Thursday, 15 July, 2010 - shore areas of Queens & Brooklyn, N.Y. City A 1/2-hour seawatch at Fort Tilden, Queens County (looking at the Atlantic from the Rockaway peninsula of western Long Island) seemed to start auspiciously with 2 sub-adult N. Gannets in view in the first minute after arrival, early in the morning - but after that, there seemed to be no other activity beyond a modest number of terns feeding and flying along, mainly Common but with a small number of Least Terns also. Another look from the eastern-most edge of Riis Park beach had 4 Surf Scoters, a drake in bright plumage and 2 females plus a much more drab bird, very close to the jetty that divides Riis beach from the adjacent Rockaway beach just east. As I watched them, the 4 scoters drifted out farther. This seems a rather early date for the species at this location. The sea was calm & easy to watch early on, with good cloud cover at this location, but there appeared to be little activity even very far out at the limits of optics.
I spent much of the mid-day period at Jamaica Bay Refuge, seeing the American White Pelican at the SE corner of the bay off the North Channel bridge (parking area) as reported earlier (and as found Wednesday). I was joined by others also watching and photographing that pelican, which spent substantial time preening at about 10 a.m. & just afterward. At the East Pond of Jamaica Bay, the water level is still extremely high and even knee-height waterproof boots might not totally guarantee dry feet - unless one is quite cautious wading in and finding the most shallow parts underfoot (not so easy, particularly if one is seeking birds!). The return of sun & high temperatures may serve to help alleviate this high water problem, but it's likely to take some time. I also heard that the valve that should be fully open to allow (slow) drainage may again be clogged - a regular problem here, it seems - quite unfortunate as this has been known as among the finest shorebird- viewing refuges in the region, & even (by some accounts) in the nation - the situation with high water is not merely an inconvenience to birders keen on observing a variety of migrant shorebirds but is hardly helpful to the birds themselves - many of the smaller & mid- sized species are less likely to be able to feed or even rest comfortably - a situation that potentially stresses a group of birds that already have much to contend with in their travels... including for some, a fate unknown on stopovers or lengthier stays in the Gulf of Mexico regions where spilled oil may impact them. Do let the Refuge staff and management know of your concerns for the shorebirds stopping off at Jamaica Bay's East Pond. All that said, I estimated that the East Pond held as many as 600+ shorebirds around its edges, and the West Pond perhaps over 200 additional shorebirds, around the time of highest tide. Of these, a Hudsonian Godwit in worn adult plumage was a highlight, first found at the west side of the East Pond & perhaps moving about a bit, but generally at least 1/3 to 1/2 mile or so south of the northwest corner of the E. Pond. The godwit was sought in the early afternoon by several others with no luck, & some of us tried refinding it elsewhere on the E. or W. Ponds with no further sighting. The bulk of numbers of shorebirds were almost evenly divided with Short-billed Dowitchers & Lesser Yellowlegs. Also noted were a hundred or more "peep" - Least, Semipalmated, and (at least 1 close sighting of) White-rumped Sandpiper. The 3 avocets (or any avocet) were not seen by several of us during mid-day. I had some looks at a few Stilt Sandpipers earlier before finding the godwit - and also noticed a sleeping bird that was more than half-hidden by a flock of dowitchers & yellowlegs, all tightly bunched about 1/2 mile north of the "raunt" area & on the east shore of the E. Pond - this half-hidden bird looked to be a candidate for an adult female Wilson's Phalarope still retaining some breeding color, but after the godwit find, neither I nor others noticed a bird looking phalarope-like. In the N. Garden area at Jamaica Bay Refuge, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo & Great Crested Flycatcher were of interest. I also felt that sheer numbers of Yellow Warblers in some areas was indicative of some migrants as well as the local population. It was my pleasure to see a couple of birders out at the "bay" whom I've known a while & one who I finally got to meet and watch birds with. A look around Floyd Bennett Field (Brooklyn) early on revealed not a single shorebird in or near any of many rain-puddles, some of which were quite extensive and deep. This location has produced nice shorebirds in recent years and may yet this summer. On my way home, I looked briefly at the "restoration pond" area in Forest Park, Queens - rather quiet when I visited in late afternoon, but this site has been good at times for migrants, and I've several times found Solitary Sandpiper around that pond... Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
