In August 2011 I was fortunate to reach the State University of New York
Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, directly underneath the Bronx end of the
Throgg’s Neck Bridge, only 2–3 hours after Hurricane Irene’s eye crossed NYC.
Located at the western end of LI Sound, I had hoped it might prove productive
in funneling and concentrating Irene’s birds, and I was not disappointed.
Hoping for a reprise after Sandy—against all odds of two hurricanes hitting NYC
in back-to-back years—made for Atlantic City NJ this week and put NYC in the
optimal-for-birds northeast quadrant, I found myself in the same parking lot at
Fort Schuyler at 0630 yesterday, 30 October, about 9 hours after Sandy had made
a 9 PM NJ landfall the previous night when its strongest winds reached NYC.
But this year the hurricane was two months later, almost in November, so I was
unsure what birds to expect. As the morning waxed I was in cell phone contact
with various birders around NYC, alternately wincing when I heard about the
Narrows tropicbird after having missed I don’t know how many White-taileds last
year, and then elating with all the reports of jaegers, storm petrels, Royal
Terns, etc. in the harbor and on the Hudson River. In the final analysis, the
variety of hurricane birds at Fort Schuyler this year did not match Irene’s
last year and differed strikingly from the species being seen the same day in
Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the NY–NJ sides of the lower Hudson River. And as
always with hurricane birds there were surprises.
The following are my totals from Fort Schuyler between 0630–1300 on Tuesday 30
Oct 2012; a more elaborate account of this and last year’s hurricane birds
there and elsewhere on LI Sound is being developed.
0739–1128: Bridled Terns (not ageable) 31
Sooty Terns (adults and juveniles) 13
unidentified ‘adult’ tropical terns 8
0955–0959: Brown Booby (2nd year)—cruising along near the water surface
and diving for fish between Fort Schuyler and the US
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, directly opposite
1034: Parasitic Jaeger (adult light morph)
1125–1128: Black-capped Petrel—dynamic-soaring in high arcs on bent wings
in front of Fort Schuyler, and flashing black dorsum, tiny
cap, and narrow tailband, with white venter, underwing, uppertail coverts, and
collar
No other hurricane terns, jaegers, or tubenoses were seen.
Unexpectedly, all the tropical terns were resolutely heading nonstop for the
nearest patch of Atlantic Ocean, south/southeast out of the Sound across the
land area of the Nassau/Queens border. They never stopped to fish, unlike the
scores of Forster’s and Commons they blasted past. In contrast, the other three
hurricane seabirds split for points east in LI Sound immediately they realized
just where they had found themselves.
LI birders may be missing an opportunity when they head post-hurricane to
difficult-of-access and potentially dangerous oceanfront areas rather than to
(possibly) more birder-friendly sites on LI Sound, where in addition to
hurricane waifs they will have the light coming over their shoulders.
P.A. Buckley
Saunderstown RI 02874
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