Jones Beach West End 21 August With the passing of the front, Joe Giunta and I (Sy Schiff) started and ended checking the sand bar at the marina. In the flats between the parking lots, the rain had softened the ground and produced some scattered pools. While the pools attracted a bit of a concentration, more than a 1,000 shorebirds were sprinkled across the flats from one end to the other. About half were SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (450), and the balance SEMIPALMATED (300) and LEAST SANDPIPERS (75). A lot of birds to look through.
Among them were the continuing BAIRD'S SANDPIPER on the "J" field; 9 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS; and feeding in one of the puddles were 6 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and a sole WESTERN SANDPIPER that soon flew off. A single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER flew in, probably from the group on the bar. The bar held a different grouping from mud flats, namely: 10 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, 75 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, some SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. 1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER, 10 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 3 RED KNOT, 5 SANDERLING, a few SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and 2 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. The edges of the fields are covered with a mass planting of the small purple flowers of Saltmarsh Fleabane. A nice bright touch to the marsh. 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/ --
