This morning (7:15 - 9:00 am) I scanned the extensive sandflat at Mecox Inlet (Watermill, Suffolk Co.) from the overlook on the eastern side. A good number of shorebirds and terns were present, including 2 WHIMBREL which flew in around 8:15 and single a BLACK TERN. Here are my approximate totals.
Forster's Tern - 25 Common Tern - 30+ BLACK TERN - 1 Least Tern - 40+ Laughing Gull - 1 Greater Yellowlegs - 10 Lesser Yellowlegs - 3 Western Willet - 6 Eastern Willet - 2 (fresh juvs) WHIMBREL - 2 Short-billed Dowitcher - 15 Ruddy Turnstone - 4 White-rumped Sandpiper - 5 Semipalmated Sandpiper - 200+ (mix of ads and juvs) Least Sandpiper - 160 Sanderling - 220 Black-bellied Plover - 20 Killdeer - 2 Piping Plover - 10 Semipalmated Plover - 60 Be advised that parking on either side of the inlet is a major problem between 9 am and 5 pm. Nearby Sagaponack and Georgica Ponds are brimming full and offer little in the way of shorebird/tern habitat. Angus Wilson -- New York City/Springs -- http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_online:082009 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Temporary archive: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
