> I'm curious how many Western grebes are actually in the area. Aside from the > one off Coney Island on the 18th of January, there have been reports in each > of the last 3 weeks from Deal, Elberon, and Long Branch NJ and before that > one was present from late November through most of December off South Amboy > (for the 5th year in a row. Do we have one Western Grebe with a severe case > of wanderlust or are there multiple? > > Regards, > Shane B. > Brooklyn NY
Good question. I've had this same conversation last winter with Scott Barnes, who keeps close tabs on the northern NJ scene. From the pattern of sightings, he seemed quite confident that the South Amboy and Long Branch/Deal birds were most likely NOT the same. I've always assumed that the South Amboy and Staten Island (Lemon Creek Pier, Wolfe's Pond Park) sightings (4-5 miles apart) relate to one returning bird. I've never seen reports from both sides of the state line on the same day and suspect that the bird spends periods at each of these locations. This winters sightings from Coney Island and Riis/Fort Tilden are harder to evaluate. They are both almost within sight of the areas frequented by the Staten Island grebe (13-14 miles) and not so far as the grebe swims from Long Branch etc (16-18 miles). However, the conditions that keep one grebe returning year after year might suit other individuals. Keeping tabs on the dates of all these Western Grebe sightings may shed some light on these intriguing questions. Same day sightings would be especially valuable. Andy Guthrie and I observed a Western Grebe off Riis Park on 23 Mar 2003 and I believe this was after the Staten Island bird has vanished (or at least was no longer being reported). It's worth reminding everyone that Western Grebe is a review species in both states and I'm confident that the NYSARC and NJBRC would appreciate reports and/or photographs. -- Angus Wilson New York City & The Springs, NY, USA http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
