Jeffrey A. Gordon

Undeterred by yesterday’s scarcity of storm-driven birds, we returned to Cape Henlopen first thing this morning to see if any birds that may have been blown into Delaware Bay were returning to the open ocean. It’s a longish walk out to the point, but very pleasant in the lovely post-storm weather. 
 

A Sanderling probes for breakfast.
 

Sharon & Liz heading for the point.
 

Arriving at the tip, we scanned the bay/ocean confluence, especially alert for terns, as Sooty and Bridled Terns seem to have been the main tropical seabirds affected by Hanna.
 

The closest we got to Sooty Terns, though, were the much more common but always charming Black Terns–you might pick one out of this flock at the far right, just above the horizon. 
 

And that’s how our morning went–nothing rare, just lots of nice looks at commoner things like Ospreys.
 

And Sanderlings–they are so eminently photographable. Not too shy, and with constantly shifting backdrops of surf and sand, they’re a marvelous subject.
 

Before too long, we were joined by the first beachcombers, all hoping to find nice shells and other treasures. We lingered about 3 hours, then headed home. Though Hanna didn’t send us anything rare from a listing standpoint, it did give us a great excuse to drop everything and turn all our attention to birds and weather–to immerse ourselves in nature for an afternoon and a morning. And that is plenty rare. Thanks, Hanna.

Tags: beach, brucepeterjohn, capehenlopen, derekstoner, forrestrowland, frankrohrbacher, lizzie, ocean, raptors, sharonlynn, shorebirds

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