The East End of Long Island was spared much of the wet weather this morning and instead stewed in a humid onshore breeze with periods of sunshine. Nonetheless, there were a few good birds around. A single *CORY'S SHEARWATER * and light-morph *PARASITC JAEGER* flew west past Hither Hills State Park. An adult *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL* was on the Maidstone Golf Course in East Hampton, two lingering *CASPIAN TERNS* (an adult with juv. in tow) were at Mecox Inlet and my first *GREAT CORMORANT* of the season was at Montauk Point. Significant numbers of terns and Laughing Gulls remain over the reefs off the point. When I arrived, most were feeding north of the point but when the tide changed and the wind dropped, the terns picked up en masse and flew around to the south side. A quick count of birds passing a single spot tallied more than 4,000 Common Terns and 2,000 Laughing Gulls. Among these I picked out a *BONAPARTE'S GULL*, 4 *BLACK TERNS*, 2 *FORSTER'S TERNS* and a late adult *ROSEATE TERN*. Given the scale of the larid activity around the Point, I remain puzzled by the apparent absence jaegers. Last weekend, my only 'jaeger' working the tern flock turned out to to be a Peregrine intent on the terns themselves, rather than their catch. Speaking of Peregrines, Karen Rubinstein spotted a Peregrine over Hook Pond, adding to the 7 birds I reported earlier.
It's with a touch of sadness that I report the demise of the dank but warm and always open bathrooms near the entrance to the main parking at Montauk Point State Park. Many birders have taken advantage of these strategically placed facilities over the years, if not decades. A wrecking crew tore down the building today and carted the debris away. All that remains is a patch of bare sand. A new facility has been built near the middle of the parking lot; all well and good but a far less convenient spot for the bundled winter seawatcher afflicted by the combined effects of cold and too much coffee on the drive out. Hopefully, they will maintain the policy of keeping the new restrooms open year round. -- Angus Wilson New York City & The Springs, NY, USA http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
