East Point at dawn to start observations. Observation conditions were quite good, cloudy bright to medium dark sky 
     
     with a brisk wind and periodic light rain showers. 
     
    

    
     Shortly after our arrival at 6:30 am, Dan caught a fleeting glimpse of a storm petrel and a Dovekie was 
     
     picked up by Eric. The birds disappeared before the other two scopes could be brought to bear. Binoculars and 
     
     telescopes were used to scan the waters in search of resting, diving, and flying birds. The waters and air above were 
     
     alive with birds including Surf (25), Black (20), and a few White-winged Scoter, Common Eider (60), Herring (50) 
     
     and Great Black-backed Gulls (40), scattered Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls, Common Terns (30), a few Red- 
     
     throated Loons, Double-crested Cormorants (40), Red-breasted Mergansers, a small number of Great Connorants, 
     
     and many mature and small numbers of immature Northern Gannets (400+) diving into the waters, flying west to 
     
     east, or a few resting on the waves. During the several hours we spent birding at the point, we also seen 10 
     
     American Crows, 4 Ruddy Turnstones, 8 Semi-palmated Sandpipers, 3 Sanderlings, and a number of unidentified 
     
     shorebirds in rapidly moving flocks. 
     
    

    
     Just west of the point, Ray spotted a group of phalaropes fishing the 
     
     surface waters and then moving to new points to fish just west of the point. 
     
     Close observation revealed a group of eight Red-necked Phalaropes. A short 
     
     time later, Ray picked up a alcid flying west to east. The difficulty of birding 
     
     over water is trying to pick out the bird and this time Ray was the only one to 
     
     see the bird which he identified as a Thick-billed Murre. Amidst the 
     
     scattered gulls that swung by the lighthouse, the presence of a small black- 
     
     backed gull was noted. It was the size of nearby Herring Gulls and distinctly 
     
     smaller that Great Black-backed Gulls that were at a further distance. Its 
     
     back was more slate coloured than black and it was identified as a Lesser 
     
     Black-backed Gull. The next rare bird was picked out by Ray. It was a 
     
     Northern Fulmar. 
     
    

    
     Ray was also the first to spot the silhouette of a small shearwater passing from west to east. All three scopes 
     
     focused on the bird and the team called ofl‘ its features. The back and top of the head were a uniform dark colour. 
     
     The underside of the wings and belly were white and the white extended well up the side of the head. The underside 
     
     of the tail appeared dark. The white underside of the wing was banded on both the front and the back edges by 
     
     black. Afier consultation with various bird books, the conclusion was that it was an Audubon’s Shearwater, a new 
     
     record for Prince Edward Island. 
     
    

    
     The presence of so many adult gannets diving was broken by an occasional immature gannet. Because of 
     
     the storm, we tried to check out each of these in the advent that we might pick up a booby. Such was not the case 
     
     but the sharply hooked wings, falcon like flight low over the water, white belly with a basal neck bar, and projecting 
     
     central tail feathers, marked the fly past of a light phase Pomarine J aeger. 
     
    

    
     Far out, past the bell buoy, a larger, brownish, heavy bird was seen by Dan flying at an angle toward shore. 
     
     All scopes swung to watch the bird’s approach. The only distinct features visible through the 20X telescope at this 
     
     distance were the overall colour, a gull like body form with wide “V” shaped wings, and crescents of white on the 
     
     upper surface of the wings observed during the down stroke of the wing. As the bird passed inside the bell buoy, the 
     
     distinct shape of a skua was observed. The bird was uniformly dark brown through the head, back, tail, sides, 
     
     underwings, and belly. The tail was “V” shaped and the crescent shaped wing patches were clearly present only on 
     
     the upper surface of the wings and appeared to be at the base of the primary feathers on the outermost segment of 
     
     the wings. The lack of light colouring in the head or other colours led the team to conclude that it was a Great Skua, 
     
     a second first record for the Island on this great pelagic birding day and confirmed by all three persons. 
     
    

    
     At this time of year, the dawn arrival of tired passerines usually coincides with the presence of hawks and 
     
     falcons looking for an easy meal. This trip did not bring these anticipated sightings although a single Merlin did fly 
     
     by us at a very close range. It landed on overhead wires and allowed a wonderful view of the facial markings. Very 
     
     few woodland birds were seen other than a small number of Blue Jays and a single Song Sparrow. 
     
    

    
     On the return trip home around 1 pm, a large flock of gulls in a field near South Lake caused us to pull