Early morning visit to the campground and now that we have a better idea of a good place to park the birding started shortly after wandering towards the campsite playground. Flocks of mixed warblers were moving through the canopy and some birds were visible at mid-storey and at lower levels. The sky was overcast and a south-easterly breeze made it challenging to keep tabs on warblers moving in the high canopy amongst the swaying leaves. We spent a very rewarding few hours wandering around the campsite and encountering flocks of mixed feeding warblers and our first Eastern Towhee and a drake Ruddy Duck offshore. It was difficult to leave the campground as the birding had been very good but we headed to the Obs and arrived just as the ringers were processing a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. After processing Chris kindly showed the bird in the hand and after being released it flew a short distance before landing on a branch remaining visible for even more photos.
Numbers of Swainson's Thrushes seem to have increased today and there were flocks of mixed warblers moving amongst the vegetation near to the ringing station and occasionally coming down to the water drip to drink. On the last net round a superb juvenile Chestnut-sided Warbler was trapped and shown in the hand after processing.
After lunch we went to the bridge at the end of the causeway and a selection of waders including Stilt Sands, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Plovers and one Least Sandpiper. A few more duck than yesterday with Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teals a single Black Duck and Mallard. Other species included Caspian Tern, Ring-billed Gull and Great White Egret. It started to rain so we went back to the Cozy Cove where we were staying and had a cuppa waiting for the rain to stop. Once the rain stopped we headed back to the campsite and were treated to large flocks of mixed warbler species feeding as before.
