[CT Birds] Southport Survey #118 +

[Dennis Varza]

Southport Survey # 218
The Sky was cloudy with a breeze out of the north. The water was calm  
and Sunken Island Exposed. The Sanderling were busy all over the  
island. Long-tailed Ducks were common and scattered along the shore.  
The White winged Scoter were a surprise. In the past they were  
constant, and up to 50 birds during migration. This is the most I  
have seen in a couple of years. Goldeneye seem to have passed their  
peek with only two off Southport Beach. There were no loons (except  
for one in the harbor) and Horned Grebes were scarce. It looks like  
the Great Black-backed Gulls have started pairing up.

The golf course ponds remained frozen but the harbor was completely  
open. The surprise was 2 coot found north side of the harbor bridge.  
The geese in the harbor looked like the small migrant geese, not the  
local “giant geese”. The lower harbor was full of the Buffleheads. At  
Southport Beach  the gulls and the puddle ducks were working the  
mouth of the creek.

Dennis Varza
Fairfield

DATE	2/2	2/7	2/13	2/18
Tide	Low	High	High	Low
Time	7:10	7:15	8:10	7:15

Brant	270_18_11_58
Canada Goose	240_112_370_285
Mute Swan	4_2_8_2
Gadwall	4_4_17_8
American Wigeon	8_2_14_9
American Black Duck	141_58_16_42
Mallard	72_46_52_36
Long-tailed Duck	275_7_85_292
Bufflehead	28_22_22_54
Common Goldeneye	120_57_30_2
Hooded Merganser	57_6_18_16
Common Merganser	0_0_1_0
Red-breasted Merganser	22_20_21_12
Red-throated Loon	1_1_1_1
Common Loon	4_0_4_0
Horned Grebe	11_1_2_3
Great Cormorant	3_1_5_3
Great Blue Heron   	1_0_0_0
Killdeer	0_0_1_0
Ring-billed Gull Ad.	158_220_102_71
Ring-billed Gull Im.	2_5_0_1
Herring Gull Ad.   	203_106_96_181
Herring Gull Im.    	16_9_7_11
Great Black-backed Gull Ad.	6_4_2_6

Burying Hill Beach 9:40-10:00
Most of the ducks and geese were in the creek. Off shore a fair  
number of Long-tailed ducks, a few Goldeneye, Red-breasted Mergansers  
and Brant. There were no shorebirds.

Brant	18
Canada Goose	10
Mute Swan	2
Gadwall	8
American Black Duck	10
Mallard	8
Long-tailed Duck	50
Common Goldeneye	14
Hooded Merganser	6
Red-breasted Merganser	14
Common Loon	2
Horned Grebe	6
Great Cormorant	1
Ring Billed Gull	14
Herring Gull	48 Ad/1 Im
Great Black-backed Gull	1