The westward flight of SB Dows and Least Sandpipers mentioned by Shane seemed remarkably heavy to me. It was heaviest 4:45-5:45 pm, as the tide came up and covered up feeding areas. Focusing on these during the peak of the movement and counting by 10s, I estimated 660 SB Dows and 920 Least Sandpipers in transit, in addition to ca. 200 of each on the ground. Also moving westward were 7 Lesser and 6 Greater Yellowlegs in transit. Birds were moving on a very broad front, from the ocean dunes to well out in Moriches Bay, and it is likely that many more passed unseen by us on the ocean side of the dunes.
The only additional notable bird I can add to Shane's summary was a winter-plumaged Sandwich Tern that flew out to the ocean from Pike's Beach around 4:00 pm. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ From: Shane Blodgett [[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2013 12:06 AM To: NYSBIRDS-L Subject: [nysbirds-l] Elegant Tern NO >There was also a significant westward movement of shorebirds, predominately >Short-billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers but a good number of Willet, >Greater Yellowlegs and a few Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers. ________________________________ Washington Monthly<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php> magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of "America's Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges" -- 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/ --
