16 folks visited Star Island on Labor Day, and the birds made hard work of it.  The species tally was reasonable, but I cant honestly say it was a good day of birding because the little buggers were excruciatingly furtive.  I have no doubt we missed more birds than usual.  Temps in the late 70’s, calm, clear skies, 2 days on the heels of tropical storm in a teacup that was lady grey.  Full tally as follows:

Common Eider – uncounted

White-winged Scoter – 2 (Griffith, Kras)

Common Loon – 1

Sooty Shearwater – 1 (Lambert)

Northern Gannet – 10

Double-crested Cormorant – uncounted

Raptors – 0

Semi-palmated Plover – 1

Greater Yellowlegs – 1

Spotted Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone – 3

Least Sandpiper – 2

White-rumped Sandpiper – 1

Laughing Gull – 10

Bonaparte’s Gull – 2

Herring Gull – uncounted

Greater Black-backed Gull – uncounted

Common Tern – 2

Black Guillemot – 2

Mourning Dove – 2

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO – 1 (fortunately seen by all)

Eastern Kingbird – 1

Red-eyed Vireo – 2

Tree Swallow – uncounted (low to mid double digits)

Bank Swallow – 3

Barn Swallow – 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 5

Carolina Wren – 3

House Wren – 1

Catharus sp. – 1

American Robin – 4

Gray Catbird –  uncounted

Brown Thrasher – 1

Cedar Waxwing – uncounted (low double digits)

Tennessee Warbler – 1

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER – 1 (Hully)

Nashville Warbler – 3

Yellow Warbler – 7

Chestnut-sided Warbler – 2

Magnolia Warbler – 2

Cape May Warbler – 1 (Griffith, Kras)

Blackpoll Warbler – 1

American Redstart – 2

Ovenbird – 1

Northern Waterthrush – 7

OPORORNIS sp. – 1 (Hully, Tillman)

Common Yellowthroat – uncounted (low double digits)

Wilson’s Warbler – 2

Song Sparrow – uncounted

White-throated Sparrow – 1

Dark – eyed Junco – 1

Northern Cardinal – 2

Common Grackle – 1

Baltimore Oriole – 2

American Goldfinch – 10