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Hi All, Dad, Peter LeBlanc and I just returned from the salt-marsh trail where we saw a Brown Pelican. The bird was 1.5 km in the trail from Bisset Road. It was very tame and very close to the trail itself on the inland side. We watched it catch 4 fish by swimming and jabbing its bill into the water. We called Mike and Fulton as soon as we spotted the bird to spread the word and Mike arrived just as we had to leave, so he should have an update. Also I believe Fulton is en route to the bird and may soon have additional news. The pelican was a great way to wrap up our last three days of amazing non-stop “My Best Friend is Earl” birding. The hurricane provided me with three highly enjoyable lifers (Magnificent Frigatebird, Snowy Plover and Brown Pelican). Dad was ecstatic to pick up 5 lifers and Peter was thrilled with 6 lifers. We missed the Bridled Tern by less than 5 minutes, as well as the Sandwich and Gull-Billed Terns but all the other fantastic birds more than made up for our losses. Like many others we saw, several Royal Terns, Caspian, Forster’s, Common’s, Black Skimmers, as well as too many to count Laughing Gulls. On the first day it was thrilling to watch the South Polar Skua fly over the golf course as well as Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers zipping over the land. Leaches were flying though backyards and a few Wilson’s fluttered over the water, we saw only 1 shearwater, a Sooty and 1 Red Phalarope, but I know more were seen by eagle eyes Fulton. After leaving Hartlen Dad, Fulton and I had a Long-tailed Jaeger fly over us from the Salt-marsh Trail heading for the open ocean. While Day 1 of Earl for us was all about the seabirds, Earl Day 2 provided tons of terns and other goodies. Thank You to Fulton who first called us about the frigatebird and then Mike who provided additional details which able us to relocate as it flew over the BIG FLAME at the refinery on its way back to Hartlen. It passed so close to us that we were able see every feather and bare pare of the bird. It was amazing to see the deflated throat sac blowing in the wind like a wattle. The frigatebird just glided along but even so within a minute or two of passing us Mike could already see it from the beach in Eastern Passage. Also special thanks to the person who discovered the Snowy Plover (not sure who, as we learned about it second hand from Fulton, but thanks, and thanks again to Fulton). Lastly I wish to thank Scott Pelton and Paul Kempster who took us out on a tour of St. Margaret’s Bay where we had great looks at Royal & Forster’s Terns and of course more Laughing Gulls. Paul and Scott were also the ones who had us all on the look out for frigatebirds as Paul had spotted one in the bay, it was a male and was last seen heading in the general direction of the Eastern Shore so may well be the very co-operative bird that arrived at Hartlen. I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy some aspect of Earl. - Cheers, Clarence
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