This afternoon I trekked out to Robert Moses State Park's Democrat Point, to check for shorebirds and anything Hurricane Bill might have sent this way.
I walked along the ocean beach and observed the building surf. There were several tidal pools deposited by previous high tides. Using these, in addition to the expected Sanderlings, were a single Semipalmated Plover and Least Sandpiper. No pelagic species were seen offshore. I arrived at the point's lagoon and flats just after dead low tide. Good numbers of shorebirds and roosting terns were present, mostly on the flats on the north side of the lagoon. Semipalmated (200+) and Black-bellied (~50) plovers made up the bulk of the shorebirds present. Other species seen there included Greater (10) and Lesser (1) yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher (1-2), Spotted Sandpiper (2), Piping Plover (1), Semipalmated and Least sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Oystercatchers, and more Sanderlings. As for the terns, they were almost exclusively Common (~150), with the exception of 2 molting adult BLACK TERNS and 1 adult ROSEATE TERN. Other birds of note were a Black Skimmer, an immature Peregrine Falcon (which received a tern escort) and 3 Snowy Egrets. On my return walk on the beach during the rising tide, I saw that the surf had increased noticeably, and in spots a few waves had washed almost all the way to the dune line. Some serious erosion is likely overnight. Park staff were already closing access roads east and west of the park water tower as I drove out just before 7:00. -- 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/ --
