Birdwalk Highlights for 8/29: Gorman Park, Crystal Spring Farm, and Wharton Point.

A gorgeous late summer day with migration of all sorts underway provided a perfect backdrop for some local sampling. We began with a short stroll along Leon Gorham Park here in town, finding a small mixed flock that contained 1 NORTHERN PARULA, 1 AMERICAN REDSTART, and a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. Later, we encountered a migrant NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and another parula, and we heard a singing CAROLINA WREN.

We stopped at some of the fields of Crystal Spring Farm, where we had a decent tally of 14 KILLDEER before arriving at Wharton Point at shorebird prime time. It seemed that quite a few shorebirds had already departed as the tide came in, but it's possible many departed for good on the favorable winds last night and early this morning. In fact, we watched as 34 of the 37 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS that were present as we arrived took off, circled the bay and then rose on a thermal before disappearing to the south. Vismig!

There were plenty of shorebirds to look at though, with a wheeling group of 350-400 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS moving about. After the flock was split by a marauding MERLIN right in front of us, they spread out, but as the tide reduced the mudflats, we were treated to a group coming much closer to us. This allowed us to tease out a single WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. 8 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS, and one each of GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS were also present.

A total of 11 SNOWY EGRETS and 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS, at least 6 OSPREY, and 2 LAUGHING GULLS were on the mudflats or over the water, while a few migrant passerines flew overhead, including 3 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS and at least one BOBOLINK.