Jones Beach West End 21 Mar Joe Giunta and I (Sy Schiff) found the first full day of Spring sunny but windy. In keeping with the new season, for a change, there were a fair number of birds to look through, The lawns along the road were covered with American Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds and in places Killdeer..In the median there were a fair number of Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as a considerably larger number than we have seen recently of the usual suspects, but nothing new.
While looking over the West End #2 swale from the east side of the concession building, we located a small group of HORNED LARKS. Continuing our scan of the dunes far beyond the swale, we picked up a distant SNOWY OWL and then the lingering NORTHERN SHRIKE. In front of the the west side of the Nature Center parking lot at the first dune line, we counted 51 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. Scurrying in the vegetation in front of them were 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Along the far dune line toward the west, we picked up a second SNOWY OWL. Lots of much appreciated exercise on a lovely day; but all the good birds were all seen from the parking lots. Today a good scope trumped good walking shoes. Sy -- 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/ --
