Date: 4/5/24 7:02 am From: Frank Mantlik via CTBirds <ctbirds...> Subject: [CT Birds] Gannet Bonanza 4/4/24
Hi all, After the intense nor-easter storm the day before, birders along CT's shore witnessed large numbers of Northern Gannets in Long Island Sound yesterday, April 4. Most/all were flying west; some were noted diving for food. Many were in close to shore. - Around noon at Hammonasset SP, Jean Adamus tallied 80+ Gannets. - Later at Hammo, Russ Smiley counted 100, then stopped counting (3:04-4:19). He got a photo of one eating a fish (eBird). - At 4:00pm Tom Murray tallied 73 in just 5 minutes at Milford Point. - Then Stefan Martin counted 412 in 65 minutes (4:16-5:21pm) from Stratford Point, with groups of up to 12 birds. The all-time high count of Gannets in CT was 814 at Stratford Point on April 12, 2017, also by Stefan Martin (eBird), an incredible sight! Where were all these Gannets heading? They are currently migrating north to their breeding cliffs in the Canadian Maritimes. Presumably the two days of strong east winds blew them into Long Island Sound. But why were they all heading west? Perhaps they were trying to find an exit back to the Atlantic Ocean. But why not go back east to exit the Sound at the Race?
Frank Mantlik Stratford
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