Hi,
With his family, Fred Holzmer walked and picked up plastics along Ona Beach
on March 25. He reported: "As we got about a half mile north of Beaver
Creek on the beach, we noticed a flock of what looked like large ducks
feeding along the shoreline-wash where shorebirds normally feed. As we got
closer, we discovered it was a flock of 32 mallard ducks shoveling for mole
crabs or other invertebrates. I'd never seen mallards in that setting
before. When a wave washed up, rather than running upslope, as shorebirds
do, the mallards just rode the wave until it began to recede and then
resumed foraging. It was fun to watch this gender-balanced flock feeding
at the shoreline. Since they don't have pointy beaks like shorebirds, they
had to take a shallower angle of probing the shoreline sands. See attached
photo from my iPhone, not good resolution but you get the idea."
On March 26 at 2:40-4:00 PM, Fred walked along the Hatfield Marine Science
Center Nature Trail "at high tide hoping to see the Pintails. I was pretty
quiet when I arrived, just an occasional bird here and there. But as time
went along, and the tide began to recede, more bird activity developed. As
I was heading back towards the parking lot, I heard a cackling flock behind
me, and it was good-sized flock of N. Pintails. This time they were mostly
resting, paddling near shore into the SW-wind, and some came ashore for
preening. Over time, I estimated over 200 in the flock. Such beautiful
birds!"
Other birds he identified at the HMSC Trail:
3 Osprey
6 Red-breasted merganser (2M and 4F).
Lots of bufflehead: difficult to count but easily over 100 that flew in in
groups and spread throughout the middle of the estuary.
8 Brant: showed up as the sand bar began to be exposed with the receding
tide.
Golden-crowned Kinglets: numerous small groups flitting through the
confiners. Shy and busy!
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Happy Birding!
Range Bayer
Attachment:
2020-03-25-Ona Beach by Fred Holzmer-IMG_0795.jpg
Description: JPEG image
