports seemed to be concentrated in 2 locations, although House Sparrow sightings were more scattered.  With maybe one hour to bird before having to get in line for the ferry, I picked out 2 possible spots to try for House Finch and 1 for House Sparrow.

I arrived at the first House Finch spot at first light – it was a classic suburban site where you would expect House Finches calling from the small back yards.  A few minutes later I started to hear White-throated Sparrows calling from nearby, and then the sharp chip notes of a Cardinal (#94 for NS) – I had forgotten I still needed that one.  But there were no Finches.  So I quickly headed to the other Finch location just a short distance away.  I only spent a couple minutes there because there were no birds at all.  Mindful of my very limited time I went back to the first spot, and noticed some migrant passerines in one backyard.  The first bird I found was a Parula (#95) -  nice surprise though still no Finches.  I went to my iPhone to get directions to the House Sparrow spot, and had some trouble pulling up the right location.  While struggling with the app I heard a Downy Woodpecker call (#96), and then a House Finch finally sang (#97).  Might be the first time I was happy with “operator error” on my smart phone.

With just a few more minutes available, I arrived at the possible House Sparrow spot, which was a small park in an industrial area.  As I arrived I heard a number of Yellow-rumps, and several small trees seemed to be alive with birds.  I quickly picked out 2 Rusty Blackbirds (#98) at the top of one tree, and then got a quick view of a rare Gnatcatcher (#99).  As I was just about to leave a small group of Red-winged Blackbirds landed in the tree (#100), along with a pair of House Finches. 

Though I never found House Sparrow I added an amazing 7 new birds to my NS list in less than an hour in some pretty limited habitat.  And they were 7 species I had missed in 2 full days of birding at some of the best birding spots in NS!

Next up was the 10-hour ride on the ferry from Yarmouth to Portland, ME.  As I waited for the ship to leave the dock I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the best location to bird from.  The bow was out of the question since there were no vantage points there.  Though one level has a large viewing area looking out on the bow through glass panes, it would only offer a brief view of any bird that might be right in front of the ship.  I then went to the stern, and found several levels with open views directly behind the boat, and to both sides.  I choose the 9th level because it has wide sweeping views of the water – at least 180 degrees – with no obstructions.  And just before we left the dock I set up my MapQuest app so I would know when I crossed the NS/ME line. 

As we left the harbor there were a few Guillemots and a number of large gulls, but no hoped for seaducks.  Then we got to open water where there were quite a number of Gannets in the air, then I saw the first of 3 Great Shearwaters fly by the ferry (#101), quickly followed by the only 2 Kittiwakes of the ferry ride (#102).  Birding was a bit slow for the next couple hours until I noticed several big splashes just off the stern.  It was a Great Shearwater diving into the water trying to elude a larger dark bird with white flashes in the primaries.  It was a Skua, but which one?  I got several views of the undersides of the bird as it continued to chase the Shearwater and it had paler feathering below, making it a Great Skua.  A lifebird – number 747 for me in the ABA area.  With a recent pelagic trip out of Bar Harbor, ME reporting 9 Great Skuas, I was hoping that I could see one from the ferry.  And I was especially happy to get such good looks at the bird given that I was watching from a boat traveling at about 20 knots.  A little later a couple nearby Cory’s Shearwaters (#104) were anticlimactic by comparison, as were a pair of Phalaropes flushed from alongside the boat that had to remain as “Phalarope, sp.” (#105). 

Soon thereafter we crossed into ME waters where the wind dropped to near calm, and viewing conditions continued to be excellent.  Except for a 15-minute lunch break during a slower time, I stayed on the stern counting birds by the hour for the entire 10-hour ride.  I picked up many more Shearwaters in ME of all 4 of the regular species.  For the entire ride I counted 823 Shearwaters - 480 Greats, 14 Cory’s, 7 Sooty, 2 Manx, and 320 unidentified sitting on the water (likely mostly Greats).  Other notables were 19 Fulmars, 459 Gannets, 1 Red and 3 unidentified Phalaropes, and 1 adult Pomarine and 4 unidentified Jaegers.  Plus I had 2 Harriers and 2 Peregrines migrating past the boat seemingly taking the same route as we were.  But alas no Great Skua, or any other new bird, for my ME list.

And the cetaceans put on a nice show as well, all in NS waters.  I’m no expert on whales, but at one point I saw blows of at least 4 whales together which were likely Right Whales based on the blow angles.  Plus there were at least 2 larger whales, one of which appeared to be very large and had an all pale body.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pale-bodied whale on any of the whalewatch or pelagic trips I’ve taken.  Could it have been a rare Blue Whale?

Trip Summary

For the entire Maritimes trip I ended with 290 ticks – 100 in NB, 85 in PEI, and 105 in NS, along with 140 total species.  All in all a most successful trip compared to my target range of 200-275 ticks, especially given the slow birding at times, though certainly aided by the nice weather I had for the entire trip.  And of course adding a lifebird in the Great Skua was just icing on the cake.  Not to mention finding several rarities.  That brings my totals to 766 total ticks and 271 species in Canada.  Still pretty low numbers, but since I started the year with just 415 total ticks and 237 species, that’s a nice improvement.  And I now have 13,633 total ticks throughout North America.

What’s next for birding in the Maritimes?  My totals for NB, PEI, and NS are still less than half of the old ABA reporting threshold, so there are lots of pretty easy birds yet in all 3 provinces.  For instance a breeding season trip with a couple days in each province could perhaps net 50 per province.  Plus I have never birded in Newfoundland and St. Pierre et Miguelon.  Still lots of potential for new birds in the Maritimes.

85 Species on Prince Edward Island, Canadian Maritimes Vacation – Part 2 of 3 – September 2015

This post summarizes the 2-day Prince Edward Island portion of my Canadian Maritimes birding trip.  The previous post summarized the background for the trip along with my first 2+ days of birding in New Brunswick.  The next post will discuss the Nova Scotia portion along with a summary of the entire trip.

Day 3 – Afternoon in Borden-Carleton

Local PEI birder Dan McAskill called me just as I was finishing my NB birding and offered to bird with me later that afternoon on PEI.  It’s always great to bird with the local experts who know the best places to bird, not only helping me find birds I might not get otherwise, but also getting to places quickly and efficiently.  This was especially important given my limited time on PEI.  Dan suggested we start at an area just across the Confederation Bridge in Borden-Carleton principally for shorebirds and marshbirds.  I wasn’t familiar with this site, but it sure sounded like a very good spot. 

I met Dan at 3:30 and our first stop was at a pair of sewage ponds full of ducks (dabbling ducks of 5 species and a few Ring-necks), and Bonaparte’s Gulls.  We then made our way down to the shoreline where we picked out distant Sanderlings, Black-bellied and Semi Plovers, and Dunlin.  A large gull flock was sleeping on the beach and Dan mentioned we should look through them for Lesser Black-backed.  Just a couple minutes later I found a 2nd/3rd cycle Lesser.  On our way back to the car we flushed several sparrows from Spartina grasses along the beach edge.  All were Savannahs until a different one popped up and sat very cooperatively in grasses right in front of us – a Nelson’s Sparrow.  Quite a start.

Next we drove to an adjacent wetlands where the mosquitoes outnumbered the birds.  But between swatting the flies, we were able to find a small number of shorebirds with good diversity – both Yellowlegs and Dowitcher on the flats and flyover Leasts and Pectorals.  A perched Merlin and flyby Harriers were nice additions, along with Red-winged Blackbirds perched in the marsh.

As we walked back to the car we reached a small treeline with a few migrant passerines.  Several passed by eluding identification, but we were able to ID individuals of 4 warbler species and a Red-eyed Vireo.  Little did I know that that would be my best warbler spot for the whole PEI portion of the trip.  As we drove out Dan spotted a perched Wood Duck making up for the one I missed earlier.  On our last stop together Dan took me to an Eagle nest with a cooperative adult perched nearby.  As we parted ways Dan agreed to bird with me the next day as well – which was most appreciated given his excellent knowledge of the island.

As a final stop for the day Dan suggested I visit Hydes Park in Cornwall.  This suburban park included a wooded trail, small pond, and a couple small sewage lagoons.  Here I added a flock of vocal Grackles, Wigeon in the lagoons, a flyover flock of Geese, and Robins in the woods.  That gave me a very respectable 48 species for a partial day of birding.

Day 4 – Eastern PEI and Ferry to NS

Dan’s plan was to start at East Point at dawn, then work our way west and south through eastern PEI, eventually making my way to a 4:30 PM ferry from Wood Islands, PEI to Caribou, NS.  East Point is well-known as the best birding spot on PEI.  Aptly named as the easternmost point of land on the island, you bird from the top of cliffs affording great views of the open ocean to watch for seabirds and landfalling landbirds.  As we arrived the first thing we saw were numerous Gannets passing right overhead.  Even when the birding was slow it was great fun watching these birds fly so close by. 

View from East Point, with Gannet just left of the sign

We soon picked out Common Eiders and Red-breasted Mergansers swimming below, along with a few Razorbills.  A couple flyby Great Cormorants and Guillemots were nice, along with small numbers of all 3 Scoters.  But despite our initial success, Dan said it was actually very slow, with few seabirds migrating by. 

We walked around the point to the south to get a different vantage point where we spotted a flock of Bonaparte’s feeding in the surf.  Then I noticed one bird that lacked the white primaries and dark wing tips – it was an adult Little Gull.  I’ve never picked out a Little Gull before based on the color of the upperwings.  Other flybys here included a couple Common Loons, a few Common Terns, and several Kittiwakes.  Another highlight here was a lone Longspur calling overhead.

Next we walked to the north to see what migrant landbirds we might find in scrubby conifers just back from the cliff.  But it was extremely quiet, picking up just a lone Winter Wren, and some Swamp and White-throated Sparrows.  So we decided to walk back a short distance from the point along a field edge to see if we had any better luck with landbirds there.  The first birds we came upon were 2 calling Gnatcatchers – great birds that far north.  But it was still very slow, with Siskin being the only other addition to the list. 

We came back to the point for one more short seawatch, and quickly picked up 2 adult Parasitic Jaegers harassing a nearby flock of feeding Terns.  But with little else moving on the water, he decided to leave East Point and made our way a short distance inland.  We picked up a few odds and ends like Red Nuthatch, both Kinglets, Purple Finch, and Flicker, and we were lucky enough to run into a small group of Boreal Chickadees which can be a challenge on PEI.  When we picked up a flyover flock of Waxwings that gave me #75 for my PEI list – which was excellent given how slow it was both for seabirds and landbirds. 

Dan then took me to a number of spots along the northern and southern coasts of the island, as well as to several inland wetlands.  We picked up a lone (of course) Solitary Sandpiper, a female Pintail, and a rare Vesper Sparrow in with a flock of Savannahs.  Later we found Blue-winged Teal and a Hooded Merganser on a lake, and Semi and White-rumped Sandpipers on a nice mudflat.  And along the way we made a stop at the ferry terminal in Souris picking up the “elusive” Rock Pigeon. 

Dan and I parted ways mid-afternoon, and I headed to Wood Islands for the late afternoon ferry.  My only addition along the way was a pair of Golden Plovers I saw from the ship just before it left the dock.  From the ferry I had a number of Gannets and all the regular gulls but nothing else, though there were more birds waiting for me as I crossed the line into NS. 

I ended my second PEI day with 71 species, and a total of 85 for the entire PEI portion of my trip.  That was much higher than my hoped-for range of 50-75, which was tremendous given the limited time available and the slow the birding in most locations.  I can’t thank Dan McAskill enough for all his excellent help; I could have never found so many birds on my own.  Dan offered to bird with me again in the spring some day – maybe even doing a big day together.  Needless to say that could really boost my PEI province list.