[nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update
Salutations,The East Pond water level is looking very good and at the moment we are likely to meet our drawdown goals. However, I want to warn folks that we may not see the levels we did last season as it was drier. What does that mean you ask? Well, it means that you may not likely see the expansive dried out shorelines like we did last season.I began trail maintenance about a week ago with some work on the South-end and I will continue to work on the South-end and start the North-end soon. It is still very early for Shorebird migration but some birds are trickling in. Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, and a handful of peeps so far.I would not take this post as an invitation to make the schlep out there just yet. Just as a heads up that all is looking good for Shorebirding on the pond.Trial maintenance images here: https://twitter.com/birdingdude/status/1673149122147123201?s=46&t=yCd8zvCt5vAwEYLwhkC5ww“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves could free our mind.” ~ Bob Marley“Tenderness and Kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but manifestations of strength and resolution” ~ Khalil Gibran"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick Douglass風 Swift as the wind林 Quiet as the forest火 Conquer like the fire山 Steady as the mountainSun Tzu The Art of War(\__/)(= '.'=) (") _ (") Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device! Andrew Bakshwww.birdingdude.blogspot.com
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[nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update…
Salutations everyone:
I just wanted to provide an update on the East Pond trails and water level. The
Southend trail to access the Pond on the East side is all cleared up and all
that remains is a widening of the path on the west side as you access the Pond.
Please note, for those of you who are not on Twitter and likely missed my
tweet. The fence on the Southend was moved and you no longer have to clamber or
walk around the fence to access the Pond on the Southend. Ongoing litigation
continues on that area but I will not get into the details here.
The trail on the Northend west side of the East Pond, is cleared. I will try
and open up an area further into the phragmites to widen the end of the path
thus allowing visitors to avoid the soft mud as you enter the Pond. Remember to
stay on your left as you enter the Pond when using that trail. The middle is
very soft mud which will cause you to get stuck if you are not careful.
I almost finished the Northend East side trail on Monday but rain interrupted.
I will attempt to wrap that up, hopefully by next week.
See progress here:
https://twitter.com/birdingdude/status/1404498240662343691?s=21
Since our last East Pond digout on the 7th of June, we regained the 1.8 inches
that was accumulated due to heavy rainfalls. We are now back on target and in
excellent shape. Just to give you a perspective on how good it looks. As of
Monday, we were a little under 1.40. Compare that to 1.80 which is where we
were on August 9th, 2020 gives you an idea of how much better shape we are in
terms of the drawdown of the Pond.
I will continue to monitor the water levels and tweak the trails to make them
accessible as well as work with NPS to get signage in places where required.
Additionally, I will work with NPS to have the boot washing station available
as we get closer to Shorebird season.
Cheers,
“Tenderness and Kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but
manifestations of strength and resolution” ~ Khalil Gibran
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu The Art of War
> (\__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (")
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com
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[nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond update...we have Shorebirds!
Never say Never!
Yesterday and today I visited the East Pond to check on the water level. The
good news is that some flats have begun opening up on the Southend. The water
level is still way too high for this time of the year but with the opening up
of some flats, there were shorebirds.
A few hundred Least Sandpipers mostly all juveniles, 25 Semipalmated Sandpipers
mostly juveniles, a few Semipalmated Plovers, a few Stilt Sandpipers, 1
Solitary Sandpiper, a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpipers
(11), and a few Short-billed Dowitchers rounded out the species list.
Before people get too excited, please let me remind folks that with the water
level as it is, there is not much room for the birds to feed. Please keep that
in mind if you decide to try the pond and avoid pushing the birds around.
If you are not familiar with the pond, I highly recommend waiting for another
week or two where the water should be lower, allowing for easier navigation.
The East Pond has many cuts, holes and soft spots that can make some areas
quite treacherous. With the water level as it is, one could easily misstep.
Between Don Riepe and his volunteers and I, we have cleared the trails on the
Southend so we are ready.
As always, knee high boots will be required. Remember good birding etiquete
also includes, keeping your voice down (I prefer no talking) and have your mask
handy.
I will keep checking and letting you all know how the pond is looking by the
weekend.
Here is a link to a short clip taken today on the pond that I tweeted earlier.
https://twitter.com/birdingdude/status/1295390840928575489?s=21
Cheers,
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu The Art of War
> (\__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (")
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com
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Re: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
I was there yesterday during low tide. According to my notes taken of the
marker, It has drained just about .60 since July 13th. While that indicates a
good flow, it could be a little too late as we have a long way to go and with
rain in the forecast, it is going to be touch and go. I am keeping my fingers
crossed for those juveniles. As a side note, I had a few Spotted Sandpipers
doing their stutter flights from the south end so they must be thriving
(breeding?) on the pond where the water level has reached into the Phragmites.
Something positive?? Okay, maybe I am reaching but I got to get Steve off that
ledge. I need to see that man ankle deep with sneakers on that pond.
As far as the trails both ends definitely need cutting back and usually, I
would take a crack at them rather than waiting on NPS whose strategy these days
seem to be centered around the Shorebird Festival. This heat has been
oppressive so you’ll forgive me for not having the trails ready for you
Monsieur Walter 😂
Keep the faith my good man. I have not given up on the season just yet.
Cheers,
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu The Art of War
> (\__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (")
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com
> On Jul 25, 2020, at 7:27 PM, Steve Walter wrote:
>
>
> So whatever hope I took out of Andrew’s post has evaporated – which is not
> something that’s happening on the East Pond. I didn’t have great
> expectations, but I hadn’t been to Jamaica Bay in the daytime in over two
> months. So I had a look for myself today. Granted there’s been some rain in
> recent days, but the water level had to have still been bad before the rain.
> I don’t know exactly how the pond level was when the valve was addressed on
> July 13, but I have to wonder if it helped at all. It is deep, with no
> shoreline whatsoever. I’ve seen years when long legged shorebirds could at
> least find spots to hang out. But there was nothing of that sort today. And I
> would say that it’s worse than last year at this time. My records show that
> at least Lesser Yellowlegs were present on August 4 last year, and that by
> early September the pond was actually in a good state. I now feel quite
> pessimistic about getting anything out of this season.
>
> On a side note, the trail at the south end got overgrown with Phragmites. I
> did have pruners with me, and started cutting my way through. I stopped when
> I got to a point in the trail where it had turned to deep mud. So now
> comfortable access may become a problem – even if we get something to access.
> Maybe someone can talk me off the ledge, but I’m really discouraged and
> fearing that the East Pond will never be what it was. Unless there’s a
> complete replacement of the valve, or a change in management of the pond that
> can perpetually keep it lower. And one note I’ll add is that when I finally
> got out to the Raunt last September, I noted that the water level was
> noticeably higher when I left than when I arrived. That may indicate that the
> problem at the valve is more than just blockage. But what do I know? Just
> calling it the way I see it, and it doesn’t look good.
>
> Steve Walter
>
> From: Steve Walter [mailto:stevewalt...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2020 6:45 PM
> To: swalte...@verizon.net
> Subject: Fwd: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
>
>
> -- Forwarded message -
> From: Andrew Baksh
> Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2020, 1:25 PM
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
> To: nysbirds-l
> Cc: Nyc ebirds
>
>
>
> The RBA on Friday, mentioned a problem with the East Pond water level. It
> was an understatement. On Independence Day, Don Riepe and I visited the
> outflow on the bayside to check on the drainage and found that the valve was
> buried and hardly a trickle of water leaving the pond.
>
> It would have been easy to give up on the Season given how high the water is
> but no! I subsequently sent out an e-mail to NPS management who responded
> with a plan to dig out the valve this AM.
>
> I am pleased to report that today, an NPS crew was on site as planned and
> this AM dug out the valve. The water is flowing quite well and we (Don,
> myself and NPS) will be keeping an eye on it to ensure it continues to flow
> unimpeded.
>
&
RE: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
So whatever hope I took out of Andrew’s post has evaporated – which is not
something that’s happening on the East Pond. I didn’t have great expectations,
but I hadn’t been to Jamaica Bay in the daytime in over two months. So I had a
look for myself today. Granted there’s been some rain in recent days, but the
water level had to have still been bad before the rain. I don’t know exactly
how the pond level was when the valve was addressed on July 13, but I have to
wonder if it helped at all. It is deep, with no shoreline whatsoever. I’ve seen
years when long legged shorebirds could at least find spots to hang out. But
there was nothing of that sort today. And I would say that it’s worse than last
year at this time. My records show that at least Lesser Yellowlegs were present
on August 4 last year, and that by early September the pond was actually in a
good state. I now feel quite pessimistic about getting anything out of this
season.
On a side note, the trail at the south end got overgrown with Phragmites. I did
have pruners with me, and started cutting my way through. I stopped when I got
to a point in the trail where it had turned to deep mud. So now comfortable
access may become a problem – even if we get something to access. Maybe someone
can talk me off the ledge, but I’m really discouraged and fearing that the East
Pond will never be what it was. Unless there’s a complete replacement of the
valve, or a change in management of the pond that can perpetually keep it
lower. And one note I’ll add is that when I finally got out to the Raunt last
September, I noted that the water level was noticeably higher when I left than
when I arrived. That may indicate that the problem at the valve is more than
just blockage. But what do I know? Just calling it the way I see it, and it
doesn’t look good.
Steve Walter
From: Steve Walter [mailto:stevewalt...@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2020 6:45 PM
To: swalte...@verizon.net
Subject: Fwd: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
-- Forwarded message -
From: Andrew Baksh mailto:birdingd...@gmail.com> >
Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2020, 1:25 PM
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
To: nysbirds-l mailto:NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu> >
Cc: Nyc ebirds mailto:ebirds...@yahoogroups.com> >
The RBA on Friday, mentioned a problem with the East Pond water level. It was
an understatement. On Independence Day, Don Riepe and I visited the outflow on
the bayside to check on the drainage and found that the valve was buried and
hardly a trickle of water leaving the pond.
It would have been easy to give up on the Season given how high the water is
but no! I subsequently sent out an e-mail to NPS management who responded with
a plan to dig out the valve this AM.
I am pleased to report that today, an NPS crew was on site as planned and this
AM dug out the valve. The water is flowing quite well and we (Don, myself and
NPS) will be keeping an eye on it to ensure it continues to flow unimpeded.
As you can imagine, wearing full waders on a hot day was not easy but the work
was done nevertheless. A link to a short video clip which I posted on twitter
can be viewed here.
https://twitter.com/birdingdude/status/1282716449744838662?s=21
If you want to be kept updated on the pond and the level draw down, please send
me a note offline. I will provide intermittent updates to the list serve but
wait for some movement of the water level before doing so.
Many thanks to those of you who show a genuine interest in the management of
the East Pond water. We are doing all we can to salvage the Shorebird season.
Cheers,
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
<http://refspace.com/quotes/Sun_Tzu> Sun Tzu
<http://refspace.com/quotes/The_Art_of_War> The Art of War
(\__/)
(= '.'=)
(") _ (")
Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com <http://www.birdingdude.blogspot.com>
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[nysbirds-l] Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond Update...
The RBA on Friday, mentioned a problem with the East Pond water level. It was
an understatement. On Independence Day, Don Riepe and I visited the outflow on
the bayside to check on the drainage and found that the valve was buried and
hardly a trickle of water leaving the pond.
It would have been easy to give up on the Season given how high the water is
but no! I subsequently sent out an e-mail to NPS management who responded with
a plan to dig out the valve this AM.
I am pleased to report that today, an NPS crew was on site as planned and this
AM dug out the valve. The water is flowing quite well and we (Don, myself and
NPS) will be keeping an eye on it to ensure it continues to flow unimpeded.
As you can imagine, wearing full waders on a hot day was not easy but the work
was done nevertheless. A link to a short video clip which I posted on twitter
can be viewed here.
https://twitter.com/birdingdude/status/1282716449744838662?s=21
If you want to be kept updated on the pond and the level draw down, please send
me a note offline. I will provide intermittent updates to the list serve but
wait for some movement of the water level before doing so.
Many thanks to those of you who show a genuine interest in the management of
the East Pond water. We are doing all we can to salvage the Shorebird season.
Cheers,
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu The Art of War
> (\__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (")
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com
--
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http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm
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2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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