Waterbird migration observations from Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park

Bojczyk, Jason

From the abstract: "The fall 2015 waterbird count at Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park tallied 43,736 individuals of 30 species from the 18th of October to the 18th of November. Total hours of observation were 112.5 from 28 days of coverage. Of the four full days of observation lost, 3 were due to rain and/or fog, and one was due to a personal appointment. Twenty-four days received coverage in the morning, twenty-three days received coverage in the afternoon and/or evening, and eighteen days received coverage in both the morning and afternoon/evening. The average number of waterbirds observed per hour was 389. The five most common species in order of decreasing abundance were: Double-crested Cormorant (n=23,498), Common Eider (n=9,461), Northern Gannet (n=2,072), Surf Scoter (n=639), and Red-throated Loon (n=633). Three additional categories were more common than some of the above species but were not identifiable to a single species, and thus, not included. These categories were: Dark-winged Scoter (n=2,488), Duck Sp. (n=1,257), and Scoter Sp. (n=641). Species seen that are thought to be uncommon or rare for the count included Northern Pintail (n=3), Harlequin Duck (n=2), American Oystercatcher (date, n=1), Parasitic Jaeger (n=2), Jaeger species (n=7), Iceland Gull (n=1), and Iceland/Glaucous Gull (n=2)."