A few Early Oct 2015 shots

A few early October shots destined to get lost in the shuffle unless they get posted now.

An exceptional confiding adult American Golden Plover on the side of the 'road' to Cape Pine, Avalon Peninsula. The low late afternoon light was excellent. The bird was on the wrong side of the car requiring some Thai-chi moves to stick the lens around Tony Lang who also taking snaps out his window. These crowberry barrens probably once fed Eskimo Curlews on their way south.

Big bill/small bill.  One of the two Hudsonian Godwits that made Mundy Pond, St John's part of their daily routine sizes up against a newly arrived Lesser Yellowlegs on 6 Oct 2015.

Adult drake Eurasian and American Wigeon stand side by side in the wharf at Nevilles Pond, Paradise. They are showing off their fully white adult wing covert patch despite the rest of the bird being a mess for now.The ratio of 21 AMWI :1 EUWI will change over the nest two weeks as the Iceland Expressway opens up.

Young cormorants of the year rest on a rock at Cape Race.  It is easy to see which one is the Great Cormorant in this picture.  The distinctions between the two Newfoundland cormorant species are not that difficult and are well illustrated, in the Sibley Guide for example, but the two species are regularly misidentified in Newfoundland. Cormorants are worth a second look.

A least one locally bred Rough-legged Hawk is being regularly seen hunting from the wires along the St. Shotts and Cape Pine road.  It is quite tame.

A young bull moose towers over the old growth fir forest of the Cape Race road at dawn on Sunday.