Quoddy Link Birds: July 12th

Bird activity in the West Isles of the Bay of Fundy has increased in the last couple weeks. Latest arrivals include numerous RAZORBILLS with their chicks as well as COMMON MURRE. We have still been seeing the odd ATLANTIC PUFFIN on some of our trips. A few GREAT-BLUE HERONS have started to show up in the islands.

A few hundred BONAPARTE'S GULLS have arrived recently and are feeding in the tide currents around Eastport and the Western Passage. There have been many groups of LEAST and SEMIPLAMATED SANDPIPERS moving through the area.

Whitehorse Island has been very active with many of the young gulls fledging. This is a big attraction for the BALD EAGLES in the area and we have seen as many as a dozen of the birds hunting for young gulls on the island. Most of the BLACK LEGGED KITTIWAKES appear to have finished their nesting effort, but a few still seem to be hanging on. We have only recorded one hatched chick so far for the entire colony and as of today he/she was still in the nest.

Shearwaters are still absent from our area, in fact, the only tubenose I have seen so far is the odd LEACH"S STORM PETREL.

Sightings of interest by day are as follows...

July 12th - an adult PEREGRINE FALCON was seen flying towards the gull colonies off Northwestern Harbour, Deer Island.

July 17th - a LEACH'S STORM PETREL was seen in Passamaquoddy Bay

July 24th - 40+ RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were sighted off Bliss Island Lighthouse and the first and only known Kittiwake chick was seen at Whitehorse Island. Many groups of small peeps, mostly SEMIPALMATED and LEAST SANDPIPERS were seen moving through the area and resting on floating rafts of rockweed. A CASPIAN TERN was seen feeding in the waters off Green's Point. One of the only NORTHERN GANNETS seen so far this season was sighted off Campobello Island. A group of 5 COMMON TERNS were seen near Green's Point.

July 27th - 5 adult BALD EAGLES were feeding at the same time on a herring ball just off Head Harbour lighthouse on Campobello Island. The birds took turns swooping down to grab multiple fish in each talon and proceed to eat them on the wing. One bird even plunged into the water and swam around in the mass of fish before managing to take flight again.

Here are some photos from recent trips!