Brendan Fogarty and I began a sweep of Jones Beach at around 8 AM. This lovely fall morning featured a good diversity of birds and decent activity levels this late in the season. Purple Finches and Goldfinches were passing overhead more or less constantly, and 3+ Pine Siskins were detected among them. Migrant highlights of the day included a Vesper Sparrow along the wooden fenceline between the inner and outer turnarounds, a calling Eastern Bluebird along the northwestern edge of the median, and 2 low flyover Eastern Meadowlarks. We found 3 Snow Buntings, our first of the season, at the beach, and others reported Lapland Longspurs. Gannets were moving west in numbers, with lines of birds visible from the median and turnaround! The carcass of an apparent late Baltimore Oriole was discovered at the edge of the dunes near the swale, with a calling-card pellet left beside it. A Hairy Woodpecker vocalizing in the median was a surprising find as well. Knots, plovers, and Dunlin were present at the sandbar, with many lingering oystercatchers as well. There are still a number of Forster's Terns on the bay side, and I heard a Royal call once from the direction of the inlet before Brendan arrived. He also got a Pipit at the parking lot after pulling up.
'Tis the season to begin owling, but please be respectful of the birds and fellow birders while you enjoy the search. Brendan and I spent some time carefully checking the pines in the area, but we found only impressionists inexplicably tooting in the trees at the turnaround. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were attempting to lure in northern passerines rather than elicit a response of some kind from a nocturnal raptor, but hey: important PSA anyway! P.S. Hempstead Lake was very quiet, and the Pink-footed Goose is still putting on a show at Hendrickson Park http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32378050 Cheers! -Tim H -- 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/ --
