I read with interest the comments following the report of our first reported Buff-breasted Sandpiper for Long Island this summer in the post to this list from Doug Gochfeld of Brooklyn, NY. Although I agree with almost everything he wrote, I'm also commenting on his comments regarding recent JBWR (Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens Co., NY) observations. I'm glad to see Doug's reports and only wish that more birders would add their reports, whether of overall bird sightings or individuals that were of note to the observer[s]. I'm grateful to all who take the time to offer any bird reports to the public. In this day of cell-phone and text-messaging, etc. it's become more common than ever to leave the public reports for only the birds thought to be "rare". To a birder visiting from afar, any bird might potentially be very special and of great interest. A lot of birders visiting Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at this and other seasons are from places far away and many of them have sought information and updates on the latest developments. With that in mind I'd preface this by noting that although the East Pond at the Refuge has drawn down to a water level allowing far easier walking than several weeks ago, there will still be a use for sturdy footgear, and in a few places the mud may be a slight issue. Again, though all "regulars" know this, no one should ever walk across the northern end (the north edge) of the East Pond at any season or in any year due to treacherous mud in that one area. Signs warning of this are usually posted at the corners of that area, for the shorebird season, by Refuge staff. Don't try it - birders have sunk in to their waists, or worse, in that area!
I've placed Doug G's good commentary in full within "quote" marks (and in italics for members of this list), and my responses in standard type font as well as each paragraph of my response indented at the start. And I thank Doug & others for their ongoing reports and insights. There was a bit of discussion, some of it off-list, regarding phalarope plumages and identifications of age and sex to fall-migrant phalaropes, which eventually got me to ask Peter Pyle, author of many articles and a well-regarded book (now two books) used by banders (ringers to UK & European birders) as well as reference for many others, on identification of shorebirds and many other non- passerines (and that newer 2nd book on the passerines). Mr. Pyle was gracious to answer at all - he's certainly busy and lives on the west coast - but after a little back-and-forth in emails, the matter was dropped by Pyle. These books, which involve birds mainly seen in the hand (at banding stations) can be very useful to those interested in fine details of the many species covered, especially when attempting so-called "feather birding" - extremely close examination by visual means without actual banding/handling of birds. A lot of discussion has been done on the merits of this style, as well as the so-called giss (general impression of shape and size) means of gaining ID skills and actually making identifications. A number of articles and even books emphasize the various attributes of these means of observation. There will be an eagerly-anticipated book out in the next year which will add to that discussion, by Richard Crossley, who is also a co- author, with Michael O'Brien and Kevin Karlson, of "The Shorebird Guide", which many birders use often since its publication. Doug's comments in paragraphs followed by my own (below each) - ______________ On Aug 21, 2010, at 11:30 AM, [email protected] wrote: .... .... "As a side-note on JBWR, and encouraged by Tom Fiore to post my recent sightings from there, I have had a slightly different experience there recently than he has. I've found that Long-billed Dowitchers have been very scant, and there has been another recent transition of the adult Short-billed Dowitchers: a large proportion of them are now of the Hendersoni subspecies which can look very similar to Long-billeds." Good point, something I've noted and mentioned in a JBWR report some weeks ago when adult 'hendersoni' Short-billed Dowitchers were first showing up (and not yet any Long-billed Dowitcher). I also have noted very few Long-billed Dowitchers, either in actual numbers seen or as a fraction of total dowitcher numbers, so I'm in agreement that they're still "scant" or in my own words, in one post, "few". "Also Western Sandpipers have been almost non-existent for the last couple of weeks, with 1 or 2 individuals being the highest I've had, although I've come up with 0 a couple of times as well. The day of the shorebird festival there was only a single Western Sandpiper seen by only two people, despite over 100 observers being present on the East Pond. With all of the plumage variation within the adult Semipalmated Sandpipers (many of them having bill sizes that overlap with Western) now, as well as the aforementioned influx of Hendersoni SBDOs it is very difficult to pick out their rarer cousins without decent scope views." If "almost non-existent" amounts to the same as writing that perhaps 1 out of 1,000 peeps, or even 1 out of 2,000, is how scant Western Sandpiper have been so far this month at JBWR, then I'd agree, and is reflected in what I've reported. I'd agree too that, in general, picking out peep species and some other shorebird species or forms can be difficult, although at a range of 100 feet or less a "scope view" isn't always the most important factor, while close observation and in some cases good lighting is. I was not at JBWR during the shorebird fest. and have no comment as to how many hundreds of folks did, or did not, cover the entire Refuge seeking out Western SP or any shorebirds. In any case the points made are again good. For one ID article (among many available) on the differences in structure and plumages of peep (smaller sandpipers of the genus Calidris) I can recommend this, which includes some photos. http://www.birdinghawaii.co.uk/XPeepid2.htm "Also I observed no less than 35 White-rumped Sandpipers on 8/17, and the number had been similar to that since around the 13th or 14th, and seemed the same on 8/18. Their calls have become ubiquitous on the East Pond." I can't see that if very roughly 1 percent or fewer of all peeps being seen at the Refuge are White-rumped that their calls might be termed truly ubiquitous, however I have no doubt that there are a fair number more than I have noted from a most recent report - just as with reports on several lists from others also noting just a couple of White-rumped. More generally, in my opinion no one observer will be able to fully assess the precise numbers of individual species and subspecies of shorebirds at Jamaica Bay Refuge, simply because it is too sizable an area that any one person can cover the ground, even if not referring to the entire refuge with the West Pond (and in terms of overall numbers at the entire refuge, the many locations not accessible at all on foot, some perhaps not even by small boat) but only at the East Pond, due to the size of the place. With that much shoreline and not all of it visible from all points even with the finest optics, and all the minute-by-minute adjustments in just where flocks of birds are feeding, roosting, & flying, and even without the additional influence on shorebirds caused by, in particular, hunting Peregrines, it is simply not possible to make any certain summary of actual numbers of individual species. At the same time it's possible to strive for that, and for those who cover the full area of the East Pond, a good idea of numbers may be had. Also, someone attempting to cover whatever area with consistency and even more so on a regular basis thru a season, may have a very good sense of how the numbers are, whether in great flux or relatively stable from one week to another. All of this can bring up a number of interesting questions, among them that of just how long a bird lingers in a good feeding site as the East Pond very obviously is - that is, how long any birds linger on a stop at the Refuge, or at any particular locations on migration. A lot of factors can play in, and how many birds overall are present might also influence the duration of visits by migratory shorebirds as well as other birds. I laud efforts to survey numbers of birds at any location, it's quite valuable and to emphasize, consistency can be key. One person's reports have added value when that observer, for example, maintains a typical route and perhaps a similar amount of time per visit. In such a way even a smaller sampling, say a single hour at opportune times on a regular basis, can be of use to others in keeping track of numbers of birds and/or of species present. Ideally, I would like to see the shorebirds reported on daily from Jamaica Bay and similarly frequent reports coming out of other closely-watched sites (anywhere) but that's not always the case. I'm grateful for all reports made by birders! They are of high value and use to many. "The last time I saw a Wilson's Phalarope was on 8/17, and judging from the lack of reports of this usually obvious species I would venture to guess those 3 long-staying individuals have moved out and any ones seen from here on out will be new." Good Birding -Doug Gochfeld. Brooklyn, NY. I tend to agree, although see my comments in the ending of the paragraph above. Lack of reports is not always the same as lack of birds. As for recent phalarope sightings and reports, I also wonder if a most recent Red-necked Phalarope is of a "new" individual or the same as one seen over a week earlier. Again, as I noted with the recent Wilson's, I would assume the Red-necked seen most recently was a newly-arrived phalarope, perhaps having come in that very night before. 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/ --
