Global Shorebird Counts - Day 4

September 4th, Global Shorebird Counts Day 4 

Shorebirds, mostly Semipalmated Sandpipers, feeding in a Sargassum Pool at Long Beach

Day four of the Global Shorebird Counts took me to the south coast of the island, where I birded the Sargassum Seaweed littered beach of Long Beach.  I then went to Chancery Lane, and finally Inch Marlow, for its second counting of the event.  At Long Beach, the most common shorebirds were Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla). A new addition to my Global Shorebird checklist, Sanderling ( Calidris alba) was also on the beach.  The water levels at the neighboring Chancery Lane Swamp were high, with little to no mudflats areas, so I was not surprised by the lack of smaller shorebirds in these conditions.  The larger ones though were still able to strive in these conditions, wading and finding food in the shallow parts.  In one such area in the middle of the swamp three Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), two Willets (Tringa semipalmata), and a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) could be seen doing just that.  The second time around at Inch Marlow tallied 30 more individual birds and one species, White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) than before.  Day 5 is most likely an off day for me until World Shorebird Day on September 6th and day 6 of the count.                                                                             

Here is a summary of day four's birding:

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 14
New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 4
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 4: 312 (149 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 86 Ruddy Turnstones)
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 16
Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 521

New Species

Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Willets (Tringa semipalmata)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Seen running checklist here

Images from Day 4

Lesser Yellowlegs at Long Beach

Two Semipalmated Sandpipers gingerly walking among the Sargassum slush @ Long Beach

Three Ruddy Turnstones on the mound of Sargassum Seaweed at Long Beach 

more Ruddys

A Sanderling and a Ruddy Turnstone at Long Beach

A Willet inflight at Chancery Lane's Swamp

Two Short-billed Dowitchers at Inch Marlow