ISS count Snake Island & Piping Plover chicks

Yesterday I went out to Snake Island with Bill Mcbride , we had a nice paddle out and then did a count of Oystercatchers, Willets and Spotted Sandpipers. We had something like 26-30 American Oystercatcher's all with their young already hatched, about 20 Willets and 10 Spotted Sandpipers. Snake Island has the highest breeding populations of AMOY in the greater Boston area. Also the first of the Revere and Winthrop Piping Plovers have hatched, and dear LORD are they cute. Additionally Belle Isle has had a Little Blue Heron this past week.

                                                Eastern Kingbird in the Belle Isle meadow

                                                      Little Blue Heron , immature bird

                                                Bill packing up the "storm eyes"

                                                     1 day old Piping Plover chick

                                                          Oystercatchers on Snake

 Mixed flock shorebirds: Least, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitchers, Black-bellied Plovers

                                            Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitchers