We covered several areas within the refuge, starting along Beach Road. Birds we saw along the road included great egret, snowy egret, tricolored heron, peregrine falcon, osprey, royal tern, bald eagle, herring gull, laughing gull, willet, and tree swallow. Near the area of the Tom’s Cove Visitor’s Center, some birds we saw included black-bellied plover, royal tern, willet, bald eagle, red-winged blackbird, and great blue heron. The best spot was in Little Tom’s Cove past the end of the parking lot. Birds we saw there included American oystercatcher (20 with at least 8 banded), piping plover (3), ruddy turnstone, Forster’s tern, double-crested cormorant, short-billed dowitcher, black-bellied plover, great black-backed gull, osprey, and ring-billed gull. Our next area was from the Wildlife Loop parking lot to the causeway. It was very quiet along this route and we only identified turkey vulture, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, and Carolina wren. Birds along Wildlife Loop were almost nonexistent. Aside for the two channels on either side of the road near the beginning, the rest of the loop was totally dry. We only identified northern flicker and turkey vulture.
MY PHOTOS: ruddy turnstone, piping plover, American oystercatcher, osprey, great egret, tricolored heron, peregrine falcon, royal tern
