I went out in a storm for this lifer | Essex County Little Big Year — Week 26

Episode 26 covers a stretch of early to mid June — post-migration, the point in the year where the list gets harder to move and the good finds start to feel more contingent on weather and luck. There had been Black Skimmer flyby reports at a few spots on Plum Island and over at Crane Beach — nothing settled, nothing to chase specifically. I went out during the storm based on wind direction and the logic that rough weather sometimes produces. The beach was empty. I worked my way to Sandy Point and the bird was there, loafing on the sand — a lifer, a first of year, and an early date for Essex County. Good looks, good footage. Also at Sandy Point: a Sooty Shearwater offshore. Distant, but the flight style is hard to mistake once you're on it. The rest of the week: shorebirds and waders at Parker River NWR, Little Blue Herons at Tompson Street Reservation, and a visit to Nelson's Island/Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary. Two new species across the episode — up to 238 for the Essex County Little Big Year. Species featured: — Black Skimmer — Sooty Shearwater — Little Blue Heron Locations: — Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island — Parker River NWR, Plum Island — Tompson Street Reservation — Nelson's Island / Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary Find this content and more on the Wayfaring Warbler YT channel — search @WayfaringWarbler to find us! 📷 Nikon Z6III + 180–600mm