Sue and I spent a few hours at JBWR yesterday morning searching for some of the uncommon species reported from the refuge. We had no luck finding the Eared Grebe from the West Pond trail and likewise missed the Barrow's Goldeneye, observing only four Common Goldeneye on the Bay. We headed over to the East Pond where the Big John's Pond Barn Owl appeared in the entrance to its nest box. We then found the sleeping Eurasian Wigeon on the west side of the East Pond. We ran into a birder who told us that he had the Eared Grebe that morning from the end of 10th Street in Broad Channel (make a right from Cross Bay Boulevard about a half mile south of JBWR). Arriving at the end of 10th Street we quickly found the Eared Grebe with approx. ten Horned Grebes. The bird is easy to pick out by virtue of its dark head and neck and two white spots on the back of the neck. A poor photo of the bird with a Horned Grebe and Ruddy Duck is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfeustel/
Ken Feustel -- 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/ --