Plum Island Shorebird Sunday

Sunday morning was shaping up to be another gray & rainy day (like Saturday)and Pamela and I were trying to figure out what we'd do with our day when Paul and Diana called. They were interested in seeing whether the Buff-breasted Sandpiper that had been reported at Sandy Point (at the south end of Plum Island) was still around. It sounded like a good idea and soon we were off and running to P.I. We made a couple of short stops on the way south including one where we encountered a few Whimbrels (photos below) and an Eastern Meadowlark. When we reached Sandy Point we ran into another birder that assured us that the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was being seen well at the beach. There was also an immature Peregrine Falcon perched in a nearby bare branch in the parking lot.
As we approached the beach, the sun broke through the clouds and we saw that there were quite a few birders already there (including several friends) and more assurances that the Buff-breasted was just "right there... wait, where did it go?" Thankfully, while the bird wasn't only a couple of feet away anymore, we were able to relocate it relatively quickly - and over the next half-hour or so we got stunning looks at the bird, and a few photos that I was pretty happy with...
Other shorebirds in the area included a single Baird's Sandpiper (which I could not get photos of), a single Red Knot, White-rumped, Semi-palmated, and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Piping, Semi-palmated, and Black-bellied Plovers:
If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see the webbing between the toes - i.e. "semi-palmated"

In addition to the Peregrine Falcon that we saw in the parking lot, there were another TWO immature birds (At one point,we actually saw all three at once!)which periodically strafed the shorebirds, but we never saw a single one caught.
I have to admit, that last shot involved quite a bit of luck, but boy am I happy with it!
Oh and while we were there, apparently so was Kim of the Curious Birder blog. I thought I recognized her, but wasn't sure and so I didn't say anything - should've know better. You can read her account of what she saw here.

A photo that I took that was less luck, and simply patience was this pretty little American Lady:
And it's just as pretty on the bottom of the wings...

Driving back north on the island, we once again saw the Whimbrels that we saw earlier in the morning, and I took some time getting some photos:

Throughout the entire time we were on the island, there were always thousands of Tree Swallows in sight, and even though I expected to see them, it is still amazing. Every year before migrating they "stage" on Plum Island - it's really quite the spectacle! (I posted a few photos and a video that I took last August here - but you'll need to scroll down a bit.)
What was rather unexpected though was a large bird in the "salt pans." We really didn't know what to make of it at first - seemed pretty large with a lot of gray and white, and was holding it bill up in the air. My first thought was a loon, but it was riding too high on the water . Getting the scope out clinched the id - it was an immature Northern Gannet - definitely not a bird you expect to see in the shallow pans of the salt marsh. It didn't seem too dazed, and was active and occasionally preening, but certainly not where it should be. It even stretched it wings, and looked like it might take off once or twice before settling it's wings back in again. It was pretty cool seeing it rather close (it closed the distance by half while we were there) but at the same time a little sad, because I'm not sure it it will "make it."

The birding was topped off with lunch at one of our favorite Thai restaurants - Andaman Thai in Newburyport. Another great day out birding capped by a good meal - seems to be a common theme these days... and I'm not complaining!