After birding with Doug Gochfeld, Shane Blodgett and Sean Sime at Jamaica Bay (see Doug's earlier report), Alvaro Jaramillo and I headed over to the barrier beach where we enjoyed a nice collection of gulls off the Fisherman's Parking lot at Fort Tilden (Queens Co.). A small group of Bonaparte's Gulls feeding in the surf included an adult *BLACK-HEADED GULL*and 1 cy. *ICELAND GULL*. An adult *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL* passed overhead but did not linger. Among the waterfowl moving east offshore were several flocks of scaup and a determined group of 4 *AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS*. Several *AMERICAN WOODCOCK* were displaying on the west pond trail at dusk.
Earlier in the day, I witnessed the baffling sight of 50 or so small ducks flying low over the north end of Meadow Lake in Corona Park and then climbing high into the sky before dropping down. This happened twice and I was completely at a loss to say what species they were. Then the penny dropped - RUDDY DUCKS! Can you think of the last time you saw a Ruddy Duck in sustained flight? In my experience they rarely takes to the wing during daylight hours. I've seen individuals make short flights before but never en masse or at any altitude worth speaking of. Evidently migration occurs almost exclusively at night. After watching a little longer I noticed two adult Great Black-backed Gulls making lunges at the Ruddy Ducks, and assume this attempt at predation was the cause of their unfamiliar aerial antics. -- Angus Wilson New York City & The Springs, NY, USA http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ -- 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/ --
