This morning dawned cloudy and calm with the wind slowly rising from the northwest and a mix of clouds and sun that definitely favored the clouds. There was very little action down on the farm so Eileen Schwinn and I elected to try Dune Road. There were, somewhat surprisingly (due to the lateness of the date), several thousand Tree Swallows moving in discrete flocks along the beach, sometimes pausing to perch on wires or in the dune vegetation, swooping by the dozen to drink in the fresh water pools left by recent rains but otherwise hurrying along swiftly. Not far behind were a number of raptors. In the morning we saw a very dark juvenile Peregrine (so dark it would have been a Merlin if not for its size and facial markings), a real Merlin, a couple of Kestrels, a N. Harrier (also a juvenile) and at least one Kestrel. Eileen want back later in the day and reported 7 Kestrel, 2 Merlin and 2 Peregrine Falcon plus a couple of Osprey.
Also moving along the beach in the morning were were some Flickers and a handsome female Belted Kingfisher.
Eric Salzman
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