Those of us that were birding Central Park on 9/11/01 are never going to forget that experience, nor what followed. There's a tendency to mark the anniversary by doing the same thing again - looking for fall migrants in the Ramble. However the motivation for birding today was more weather-driven than anniversary-driven.
9/11/01 was the "first good migration day of fall" with the wind out of the north, which blew the ash from the WTC site away from the park until the wind changed two days later. That wind carried quite a decent number of migrants with it. 9/11/12 also had a north-west wind and cool overnight temperatures but the results were not as dramatic bird-wise or in any other way.
The biggest movement of migrants today were the multiple flocks of Cedar Waxwings moving around the park. Actual warblers were a little more scarce and I came up with a mere handful of them: Northern Parula; Magnolia Warbler; Black-throated Blue Warbler; Black-and-white Warbler; American Redstart; Canada Warbler; Common Yellowthroat. Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos were around, and the Warblings were still singing, as they have been over the last few trips to CPK. The best birds that I saw today were Broad-winged Hawks - a heavily marked immature over the Lake, adults and lightly marked immatures over the Ramble and one pale immature sitting in plain view in the Ramble until it finally flew out mid-morning. Most or all of these birds had clearly roosted in the park overnight because they were seen at low altitude. I've never seen one actually roosting in the park before. The hummingbird movement continued with at least one and probably more through the Maintenance Field - the Central Park Conservancy have numerous Cardinal Flower plantings within the Ramble which are often used as a food source by hummingbirds. I continue to miss Red-breasted Nuthatches despite hearing them in two locations in the park - I might have seen the ones near Azalea Pond but they did not stick around and fell silent.
Nevertheless a slightly lackluster migration day given the north wind overnight.
What follows is the list from 9/11/01. I keep my sightings stored in HTML format and this is part of my Sightings2001 file.
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed, Philadelphia Vireo
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Veery, Swainson's, Wood Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Northern Parula
Nashville, Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush
Wilson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Central Park Sept 9th
Sandwiched inbetween Saturday's and Sunday's trips to Sandy Hook I went to Central Park on Sunday morning. On average migration was quite modest - the front had taken its time to come through the previous evening and the north winds developed too late.
Strawberry Fields was comatose apart from a single Ovenbird, or would have been if the humming throng of the impending disease-a-thon had not been gathering at 72nd Street.
The Ramble was a little more active, mostly around Azalea Pond and Maintenance Field. Somewhat oddly both Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos were heard singing. At Azalea there was a cooperative adult male Hooded Warbler and Redstarts and my sole Wood Thrush for the day. At Maintenance - where I ultimately spent most of my time waiting for the chat (it didn't appear) - warblers included Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Warbler, Common Yellowthroat. Eastern Wood-Pewee was also here (heard in several locations) along with a Great Crested Flycatcher. Best bird of all was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo which flew in, gave brief views, and dropped down in the dense foliage now on the edge of the Maintenance Field. While I didn't get into double digits for warbler species I did manage a good diversity and also saw at least four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the day.
The last interesting bird, as I was headed out for the subway, was a Hairy Woodpecker - these are fairly scarce in the park but it's not clear if this constitutes a migrant or not.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
Strawberry Fields was comatose apart from a single Ovenbird, or would have been if the humming throng of the impending disease-a-thon had not been gathering at 72nd Street.
The Ramble was a little more active, mostly around Azalea Pond and Maintenance Field. Somewhat oddly both Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos were heard singing. At Azalea there was a cooperative adult male Hooded Warbler and Redstarts and my sole Wood Thrush for the day. At Maintenance - where I ultimately spent most of my time waiting for the chat (it didn't appear) - warblers included Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Warbler, Common Yellowthroat. Eastern Wood-Pewee was also here (heard in several locations) along with a Great Crested Flycatcher. Best bird of all was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo which flew in, gave brief views, and dropped down in the dense foliage now on the edge of the Maintenance Field. While I didn't get into double digits for warbler species I did manage a good diversity and also saw at least four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the day.
The last interesting bird, as I was headed out for the subway, was a Hairy Woodpecker - these are fairly scarce in the park but it's not clear if this constitutes a migrant or not.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
Sandy Hook, Sept 8th and 9th
While I did not chase the Elegant Tern at Sandy Hook the previous weekend - when it was found - I decided to check it out a week later despite a somewhat dubious weather forecast for the Saturday. A birder friend came along on Saturday and did fairly well with two life birds. On the way out to the False Hook at Sandy Hook we took the wrong trail and ended up meandering down false trails south of the large salt pond. While being snacked on by mosquitos we did fairly well with warblers: Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler. Also Cedar Waxwing and Baltimore Oriole - this was a pretty good selection considering the wind was from the south and it did not epitomize a good fall migration day. Locating the correct trail and walking to the the beach we encountered a small flock of Palm Warblers - absolutely not what I'd consider typical for early September.
Birders told us that the Elegant Tern was seen earlier (we were they early, but not at dawn) but ultimately we were not successful finding it. Instead there were a lot of Common Terns, and Amy's first lifer was a Black Tern coming down the beach to join the Commons at the cut. Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers and Piping Plovers were on the beach and adjoining mudflat. In a fairly stiff breeze most of the Common/Black Terns and numerous Black Skimmers were in a small group in the roped off (shorebird nesting) area, and most of the birders there that morning had gathered to concentrate on that flock. It also gave a good view of the storm clouds marching up the NJ shore towards us. While failing to find an Elegant a nice bonus was three Buff-breasted Sandpipers feeding amongst the dunes - this was Amy's second lifer and a year bird for me.
Eventually an interesting larger tern did turn up back at the cut - I could pick it out in the air but this was reported as a Sandwich Tern by birders closer to the scene (also a year bird for me). As the storm clouds rolled in and we headed back towards the parking lot a Marbled Godwit flew down the beach and was literally the last bird we saw on the beach as the deluge opened up. Although we got totally soaked on the walk back to the car we did dodge the bullet on that weather system: twisters were reported from Queens and Breezy Point got hit - that's pretty close to Sandy Hook and that would have been the same storm system that hit us.
On Sunday I went back to Sandy Hook after birding Central Park. The weather was bright and sunny and not too warm, and although there were more people (mostly fishermen, some beachgoers) it was still possible to watch a decent flock of Common and Black Terns and Black Skimmers. After a little while the Elegant Tern put in an appearance and gave diagnostic views. Later on it vanished before returning later in the day before sunset when I was able to get decent photographs of it. Both days gave me pretty much my best views of Black Tern, also, so it was a pretty good birding day if a little exhausting by the time I got home.
Birders told us that the Elegant Tern was seen earlier (we were they early, but not at dawn) but ultimately we were not successful finding it. Instead there were a lot of Common Terns, and Amy's first lifer was a Black Tern coming down the beach to join the Commons at the cut. Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers and Piping Plovers were on the beach and adjoining mudflat. In a fairly stiff breeze most of the Common/Black Terns and numerous Black Skimmers were in a small group in the roped off (shorebird nesting) area, and most of the birders there that morning had gathered to concentrate on that flock. It also gave a good view of the storm clouds marching up the NJ shore towards us. While failing to find an Elegant a nice bonus was three Buff-breasted Sandpipers feeding amongst the dunes - this was Amy's second lifer and a year bird for me.
Eventually an interesting larger tern did turn up back at the cut - I could pick it out in the air but this was reported as a Sandwich Tern by birders closer to the scene (also a year bird for me). As the storm clouds rolled in and we headed back towards the parking lot a Marbled Godwit flew down the beach and was literally the last bird we saw on the beach as the deluge opened up. Although we got totally soaked on the walk back to the car we did dodge the bullet on that weather system: twisters were reported from Queens and Breezy Point got hit - that's pretty close to Sandy Hook and that would have been the same storm system that hit us.
On Sunday I went back to Sandy Hook after birding Central Park. The weather was bright and sunny and not too warm, and although there were more people (mostly fishermen, some beachgoers) it was still possible to watch a decent flock of Common and Black Terns and Black Skimmers. After a little while the Elegant Tern put in an appearance and gave diagnostic views. Later on it vanished before returning later in the day before sunset when I was able to get decent photographs of it. Both days gave me pretty much my best views of Black Tern, also, so it was a pretty good birding day if a little exhausting by the time I got home.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Labor Day weekend: Central Park and Brigantine
Saturday, at an obnoxious 92 degrees, kept me around the house doing yard work.
On Sunday I trekked into Central Park on a day with at best modest migration prospects. I was lured in by the reports of Red Crossbills the previous two days - a very rare bird for the park in what might be a major irruption year for them. The Crossbills bad obviously left, despite some time spent searching Hemlocks for them. Migration was also less than spectacular, with very low numbers of migrants with the exception of one small active patch near the Gill: this yielded Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Worm-eating, Yellow and Northern Waterthrush. That was my first Worm-eating Warbler in the park this year - I'd seen or heard others at Sterling Forest and Belleplain SP but as with Cape May Warbler I had struck out on it during spring migration.
On Labor Day itself I went down to Brig again and had a better birding day there than the previous weekend despite some pretty overcast weather. Three Bobolinks at the start of the one-way section of the wildlife drive. A Lark Sparrow (my first in NJ and fairly rare in the East) made itself obvious by lurking around the drive itself where the bulky side and white-tipped tail feathers drew my attention. Several other birders drove right past it and flushed it from the driveway, so it wasn't apparently obvious to everyone. Double-crested Cormorant numbers were quite high - already on the move with some flocks in the air, there were also a lot of them staging in the area and big flocks were feeding on fish schools along with similarly high numbers of Forster's Terns. Since it was windy I did unusually poorly with passerines, i.e. no Seaside Sparrows, and the two Ammodramus sparrows that I did see where a nice bonus - Saltmarsh (Sharp-tailed) Sparrows. While not the first time I've seen them there, they are not an every-trip bird. Shorebirds were in modest numbers with the typical selection augmented by Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot (one adult, one juvenile) and three Pectoral Sandpipers. There were also some interesting terns - a flock on a sandbar with shorebirds had many Royals and a few Caspians. Later on I saw juvenile Caspians still begging from their parents. And best of all a juvenile Gull-billed Tern was still being fed by parents that had already started their pre-basic molt and losing their black caps. A Wild Turkey in the forested area capped off the trip and I did fairly well at avoiding the worst of the Labor Day traffic on the way back home.
On Sunday I trekked into Central Park on a day with at best modest migration prospects. I was lured in by the reports of Red Crossbills the previous two days - a very rare bird for the park in what might be a major irruption year for them. The Crossbills bad obviously left, despite some time spent searching Hemlocks for them. Migration was also less than spectacular, with very low numbers of migrants with the exception of one small active patch near the Gill: this yielded Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Worm-eating, Yellow and Northern Waterthrush. That was my first Worm-eating Warbler in the park this year - I'd seen or heard others at Sterling Forest and Belleplain SP but as with Cape May Warbler I had struck out on it during spring migration.
On Labor Day itself I went down to Brig again and had a better birding day there than the previous weekend despite some pretty overcast weather. Three Bobolinks at the start of the one-way section of the wildlife drive. A Lark Sparrow (my first in NJ and fairly rare in the East) made itself obvious by lurking around the drive itself where the bulky side and white-tipped tail feathers drew my attention. Several other birders drove right past it and flushed it from the driveway, so it wasn't apparently obvious to everyone. Double-crested Cormorant numbers were quite high - already on the move with some flocks in the air, there were also a lot of them staging in the area and big flocks were feeding on fish schools along with similarly high numbers of Forster's Terns. Since it was windy I did unusually poorly with passerines, i.e. no Seaside Sparrows, and the two Ammodramus sparrows that I did see where a nice bonus - Saltmarsh (Sharp-tailed) Sparrows. While not the first time I've seen them there, they are not an every-trip bird. Shorebirds were in modest numbers with the typical selection augmented by Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot (one adult, one juvenile) and three Pectoral Sandpipers. There were also some interesting terns - a flock on a sandbar with shorebirds had many Royals and a few Caspians. Later on I saw juvenile Caspians still begging from their parents. And best of all a juvenile Gull-billed Tern was still being fed by parents that had already started their pre-basic molt and losing their black caps. A Wild Turkey in the forested area capped off the trip and I did fairly well at avoiding the worst of the Labor Day traffic on the way back home.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Jamaica Bay, August 28th
Despite a really strong showing with Ruffs early in the season, Jamaica Bay has seemed to be pretty anemic when it comes to more regular shorebird species. Recent deluges (e.g. weekend of Sept 9th) have probably filled up the pond enough to eliminate any more shorebirding until next summer.
I made three visits in late August culminating in the best visit on Aug 28th. On Aug 26th the best bird was a single White-rumped Sandpiper amongst Semipalmated Sandpipers. On Aug 27th the south end was fairly slow (Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover) but at least I picked out the American White Pelican all the way at the north end (it's huge and that yellow bill sticks out even through the heat haze over the full length of the pond).
Finally on the afternoon of Aug 28th I had a little more luck - some cooperative common species at the entrance to the north end (Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover) and then an accumulation of shorebirds at the end of the first spit - north of what is called Dead Man's Cove which despite its boot-sucking nature has not killed any birders as far as I'm aware. It's covered a few in mud, however.
South of where I was standing the American Avocet was seen in the distance and then an American Golden-Plover flew in. After it settled down I made an approach on it, a whole flock of Black-bellied Plovers flew in - they hardly ever are tame enough to accumulate on the spit in front of you, but this time they came in after a (very experienced pro) bird photographer managed to flush them all off the adjacent spit. In with this flock came two Red Knots - an adult and a juvenile - which periodically would wander down the shore line towards us (it was us by this time - two more photographers including the pro had joined me). So I spent a "pleasant" afternoon lying in the mud getting chewed on by biting flies taking pictures of plovers, knots, the occasional sandpiper and a few Common Terns. The Avocet and the American Golden (my first adult on the East Pond) were by far the most interesting, but for once this year there was a good number of shorebirds lined up in front of me.
I made three visits in late August culminating in the best visit on Aug 28th. On Aug 26th the best bird was a single White-rumped Sandpiper amongst Semipalmated Sandpipers. On Aug 27th the south end was fairly slow (Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover) but at least I picked out the American White Pelican all the way at the north end (it's huge and that yellow bill sticks out even through the heat haze over the full length of the pond).
Finally on the afternoon of Aug 28th I had a little more luck - some cooperative common species at the entrance to the north end (Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover) and then an accumulation of shorebirds at the end of the first spit - north of what is called Dead Man's Cove which despite its boot-sucking nature has not killed any birders as far as I'm aware. It's covered a few in mud, however.
South of where I was standing the American Avocet was seen in the distance and then an American Golden-Plover flew in. After it settled down I made an approach on it, a whole flock of Black-bellied Plovers flew in - they hardly ever are tame enough to accumulate on the spit in front of you, but this time they came in after a (very experienced pro) bird photographer managed to flush them all off the adjacent spit. In with this flock came two Red Knots - an adult and a juvenile - which periodically would wander down the shore line towards us (it was us by this time - two more photographers including the pro had joined me). So I spent a "pleasant" afternoon lying in the mud getting chewed on by biting flies taking pictures of plovers, knots, the occasional sandpiper and a few Common Terns. The Avocet and the American Golden (my first adult on the East Pond) were by far the most interesting, but for once this year there was a good number of shorebirds lined up in front of me.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Southern NJ - August 25th/26th
A non-birding trip to the Atlantic City area led me to (inevitably) add in some visits to the Brigantine Division of Forsythe NWR and a quick look around Cape May.
I started the 25th on the beach at Longport NJ, which is at the south end of the Atlantic City island and not a specific birding location. Nevertheless there were good numbers of Sanderling on the beach and a few Semipalmated Plovers mixed in - not really the bird you associate with feeding at the surf line but a reminder that on migration these birds do get everywhere. A local Peregrine Falcon and an Osprey kept the shorebirds moving around.
At Sunset Beach in Cape May (aka the Concrete Ship) there were no pelagics, but instead a handful of terns - Common, Forster's, Royal and with three Black Terns in the mix. A few shorebirds on the beach were Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and one Semipalmated Sandpiper.
At the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (the place that I always call South Cape May Meadows - its former name) had a few shorebirds on the ponds (Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs) and quite a few flyby terns - mostly Forster's and one Gull-billed over the preserve and Royal Tern seen flying up the beach. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon spent a little time scaring things on the pond (including Green-winged Teal) but there were few passerines in evidence. Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen migrating through.
At Brig over the two days I had basically the same birds on both visits: huge numbers of Tree Swallows (with some Barns) over the marsh, a typical assortment of shorebirds (Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Dowitcher sp, Black-bellied Plover), Egrets, Herons and Ibis and the usual raptors: Osprey and Peregrines. The first Northern Harrier for the colder months was over the marsh. The tide was very high for the first visit which led me to see a Clapper Rail sprinting across an open channel between the flooded saltmarsh.
Nothing unusual or unseasonal on this trip, although the Black Terns were my first for the year.
I started the 25th on the beach at Longport NJ, which is at the south end of the Atlantic City island and not a specific birding location. Nevertheless there were good numbers of Sanderling on the beach and a few Semipalmated Plovers mixed in - not really the bird you associate with feeding at the surf line but a reminder that on migration these birds do get everywhere. A local Peregrine Falcon and an Osprey kept the shorebirds moving around.
At Sunset Beach in Cape May (aka the Concrete Ship) there were no pelagics, but instead a handful of terns - Common, Forster's, Royal and with three Black Terns in the mix. A few shorebirds on the beach were Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and one Semipalmated Sandpiper.
At the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (the place that I always call South Cape May Meadows - its former name) had a few shorebirds on the ponds (Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs) and quite a few flyby terns - mostly Forster's and one Gull-billed over the preserve and Royal Tern seen flying up the beach. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon spent a little time scaring things on the pond (including Green-winged Teal) but there were few passerines in evidence. Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen migrating through.
At Brig over the two days I had basically the same birds on both visits: huge numbers of Tree Swallows (with some Barns) over the marsh, a typical assortment of shorebirds (Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Dowitcher sp, Black-bellied Plover), Egrets, Herons and Ibis and the usual raptors: Osprey and Peregrines. The first Northern Harrier for the colder months was over the marsh. The tide was very high for the first visit which led me to see a Clapper Rail sprinting across an open channel between the flooded saltmarsh.
Nothing unusual or unseasonal on this trip, although the Black Terns were my first for the year.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Delaware: Black-tailed Godwit
After having missed the 2001 Black-tailed Godwit on Long Island because I was away on vacation, this species had nestled close to the top of my rarity priority list in recent years. There was an early summer BT Godwit in TX this year that had me tempted to fly for it in a piece of gratuitous chasing.
So the red alert buttons went off on Friday while at work, when a report of a Black-tailed Godwit at Prime Hook NWR in Delaware turned up on the NJ email list. Since Prime Hook is south of Dover it's too far for an after work sprint, so I had to bide my time for an early morning drive. So I left at 4am from Ewing, off about 2 hours sleep after being out the previous night in Philadelphia. Uneventful 3 hour drive but even at 6am DE Route 1 held some beach traffic. Since DE-1 was built, it's a lot faster to get down there compared to the old sluggish Route 13.
Prime Hook Rd is a little north of Broadkill Beach Road, where the Wood Sandpiper was found in summer 2008, although it's all part of the same marshland just inland of the beaches. On Prime Hook Rd the habitat seemed to have taken a bit of a beating - signs of water crossing the rode with all sorts of debris on it. The weather was heavily overcast, cool and windy. Short-billed Dowitcher was the most numerous shorebird, with some small peeps, a couple of Willets and one Ruddy Turnstone. It took a full hour for the Black-tailed Godwit to appear, apparently flying into an island of exposed mud while many of us were looking elsewhere. It seemed that it might be an adult female - it wasn't in basic and it didn't look like a juvenile. The bird was quite restless - it spent the five minutes on the ground mostly preening and then picked up and flew to the west. The was useful, because the single most dominant ID feature compared to the similar Hudsonian Godwit is pale wing linings (Black-tailed) vs black wing linings (Hudsonian). There were also the very prominent wing bars. Later in the day it was found roosting along a neighboring beach road but apparently wasn't found on Sunday.
I've seen lots of Black-tailed Godwits before, including a few wintering birds on my most recent trip to Britain in Feb 2010, but this was my first one in the USA and completed an unlikely Godwit grand slam for the year:
So the red alert buttons went off on Friday while at work, when a report of a Black-tailed Godwit at Prime Hook NWR in Delaware turned up on the NJ email list. Since Prime Hook is south of Dover it's too far for an after work sprint, so I had to bide my time for an early morning drive. So I left at 4am from Ewing, off about 2 hours sleep after being out the previous night in Philadelphia. Uneventful 3 hour drive but even at 6am DE Route 1 held some beach traffic. Since DE-1 was built, it's a lot faster to get down there compared to the old sluggish Route 13.
Prime Hook Rd is a little north of Broadkill Beach Road, where the Wood Sandpiper was found in summer 2008, although it's all part of the same marshland just inland of the beaches. On Prime Hook Rd the habitat seemed to have taken a bit of a beating - signs of water crossing the rode with all sorts of debris on it. The weather was heavily overcast, cool and windy. Short-billed Dowitcher was the most numerous shorebird, with some small peeps, a couple of Willets and one Ruddy Turnstone. It took a full hour for the Black-tailed Godwit to appear, apparently flying into an island of exposed mud while many of us were looking elsewhere. It seemed that it might be an adult female - it wasn't in basic and it didn't look like a juvenile. The bird was quite restless - it spent the five minutes on the ground mostly preening and then picked up and flew to the west. The was useful, because the single most dominant ID feature compared to the similar Hudsonian Godwit is pale wing linings (Black-tailed) vs black wing linings (Hudsonian). There were also the very prominent wing bars. Later in the day it was found roosting along a neighboring beach road but apparently wasn't found on Sunday.
I've seen lots of Black-tailed Godwits before, including a few wintering birds on my most recent trip to Britain in Feb 2010, but this was my first one in the USA and completed an unlikely Godwit grand slam for the year:
- Marbled Godwit in TX in January
- Bar-tailed Godwit in Alaska (Nome & Anchor River)
- Hudsonian Godwit in Alaska (Anchorage)
- this Black-tailed Godwit
Monday, July 9, 2012
Jamaica Bay: Ruff
It seems to have been a pretty good year for Ruff (see: eBird data) and over the last week there have actually been two at Jamaica Bay WR: a white-headed one and a more rufous-cinnamon one. Although I'd reduced birding during the heat wave I braved things on Sunday, was only 90. The Ruff was seen at distance but seen well courtesy of others' scopes - stupidly I'd forgotten to bring my own which is not a bright idea on the East Pond. The Ruff was seen on the mud and in flight, where the dark belly on it made it look like an anomalous Black-bellied Plover. This was only my second Ruff in the USA (first one: a Reeve in Wayne NJ in 2002) and my first in NYC.
Shorebird numbers were decent but this was early July and actual diversity was pretty low. A few of the more interesting shorebirds: Pectoral Sandpiper; Stilt Sandpiper, were in evidence but it was mostly Dowitchers and Yellowlegs. Eventually I buckled under the heat after the sun emerged (90 degrees in waders is not fun) and crawled back to the car.
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Osprey
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruff
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Gull-billed Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Willow Flycatcher
Marsh Wren
Yellow Warbler
Shorebird numbers were decent but this was early July and actual diversity was pretty low. A few of the more interesting shorebirds: Pectoral Sandpiper; Stilt Sandpiper, were in evidence but it was mostly Dowitchers and Yellowlegs. Eventually I buckled under the heat after the sun emerged (90 degrees in waders is not fun) and crawled back to the car.
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Osprey
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruff
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Gull-billed Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Willow Flycatcher
Marsh Wren
Yellow Warbler
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Central Park Effect: HBO, July 16th
HBO Documentaries are showing Jeffrey Kimball's The Central Park Effect on July 16th at 9pm. Jeff spent quite a lot of time shooting video footage in the park, which is almost always much more challenging than shooting photographic stills like I do, since things like warblers rarely remain in focus for very long in either medium. In turn he's also captured a slice of what it's like to bird an urban hot spot like Central Park, also featuring some of the somewhat more cooperative birders alongside some really good bird footage.
Definitely worth programming your DVR for.
Definitely worth programming your DVR for.
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