I led a Linnaean Society trip to Jamaica Bay today. It was a gorgeous, though breezy day. Easily the highlight were two Cave Swallows flying around the Broad Channel subway station in mid-day. The group was finishing lunch at the refuge when one person who had headed down to the subway to go home (Elijah ?) called to say he was watching a couple of Cave Swallows at the station while waiting for the train. The whole group dashed down to the station and everyone was able to see the birds. Other highlights at the refuge were 100+ Snow Geese, 3 Redhead (2 males, 1 female), 2 Ring-necked Ducks (subadult males) and the usual waterfowl all on the East Pond; a female Wood Duck at Big John's Pond, a bright Wilson's Warbler by the beginning of the boardwalk to Big John's Pond, a somewhat late Snowy Egret on the East Pond, 3 American Oystercatchers on the mudflats northeast of the subway station and Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover still around.
After leaving Broad Channel, Dale Dancis, Ann Shaw and I headed south the Riis Park and Fort Tilden. Just after we crossed the south channel bridge and headed west on Beach Channel Drive, Don Riepe called with a report of a White Pelican flying south over the West Pond at the Refuge - I have no further details. We kept scanning the skies, but never saw it. By the fisherman's parking lot in Fort Tilden (just east of the Silver Gull Club) we had 2 more Cave Swallows. Later at Riis Park we had a group of 8 Snow Buntings go over. Joe DiCostanzo www.greatgullisland.org <http://www.greatgullisland.org/> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com -- 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/ --
