28 April

Finally! After a week of slow migration, this day offered a nice variety of species with several seen in large numbers. Northern Shovelers were counted to an impressive 1428 individuals. Lots of shorebirds were also seen, among which more than 20 000 sandpipers (mostly western), 2680 dunlins and 1370 dowitchers. Another surprise was the number of Greater white-fronted Goose (1231 individuals counted) which we had thought were mostly done migrating at this time. As icing on the cake, a few whales was seen well during the day. A pod of five Humpback whales as a first from Boiler Bay for us. Counting time: 05:50-16:50. 37 420 seabirds of 45 species counted. As promised by the forecast, the wind turned from south to northwest during the morning and increased from < 3 m/s (< 7mph) to 8 m/s (18mph). In addition, it was raining almost all the time between 07:30-12:00.

Seawatchers

Bird species list:
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)	1231
Brant (Branta bernicla)	52
Gadwall (Anas strepera)	4
American Wigeon (Anas americana)	17
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)	2
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)	1428
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)	31
Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis)	496
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)	352
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)	8
Scaup sp.	1
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)	905
White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi)	43
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)	7
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)	91
Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica)	3535
Common Loon (Gavia immer)	84
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)	1
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)	9
Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)	15
Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)	720
Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)	231
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)	34
Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)	41
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)	137
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)	4
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)	99
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)	42
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)	43
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)	109
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)	1
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)	1
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)	2680
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)	52
Western/Least Sandpiper	20155
Dowitcher sp.	1370
Common Murre (Uria aalge)	2690
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba)	51
Marbled Murrulet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)	93
Rhinocerous Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)	59
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)	1
Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)	1
Mew Gull (Larus canus)	1
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)	308
California Gull (Larus californicus)	65
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)	1
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)	33
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)	86

Whale species list:
Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)	3
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)	5