Day One

Laughing Gulls, Rudy Turnstones and Sanderling roosting at high tide
Note the Red Knot and Short-billed Dowitcher in the bottom picture

May 13th

Up early for a check on the local beaches. Still very overcast and dull but many birds at some sites. We Checked out the Reed's Beach area then briefly scanned Cooks and Kimbles beaches before running across to Stone Harbor, but not going far out on the point. Most of the day was then spent sorting out at base and shopping at Acme!
In the mid afternoon we returned to Stone Harbour and walked to the point to scan a few Red Knot just before high tide. Piping Plovers were scattered across the area with 13 pairs breeding we later discover. American Oystercatchers at this site have all lost eggs to predators (fox claimed to be the culprit) in addition to some recent stormy weather washing the tide across the spit. We see a fine summer plumaged Common Loon on a small lagoon near the car park. A few Killdeer seen but lots of Semipalmated Plovers in small flocks scattered across the sand plains. Probably 200 or more in total. Not much else of note except a few Common Terns in courtship flights, some Least terns darting about and a scattering of gulls mostly (American) Herring Gull and . Red Knot numbered less than a 100 along with a few Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone. At high tide they seem to be settling on a small crescentic ridge or going across to Champagne Island to the SW.

Beaches at dawn

Stone Harbor spit
Clive, Alice and Larry checking out the Red Knot