A sunny day today - how lovely to be off on a bird outing! Our birders ended up at the Miracle Beach Provincial Park in the afternoon, for a meander along the shoreline, a look over the Black River mouth and a walk back to the cars via a forest trail. Our time there ended up being a lesson in identifying birds in the far distance, except for a few shorebirds detected as we reached the beach area. Photos below are intended for practice in what to look for as pointers in identifying distant birds rather than being clear shots - do check them against photos in identification guides or on the internet. We also stopped by Oyster Bay before returning to the Valley, but found the tide was so low, the Bay was empty. Any birds sighted were offshore or in flight. Oh well, we enjoyed the fresh air and each other's company.
The bird species count at Miracle Beach was fifteen: Mallards, American Wigeons, Eurasian Wigeon, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers, Black Turnstones, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneyes, Black Oystercatchers, Great Blue Herons, Northern Pintails (in flight), Scaups (in flight), Bald Eagles, Common Ravens and Chestnut-backed Chickadees.
The bird species count at Oyster Bay was eight: Mallards, American Wigeons (in flight), Black-bellied Plovers, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Ducks, Buffleheads, Common Loon and Bald Eagles.
The bird species count at Miracle Beach was fifteen: Mallards, American Wigeons, Eurasian Wigeon, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers, Black Turnstones, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneyes, Black Oystercatchers, Great Blue Herons, Northern Pintails (in flight), Scaups (in flight), Bald Eagles, Common Ravens and Chestnut-backed Chickadees.
The bird species count at Oyster Bay was eight: Mallards, American Wigeons (in flight), Black-bellied Plovers, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Ducks, Buffleheads, Common Loon and Bald Eagles.