[nysbirds-l] Sandwich Tern, Mecox, July 3rd

[Donna Schulman]

There were at least 5 terns at Mecox Inlet this morning, the highlight being
a *Sandwich Tern *offering premium photo ops close to shore.  There were
also two large terns, possibly the Caspian Terns that had been sighted there
in April?  I will post photos tonight.  The foreheads are "dusky", unlike
white Royal Tern foreheads.  But the bill is more red-orange than red.

Rounding out the Tern count were Least, Common, And Forsters.  Also two
Black Skimmers.

[Note: Mecox Inlet is Southampton Town permit parking throughout the
summer.  It's not clear from the signs or the town web site if you can park
there before 9am or after 5pm, as you used to be able to.]

*Donna L. Schulman
Forest Hills, NY + North Brunswick, NJ
queensgir...@gmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/queensgirl/

*

--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] S. Nassau LBB Gulls +

[TESSA1]

I visited 3 of my regular spots in S. Nassau today.(Sunday - July 3,  
7-12PM) starting at Nickerson Beach, then Lido Passive Nature Center and  
finishing up at Jones Beach West End (JBWE) with pretty much expected species 
in  expected numbers for around this time, with the exception an incredible  
number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls found at both Nickerson and JBWE. Of  
the roughly 125 non-breeding Gulls loafing around just west of the Tern 
colonies  at Nickerson were initially 11 LBB Gulls. After turning my attention 
elsewhere,  and having noticed that group had re-assembled after a vehicle 
disruption, I  took another count and came up with 15! These included 6 -1st 
Summer, 6 - 2nd  Summer and 3 - 3rd Summer birds. JBWE had 3 more on the beach 
and a bright 3rd  summer bird in the Parking Lot. The birds on the beach 
were 2 - 1st Summer  and 1 - 3rd summer for a total of 19 on the day - by far 
the highest tally I've  ever had in 1 outing. 
 
Least Terns were generally down in numbers at Nickerson, but there seemed  
to be more than usual at JBWE than last year, and recent years. A 1/2 hour  
sea-watch from Nickerson (which usually isn't productive) turned up 2 
Wilson's  Storm-Petrels and a near-adult Common Eider. Piping Plovers may be a 
bit 
down at  Nickerson, but I noticed at least 14 at JBWE with many cages up, 
and at least 5  chicks in the swale. A fresh juvenile Laughing Gull on the 
sandbar near the CG  Station is a nice early date.
 
Bobby Berlingeri
Elmont, NY 
--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Wilson's Storm-petrels, Robert Moses S.P. (Suffolk Co.)

[John Gluth]

Did a seawatch for nearly an hour at Robert Moses State Park (Field 2) this
morning (8:45-9:35). Saw 10-12 Wilson's Storm-petrels during that time.
A scope was necessary to see all the birds, but a couple were near enough to
shore to provide decent looks. Unfortunately I saw no shearwaters. But there
was a single 1st-summer Lesser Black-backed Gull loafing in the parking lot
among a small mixed flock of Herring and Great Black-backed gulls.  



--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Hooded Crow & South Shore Inlet Birding

[MICHAEL MC BRIEN]

This morning between 7:30 and 8:00, we saw the Hooded Crow on the beach 
near the jetty at Great Kills Park.  It was flushed back to the wooded area 
near the parking lot three separate times by joggers and mockingbirds.  It 
stayed on the beach for extended periods of time throughout our visit and was 
still there when we left.  In addition, 13 Bonaparte's Gulls continue on the 
beach.
At Jones Beach West End, a 1st Summer Western Willet was seen on the Coast 
Guard Station sandbar.  A 1st Summer Lesser Black-backed Gull was also seen in 
the West End 2 parking lot.
On Fire Island, another 1st Summer Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen in the 
Field 2 parking lot.  This individual was slightly more advanced in its 
pre-basic molt as compared with the JBWE indivdual (ie., showed a few fresh 
gray mantle feathers).
The Sandwich Tern continued at Mecox Inlet around 1:45 pm.  4 Royal Terns, 
3  1st Summer Forsters Terns, and a lingering White-rumped Sandpiper were seen. 
 The Sandwich flew off onto the bay with the Royals around 2:00, but was still 
seen hunting over the bay when we left at 2:15.
At the Hampton Bays Water Tower, we saw 4 Common Ravens.
A single Western Willet was feeding on the mussel beds and mudflats in 
Shinnecock Bay, west of the Ponquogue Bridge.
Additionally, I visited Cupsogue in the late afternoon and was able to 
observe some of the terns and shorebirds seen today; I'm sure other observers 
will provide details of the species seen earlier in the day.  Highlights 
included 2 Black Terns (a near adult and a 1st Summer) and 1 'Hendersoni' 
Short-billed Dowitcher, as well as a wide array of interesting shorebirds. 
Good Birding,
Michael McBrien
East Patchogue


   

--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Wilson's Storm Petrels

[Isaac Grant]

I did a sea watch from Fort Tilden for a few hours this afternoon and had loads 
of storm petrels.  It was very difficult to say how many were out there 
becausethere were so many, but on one scan I had 18 so it is fair to say that 
there were at least 18 there.
 
Also birded Point Lookout for about an hour before dusk and had at least 8 more 
there, including 1 wich flew most of the way into the inlet and almost got as 
far as the sandbar.  
 
Birds were seen by Isaac Grant and Tom Dulski

-Isaac
--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Cupsogue Marathon!

[Shaibal Mitra]

A first-summer Arctic Tern was present at Cupsogue from 9:00-9:15 this morning, 
a nice reward for Richard Fried and me, just prior to high tide. A number of 
other birders had been seawatching at this time, counting upwards of 80 Cory's 
Shearwaters, 3 Wilson's Storm-Petrels, a distant jaeger (probably Parasitic), 
15 Northern Gannets, and several Lesser Black-backed Gulls. These folks were 
able to scope the Arctic Tern from afar, but it vanished quickly, as they so 
often do. A few photos can be seen at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/tixbirdz/LongIslandSummer2011

To my eye, this was 
the fourth individual Arctic Tern here this year, its head pattern and tail 
streamers differing from one seen on 15 Jun and two seen on 29 Jun (one of 
which was superbly photographed the next day also).

Over the course of a very long day (I first stepped out on the marsh at 6:40 am 
and finished my third trip at 7:40 pm), at least three Royal, two Black, and 
three Roseate Terns were tallied, and lots of early fall shorebird migration 
was noted: many small flocks of Short-billed Dowitchers (including a 
high-breeding hendersoni picked out by Andy Guthrie), two Western Willets, and 
half a dozen each Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers. The identity of a 
long-billed peep in first summer plumage was debated ad nauseum by some of the 
finest birding minds in New York State (despite my protests that they ought to 
just leave it alone!); a majority favored Western over Semi in the end.

The local Eastern Willets and Oystercatchers are ganging up now, with 63 of the 
former and 16 of the latter observed in tight flocks today. Two summering Brant 
appeared on the flats also.

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore



Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only in 
effect.
Tobacco-Free Campus as of July 1, 2012.

--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Willet at Fair Haven, Sunday, July 3rd

[Mickey Scilingo]

While spending the day with my family at Fair Haven Beach State Park on Lake 
Ontario in Cayuga County, I had the good fortune of spotting a WILLET flying 
with a group of Ring-billed Gulls that had just been flushed off the swimming 
beach at around 6:30.   The group of birds flew around over the water for a few 
minutes before settling back down on the beach.  Unfortunately, a group of 
small children were chasing the gulls around, causing them to flush repeatedly, 
and sometime during the ensuing confusion, the Willet disappeared.

As we were leaving just before 8 PM, the WILLET was back on the beach foraging 
near the waters edge.  This time I was able to see that it was an immature 
plumaged bird.  I did snap a few photos of it through my binoculars, but they 
came out worse than I expected.  The Willet was still at the water's edge when 
we left.




Mickey Scilingo
Constantia
Oswego County, NY
mickey.scili...@gte.net
315-679-6299
--

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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/

--