Re:[nysbirds-l] Shorebird hot spots
One superb shorebird spot that disappeared in one day was Oak Beach Marsh. This was technically-speaking a "seche," a very shallow pan of rainwater of maybe an acre in extent that gradually dried and was replenished only when it rained again (or perhaps in a very high tide). The bottom was a thin film of mud that was evidently full of good things to eat, and is was insulated from all but the very highest storm tides. At high tide in the right season it was covered with shorebirds. I had over 30 species of shorebirds there over several years In the 1970s, including Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit etc. This shallow pool was located on the salt marsh on the bay side of the Ocean Parkway opposite what is now called Overlook Beach (on the Jones Beach-to-Captree strip on Long Island). It all came to an end one afternoon in the 1980s when the mosquito control people, in their wisdom, ditched it and opened it to the tides. Now it is just an ordinary stretch of salt march with a Least Sandpiper and a Pectoral or two. Bob Paxton -- 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/ --
Re:[nysbirds-l] Shorebird hot spots
One superb shorebird spot that disappeared in one day was Oak Beach Marsh. This was technically-speaking a seche, a very shallow pan of rainwater of maybe an acre in extent that gradually dried and was replenished only when it rained again (or perhaps in a very high tide). The bottom was a thin film of mud that was evidently full of good things to eat, and is was insulated from all but the very highest storm tides. At high tide in the right season it was covered with shorebirds. I had over 30 species of shorebirds there over several years In the 1970s, including Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit etc. This shallow pool was located on the salt marsh on the bay side of the Ocean Parkway opposite what is now called Overlook Beach (on the Jones Beach-to-Captree strip on Long Island). It all came to an end one afternoon in the 1980s when the mosquito control people, in their wisdom, ditched it and opened it to the tides. Now it is just an ordinary stretch of salt march with a Least Sandpiper and a Pectoral or two. Bob Paxton -- 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/ --
