Inspired by Andy Baldelli's exploits down in Virginia, I visited Democrat Pt. (Fire Island Inlet) and Cupsogue (Moriches Inlet) today, in search of Arctic Terns--and found an adult at Cupsogue on the rising tide. Photos can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tixbirdz/LongIslandMiscellany2010# Earlier, at Democrat Pt., I saw my first Sooty Shearwater and Black Tern of the season, and counted 13 Roseate Terns resting among Common Terns (other Roseates were visible or audible over the inlet and ocean at all times, also. Only two of the 13 were banded. A young Lesser Black-backed Gull was also present. A seawatch at Cupsogue with Patricia Lindsay, Tom Burke, and Gail Benson yielded about a dozen Sooty Shearwaters and at least one adult light morph Parasitic Jaeger. There were decent numbers of shorebirds at Cupsogue, but I thought the numbers at nearby Pikes Beach were paltry for the date. A first summer Lesser Black-backed Gull was present at Pikes. Pat saw an "Acadian" Nelson's Sparrow among half a dozen Saltmarsh Sparrows and a few Seasides at Cupsogue. Tom and Gail kept up the seawatching after we left, and at Shinnecock Inlet they saw a Manx Shearwater and a Little Gull, among other species. During an earlier stint at Shinnecock they had seen an immature Black-legged Kittiwake, and, earlier still, a young male Blue Grosbeak at the DEC bikepath along Rte. 51 in Eastport, Suffolk County. They searched for but did not see the previously reported Wilson's Plover at Sagaponack. Shai Mitra Bay Shore Think green before you print this email. -- 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/ --
