White-winged Scoters
Merlin (click to see the larger version)
I had an early Merlin at Montrose this morning, August 3. It landed in a tree snag near the Magic Hedge and was immediately set upon by a group of irate Barn Swallows, which is probably why it flew off soon after. I didn’t see anything else of note today — we’re definitely in the summer birding doldrums. Even most of the swallows have left. Bring on the warblers.
eBird Checklist
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30958284
Purple Martins (click to see the larger version)
Migrant Purple Martins once gathered by the thousands in late summer and early fall at Montrose. It was quite a spectacle, reminiscent of a scene from Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. For unknown reasons the large numbers stopped using Montrose and the spectacle is a thing of the past. The Purple Martins we see anymore are mostly the local breeders. I photographed these birds at Montrose Harbor on August 1, 2016.