Jones Beach West End; Pt. Lookout. 5 December Joe Giunta's 200 Challenge Club looked for early winter birds along the South Shore of LI. Starting at Jones Beach, we looked into the inlet and birded the exposed bar at the marina. The number of shorebirds increased as high tide approached, so we returned before leaving. At that point, there were some 4-500 birds consisting mainly of Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover American Oystercatchers continue along with a few Red Knot. A flock of Sanderling joined. There were Common and Red-throated Loons, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Mergansers, a Black Scoter and a single BONAPARTE'S GULL in the water. A GREAT CORMORANT was perched on a marker sign in the water behind the Coast Guard Station.
In the medium, we encountered a group of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES with RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. A group of predominantly red plumaged, male RED CROSSBILLS perched in the top of a bare deciduous tree. SNOW BUNTINGS were on West End #2 parking lot and HORNED LARKS flew over as we made our way to the ocean where we picked up a peregrine falcon and a number of distant adult NORTHERN GANNETS. At Pt. Lookout, the town parking lot is open, but large sand piles impede access to the beach. There we saw COMMON EIDER, SURF SCOTER, LONG-TAILED DUCK and HORNED GREBE. No harlequin today. Sy Schiff for the group -- 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/ --
