Hi all, I spent a couple hours watching Long Island Sound from Read Sanctuary in Rye this afternoon during a break in the rain. Stiff easterly winds and rough seas, but relatively good visibility out to a certain distance.
The highlight was a probable *Manx Shearwater *that made a brief appearance. A smaller, visibly compact shearwater, dwarfed by surrounding gannets. Classic arcing shearwater flight style; fast-moving and with very steep arcs. The bird did not seem to flap at all--at least while arcing up (it would disappear behind the high wave crests in the lowest part of the arc). Distant and visible for less than a minute, but apparent uniform very cold dark brown upperside and clean white underside. Too far to discern any more fine patterning. I do not have *extensive* experience with shearwaters, though I have seen well all the regularly expected species at close range, and the size, shape, visible color, and time of year point to Manx, as far as I can tell. (This is also the only shearwater species that has been recorded in the past from Westchester county to my knowledge.) A steady stream of terns flying by as well (40+), almost all Commons (one Least), plus a couple dozen Northern Gannets (interestingly, no adults) and one Bonaparte's Gull still in formative (1st-winter) plumage. The flight direction for nearly all birds was from SW to NE. Semipalmated Plovers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Black-bellied Plovers (flybys) also around. Good birding, Benjamin Van Doren White Plains, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
