Posted by Paul Bithorn on November 29, 2003 at 22:32:30:
John Puschock and I made the one hour drive from Umatilla in Lake County to Canaveral National Seashore just south of New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County. With a northeast wind of 15 knots and a wind chill factor in the 30's we has high expectations. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. at Parking Area 2 (oceanside with bathrooms). We set up our scopes on the wooden lookout and before long a flock of Scoters appeared in the surf amongst the breakers just offshore. A quick scan found the flock to consist of 21 Scoters including 1 adult male Black Scoter, 2 first winter male Scoters, 17 adult female Black Scoters and the holy grail of Florida Scoters, a 1st winter juvenile White-winged Scoter. A lifer for me and Floridabird 403 the raft stayed in view for 2 1/2 hours and the birds would fly back north a couple hundred yards when the current pushed them too far south. The larger size and white-wing patch were easily visible as the raft came within 75 yards of us at high tide. Three large flocks of Black Scoters between 50 and 70 birds each were seen flying south. One flock had a male American Wigeon. Several Juvenile Northern Gannets were seen feeding offshore. Red-breasted Merganser, Laughing, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Royal Tern, Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones rounded out the species seen from the lookout.
We headed south to the Viera Wetlands and were unsuccessful in finding any Lapalnd Longspurs. We did find a Bob Wallace from Gainseville, who joined us for a celebratory libation of Guinness Stout. Life is good.......................................