Heydi Lopes and I (also later joined by Shane Blodgett) had a very productive few hours of coastal Brooklyn birding after the snow today.
Beginning in the late morning at Coney Island, we spent much of our time scanning birds at the edge of the jetty at West 37th Street. From an earlier observation at the fishing pier, it appeared that Herring were running, so I'm assuming that this is why lots and lots of birds were feasting in the water between the western jetty and Norton Point. Among the thousands of gulls, gannets, Long-tailed Ducks and mergansers were three Razorbills and three Red-necked Grebe. We also spotted a single male Surf Scoter. On the jetty were 14 Purple Sandpipers. It was the birdiest I've seen it in that location all winter. We met up with Shane Blodgett at Coney Island Creek and went back across the bay to Bay Ridge to look for an Iceland Gull that he spotted earlier. The bird was seen sitting on the boulders below the seawall at the first parking lot south of the Verrazano Bridge. Fortunately, the bird cooperated and was exactly where Shane had left it. From there the three of us continued north along the coast to the Veterans Memorial Pier near the Owl's Head Water Treatment Plant, hoping to find the Black-headed Gull. Shane had already seen this bird a few times this year, but it would be Heydi and my fourth attempt at finding it. We lucked out as the bird was right at the start of the pier, sitting within a flock of Ring-billed Gulls. I guess if you want to find this annual winter visitor to Brooklyn, you have to be very persistent or very lucky. Good birding, Rob ********** Date: 02/11/12 Locations: Coney Island--West End, Gravesend Bay Seawall, Veterans Memorial Pier Total Number of Species: 21 Brant Canada Goose Surf Scoter (1, Coney Island--West End) Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Loon Common Loon Red-necked Grebe (3, Coney Island--West End) Northern Gannet Double-crested Cormorant Great Cormorant Purple Sandpiper Black-headed Gull (Veterans Memorial Pier) Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Iceland Gull (First cycle, Gravesend Bay Seawall) Great Black-backed Gull Razorbill (3, Coney Island--West End) Rock Pigeon -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
