Birding To The End

Cape May Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Bobolinks - 2 Oct 2010

2010-10-02T18:29:00.001-07:00

In spite of the N-NNE winds and rain during the night, Hugh McGuinness and I figured that Montauk Point might be a good place to look for migrants. We were not disappointed. After seawatching for a short time and seeing nothing of note beyond a distant jaeger, we turned our attention to the bushes around the main parking lot and in front of the lighthouse. Among the highlights were a CAPE MAY WARBLER (a rare sight on the SF nowadays), BLACKPOLL WARBLER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and an immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. We also noted some phoebes, juncos, Chipping Sparrows and a single Field Sparrow.

Along the Seal Haul Out Trail a mile or so east of the Point, we found a couple of feeding flocks working through the canopy including a confiding BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, a TENNESSEE WARBLER, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, PARULA, BLACK-&-WHITE WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLUE-HEADED and RED-EYED VIREOS. Of a more wintry flavor, a HAIRY WOODPECKER, two YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, one or two BROWN CREEPER and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were also welcome sights. A lone adult TURKEY VULTURE was soaring over the Montauk Woods and we glimpsed a couple of MERLINS.

The weed choked pond at Theodore Roosevelt County Park (Third House) hosted a good selection of birds including a BLUE GROSBEAK, at least 10 INDIGO BUNTINGS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and 30+ BOBOLINK. Another INDIGO BUNTING was by the gate marking the entrance to the Warhol Estate. The American Golden-Plover and Semipalmated Plovers seen yesterday on Rusty's field were not in evidence today.

In Amagansett, Karen and Barb Rubinstein found 4 BOBOLINK in the Quail Hill fields off Town Lane and a couple of RED-EYED VIREOS on Kings Point Road in Springs.

During an afternoon visit to Cedar Point County Park (Northwest Woods), Hugh connected with some more warblers including BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKPOLL, PARULA and BLACK-&-WHITE.

Influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and other storm birds - 30 Sep & 1 Oct 2010

2010-10-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting earlier, but it's been busy with these last two days of windy, and more recently wet, weather.

*** Record breaking influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls ***

Today (1 Oct) was a day for LESSER BLACK-BACK GULLS. All told, I found a whopping total of 34 today including 14 fresh juveniles. The breakdown is as follows: 3+ on the Maidstone Golf Course (East Hampton), 13+ at Sagg Mains (Bridgehampton), 8 at Mecox Inet (Watermill), 1 on field along Sag Road, 1 at Hook Pond, 1 ['Larry'] at Lazy Point (Napeague), 6 on Fort Pond Bay (Montauk) and 1 at the Montauk Inlet. I'll need to sit down with my notes and photos to compile the ages of the 7 subadults.

Late September and early October seems to be the optimal time to find migrant Lesser Black-backs on Long Island, especially if it coincides with crappy weather. This European species seems set to become a common sight on the East Coast, however, we still don't know where the birds actually come from. There is no evidence yet that they are nesting in meaningful numbers in North America and instead may originate in southern Greenland or Iceland where there are known breeding colonies. This would mean that some Lesser Black-backed Gulls have established a new migration pattern, flying southwest rather than southeast in the late summer to staging sites in the Mid-Atlantic States (e.g. Pennsylvania) and Florida. Growing numbers are now found in the Caribbean and beyond.

The appearance of so many juveniles on the South Fork is especially interesting. On Thursday, Patricia Lindsay found 3 juveniles at Robert Moses SP on Fire Island, a record number for one spot apparently. Today's events suggests that juveniles pass down the coast (possibly offshore) in the wake of the adults and subadults that start coming through a few weeks earlier.

Seeding this notion of migrating flocks, the seven juveniles at Sagg Mains were scattered through the flock of roosting gulls but when one bird took to the wing they all did, lifting as a group out of the roost and flying over to the expansive surf zone where they fed by hovering and dipping to snatch disturbed items, much like Ring-billed Gulls.

Otherwise, the fallout of the storm seemed limited. An early morning seawatch was frustrated by poor visibility and a marked lack of birds on the turbulent ocean. Highlights were 6 CORY'S SHEARWATERS and an unidentified jaeger. Gannets are beginning to move in and a few were noted at several stops. An estimated 60 BOBOLINK, 15 Savannah Sparrows and 1000+ Red-winged Blackbirds ere feeding in the weedy fields on either side of Horsemill Lane on the eastern side of Mecox Bay and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER was with 25 Forster's Terns and a few Sanderlings at Mecox. A PEREGRINE buzzed the gulls and Forster's Terns (3) at Sagg Mains. A couple of PARASITIC JAEGERS chased Common Terns on Gardiner's Bay, as seen from Lazy Point, Napeague. Here I noticed a couple of COMMON LOONS and subsequently learned form Karen Rubinstein that five were here earlier in the day. Luke Ormand spotted 2 more off Squires Road East in Hampton Bays. A flock of 10 FIELD SPARROWS were on the roadside in the Lazy Point community.

In Deep Hollow near Montauk, the adult AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER continues on the horse/cattle pasture along with 16 juvenile Semipalmated Plovers. Visibility was really dreadful by the time I reached Montauk Point due to the heavy rain and fog but one of the few birds I could see was a BLACK TERN coursing back and forth in front of the restaurant.

*** Peregrine Flight along ocean front ***

On Thursday (30 Sep) we stewed in a humid onshore breeze with periods of sunshine, escaping the heavy rain that hammered the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and central New York. Nonetheless, there were some good birds around. PEREGRINE FALCONS were in evidence along the beach front. In an hour and a half of casual observation (i.e. not deliberately hawkwatching) between Amagansett and Mecox I spotted 7 moving west along the ocean beach front and Karen Rubinstein saw another over Hook Pond.

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.

The feeder in the middle of Vicki Bustamante's lawn is attracting both a female PURPLE FINCH and a BOBWHITE QUAIL. Two female BLUE-WINGED TEAL linger on Rita's pond.

*** Changes at Montauk State Park ***

It's with a touch of sadness that I report the demise of the dank but warm bathrooms near the entrance to the main parking lot. Over the years, if not decades, numerous birders from all over the country have taken advantage of these strategically placed facilities. A wrecking crew tore down the building today and carted the debris away. All that remains is a patch of bare sand. The new facility is near the middle of the parking lot: 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, the park people will maintain their helpful policy of keeping the new restrooms open year round.

*** Catching Up ***

Saturday's (25 Sep) Group for the East End (GEE) field trip to Dune Road and Shinnecock Bay, led by Steve Biasetti, found a juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, lingering CLAPPER RAIL, 5 ROYAL TERNS, and 10 SALTMARSH (SHARP-TAILED) SPARROWS. A PEREGRINE was on the Ponquogue Bridge. Meanwhile in Montauk, Vicki Bustamante saw a female RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD visiting her sugar feeders and noted a female PURPLE FINCH in here yard and PEREGRINE overhead.

In Georgica, Jane Ross noted HOUSE WREN and multiple RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS in her yard on Sunday. I also spotted a HOUSE WREN working the flower beds at our house in Springs.

On Monday (27 Sep) Vicki Bustamante noted 4 GREEN-WINGED TEAL in the Napeague bog, where the old and new Montauk Highways splits.

Odds and Ends - 25 Sep 2010

2010-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Karen Rubinstein birded Montauk & Deep Hollow on Thursday morning (23 Sep), finding numerous Northern Flickers and Eastern Phoebes. Many Laughing Gulls, Common Terns and a few FORSTER'S TERNS continue off the Point. Karen noted at least 15 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. At Teddy Roosevelt County Park (3rd House) she found a sprinkling of migrants including MERLIN, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, INDIGO BUNTING and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Two SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were with the Killdeer on the pasture in Deep Hollow south of the road. Two or probably three TURKEY VULTURES were in the area between Deep Hollow and Camp Hero. In the evening a GREAT HORNED OWL visited Vicki Bustamante's property above East Lake Drive.

Visiting Mecox Inlet on Friday evening (24 Sep), John Shemilt found 2 CASPIAN TERNS, a LEAST TERN, 5 COMMON TERN, 40+ FORSTER'S TERNS, 2 DUNLIN, 11 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a LEAST SANDPIPER. In Springs, Karen and Barb Rubinstein spotted three COMMON NIGHTHAWKS just before dusk. They appeared to come in from over Gardiner's Bay and then flew south.

This morning (25 Sep), Luke Ormand found 5 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and around 15 BLUE-WINGED TEAL on the pools in the field behind the South Fork Natural History (SoFo) Museum and Nature Center in Bridgehampton.

Influx of fall songbird migrants - 21 Sep 2010

2010-09-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Monday (20 Sep 2010) night provided the first major influx of fall songbird migrants onto the East End. Birding some familiar spots on the east side of Lake Montauk on Tuesday (21 Sep) morning, Vicki Bustamante found her first DARK-EYED JUNCO and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS of the season. She describes the NORTHERN FLICKERS, EASTERN PHOEBES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS as being "everywhere". At Teddy Roosevelt CP, Vicki found 5 newly arrived SWAMP SPARROWS, a late-ish YELLOW WARBLER, INDIGO BUNTINGS and some BOBOLINKS. A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was near Outer Beach. Hawks were also in evidence with MERLIN, AMERICAN KESTREL and 2 PEREGRINES over Deep Hollow.

Proving this was not a localized event, Hugh McGuinness heard two Golden-crowned Kinglets in his yard near Sag harbor and another on the ground of the Ross School in East Hampton. Likewise, Eileen Schwinn found a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER and multiple NORTHERN ORIOLES, SCARLET TANAGERS, RED-EYED VIREOS in East Quogue. A similar influx was reported on the North Fork.

John Shemilt visited the mouth of Mecox Bay on Tuesday and found that the swells have filled the cut with sand and that even at mid-tide ocean water was flowing into the pond (yuk!). The few remaining shorebirds included a DUNLIN; a species that generally arrives much later than other shorebirds. I'd expect the numbers to start building from now on. Other shorebirds (Semipalmated Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and so on) will disappear as they head towards more tropical climes (e.g. Surinam, French Guiana and Brazil). Some Sanderlings and most of the Golden-Plovers will push even further south, all the way to southern Argentina.

Today (Wed 22 Sep) Vicki found fewer kinglets but plenty of phoebes and flickers remain. One of the AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER continues on the horse/cattle pasture (Rusty's) on the south side of Montauk Hwy in Deep Hollow.

Lesser Black-backs, Parastic Jaeger and smattering of migrants -19 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, there were no re-sightings of either Western Kingbird on Sunday. There also seemed to be less visible migration with the notable exception of small groups of Double-crested Cormorants passing west high overhead and a steady stream of Tree Swallows flitting across the ponds.

Visiting the vegetated field behind the SoFo Museum Luke Ormand found a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and SOLITARY SANDPIPER on one of the pools and photographed six BLUE-WINGED TEAL as they flew in.

I checked Sag Pond and Mecox Bay Inlet first thing on Sunday morning. No sign of the Caspian Terns and reduced numbers of Forster's Terns. Highlights at Sagg Mains were two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 1st and 3rd cy. birds, with other gulls on the sand at the now closed cut. An errant dog did its best to spook most of the remaining shorebirds and terns. Two juvenile LEAST TERNS continue.

At Mecox the story was similar with someone walking their dog out through the shallow water and onto the remaining sandbars, again seeming intent on flushing everything. An immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON walked out on the main spit and then disappeared back into the dense phragmites fringing the west side. A 2nd-yr LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was rooting in inch deep water with other gulls until the canine intrusion. The FORSTER'S TERN flock had dropped from more than 100 on Saturday to only 45 on Sunday. Also present were 4 lingering COMMON TERNS and 3 LEAST TERNS (1 adult and 2 juveniles). One has to wonder if these birds, especially the adults, are healthy since the vast majority have moved offshore.

On Saturday (18 Sep) Vicki Bustamante noted a LESSER YELLOWLEGS on Rusty's field in Deep Hollow along with the previously reported plovers. She also spotted the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ('Freddy') on the beach at Fort Pond Bay. Two BLUE-WINGED TEAL were on Rita's Pond and multiple RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES visited her yard above East Lake Drive.

Whilst fishing about 2 miles east of the inlet and about a mile offshore, John Shemilt noted a PARASITIC JAEGER harass a Laughing Gull.

A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH seems to have settled in at my house in the Clearwater Beach section of Springs and was joined by an OVENBIRD which marched back and forth across the lawn and through the flower beds before unexpectedly deciding to dash itself against a window. Fortunately it seemed stunned but unharmed and after a pause in a bush continued its trek. At dusk six COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were hawking overhead.

Back on Saturday 11 Sep, Hugh McGuinness led a SOFO Sponsored bird walk to the Montauk Point areas. Highlights included 2 LEAST FLYCATCHER at the Point and a nice selection of neotropical migrants along the Seal Haulout Trail (2 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 6 VEERY, 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSH, 1 BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, and 1 WILSON'S WARBLER). At Third House (Teddy Roosevelt County Park) the group found a TURKEY VULTURE, 3 INDIGO BUNTINGS and 8 BOBOLINK.

Another Western Kingbird - 18 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Late this afternoon I saw another WESTERN KINGBIRD, this time in Deep Hollow to the east of Montauk Village. I was on the trail that runs along the edge of the Startop Ranch accessed from Teddy Roosevelt County Park. The kingbird was calling loudly (that's what caught my attention) and flew over the horse pasture from the direction of the stock sheds and into the Startop property. At least three EASTERN PHOEBES and 5 PALM WARBLERS were along the fence line bordering the horse/cattle pasture. I could not find the Golden and Black-bellied Plovers from the morning but it was getting dark and perhaps they spend the night elsewhere. There was only one Killdeer on the field.

The Black Terns seem to have departed from Napeague Harbor after a run of several weeks. The only birds of note at Lazy Point were a MERLIN and of course, 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL standing on the western tip of Hick's Island.

Also this evening, Evan Marks spotted a COMMON NIGHTHAWK over Watermill, his first there.

Western Kingbird and influx of Caspian Terns - ‏18 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hugh McGuinness and I birded the Bridgehampton area this morning. At Sagg Mains we found a nice variety of birds on the sand spit with quite a bit of turn over as we watched. Highlights included a maxima of 10 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 WHIMBREL, 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 2 LEAST TERN (late), and 34 FORSTER'S TERNS. The Caspians came in from the east whereas small groups of Snowy Egrets seemed to be working west. I counted at least 21 Snowies before some doubled back and I gave up. Other shorebirds working the margins included Greater Yellowlegs (6+), Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings and a good number of Semipalmated Plovers. These were predominantly juveniles as one would expect in September. Four Blue-winged Teal fed on the spit further up the pond just at the range of scope visibility.

Over at Mecox Inlet we saw four MARBLED GODWITS flying east over the middle of the pond as we arrived but we could not relocated them later. A single CASPIAN TERN came in off the ocean and briefly joined the tern flock that included 106 FORSTER'S TERNS, 2 LEAST TERN and a 1st-winter BONAPARTE'S GULL.

Whilst we were watching at Sag Pond, John Shemilt was at Mecox and seeing 4 CASPIAN TERNS, so it seems likely that there were 14-15 this morning, a handsome total for the South Fork in fall. All were gone by noon when I checked the ponds again, presumably working their way west down the beach. In some respects it's strange not to have seen any Royal Terns, which are the more likely red-billed tern at this time of year.

The cut at Mecox was opened on Wednesday but has already been closed by the onshore swell. Ditto for Sag. Jane Ross reports that Georgica is also closed and full of water but that like the other ponds has accumulated enough sand to maintain as sizable sand bar at the mouth providing habitat for a few sandpipers and plovers. However, with the good weather it isn't long before these areas are swarming with dogs and their human escorts forcing many of the birds elsewhere. So early in the morning or at dusk seem to be the best times. However, the ponds are always very dynamic with birds dropping in for just a few minutes and then moving on, so frequent visits are encouraged.

In the field behind the SoFo Museum between Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor we found an adult WESTERN KINGBIRD hawking for large bugs from a dead snag overlooking one of the ponds. Hugh made some cell phones calls and a number of birders were able to stop by to see the kingbird. Between feeding bouts it moved into the leafy trees at the periphery of the field, presumably to digest its meal. Three BLUE-WINGED TEAL were in the grassy pond below the kingbird. Also present were 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS, a EASTERN PHOEBE and flyover TURKEY VULTURE and COOPER'S HAWK. Single SOLITARY SANDPIPER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and Wood Duck were on the shallow pond at the back of the field.

Out in Deep Hollow in Montauk, Vicki Bustamante and Joe Giunta spotted two AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER (perhaps the birds from last week) and a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (with damaged leg) in the pasture on the southside of the road.

A good number of Monarch butterflies were on the wing today. On Wednesday, Luke Ormand photographed a spectacular roost of hundreds in pines on Dune Road at the base of the Ponquogue Bridge.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in reports - even if the news items did not make the summary - and good birding to all!

Influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and offshore seabird rarities - 11 & 12 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday (11 Sep) Anthony Collerton found two AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS on the southern pasture in Deep Hollow. The birds, a molting adult and an juvenile, were still present on Sunday (12 Sep). At Montauk Point, an estimated 3000 Common Terns and 500 Laughing Gulls were snatching small bait fish pushed to the surface by Striped Bass and Bluefish. Most of the birds too distant to study but inspection of closer birds revealed a small number of ROSEATE TERNS, FORSTERS TERNS and a minimum of 16 BLACK TERNS. The COMMON EIDER flock rafting just north of the restaurant has grown to 62 birds and were joined by 2 male WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. The BLACK TERN flock in Napeague Bay [Harbor] has shrunk to only 21 birds, 18 of which were juveniles. On Rita's Pond (much reduced in size) featured 13 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a female BLUE WINGED TEAL.

On Fort Pond Bay in Montauk, a casual check of the 50-60 gulls roosting on the beach in front of the Navy Beach Restaurant revealed 7 (seven) LESSER BLACK-BACK GULLS: four full adults, a 4th summer type, a 3rd summer type and a 1st summer! The adult ('Larry') was on station by the channel between Lazy Point and Hick's Island. Observers elsewhere on Long Island have reported multiple Lessers at various coastal spots. Does this indicate a fresh influx from Iceland which has the nearest sizeable nesting colonies that we know of?

Several MERLINS were making their presence known over the weekend. Anthony Collerton saw three on Saturday: one at Lazy Point, another in 'downtown' Montauk and one over Rita's Horse Farm. One Sunday, I saw one zipping down the beach at Fort Pond Bay headed towards Montauk Manor and another (?) harrassing a flock Cedar Waxwings over Eddy Ecker Park (Rod's Valley) where a male WILSON'S WARBLER flitted about in the bushes by the entrance.

Evidently a trickle of passerine migrants came through the area over the weekend. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak spent Sunday on my feeder in Springs (new for the yard list) together with a female PURPLE FINCH. Anthony Collerton also noted a grosbeak in his yard in Northwest Woods together with MAGNOLIA WARBLER, EASTERN PEWEE and GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was was hunting over my house on Sunday night, another new bird for my yard list. Large numbers of TREE SWALLOWS have been noted in several places. There must be 10s if not 100s of thousands on the South Fork alone.

EASTERN SCREECH OWLS are being quite vocal at the moment. Luke Ormand has been hearing one on Long Neck Blvd in Flanders and a bird near Hugh McGuinness' house on Long Pond near Sag Harbor has been calling since 1 August. I've also heard a bird calling from various spots near the junction of King's Point Road and Hog Creek Lane in Springs.

** OFFSHORE EXCITEMENT **

On Saturday (11 Sep 2010), John Shemilt, Keegan Corcoran and I went fishing over the shelf edge. Unfortunately several days of persistent winds from the north seemed to pushed most of the birds (and fish for that matter) out of the area. As consequence we came up with very low totals of the commoner stuff (49 Wilson's Storm-Petrels, 1 Cory's Shearwater and 1 Greater Shearwater) and were surprised by the number of 'inshore' species (gulls and Common Terns) that were well offshore. However, we still found some really neat stuff. A few miles east of Block Canyon, four young SPERM WHALES put on a superb show, logging on the surface for a long time and making shallow dives. At least one animal repeatedly lifted its huge bulbous head out of the water perhaps to get a better look at us. A pod of 20 or so BOTTLENOSED DOLPHINS came into to the boat as we watched the whales. Several other whales sighted on the other side of Block Canyon might also have been Sperm Whales but we couldn't get up near enough to make a firm ID.

As we worked west across Block Canyon we found a scattering of AUDUBON'S SHEARWATERS picking at clumps of sargassum weed and got nice views of a RED PHALAROPE doing the same. The most significant sighting, however, was a WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL which skipped a few times across the water and then promptly disappeared among the waves. Very frustrating! We zigzagged up and down looking for it in hopes of better views and photographs but without luck. Just before the storm-petrel was spotted, a shoal of skipjack tuna rushed under the boat followed closely by the ominous dark missile-like shape of a marlin. A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on the ride home was new for the day. In addition to pelagic birds we also saw a RED BAT and several landbirds including some shorebirds, an unidentified warbler and a GREAT BLUE HERON calmly flying west some 80 miles SSE of Montauk. Hopefully it just kept going and made landfall 150 miles later in central New Jersey! I was expecting lots of jaegers but no such luck. One distant bird on the 100 fathom line near where we saw the heron was the only jaeger. Likewise, I was surprised not to see a Parasitic or two harassing the terns off Montauk Point on Sunday. Perhaps the favorable winds allowed migrants passing overland from central Canada to travel right over us?

Unbeknown to us, some birders from Rhode Island ran a charter from Galilee to Block Canyon on Friday (10 Sep). They also logged reduced numbers of the commoner species but managed to photograph a BLACK-CAPPED PETREL on the east side of the outer canyon, a BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL and a juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER! Ample evidence of the amazing birds that might be found by anyone able to visit these fascinating areas. Hopefully next year we can figure out a way to run a similar charter from Montauk or alternatively have our friends from New England stop by to pick us up! I shall post details if this plan falls into place.

From what I hear, all the major ponds are full to the brim which is frustrating. Any news to the contrary would be appreciated. With migration in full swing, keep your eyes and ears open, and keep the reports coming in.

Migration Alert - 10 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of nights, listeners in central New York have heard large numbers of migrants passing overhead. Today a great variety of warblers, vireos, thrushes and flycatchers (including Western Kingbird) were found on the northshore of Long Island and in the city parks. No doubt some of this flight will have made it out the South Fork and I'd recommend checking your favorite spots tomorrow as birds will probably still be filtering west and south.

Earlier today Jack Passie spotted lots of songbirds moving west across Block Island Sound towards Montauk and his boat (Windy) provided a temporary rest spot for a PINE WARBLER on Wednesday and a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH on Thursday. Also on Wednesday, Jorn Ake had a nice flock of warbler pass through his yard in Amagansett with COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, AMERICAN REDSTART, several PALM WARBLERS and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. Last Sunday (5 Sep), Eileen Schwinn noted a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on a road in East Quoque. PEREGRINE FALCONS were noted today over Little Reed Pond in Montauk by Vicki Bustamante and perched on the large (radio?) tower in Hampton Bays by Luke Ormand.

Odds and Ends - 6 Sep 2010

2010-09-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

I gather not too many people were out in the field yesterday but here are a few odds and ends:

On Labor Day (6 Sep), John Shemilt noted a PIED-BILLED GREBE in the pond at the 5th hole at the Noyac Golf Club and also counted 15 to 20 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS with evidence of several pairs nesting.

Meanwhile in Springs, a scruffy immature male PURPLE FINCH briefly joined the mixed passerine flock roving around my yard, which included a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler and Eastern Phoebe. I've already noticed a sprinkling of Purple Finch reports from Connecticut, Long Island and elsewhere and predict a decent number throughout the fall and winter even.

On Saturday (4 Sep) Vicki Bustamante observed 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 17 yellowlegs (most likely Lessers), 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER on the pond at Rita's Horse Farm near Montauk.

Over the weekend, Jack Passie noted a number of hummingbirds (presumably Ruby-throated Hummingbirds) fly westwards past his boat ('Windy') whilst fishing off Montauk Point. It is hard not to be moved by scale of the journey ahead of these tiny birds. Early September is the peak migration time and most of the hummingbirds we will see now are in fact migrants from further north. Adult males generally depart first (early Aug), followed by adult females and finally the young of the year (early Oct). Most Ruby-throats winter in central America, ranging across a broad swath from southern Mexico into northern Panama. Unlike the spring when many individuals make an epic 500-mile non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico, studies suggest that southbound birds are more likely to follow the Texas coast. This may minimize the chance of encountering tropical storms which of course are disasterous. There is no evidence that Ruby-throats travel through the islands of the Caribbean despite numbers in southern Florida, where a few winter. Daytime migration is not unusual, and it is believed that birds refuel briefly on flowering plants (especially jewelweed) first thing in the morning before setting off across water or other flower-deficient habitats.

Baird's and other sandpipers - 5 Sep 2010

2010-09-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

There wasn't much evidence of songbird migration this morning, except for large numbers of Tree Swallows moving down the beach and some BOBOLINKS (16 at SoFo Museum in Bridgehampton and 2 at Teddy Roosevelt CP in Montauk). A PALM WARBLER and EASTERN WOOD PEWEE were also in the SoFo field. Two AMERICAN KESTRELS (always a welcome sight out here) and a TURKEY VULTURE were enjoying the breeze over the ridge at Teddy Roosevelt. On the north side of Montauk Point, 31 COMMON EIDER were visible in the surf but generally there was little activity. Large numbers of terns and Laughing Gulls were gathered over the rips at Shagwong Point (and roosting on the beach there) but were too distant to study. This has been a good spot for jaegers in the past.

For me the bird of the day was SOLITARY SANDPIPER, with a healthy count of 12 (3 Bridgehampton Golf Course pond, 5 behind the SoFo museum, 2 pond across road from SoFo, and 2 at Rita's pond in Montauk). Also in the pools behind SoFo I found a beautiful juvenile BAIRD'S SANPIPER that circled repeatedly seeming reluctant to settle in such a vegetated area, a juv PECTORAL SANDPIPER (likely same bird also seen across the road), a Semipalmated Sandpiper, several Least Sandpipers and a WILSON'S SNIPE that kept popping up out of the longer grass. In addition to the Solitaries, Rita's pond hosted 15 LESSER YELLOWLEGS (juvs with 1 adult) and a female GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

The young PEREGRINE continues on the flat at Mecox Inlet, harassing pretty much everything including the plastic owl atop one of the houses and at one point daring to swoop down on me. Most of the shorebirds gave the area a wide berth but 4 BLACK SKIMMERS (incl. 1 juv) were hiding among the gulls and at least 25 FORSTER'S TERNS joined the Commons and Least.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the closed cut at Sag Pond, which is so full that it's flooding the road into Sagg Mains. 'Larry', the Lesser Black-backed Gull that has wintered for several years now along the channel between the Lazy Point community and Hick's Island, has returned to his/her favorite spot. Larry's arrival coincides with that of 'Freddy', the bird wintering on Fort Pond Bay, who was sighted by Vicki a few days ago. At least 70 (yes, seven-zero) BLACK TERNS were hawking over the north end of Napeague Harbor. Accabonac Harbor was virtually shorebirds free (surprising?), with only 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS noted there.

Preliminary Post-Earl reports - 4 Sep 2010

2010-09-05T03:20:00.000-07:00

Alas the storm did not live up to expectations in terms of dropping unusual birds onto the South Fork; weakening and veering east faster than initially predicted. None-the-less some nice migrants were found by folks who ventured out first thing on Saturday morning (4 Sep 2010). Here are some of the highlights of reports that have come in so far:

Hugh McGuinness found a lone PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Mecox Inlet, where John Shemilt also noted a female NORTHERN SHOVELER. Hugh also viewed a SORA that had been found dead by Marilee Foster at her farm in Sagaponack. In Bridgehampton, Jim Ash found five SOLITARY SANDPIPERS on the flooded fields behind the SoFo Museum.

Further east, Vicki Bustamante found an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER on the pasture in Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk. At the Point Seth Ausubel, Brent Bomkamp and Stella Miller spotted a CASPIAN TERN and WHIMBREL that flew in off the ocean and landed on the beach on the north side. Waterbirds around the Point included a lone WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, four COMMON EIDERS and 9 BLACK TERNS. Passerine migrants were highlighted by a flock of 15 BOBOLINKS.

In yesterdays report (3 Sep) I erroneously omitted seven BLACK TERNS noted by Vicki Bustamante off Gin Beach on the east side of Montauk Inlet and a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL on the beach at Fort Pond, possibly marking the return of the bird that has wintered along this stretch for the past few years.

By the way, up on the North Fork, John Sep found a Hudsonian Godwit on Dam Pond on the north side of the causeway between East Marion and Orient. Clearly a bird to look for on the South Fork.

Black Vulture, migrants and a brush with Hurricane Earl - 3 Sep 2010

2010-09-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

** HURRICANE EARL **
Obviously all eyes are on 'Earl' (currently a Category 1 hurricane) as he rumbles past the South Fork. Fingers crossed that the damage from the anticipated heavy rain, winds and tidal surge will be minimal. Major weather events can result in very exciting birding especially when they coincide with peak migration. This evening or first thing tomorrow, I recommend checking grassy areas that could hold grounded shorebirds, gulls, terns etc. Many long-distance migrants (Hudsonian Godwits, American Golden-Plovers, jaegers, Arctic Terns etc) pass high overhead on their way down from the arctic to the ocean and these massive storms have the ability to bring them to ground. Likewise, pelagic birds might get pushed inshore by the winds, finding shelter in bays or on the larger ponds. Migrant rails, bitterns, and sharp-tailed sparrows might be pushed out of marshes by high water. Always use common sense when birding under inclement conditions and heed warnings about flooded roads, high surf and so on. Please let us know if you find anything good!

** RECENT SIGHTINGS **
According to John Shemilt, the birding on the remaining sandflat at Mecox Inlet has been lackluster of recent, due in part to the continuing presence of a PEREGRINE. On Sunday a gorgeous juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER dropped onto the flat at about 8 AM, settled for a few minutes allowing John to snag some great photographs before it took flight and headed west with other shorebirds. Eight BLUE-WINGED TEAL dropped in on Wednesday (1 Sep) but like the Buffy, departed after only a few minutes. A phone message from Hugh McGuinness mentioned that he had an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER at Mecox last weekend.

Based on the reports from surrounding areas, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES seem to be staging a sizeable incursion after a rather modest flight last fall. Vicki Bustamante heard two 'tooting their horns' in her yard in Montauk last Friday (27 Aug) and Joe Giunta noted one in Camp Heron the next day (28 Aug). Is this a harbinger of other conifer nesters such as crossbills? Karen Rubinstein, Barb Rubinstein and Vicki heard RB Nuts on 28 Aug at Montauk Point and found another on the trail along the eastern border of Deep Hollow together with some obvious southbound migrants such as WHITE-EYED VIREO, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and WILSON'S WARBLER. Yesterday afternoon (2 Sep) Vicki also noted a lone BLACK VULTURE circling over the ridge above East Lake Drive, Montauk. This has been an absolutely remarkable year for this once rare straggler. Vicki also reports that this past week or so, at least two COMMON NIGHTHAWKS have been coursing over Teddy Roosevelt County Park in Montauk. Whilst fishing off the Point last Saturday, Anthony Collerton noted 3 BLACK TERNS in a large flock of Laughing Gulls and terns over blitzing striped bass. Anthony has also noted lots of passerines moving through his yard in Northwest Woods, including YELLOW-THROATED VIREO and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

** JUST OUT OF AREA **
The commercial sod fields near Manorville have attracted various shorebirds including several Buff-breasted Sandpipers. The best field is to the west of Eastport Manor Road and Head of the Neck Road. Carl Starace and Gary Strauss found 2-3 there yesterday and Eileen Schwinn reports they are still there this morning. More 'grasspipers' have been seen on the sod field north of Riverhead.

Multiple Peregrines and continuing shorebirds - 24 Aug 2010

2010-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

A sure sign of autumn, PEREGRINE FALCONS are beginning to make their presence known. Vicki Bustamante noted her first of the season over Big/Little Reed Ponds today and John Shemilt reports that a peregrine has been making a nuisance of itself at Mecox Inlet since Monday. It was sitting on the flat this evening, taking flight occasionally to chase after terns. Luke Ormand has been seeing another off-and-on in the Shinnecock area, either around the Ponquoge Bridge, on the marshes along Dune Road. Two weeks ago, whilst seawatching, Andy Guthrie and I spend several minutes puzzling over a mysterious pinprick hanging in the air above some distant shearwaters. Eventually it dawned on us that the mystery bird was a Peregrine, evidently eating prey on the wing. It is actually not that unusual to see them many miles offshore, where they hunt terns, storm-petrels and so on.

Among the commoner gulls, terns and shorebirds at Mecox John Shemilt noted at least 7 BLACK TERNS and 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on Monday (23 Aug) and on Tuesday found 3 RED KNOT on the flat. In Deep Hollow, Montauk, Vicki Bustamante found 5 Killdeer, 4 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 Least Sandpipers on the wet areas around Rusty's (south side of Rt 27) but was surprised to find no shorebirds on the pond on the north side. I had a similar experience last weekend, finding an expansive muddy edge and only 3 Spotted Sandpipers to show for it. A mile and a half to the west at Rita's horse pasture, Vicki found 8 Greater Yellowlegs, one Lesser Yellowlegs and a handful of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

The cut at Mecox has closed and presumably the pond will be filling fast with all this rain. Oyster Pond in Montauk is already very full having never opened and this could be an exciting spot if it were to self-breach. I currently don't know the status of Sag or Georgica.

Marbled Godwit and Little Blue Heron at Mecox Inlet - 22 Aug 2010

2010-08-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Wet and windy conditions can often provide exciting birding. Yesterday's storm front seemed to shake things up nicely and gave the first real taste of fall. A nice variety of shorebirds and terns were recorded at Mecox Inlet yesterday morning by various observers. Andy Guthrie (visiting from Rochester) and I witnessed a MARBLED GODWIT literally drop out of the sky onto the sand flat. It spent less than an hour probing the wet sand and gulping down edible items before taking to the wing again and heading east. Other shorebirds and terns came and went as we watched. Our tally of WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS grew from 4 when we arrived to a respectable 29, partly through our move to a better viewing spot and partly perhaps through new arrivals. Likewise, after we'd been watching for about 2.5 hours a flock of 17 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and 5 STILT SANDPIPERS (2 ads and 3 juvs.) suddenly came into view. Among the peep, Andy picked out an adult WESTERN SANDPIPER. In all, we found 15 species of shorebird but missed some expected species like 'Western' Willet, 'Eastern' Willet (yes, I consider them distinct species) and American Oystercatcher. More than 40 FORSTER'S TERNS including several fairly fresh juveniles were on the flat or feeding over the bay. Two BLACK TERNS appeared out of nowhere, sat for a bit and then vanished - probably moving out over the ocean. It was surprising we did not find any Royal Terns given that there are good numbers of these down at Moriches Inlet. Large number of BLACK TERNS continue at Napeague Harbor but the strong winds precluded a careful count on Sunday afternoon.

A surprise was a juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON that whizzed over the pond headed west without stopping. This is always a tricky identification because of the similarity to juvenile Snowy Egret which are common in the area at this time of year. Subtle differences in structure are important and the base of the bill and loral feathers tend to be more gray/blue on LBH whereas SE tends to be greeny-yellow. In our case, we both picked up on the slightly different way the bird carried itself in flight (I initially thought it might be a Cattle Egret) and more importantly we could see the bluish tips of the primary feathers as it passed - a great field mark if you can get it.

The wind and rain made songbird observations difficult but these were undoubtedly on the move also. A continuous ribbon of Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds, with a few Bank Swallows mixed in, streamed westwards along the dune line for much of the morning.

The heavy rain will no doubt fill Mecox rather quickly. Sag Pond was brimming on Sunday and might open with the excess water if the town doesn't do so first. Reports on the state of these and other saltwater ponds (e.g. Georgica, Oyster) would be appreciated. Any areas where water has collected (e.g. flooded farm fields) could be productive for migrant shorebirds. This is definitely the time to look for 'grasspipers' including American Golden-Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper which pause for breath on the east coast before making a non-stop transoceanic flight to southern South America.

Mecox Inlet open - 21 Aug 2010

2010-08-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Mark Vagianos informed me that the Mecox cut was opened by the town on Tuesday afternoon (17 Aug). By Thursday (19 Aug) there was a nice flat and John Shemilt found 3 STILT SANDPIPERS among the regular species. Hopefully the flat will persist and this spot is worth checking at any time. Indeed, shorebirds, terns and gulls passing along the beach are likely to drop in to any of the majors ponds is there is sufficient sand for them to land undisturbed. Sometimes birds will drop down for just a few minutes before moving on. I don't know the status of the other ponds.

Last Sunday (15 Aug), Andy Guthrie and I saw a BROWN PELICAN on the east side of Moriches Inlet (just out of region) at about 6:00 pm but there have been no reports since. The bird could well still be in the area somewhere. A couple of COMMON EIDER were at Shinnecock Inlet and good numbers of shearwaters were offshore, mostly too far to identify with certainty. Watching from Triton Lane off Dune Road, we noted about 20 close in CORY'S SHEARWATERS and a couple of GREAT(ER) SHEARWATERS. A single MANX SHEARWATER was seen by us and others off the restaurant/bar at in Cupsogue County Park, again just out of region. BLACK TERNS are moving through the area and we noted three flying east just past the surf line.

Landbird and shorebird migration is getting into full gear and this is a good time to start checking favorite spots on the South Fork. Weedy fields might hold migrants such as Bobolink or Lark Sparrow which have been noted elsewhere. Warblers are beginning to pass through the city parks, so a few might make it out here especially as the next front passes. All reports appreciated.

Black Tern bonanza in Napeague Harbor and accumulating Mecox shorebirds - 21 Aug 2010

2010-08-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

There was evidently some migration on Friday night with numbers of American Robin, Northern Oriole, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Tree Swallow on the move early Saturday morning. A subadult BALD EAGLE was soaring over Shadmoor State Park just before 9 AM and seemed to drift west.

As happened last year, spectacular numbers of BLACK TERNS have gathered in Napeague Harbor and around Hick's Island. I am not aware of any comparable congregations elsewhere in New York State. A quick count this morning tallied a minimum of 113 birds and a more systematic count in the afternoon increased this total to 165-170, with a mix of fresh juveniles and adults in various stages of pre-basic molt. Two adults were still in essentially full-alternate (breeding) plumage. The terns are easily visible from the end of Lazy Point Road looking towards the fish hatchery pontoons but other good spots are to look due west from the vantage points along Napeague Harbor Road on the east side of the harbor or north from near the Art Barge. A PEREGRINE FALCON was hunting turns over harbor and used the radio tower as a resting point. In the morning a WHIMBREL was flushed off the eastern end of Hick's Island by fisherman and headed to the southern end of the harbor.

Hugh McGuinness birded the flats at Mecox finding 16 Green-winged Teal, 45 Forster's Terns, 1 BLACK TERN, 19 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and 11 Lesser Yellowlegs.

Andy Guthrie and I joined the CRESLI whale watch out of Mecox. It seems that most (actually all) of the whales that had been seen earlier in the month have moved further offshore but we encountered a very playful pod of 40 or so Short-beaked Common Dolphins including some tiny calves about 17.5 miles due south of Ditch Plains. Several Leatherback Turtles and Basking Sharks have been noted on recent whale watches, a testament to the amount of plankton in the warm water that is bathing the area. Bird numbers were low, the highlights being an adult PARASITIC JAEGER a mile or two east on Montauk Point and small numbers of the expected pelagic species: CORY'S SHEARWATER, GREAT SHEARWATER and WILSON'S STORM-PETREL. Four BLACK TERNS were noted between Montauk Inlet and Shagwong Point. Offshore migrants included a Semipalmated Plover and Barn Swallow.

I also checked the ponds and fields in Deep Hollow for shorebirds without finding much. However, a WHITE-EYED VIREO in the scrub at the beginning of the Old Montauk Highway opposite the Dude Ranch was a nice surprise. Lastly, there is a nice edge of wet mud on Rita's Pond, with 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plover, 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper and a Least Sandpiper.

Black Terns and shorebird migration - 14 August 2010

2010-08-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was out briefly last Sunday (8 Aug 2010). There are still good numbers of terns around, with at least 12 BLACK TERNS in Napeague Harbor. [Last summer the Napeague Black Tern 'flock' grew to a maximum of 261 on 30 August - by far the largest concentration in the state.]

A couple of CORY'S SHEARWATERS were noted off Amagansett on Sunday evening and 3 were visible from the bluffs at Camp Heron near Montauk Point. A ragged 1st-summer LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was a notable flyby at Amagansett. This is a good time to look for shorebirds around the edges of ponds, on beaches and on exposed sandflats. The water is quite low on the pond at Rita's Horse Farm east of Montauk Village (visible through the fence on Rt 27) where there were 6 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on Sunday. The main pond at the ranch in Deep Hollow had 4 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS but little else.

[Speaking of shorebirds, up to 4 Marbled Godwits have been seen on the flats behind Cupsogue County Park (Westhampton Dunes) which is just out of area. This prairie-nesting species might be worth keeping an eye out for anywhere along Dune Road. Same goes for Whimbrel.]

John Shemilt noted a young BALD EAGLE over the Shinnecock Canal on Saturday (7 Aug), possibly the bird he'd seen in Noyac a week earlier. Has this bird summered?

Way offshore John had a frustrating encounter with a NODDY that disappeared before he could get a photograph. This topical tern-like bird has not been recorded in New York State waters and is extremely rare north of Florida. In general, seabird numbers seem to be low out along the continental shelf, at least compared to last summer. Whale watchers traveling with CRESLI and the Viking Fleet out of Montauk have had an excellent season and some trips have encountered good number of shearwaters (including several MANX SHEARWATER) as well as hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of Wilson's Storm-Petrels near the whale activity. Jack Passie has also noted numbers of shearwaters in the fishing areas between Montauk Point and Block Island.

My apologies for the spotty reporting - the demands of work and travel have kept me away for most of the summer. None-the-less your sightings and notes are being carefully gathered and will all go into the end of the year report. Additional reports are most welcome. Autumn migration is just around the corner and hopefully I can get back to issuing summaries on a weekly basis. Updates on the state of the ponds (open/closed etc) would be appreciated.

Record numbers of Leach's Storm-Petrels on Continental Shelf - 5 July 2010

2010-08-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

We've received very few reports in the past several weeks but that's not really so surprising. It's a busy time for many of us and normal birding routines are hampered by various parking restrictions and the general influx of humanity. Still, we'll soon be back into shorebird season and this is a good time of year to watch for unusual landbirds that are wandering out of their normal range. Uncommon warblers for example are regularly found in mid-to-late summer, well ahead of what is considered fall migration. Please let me know when any of the major ponds (e.g. Mecox, Sag, Georgica and Oyster) are opened.

In Hither Hills, Vicki Bustamante has been seeing GLOSSY IBIS almost daily in the pools by the side of Montauk Highway just before the old and news roads slip. There have been as many as 7 individuals here and 3 lingering GREEN-WINGED TEAL. At least one TURKEY VULTURE continues in the Montauk/3rd House area and another lingers in Napeague. Could some be nesting out here? On Friday 18 June, Anthony Collerton noted a COMMON NIGHTHAWK over his house on Great Oak Way in Northwest Woods.

Shearwaters have generally remained offshore, with only a scattering of sightings from the beach. Montauk Point and Shinnecock Inlet seem to be the best spots. On Friday (2 July) Bruce Horwith and Derek Rogers encountered both GREAT and CORY'S SHEARWATERS within a mile of Montauk Point.

On Saturday (3 July) I traveled offshore with John Shemilt and his intrepid crew (Keegan and Christopher), in search of tuna and other warm water species. Departing from the Shinnecock Inlet a little after midnight, we were over the 100 fathom line by dawn. We steady made our way into deeper water (500 then 1000 fathoms) and worked east to Block Canyon, finding extensive areas of warm Gulf Stream water (80-81F). By 6 am we had encountered our first LEACH'S STORM-PETREL and saw them throughout our time in the deep, coming home with a grand total of 83 - a record count for New York State. The totals for other pelagic birds were as follows: 61 GREAT SHEARWATERS, 21 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, 4 SOOTY SHEARWATERS, 1 MANX SHEARWATER, 128 WILSON'S STORM-PETREL and 1 COMMON TERN (in the outer portion of Block Canyon). On the ride home we ran past several groups of SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHINS engaged in active feeding frenzies attended by a scattering of shearwaters. These were about 17-20 miles offshore. The mammalian highlight by a good margin was a pod of up to 35 ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHINS that came up to us in the outer portion of Block Canyon (c. 1000 fathoms and 80.1 F water) and rode the bow waves for a bit. Sometimes known as 'Gulf Stream Dolphin', this is a classic warm and very deep water specialist and as a consequence is less frequently encountered in New York State waters. These were the first I've seen north of the Carolinas. The pod included a number of spottless youngsters, with some tiny calves that must be only a month or two old.

This morning (5 Jul), Anthony Graves (fide Luke Ormand) found a TRICOLORED HERON feeding on the east side of Oakland, just west of the Shinnecock Inlet. The bird may linger in the area and is worth watching for, especially on the low tide when it is likely to be most active.

Speaking of herons, on Tuesday 29 June Eric Salzman noticed a very interesting egret on Weesuck Creek in Quogue that sported a couple of long head plumes reminiscent of a Little Egret (an Old-World counterpart of Snowy Egret that is as yet undocumented in the state). Luke Ormand and Eileen Schwinn went searching for the egret later that day and Luke managed some distant but informative photographs. To my eye at least, everything looks perfect for a Snowy Egret except for these odd head feathers. Without better views it's impossible to pin a firm name on the bird: it could be a Snowy x Little hybrid or just a Snowy with unusual nuptial plumes. Anyway, something else to keep an eye out for if you are birding in the area and a good reminder of why we should be scrutinizing each and every Snowy Egret.

Royal Tern, Cory's Shearwater, Long-tailed Duck, Bald Eagle - 13 June 2010

2010-08-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

A brief seawatch this morning (7:54-8:54 AM) from the beach in Amagansett (Suffolk Co.) produced 6 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, 8 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, 4 COMMON LOON, 53 Northern Gannet, 1 Laughing Gull and 1 adult ROYAL TERN catching small baitfish just beyond the surfline. The Royal Tern was unexpected with Caspian more likely out here in the spring/early summer, but the bird was quite close and I was able to see that it's red-orange bill lacked a dark tip, was less massive than expected for Caspian and that dark markings on the underside of the primaries were restricted to the tips giving a discrete training edge.

A 1st or 2nd-year BALD EAGLE was soaring over the 'Art Barge' in Napeague mid-morning together with a TURKEY VULTURE. There have been several sightings of young eagles in the Napeague area this spring/summer and so perhaps an individual is attempting to summer locally.

Yesterday afternoon, I tried seawatching from various spots in and around Montauk but had to contend with several heavy downpours and generally hazy conditions. Although there were plenty of gannets (>100/hr), I saw no shearwaters at all. Single WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were off Montauk Point and Amagansett. Interestingly on the north side of the peninsula, there were 9 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS working the flat water between Culloden Point and Gardiner's Island. I don't recall seeing storm-petrels this far in Gardiner's Bay before. Small numbers of Common Eider linger off the Point and around the Montauk Inlet, where there was also a female LONG-TAILED DUCK. I had seen this bird the weekend before in same area. A 3rd-summer LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was among the ratty subadult Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls loafing around the inlet.

Summer seabirds and some interesting nesting activity - 5 June 2010

2010-08-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday morning (29 May 2010), Hugh McGuinness led a SoFo field trip to Shinnecock and Dune to view shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs. During the trip they found a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and a PEREGRINE FALCON. Shorebird diversity was lower than expected, perhaps due to the state of the tide.

Around midday on Saturday (29 May) I looked at various spots in Montauk. Jack Passie had noted 6 GLOSSY IBIS in the roadside pools at the edge of Hither Hills and they were still there when I whizzed past. [Note Vicki Bustamante has also seen these birds several times in the week since.] Landbird variety at the Point seemed limited to nesting species, as did the shorebirds on the pools at Teddy Roosevelt and Rita's. I seawatched for an hour (11:50 am -12:50 pm) from the bluffs at Camp Hero. They was a moderate amount of activity with gulls and terns working the bait fish (any idea what these are likely to be?) and I noticed a subadult PARASITIC JAEGER station a mile or less SE of the lighthouse, intercepting the terns as they headed back towards Great Gull Island. There were a few ROSEATE TERNS (10+) mixed in with the 400 +++ Common Terns and I picked out 2 BLACK TERNS in their handsome breeding plumage. All told, there were 5 SOOTY SHEARWATERS milling around and a couple of these followed the Donna May in around the Point. Scanning down the wake, I counted 6 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS weaving between the gulls. NORTHERN GANNETS seemed to be moving through and I counted 124 in the hour. In Deep Hollow, 2 TURKEY VULTURES and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER were the only birds of note. The larger pond at Teddy Roosevelt contains a Muskrat and 2 medium-sized Snapping Turtles. Vicki Bustamante counted 8 TURKEY VULTURES over the park on Wednesday (2 Jun 2010). Whether these larger kettles reflect migrants or just the local birds getting together is anybody's guess but the occasional appearance of a Black Vulture or two certainly supports the idea of new birds wandering back and forth along the peninsula.

An evening seawatch from Amagansett (5:38-6:38 pm) was chilly with the wind blowing in from the SW and I was surprised there weren't more birds. The only birds of note were two PARASITIC JAEGERS, both headed east. Another seawatch on Monday night (5:50-6:50 pm) produced 2 WHITE WINGED SCOTER and a SURF SCOTER but no tubenoses. The most interesting birds were 2 probable ARCTIC TERNS traveling eastward along the shore with an adult Common Tern. An adult and a 1st-summer ('Portlandica'), their flight was more buoyant than the nearby Common Tern and they appeared shorter winged. Both lacked the dusky outer primaries visible on the Common Tern but had dark tips that gave the impression of a pale window in the middle of the wing. Regretably, I was not able to photograph them but as mentioned before, Arctic Terns probably occur in small numbers along the shore as suggested by the string of sightings at Moriches Inlet over the past several summers.

As one might expect, offshore activity is generally better than onshore. On Tuesday 25 May, Jack Passie was fishing within a couple of miles of Montauk Point (N and E) and noted 10 or so GREATER SHEARWATERS (the first for NY waters this year), 10+ SOOTY SHEARWATERS, 2 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and hundreds of NORTHERN GANNETS. On Saturday (29 May 2010), John Shemilt took his boat out of the Shinnecock Inlet and headed towards the shelf edge and a fishing spot known as the Fishtails. He encountered 3 DOVEKIE (over the 40 fathom line, 42 nm SE of Shinnecock), 25+ SOOTY SHEARWATER, 15+ GREATER SHEARWATER, 5+ CORY'S SHEARWATER, 50+ WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, 1 LEACH'S STORM-PETREL (over the Fishtails), 2 RED PHALAROPE (c.65 nm SE of Shinnecock Inlet), 3 ARCTIC TERNS and at least 5 JAEGERS, one of which appeared to be a near-adult LONG-TAILED JAEGER. All-in-all, a terrific mix of pelagic species, including several statewide rarities (Leach's SP, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern). The presence of lingering (summering?) Dovekie - something John discovered last summer - is particularly interesting. Additional runs through this area during the next few months may shed light on the scale of this previously undocumented phenomena. Large numbers of Dovekie nest in northern Greenland where the snow and ice does not melt until mid-June. Thus like Sanderling, Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstone, which also nest further north than most species, it makes sense for them to linger into our summer before heading north.

CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOWS continue to percolate into the region. As with any species on the edge of its range some individuals may have arrived a week or two ago but have subsequently made local movements having failed to secure mates at other spots. In East Quogue, Eileen Schwinn and several others have been hearing one singing nightly in woods off Old Country Road (near mailbox #113) since the weekend. On Wednesday (2 Jun 2010) Hugh McGuinness heard another vocalize briefly in the woods south of Long Pond, Sag Harbor, a non-traditional site. This is near the intersection of Sprig Tree Path and Widow Gavits Road. Karen and Barbara Rubinstein heard the Lazy Point Road (west side of Napeague Harbor) birds singing on Sunday night and I heard this bird again last night (4 June).

On Sunday morning I checked the three major Hampton ponds, which still have some sandflats and decent numbers of the common breeding and migrant shorebirds. Highlights were BLACK SKIMMERS (8 at Mecox, 1 at Sagg Main), summering BONAPARTE'S GULL (11 at Georgica), WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (1 at Mecox), PURPLE SANDPIPER (1 at Georgica). At Sammy's Beach (head of 3 Mile Harbor in East Hampton), there seemed to be 3 if not 4 calling CLAPPER RAILS in the marsh. These can be easily heard from the sandy walking trail along the south edge of the dune. Anthony Collerton found these birds the week before and there seems a good chance the species will breed in the Town of East Hampton this year. Also present at Sammy's were a SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, a GLOSSY IBIS and 6-10 ROSEATE TERNS. The mini-Prairie created by dredged sand is providing nesting habitat for several pairs of HORNED LARKS, which often sing from the fence posts lining the dirt road, and the short trees host several pairs of PRAIRIE WARBLER.

Yesterday (4 Jun 2010), Eileen Schwinn and Eric Salzman visited Gabreski Airport, finding VESPER SPARROW, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and EASTERN MEADOWLARK among other grassland species along the north perimeter road.

Lastly, it's hard not to reflect on the scale of the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and how it may potentially impact the South Fork. We are linked to the affected areas in many ways, not least by the migrant shorebirds and larids (gulls and terns) and a variety of migratory fish including Bluefin Tuna that use the area as a stopover or spawning ground. The scale is so enormous that there is even the risk that oil will reach our own waters if the slick enters the Gulf Stream as predicted. Carl Safina, a contributor to this list, has made several TV appearances articulating the true scale of the environmental impact, a critical discussion that has not been covered that well by the mainstream media.

Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 28 May 2010

2010-05-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Bruce Horwith noticed a CATTLE EGRET on the marsh at Merrill Lake Preserve in Springs, likely the first record from this spot. The waterlogged fields have been quite good this spring and Bruce along with Karen and Barbara Rubinstein have noted Glossy Ibis on a regular basis. A little further east in Hither Hills, one or two ibis also seem to using the pools on the south side of Montauk Highway at the split between the Old and New sections. Vicki Bustamante commented on the late arrival of calling NORTHERN BOBWHITE (Quail) around her property in Montauk, which normally make themselves evident earlier in the spring. Three YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS photographed by Luke Ormand as they hunted crabs along Dune Road were, I believe, the first of the year for our region and again a little on the late side compared to other parts of Long Island. CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW and WHIP-POOR-WILLS have continued occupy territories in suitable woodland edge and pineland habitats. On Tuesday (25 May), Eileen Schwinn heard her first 'Chuck' of the season in East Quogue where they have been absent so far this spring. At least two birds are have been calling for a while now in Napeague along Lazy Point Road between the junctions with Napeague Meadow Road and Bay View Avenue. A number of Whip-Poor-Will are also in the area.

Just out of our area two young birders from Ithaca (Jay McGowan and Andrew Van Norstrand) photographed a breeding-plumaged PACIFIC LOON on Monday morning (24 May 2010) as it flew east down the beach in the company of three Common Loons! Within minutes it would have been in the South Fork territory for a great addition to the SFBR list, unless of course it splashed down before then.........

Keep the reports coming, they are much appreciated and I will do my best share the news quickly of anything notable. Shearwaters (Sooty and Manx) and Wilson's Storm-Petrels should be filtering through the area so keep an eye out if you are down at the beach. Sometimes they aren't too far beyond the surf. Greater and Cory's Shearwaters usually show up a little later but you never know. June is mostly about breeding birds but wanderers are also possible. Gull-billed Tern has not been recorded so far (surprising) and exotics such as Scissor-tailed Flycatcher aren't completely out of the question. Speaking of missing birds, has anyone seen a Cliff Swallow?

Information of the water levels of the major ponds (Mecox, Sagg, Georgica) would be useful. I wish the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton would post news of when the cuts have been opened.

** 22 May 2010 **
Cattle Egret, Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Bruce Horwith)

** 24 May 2010 **
Northern Bobwhite (several), private yard off Big Reed Path & neighboring section of Teddy Roosevelt CP, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)

** 27 May 2010 **
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (3), east of Dockers on Dune Road, East Quogue SH (Luke Ormand)
Black Skimmer (2), over Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Luke Ormand)

## Banded Piping Plovers ##
I learned that the Piping Plover observed at Georgica Pond on 21 May was banded as a 1st-year on 21 Jan 2010 at Discovery Beach, Grand Bahama Is., The Bahamas. This is one 12 (out of 57) marked birds that have been reported from New York so far this year. Interestingly, a couple of days later the same individual was seen by plover steward Dawn Ver Hauge (fide Luke Ormand) on the ocean beach between Town Line and Peters Pond Roads in Sagaponack, a distance of about 2 miles. Young birds probably return to nesting areas in their first summer but likely can't compete with mature adults to secure a territory and hence move around a bit.

Sooty & Manx Shearwater, Little Gulls and Wilson's Plover - 22/23 May 2010

2010-05-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

A nice collection of rare or scarce migrants were seen over the weekend, with the activity centered along Dune Road in Westhampton/Shinnecock and the remaining flats of Mecox and Sag Ponds. On Saturday morning John Shemilt photographed a 1st-summer LITTLE GULL on the flat at Mecox Inlet and resighted the hybrid shorebird he'd seen there on 12-13 May. Interestingly, Tom Burke and Gail Benson saw a LITTLE GULL of the same age at the mouth of the Shinnecock Inlet the next day. True to schedule, Shearwaters have also begun to show up, with a scattering of SOOTY SHEARWATERS fresh from their nesting grounds in the stormy archipelagos of southern Chile and a MANX SHEARWATER at the mouth of the Shinnecock Inlet. The female-type WILSON'S PLOVER at Sagg Main continued through Saturday but could not be located on Sunday. Just out of region, Shai Mitra found the first Arctic Tern of the season at Cusogue County Park on Sunday and it is worth looking carefully for this species among roosting terns. Prime spots include Mecox Inlet (1 or 2 seen last summer) or perhaps at Montauk Point where terns gather on the beach.

Good numbers of migrant shorebirds (Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper) were seen in the marshes and flats between Cupsogue County Park (just out of our region) and the Shinnecock Inlet, especially in sandy areas where horseshoe crabs having been laying eggs. Several small flocks of RED KNOT were noted (with close to 40 around Pike's Beach) and are especially significant these days. The bulk of the North American population (subspecies rufa) winters at the southern tip of South America (some as far south as Tierra del Fuego) and travel up to 9,000 miles to reach their nesting grounds in the Canadian arctic. They are reliant on a small number of refueling points during this arduous migration with the Delaware Bay being the most important site by far. The knots rely on horseshoe crab eggs to maintain their body mass, not only for this extraordinary flight but also to sustain them for the first few days on the tundra when feeding is often impossible. As you may know, the North American breeding population has undergone an alarming decline (100,000 to less than 15,000 in 20 yrs) and is considered a candidate for extinction by several monitoring bodies. Fortunately the Old World populations remains large and has shown less of a decrease, so the species as a whole is less threatened. The tremendous decline in horseshoe crabs (a travesty in its own right), human disturbances at the stopover sites and continued hunting in South America are considered the chief reason for the steep decline of North American Red Knot. The southshore of Long Island, including the South Fork provides a critical rest stop for these remarkable sandpipers and long may it continue.

During the Group for the East End Faunathon, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane and myself found 134 species of bird, the majority on the South Fork. Given the good weather conditions our total could have been a bit higher but landbird migration was lackluster and some expected nesting species (e.g. Marsh Wren) proved impossible to find. No doubt some of the gaps will be filled by others. Our thanks to those who sent word of their sightings during the day. At 4:45 am, we heard several Whip-poor-will singing in the dwarf pines near Gabreski Airport plus several Grasshopper Sparrows, Horned Larks and Field Sparrows on territory within the airport grounds. An singing EASTERN MEADOWLARK was a nice surprise, given how scarce they have been so far this year. The sharp ears of Hugh and Brian picked up what might have been a Upland Sandpiper out in the grasslands on the NW side of the airport but the call was too fleeting to include on any list. Anyone visiting this site in the very early morning is encouraged to keep a sharp eye out for this declining species that traditionally bred here. Of course, let us know if any are seen/heard. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK over Long Pond in Sag Harbor was the first report for the year. Clapper Rails have been very vocal all along Dune Road, with the marshes just east of Dockers Restaurant being a great spot to hear and occasionally see them. The species is restricted to tidal saltmarsh and seems quite rare elsewhere on the peninsula. However, on Sunday, Anthony Collerton heard two rails (most likely Clappers) 'tooking' back and for to each other near the osprey platform at Sammy's Beach at the head of Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton. A Red Knot and Glossy Ibis were also noted at this lovely but decidedly under-birded spot. Anthony also spotted an immature BALD EAGLE over the Walking Dunes in east Napeague. I had a similar aged bird there on 2 May, suggesting it might be hanging around the area, perhaps using Fresh Pond or Gardiners Island.

Noteworthy reports from the weekend:

** Sat 22 May 2010 **
SOOTY SHEARWATER (4), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Great Cormorant (imm.), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Red-brested Merganser (lingering male), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Common Eider (65+), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Bald Eagle (imm.), Walking Dunes, Napeague EH (Anthony Collerton)
Turkey Vulture (9), Sunrise Hwy, just E of Quogue exit (Luke Ormand)
LITTLE GULL (1st-summer), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Black Skimmer (2), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton)
Black Skimmer (2), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Red Knot (3+), Dune Road, Shinnecock SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson, Luke Ormand)
Red Knot, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (5), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (2), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt, Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
WILSON'S PLOVER, Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
American Woodcock (1 in display flight), Napeague EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Chuck-Will's-Widow, Napeague EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Grasshopper Sparrow (2-3), Gabreski Airport SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Grasshopper Sparrow (2+), Walking Dunes, Napeague EH (Anthony Collerton)
Bobolink (1 male), Wainscott Pond, Wainscott EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Eastern Meadowlark (1 male), Gabreski Airport EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Willow Flycatcher, entrance to Sagg Mains Parking Lot, Sagaponack SH (Anthony Collerton)
Willow Flycatcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Anthony Collerton)

** Sun 23 May 2010 **
SOOTY SHEARWATER (2), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
MANX SHEARWATER, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
LITTLE GULL (1st-summer), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (1st-summer), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (2), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson)
Common Nighthawk, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Indigo Bunting, brush pile at East Hampton Recycling Center, East Hampton EH (Roger Grunewald)

Wilson's Plover and other shorebirds - 21 May 2010

2010-05-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

Shorebird migration is approaching its peak in terms of variety and numbers. This evening I found a female or 1st-summer WILSON'S PLOVER on the sand flat at the south end of Sag Pond (Sagg Mains). Also present were 5 BLACK SKIMMERS, and 11 sp. shorebird including 4 White-rumped Sandpipers, 97 Dunlin, 6 Willet, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 125 Semipalmated Plover and several hundred Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. If you go looking for the plover, I'd suggest not venturing onto the flat itself lest the bird moves to the more distant bank where it would be very hard to spot. There are several vantage points in the phragmites from which you can obtain good views of the wet sand and any shorebirds or terns that are there. If you don't spot the plover, it might also be worth carefully scanning around the margins.

There are still plenty of shorebirds on the remaining flats at Georgica Pond including a color-banded PIPING PLOVER, most likely one of the birds captured in The Bahamas this winter. I've noticed that in mid-late May, Purple Sandpipers undergo a noticeable shift in their habitat preferences - perhaps in anticipation of shifting to tundra habitat - appearing on sandy beaches (e.g. Goff Point 2008) and even saltmarshes (e.g. Accabonac Harbor 2009). Today there were 9 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on the sand flats in Georgica, wading around belly deep with Dunlin, Sanderling and dowitchers. Also present were 6 Bonaparte's Gulls (all 1st summers), 1 Roseate Tern, 200+ Least Sandpipers, 100+ Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 Willet (both 1st summers), 6 Short-billed Dowitcher, 30 Dunlin, 50 Sanderling, 25 Semipalmated Plover, 10 Piping Plover etc.

The flooded field (aka 'Lake SoFo') behind the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton has been attracting a good variety of shorebirds. On Wednesday (19 May) Jim Ash counted 16 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Killdeer, 10 (yes, ten) SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, and a multitude of Least Sandpipers. This evening I found 6 Greater Yellows, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, a lone Solitary Sandpiper (that's more like it) and a Glossy Ibis.

Looking forward to your reports. There should be lots of birds around this weekend.

** 12-13 May 2010 **
Short-billed Dowitcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 19 May 2010 **
Solitary Sandpiper (10), SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Jim Ash) - excellent number for one site

** 20 May 2010 **
Black Tern, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Black Skimmer (2), Gardiners Island/Cartwright Shoals (John Todaro)
Red Knot, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Short-billed Dowitcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Yellow-throated Vireo, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Swainson's Thrush, East Hampton (John Todaro) - present since 5/17/10

** 21 May 2010 **
Ruddy Duck (1), Wainscott Pond, Wainscott EH (Angus Wilson)
Glossy Ibis, SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Angus Wilson)
Black Skimmer (5), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
Bonaparte's Gull (5), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Angus Wilson)
Bonaparte's Gull (1),Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
Bonaparte's Gull (1), Mecox Inlet SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)

WILSON'S PLOVER (fem. or 1st-summer), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
White-rumped Sandpiper (4), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson)
Purple Sandpiper (9), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper (1), SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Angus Wilson)

Black Vulture to Black-headed Gull, spring abundance - 15-16 May 2010

2010-05-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Befitting the season and a series of favorable weather fronts, a really good variety of birds found their way onto the South Fork at the weekend. A major flight was recorded on Saturday (15 May 2010) morning along the barrier islands of Jones Beach Island and Fire Island involving thousands of migrants that had been been pushed out over the New York Bite by a rain front during the night and were re-orientating westward at daybreak. It's not clear how much of this displacement reached eastern Long Island, although Vicki Bustamante observed a very nice mix of warblers (16 sp.) in the woods on the north side of Montauk SP (Seal Haulout Trail) that morning. Even mid-island the flight seemed to be restricted to the outer beach and few new migrants were seen in more inland areas. On days like this, the trees and bushes bordering the dunes along Dune Road, Mecox and Hither Hills State Park could be very productive.

More people were out and about on Sunday (16 May 2010) and overall the tallies were much better. The steady NW wind pushed a number of raptors onto the peninsular and by mid-morning a BLACK VULTURE was soaring over Camp Hero/Deep Hollow together with 8 TURKEY VULTURES. In a separate kettle, 9 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS (2 ads, 7 juv/subad.) - an exceptional number for this 'buteo cul de sac' - spun around the radar tower for an hour before drifting west over Montauk Village. An immature male BLUE GROSBEAK made a brief appearance in Camp Hero. Common nesting species likes Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, and American Redstart seem to be present in good numbers now.

WILSON'S WARBLER was a highlight of several people's day lists, and at least 3 were noted in Montauk. There were reports from all over the Long Island. Warbler numbers were modest compared to other parts of Long Island but certainly enough to keep everyone busy and the list included TENNESSEE, BLACKBURNIAN and BAY-BREASTED. In various wet spots, SOLITARY SANDPIPERS made a fine showing. I felt pleased to have found 5 dfferent birds in the Montauk area, along with an equal number of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, only to be eclipsed by Karen and Barb Rubinstein who tallied a remarkable 7 Solitary Sandpipers within the Merrill Lake Preserve in Springs where they also found 5 male BOBOLINK. Both cuckoos were recorded; BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was found in Hither Hills and Camp Hero and a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO near Long Pond in Sag Harbor. In addition to the birds, large numbers of American Painted Lady and Red Admiral butterflies had made their way onto the island (these are migrants, right?), and they were everywhere in Montauk on Saturday and Sunday.

At Georgica Pond on Sunday evening, Hugh McGuinness and I found a good number of shorebirds but unfortunately most of the peep were too distant to study properly. We did pick out a couple of ROSEATE TERNS, a 1st-summer BLACK-HEADED GULL and a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. At Sagg Mains, at least 6 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were among the couple of hundred shorebirds, and at the Mecox Inlet we noted at least 3 WHITE-RUMPS and 2 Short-billed Dowitchers. All three ponds have extensive flats and are well worth checking throughout the day.

On Saturday evening, I noted 9 ROSEATE TERNS among 300-400 Common Terns feeding off the beach in Amagansett, as well as a flyby 1st-summer GREAT CORMORANT. Bruce Horwith noted a BLACK SKIMMER on the Cartwright Shoals in Gardiner's Bay. The area used by skimmers for nesting last summer has been eroded by the winter storms but fingers crossed that they can find an alternative spot. Common Eider, Common and Red-throated Loons remain widespread on the ocean all around the peninsula and hundreds of loons were on the move early on Sunday morning, at least until it got too warm for them. Also on Saturday evening, two CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW and several WHIP-POOR-WILL were singing in Napeague and at least 4 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were noted in the swale north of the Walking Dunes.

Here's a list of notables. It's guaranteed that I've forgotten some good stuff (especially if its not written down) so feel free to correct/update me.

** 15 May 2010 **
Great Cormorant (imm.) seawatch off Amagansett EH (Angus Wilson)
Snowy Egret, [unusual local] Montauk Point, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Glossy Ibis (7), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Glossy Ibis, pools off Rt 27 Napeague EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Wilson's Snipe (2), Teddy Roosevelt CP, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Solitary Sandpiper (7), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Solitary Sandpiper (2), Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Roseate Tern (9+), seawatch off Amagansett EH (Angus Wilson)
Chuck-Will's-Widow (2), Cranberry Hole/Lazy Point Rds, Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
Whip-Poor-Will (4), Cranberry Hole/Lazy Point Rds, Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
American Woodcock (fresh roadkill), Rt 27 Napeague EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Canada Warbler (3), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Eileen Schwinn)
Grasshopper Sparrow (4), walking dunes, E side Napeague Harbor (Angus Wilson)
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (4+), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Bobolink (5 males), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)

** 16 May 2010 **
Black Vulture, Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Turkey Vulture (max 8), Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Turkey Vulture, Napeague (Angus Wilson)
Broad-winged Hawk (9, 7 juv/subad., 2 ad.), Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Glossy Ibis, Rt 27 Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
Black-headed Gull (1st-sum.), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Roseate Tern (2), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Black Skimmer (1), Cartwright Shoals, Gardiners Bay EH (Bruce Horwith)
White-rumped Sandpiper (6) Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper, Montauk Point EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper, Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper (3), Rita's Horse Pasture, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Spotted Sandpiper (3), Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Spotted Sandpiper (2), Rita's Horse Pasture, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Black-billed Cuckoo, Hither Hills State Park (Angus Wilson)
Black-billed Cuckoo, Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Eastern Kingbird (flock of 8 behaving as migrants not breeders), Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Eastern Wood Pewee, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Least Flycatcher, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Willow Flycatcher, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Olive-sided Flycatcher, Springs Park, Springs (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Wilson's Warbler (2), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Mike Higgiston)
Wilson's Warbler, Deer Path, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Wilson's Warbler, Montauk Point, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Wilson's Warbler, Camp Hero, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Canada Warbler (3), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Mike Higgiston)
Tennessee Warbler (1), Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Blue Grosbeak (1 imm. male), Camp Hero, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)

** 17 May 2010 **
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, East Hampton EH, (John Todaro)

**18 May 2010 **
Swainson's Thrush, East Hampton EH, (John Todaro)

As we focus on summer migrants and the beginning of the nesting season it's easy to forget the lingering winter visitors. The eastern tip of the South Fork seems to hold these longer than almost anywhere else in the state, perhaps because of the cooler air and water temperatures. Now is a good time to keep track of lingering Common Eider, scoter and other seaduck. A tardy Iceland Gull or King Eider would not be out of the question. I could not find the 3 Harlequin Ducks that were in Turtle Cove but this is another species to look for. A few Purple Sandpipers will probably linger into early June waiting for their northern breeding grounds to clear of snow, although nowadays they've probably been snow-free since April!

Hybrid Shorebird at Mecox Inlet - 12 May 2010

2010-05-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Warblers and other neotropical migrants continue to flow through the region with several decent flights in the last few days. Among the highlights are singing Mourning Warbler (Friday and today) and Yellow-throated Warblers (Thursday) at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge in Quogue. Mourning Warblers have topped the bill in a number of area parks this week. On Tuesday, John Shemilt photographed a very interesting sandpiper on the flats at Mecox that gave the impression of an over-sized Western Sandpiper. Study of his photos suggests this is likely a hybrid between White-rumped Sandpiper and Dunlin. Curiously, a number of similar birds have been documented in the northeast in past few years, and it seems they are becoming more frequent. It is tempting to speculate that habitat changes in the arctic nesting grounds are a contributing factor by increasing contact (overlap) between the two species.

Although the bulk of summer nesting species have arrived, there are still a few gaps. Roseate Tern and Black Skimmer for example, will be making their way onto the SF about now but I haven't received any firm reports. Keep an eye out for Blue Grosbeaks, which have also made a decent showing across Long Island in the past few week and other goodies for our area like Cliff Swallow, Summer Tanager, Lincoln's Sparrow, Black Tern and Gull-billed Tern. A Wilson's Plover made a brief appearance at Jones Beach last weekend and historically, the sandy beaches of the SF (esp. Shinnecock, Mecox Inlet, Sag Pond, and Napeague) are by far the best place to chance upon this rare southern stray in New York State.

Here are some recent highlights.

** 6 May 2010 **
Peregrine, 1 nr Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Luke Ormand) - is there a pair attempting to nest?

** 7 May 2010 **
Blackpoll Warbler, East Lake Drive, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante) - first of season?

** 8 May 2010 **
Eastern Wood Pewee, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness) - first of season?
Green Heron, Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen and Barb Rubinstein)

** 9 May 2010**

Green Heron, 1 in Northwest Harbor EH (Jane Ross)
Green Heron, 2, Gerogica Cove, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)
Northern Bobwhite, 1 Cove Hollow Farm, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)
Purple Martin, 50+, West End/Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)

** 12 May 2010**
hybrid sandpiper (likely White-rumped x Dunlin), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 13 May 2010 **
Yellow-throated Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Eileen Schwinn, Mike Higgiston)

** 14 May 2010 **
Mourning Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Eileen Schwinn, Mike Higgiston)

** 15 May 2010 **
Mourning Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Mike Cooper)

Manx Shearwater, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Virgina Rail and more - 2-3 May 2010

2010-05-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

The big influx seems to been on Friday night with birds moving out (or dispersing locally) on Saturday night. I get the sense that commoner nesting species like House Wren, Great Crested Flycatcher and Baltimore Oriole are now very widespread, although more individuals are likely to come in over the next few days. Orchard Oriole seems especially conspicuous, perhaps reflecting a steady increase in this species across the whole of Long Island. Elsewhere there has been a nice sprinkling of 'spring overshoots' with a Mississippi Kite near Ithaca, a Painted Bunting was nicely photographed in central Long Island, a number of Prothonotary Warblers, and one or two Summer Tanagers. A migrant Red-headed Woodpecker was on Jones Beach as were multiple Gull-billed Terns. Also an Upland Sandpiper made a (re)appearance in Brooklyn. Has anyone been checking the grasslands at Gabreski Airport for this increasingly rare grasspiper?

Here are some additional reports.

** 29/30 April 2010 **

Roger Grunwald noted a HERMIT THRUSH near the junction of Old Stone Highway and Louse Point Road in Springs.

** 1 May 2010 **

Jim Ash reports that the flooded field behind the SoFo Museum in Bridgehampton hosted a GLOSSY IBIS, a LITTLE BLUE HERON, two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, two Lesser Yellowlegs, three Greater Yellowlegs, two WILSON'S SNIPE, one Killdeer, three pairs of Wood Ducks, six BLUE-WINGED TEAL. An Orchard Oriole was in the parking lot. The flooding may be a curse but has created some great freshwater habitat.

** 2 May 2010 **

Sunday's SW winds brought cold air in off the ocean and it became increasingly foggy as the day went on. Visible landbird migrations seemed significantly reduced compared to Saturday but there was evidently some settling in of local breeders. For example, Wood Thrush could be heard singing in Camp Hero and both Baltimore Oriole and Great Crested Flycatcher were making themselves heard in Springs. During a short seawatch from Montauk Point, Angus Wilson noted the first MANX SHEARWATER of the year and picked up 3 WHIMBREL that emerged from the fog bank over Block Island Sound before heading due NNW towards Connecticut. Several hundred _sterna_ terns were following a similar track to and from some feeding spot SE of the Point but the visibility was too poor to reliably differentiate Common from Roseate. Judging from the vector, these are likely to be from the large colony on Great Gull Island. Small numbers of all three scoter and Common Eider remain at the Point and both Common and Red-throated Loons were very numerous. The 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS from Saturday were still on the rocks in Turtle Cove. Two adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were in the parking lot next to the old toilet block and a BOBWHITE fluttered across the road in front of the lighthouse entrance gate. A MERLIN was hunting over center of Montauk Village. In the woods at Camp Hero there were several Blue-headed Vireos singing but no sign of the Blue Grosbeak from Saturday. A pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL were on the pond at Rita's Farm.

At Napeague, Angus Wilson noted an immature BALD EAGLE over the Walking Dunes and it was joined by 6 Turkey Vultures that seemed to be working their way west. The vultures seem to balk at crossing the few yards of water at the top of the harbor and chose the southern route instead. A short while earlier 3 additional TURKEY VULTURES were over Oyster Pond. During a long hike up the east side of Napeague out to Goff Point Angus flushed a NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. The bird wasn't very cooperative but immediately struck him as a rich orange-colored Ammodramus sparrow. Eventually the sparrow paused in the open long enough to see the solid orange wash across the upper breast and throat, with only faint light brown streaking. This was actually the ONLY sparrow encountered, so evidently the Grasshopper Sparrows have not arrived yet. The small pool just before Goff Point (Skunk Hole?) has been good for Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the spring but was birdless on Sunday. Note the mosquitoes were viscous, perhaps not surprising with so much standing water.

Hugh McGuinness heard a calling VIRGINIA RAIL at the south end of Long Pond in Sag Harbor, as well as two new warblers: NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and NASHVILLE WARBLER. Like me, he considered Sunday to be much less birdy than might be expected after a night with southwest winds.

In Georgica, Jane Ross found at least 30 PURPLE MARTINS in the colony at the end of West End Road. It is always pleasing to hear of colonies being reoccupied. Have the birds returned to the small colony on the edge of Merrill Lake Preserve in Accabonac? Jane also found 6 BLUE-WINGED TEAL in Georgica Cove and along with a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and several species of shorebird.

In Springs Park (just off Three Mile Harbor Road in The Springs) Karen Rubinstein and Barbara Rubinstein confirmed that two EASTERN BLUEBIRD pairs are already sitting on eggs. An Orchard Oriole also seems to be on territory in the park. FISH CROWS have expanded significantly in the Clearwater Beach sections of Springs, they were uncommon in previous summers but currently seem quite ubiquitous even visiting the Rubinstein's feeders. A few shorebirds continue in Accabonac Harbor; Karen and Barb counted 18 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Dunlin, 4 Black-bellied Pover on the gravel/sand flat off Gerard Drive on Sunday.

Blue Grosbeak, Bobolinks, Harlequin Ducks at Montauk - 1 May 2010

2010-05-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

Happily, the overnight influx of summer breeders and north-bound migrants extended out to Eastern Long Island. Hugh McGuinness and I spent the morning birding Montauk Point and adjacent Camp Hero SP (Suffolk Co.). We found a good collection of migrants including Blue-headed, Warbling and White-eyed Vireos, 6 sp. warbler (Black-throated Green, Yellow, Black-&-White, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Yellow-rumped), numerous Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Chimney Swift, Bank Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow and so on. Highlights were a young male BLUE GROSBEAK in Camp Hero and 2 flyover BOBOLINK at the Point. A kettle of 11 Turkey Vultures over the woods east of Oyster Pond represented a good count for out here and at least one other was noted in Napeague. A Solitary Sandpiper and Green Heron were on the ponds in Deep Hollow.

There appeared to be a steady trickle of diurnal migrants during the morning, predominantly Red-wing Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Blue Jays, Barn Swallows, American Robins and Fish Crows (unexpected?), with smaller numbers of Eastern Kingbirds and Baltimore Orioles. We noted several blackbird flocks heading out over the water towards Rhode Island. As if following these diurnal migrants, two Merlin also headed eastward over the point.

We didn't spend much time seawatching but 3 HARLEQUIN DUCK in Turtle Cove provided a nice treat for May. Common Loons (110+) were widely scattered on the flat calm water and 3 very distant Razorbills showed briefly among them. Small parties of Common Terns were observed out in Block Island Sound feeding over groups of loons. An ICELAND GULL was with other gulls on the Sound off Montauk Inlet.

The geography of the eastern Long Island is such that the diversity of northbound migrants falls precipitously as one travels east of the North/South Fork split. An example of this pronounced gradient effect is the fact we did not hear any thrushes in the woodland around Montauk, but just 15 miles further west in Amagansett Karen and Barbara Rubinstein found a good number of Wood Thrush in typical nesting habitat. Along the same lines, Hugh noted Great-crested Flycatchers at his house in Sag Habor first thing this morning but we found none elsewhere. It will be interesting to see if these species will have filtered east by tomorrow.

More trans-Gulf arrivals - 30 Apr 2010

2010-05-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

Good numbers of trans-Gulf migrants have made their way up the Atlantic seaboard in the past two days. The predicted SW winds and warm temps this weekend could be excellent for nudging the stream of migrants in our direction. I would anticipate most of the expected summer landbird species to be recorded within the next few days, including several species of warblers (such that we get on the South Fork), Chimney Swift, Veery, Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Spotted Sandpiper, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Lincoln Sparrow and so on. So it should be well worth checking your yard, local woods, and wet areas for newly arrived breeders and transients. Terns and shorebirds will also be moving along the ocean beaches and inlets.

** 27 Apr 2010 **
House Wren, North Hollow Drive, East Hampton EH (Sandy Hunter)

** 29 Apr 2010 **
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male), Hedges Banks Drive, East Hampton EH (Sandy Hunter)
Laughing Gull, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 30 Apr 2010 **
Louisiana Waterthrush, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Eastern Kingbird, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Least Sandpiper, 50+, Georgica Cove, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, East Hampton EH (Paul & Lisa D'Andrea)

-- Book keeping --

Prior to Hugh's report from this morning, I was resigned to the fact that we'd probably missed Louisiana Waterthrush on the South Fork in 2010. As migrants Louisiana Waterthrushes are fairly scarce on Long Island, and pass through in mid/late-April ahead of most other warbler species, including the far more numerous Northern Waterthrush. Fall migrants are possible but rarely encountered. Most birds leaving their nesting territories in mid-August and quickly vanish from our region. So, nice save Hugh! If there is one, there might be more. Keep an eye and ear out in wet wooded areas especially where there are small streams.

South Fork Bird Report Update - 28 Apr 2010

2010-05-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

Here are various sightings (new and old) that have come in during the week. Thanks to all the contributors.

** 13 Mar 2010 **
Eastern Phoebe, Hook Pond, East Hampton EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)

** 31 Mar 2010 **
White-eyed Vireo, head of Heady Creek, Southampton SH (Chris Roberts)

** 2 Apr 2010 **
Eastern Phoebe, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 6 Apr 2010 **
Eastern Phoebe, Hedges Banks Drive, Northwest Harbor, EH (Sandy Hunter)

** 9 Apr 2010 **
Boat-tailed Grackle, male, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Hugh McGuinness)

** Week of 11 Apr 2010 **
Eastern Phoebe, TNC building on Route 114, East Hampton EH (Bruce Horwith)

** 22 Apr 2010 **
Chuck-Will's-Widow, one calling off Cranberry Hole Road, Amagansett/Napeague (Carl Safina)

** 23 Apr 2010 **
Forster's Tern, 2 at Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Caspian Tern, 2 at Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Boat-tailed Grackle, male, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 25 Apr 2010 **
Turkey Vulture, 5, Navy Road, Montauk EH (Jack Passie)
Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 (alt. ad. and 1st-yr) Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Hugh McGuinness)

** 26 Apr 2010 **
Blue-headed Vireo, Camp Hero, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Indigo Bunting, Old West Lake Drive, Montauk EH (Tom Havlik, fide Vicki Bustamante)

** 27 Apr 2010 **
Blue-headed Vireo, Northwest Woods, East Hampton EH (John Todaro)
Glossy Ibis, 4-5, Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Bruce Horwith, Paul D'Andrea)

[Just out of area, a male Prothonotary Warbler was seen at the Arshamomaque Preserve in Southold along with Northern Waterthrush, Palm & Yellow-rumped Warblers (Steve Biasetti)]

Lastly, a color-banded Piping Plover was sighted by Latisha Coy in Napeague State Park on 26 April. This individual was banded on New Providence, in The Bahamas on January 17, 2010.

Shorebird arrivals - 24 Apr 2010

2010-05-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Migrant shorebirds are slowly infiltrating the South Fork of Long Island. This morning single SEMIPALMATED and LEAST SANDPIPERS were with the large Sanderling and Dunlin flock on the sandflats at Mecox Inlet (Watermill, Suffolk Co.), the former being (I believe) the first of the season out here. Four EASTERN WILLET and a CASPIAN TERN were roosting with the gulls and looking less than thrilled by the chilly breeze sweeping across Mecox Bay.

Sag Pond in Bridgehampton is nearly full of water again and the only bird of note was a lingering (likely injured) COMMON MERGANSER. On nearby Wainscott Pond, 5 or 6 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, found on Friday by Hugh McGuinness, were visible by scope from the roadside. Who knows what else in lurking in the flooded vegetation of this interesting but rather inaccessible site. A number of observers have come across BLUE-WINGED TEAL in the past week or so. Today there were pairs on the flooded field at the SoFo Nature Center in Bridgehampton, a rain pool at the Merrill Lake Preserve in Springs and on Wainscott Pond.

This evening a couple of WHIP-POOR-WILLS were calling in Amagansett, and Bob Wick has been hearing a different bird for much of the past week. Also in Amagansett, Susan Benson observed a BLACK VULTURE over Cranberry Hole Road on Thursday (22 Apr).

Spring migrants trickling through - 23 Apr 2010

2010-04-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

Only a handful of reports this week but presumably migrants are still trickling through. Watchers in the New York City area have been lamenting the very early leafing of trees in the city parks (making canopy feeders hard to spot) and the fact that migrants have paused only briefly before moving northwards. Anyway, the South Fork should start seeing local breeders such as Green Heron, Least Tern, Chimney Swift, Great-crested Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler and House Wren beginning to arrive in the next few days. Blue-winged Teal should be in peak passage as well but I only know of 2 reports, the 4 birds Hugh McGuinness had on Hook Pond earlier in the month and the 2 that John Shemilt and I saw offshore on Wednesday. My sense is that this attractive duck has declined significantly as a migrant through coastal NY over the past decade. The fringes of fresh or brackish water ponds are probably the best places to look but many also travel along the coast mixed with scoter flocks.

**Recent Reports**

On Monday (19 Apr) Luke Ormand photographed a Little Blue Heron off Dune Road just east of the Docker's Restaurant. On Wednesday (21 April) Hugh McGuinness found a first year (i.e. 2nd calender year) Bald Eagle on Long Pond in Sag Harbor. Evidently there is something very attractive about this pond to eagles and Hugh had a different individual there as recently as 11 April. The Caspian Tern that showed sporadically at Mecox Inlet last weekend has now become two Caspians. This is perhaps the peak time for the species in our area, with Royal Terns predominating in the late summer and fall. Dave Shore noticed two Eastern Kingbirds in East Quogue (22 Apr).

**Predictions & Queries**

-- Anybody have WORKING email addresses for Chris Roberts, Carl Safina and Larry Penny? I'd like to add them to the recipient list.
-- American Bittern - Did anyone see one along Dune Rd this year?
-- American Golden Plover - Worth keeping in mind, one was found at the eastern end of the Jones Beach strip last weekend (Cedar Beach) and a scattering in central NY. Be mindful of Black-bellied Plovers in transitional plumages.
-- American Woodcock - I've not received any reports this year but I'm sure there were plenty displaying in suitable habitat. Can anybody help me out?
-- Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - perhaps along Dune Road either side of Shinnecock Inlet?
-- Whip-poor-will - One already heard mid-island and also in RI, so keep your ears open after dark.
-- Orange-crowned Warbler - recent reports from a number of coastal sites but alas none from the South Fork this year.

Lastly, a Swallow-tailed Kite was noted across the Sound in Barrington, Rhode Island this week, so there's hope....(of course, no worries for Vicki 'lucky' Bustamante ;)) )

Sooty Shearwater, Fulmar, Puffin and other pelagics - 21 April 2010

2010-04-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today John Shemilt and I took advantage of the calm weather to venture offshore from Shinnecock Inlet on Long Island (Suffolk Co). We viewed this was an exploratory trip, not knowing quite what to expect so early in the season. We headed SE over shelf waters to the slope of Continental Shelf and encountered an intriguing mix of 'winter' and 'summer' seabirds along the way. Among the highlights were a Sooty Shearwater and four Wilson's Storm-Petrels, all extremely early by my reckoning. These Southern Hemisphere breeders usually arrive in mid-May peaking in early June. It's conceivable the shearwater wintered in the Northern Hemisphere but this seems less likely for the storm-petrels. A Common Tern standing on a wooden plank some 57 mi from the inlet was my first of the season and I noticed that it was banded (a Great Gull Island bird perhaps?).

Common Loon - 36
Red-throated Loon - 12
loon sp. - 7
Black Scoter - 11
Blue-winged Teal - 2
NORTHERN FULMAR - 3 (c.72 mi SE inlet, 2 standard light morph, one with white blotches)
SOOTY SHEARWATER - 1 (31 mi SE inlet, very early migrant or bird that over-wintered in N Hemisphere?)
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 4 (c.70 mi SE inlet, very early arrivals)
Northern Gannet - 70+
Double-crested Cormorant - numerous around inlet mouth.
Great Cormorant - 3 imm. (1 on jetty tower and 2 inside bay)
RED PHALAROPE - 4 (molting into alt.)
LITTLE GULL - 2 (alt. ads)
Bonaparte's Gull - 75 (majority ads in alt. plumage)
Laughing Gull - 1 ad. (seen with Razorbills!)
American Herring Gull - numerous
Great Black-backed Gull - numerous
COMMON TERN - 1 ad. (57 mi SE inlet, standing on a plank doing it's best to imitate an Arctic Tern)
RAZORBILL - 77 (mix of 1st yr birds and ads getting into alternate plum.)
ATLANTIC PUFFIN - 4 (two with reasonably well developed bills and white on face)
Short-beaked Common Dolphin - 5+

My warmest thanks to John Shemilt for his hospitality and willingness to do all the 'driving'! John has a great fondness for these waters and his willingness to share just a small fraction of his knowledge made the passages across the infamous 'dead zone' more than bearable.

After returning to land I took a quick run along Dune Road noting 6 EASTERN WILLETS and a CLAPPER RAIL.

Razorbill flight, Wilson's Snipe in Wainscott - 18 April 2010

2010-04-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Waterfowl, including loons and number of RAZORBILLS were still moving eastward yesterday morning, despite the NW wind. Hugh McGuinness joined me during a 1-hr count from Amagansett (9:05-10:05 am) and we logged the following:

Northern Gannet - 112
Common Loon - 43
Red-throated Loon - 94
loon sp. - 32
Atlantic Brant - 21
'dark-winged scoter' sp. - 95
Black Scoter - 27
Surf Scoter - 42
White-winged Scoter - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Common Eider - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 491++
Great Cormorant - 1
Laughing Gull - 3
RAZORBILL - 48

Elsewhere, a harrier flushed a flock of 18 WILSON'S SNIPE from the marshy edge of Wainscott Pond (scoped from roadside). The sand flats at Georgica Bay, Mecox Inlet and Sagg Mains were somwhat uninspiring, however, we did find a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (local FoS) hawking insects over a side branch of Mecox Bay near Horsemill Lane, a lingering pair of COMMON MERGANSER north of Bridge Lane on Sag Pond and a SNOWY EGRET at Sagg Mains.

Inexplicably, we discovered a relatively fresh BEAVER pelt lying on the ground at the end of Horsemill Lane. Naturally, we'd be interested to know where this came from!

I revisited these spots in the late afternoon, finding a CASPIAN TERN and one adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the flats at Mecox and two WILSON'S SNIPE flew over the cow pasture at the Mecox Dairy headed towards the bay. An AMERICAN KESTREL was on the South Fork Country Club Golf Course off Old Stone Hwy in Amagansett. At Shinnecock Inlet, crooning BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES are conspicuous in the marshes and dunes either side of the Ponquogue Bridge. Several pairs of Great Egrets are already sitting on nests on the island to the east of the bridge and a few Snowy Egrets were scattered around the bay. Two imm. GREAT CORMORANTS were roosting on a buoy in the bay, where several hundred COMMON EIDER continue.

Caspian Tern, Mecox - 17 April 2010

2010-04-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

This morning a single CASPIAN TERN and three adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were on the sand flats at Mecox Inlet (Watermill, Suffolk Co) along with a 1000+ Sanderling and usual mix of winter shorebirds. 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were on muddy extension of Georgica Pond and another was on a rain pool in Springs. The adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ('Larry') continues at Lazy Point in Napeague and is now fully white headed. Generally there were few signs of landbird migration, however, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS (local FoS's) at Long Pond in Sag Harbor and Bendigo Road in Amagansett were of note. Two SNOWY EGRETS were on Fresh Pond in Amagansett - egrets are still scarce out here and female AMERICAN KESTREL continues off Town Lane.

There was a decent waterfowl flight along the ocean throughout the morning. Unfortunately things were winding down when I stopped to do an hour seawatch from Amagansett (12:58-1:58 pm) but I still tallied the following (2,343 individuals of 12 species) heading east:

Northern Gannet - 118
Common Loon - 107
Red-throated Loon - 74
loon sp. - 14
dark-winged scoter sp. - 890
Black Scoter - 240
Surf Scoter - 260
White-winged Scoter - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 11
Green-winged Teal - 2
duck sp. - 150
Double-crested Cormorant - 463
Great Cormorant - 1 (in with the Dc Corms)
Laughing Gull - 8
RAZORBILL - 3 (2 and then 1 half hour later)

I was seeing skeins of cormorants all morning, most traveling over land rather than water. Out here most flocks cut across the peninsula making a bee-line for New England.

Least Sandpiper and Boat-tailed Grackle on Sag Pond - 4 Apr 2010

2010-04-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

There were some nice birds on the exposed sand flats at Sagg Mains in Sagaponack (Suffolk Co.) this morning including 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS, a Piping Plover, a 1st-yr ICELAND GULL, 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (a basic-adult and a 3rd yr) and 3 Great Egret.

After a while I was joined by Hugh McGuinness and we soon found a LESSER YELLOWLEGS with 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Among the ducks, a male Lesser Scaup was in company of a female Greater Scaup and a male COMMON MERGANSER lingers. As we continued scanning, the nasal squawking of a male BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE caught our attention. It was striding around on the wet mud singing for attention. The species is very irregular east of Shinnecock Inlet, where they have been fairly scarce this winter. Seeming to sense that it was out of place, the grackle promptly took flight and headed west!

At Mecox Inlet, a different 1st-yr ICELAND GULL (paler wing tips than Sag bird) was on the flat along with 6 Piping Plover. I noticed a number of Red-winged Blackbirds and cowbirds flying west along beach and 2 Horned Larks also went low over the end of the inlet without stopping.

Offshore, the lifting fog revealed a steady push of eastbound waterbirds headlined by skeins of scoter (estim. 2500/hr) and Red-throated Loons (estim. 200/hr). Unfortunately the fog quickly gave way to dazzling sunshine making it difficult to identify anything but the closest birds.

Lastly, Vicki Bustamante reports that the CATTLE EGRET was still present on the south side of Montauk Hwy (Rt. 27) at the western (not eastern as I incorrectly stated yesterday) boundary of Hither Hill State Park. I searched again for the Sandhill Cranes in Sagaponack without success. I've still not seen any Snowy Egrets this far east, nor heard of any Rough-winged Swallow reports.

Eastern Kingbird, Cattle Egret and a fistful of offshore goodies - 3 Apr 2010

2010-04-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

There were a scattering of migrants on the South Fork of Long Island today but generally it was typical early April birding, albeit in delightful weather. Bruce Horwith probably tops the billing on land, with an EASTERN KINGBIRD in Shadmoor State Park. The snazzy CATTLE EGRET spent the entire day on the side of Montauk Hwy and was enjoyed by many - a drive by bird if ever there was one! Vicki and Chris Bustamante saw it as late as 5 pm this evening.

In the morning Vicki had an immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on the east side of the Deep Hollow Ranch pond, one of the first reports this far east. I marched several of the trails that cut across Montauk Point finding very little except a lone TURKEY VULTURE and 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS (ad. and imm. males) off the rocks at the end of the Seal Haul Out Trail. These birds were discovered by Luke Ormand yesterday. Three WILSON’S SNIPE were on the pools at Teddy Roosevelt State Park. Also in Montauk, the LITTLE BLUE HERON continues on Little Reed Pond. Cooper's Hawks seem to be in an amorous mood at the moment with display flights being noted in Camp Hero SP (me), Long Pond (Hugh McGuinness) and along Cranberry Hollow Road (Jorn Ake), where there were also some singing PINE WARBLERS.

However, John Shemilt steals the show with some great pelagic birds seen whilst fishing at the Coimbra wreck, which is 28 nautical due south of Shinnecock Inlet. During the trip they found 1-2 LITTLE GULLS (photographed) mixed in with Boneparte's Gulls, 100 RAZORBILLS, 5+ DOVEKIES (photos), 3 MURRES (likely Common's), and a stunning 25+ ATLANTIC PUFFINS (photos). Clearly there is still plenty of activity off shore!

I've not heard any reports of the Sandhill Cranes from today but apparently two birds were just found on Block Island (fide Shai Mitra via Hugh McGuinness), so perhaps 'our' birds have moved on. Any news that refutes this would be most welcome.

Cattle Egret on Montauk Hwy near Hither Hills State Park - 2 Apr 2010

2010-04-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Luke Ormand just emailed to say that he'd found a CATTLE EGRET feeding in the marshy area on the south side of Montauk Hwy (Route 27), just west of the fork that splits the new Montauk Hwy from Old Montauk Hwy. This is along the stretch of road between the villages of Amagansett and Montauk in Suffolk Co. To my knowledge, there have been no additional sightings of the three Cattle Egret reported by Bob Adamo and Dick Belanger on the eastern shore of Shinnecock Bay near Southampton.

Gannet flight, Little Blue Heron and King Eider - 29 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Although the undoubted stars of the weekend were the confiding SANDHILL CRANES in Sagponack, there were interesting birds to be found elsewhere. The brisk SE winds brought a good inshore flight of NORTHERN GANNETS and scoter heading eastwards throughout the day. The gannets were almost exclusively adults or near-adults, presumably intent on returning to their breeding colonies on Bonaventure Island in Quebec and beyond. I did two, 1-hr seawatches during the day, finding a similar mix of birds in each, but with a slight drop in the flow of gannets and uptick in the numbers of scoter as the day wore on. The first and coldest count was from Amagansett (8:23-9:23 am) and the second from Ditch Plains (1:55-2:55 pm).

Red-throated Loon - 37/54
Common Loon - 2/8
Horned Grebe - 3/4
Northern Gannet - 665/482
Black Scoter - 180/1002
Surf Scoter - 195/770
White-winged Scoter - 22/10
dark-winged scoter - 160/25
Common Eider - 7/36
Long-tailed Duck - 6/2
Red-breasted Merganser - 2/22
RAZORBILL - 2/0
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 1 (ad.)/0

Other birds of note were an adult LITTLE BLUE HERON at Little Reed Pond in Montauk, a female KING EIDER off Gin Beach in Montauk, 8 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on the jetties at Montauk Inlet, a TURKEY VULTURE over the south end of Accabonac Harbor in Springs and the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Lazy Point in Napeague, which I thought had departed (not seen over previous 2+ weeks) until Anthony Collerton's reported it again on Saturday.

Sandhill Crane, Little Blue Heron, Red-necked Grebe - 27 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

The 2 SANDHILL CRANES (seemingly a male and female pair) were in the cornfield off Daniel's Lane in Sagapoback, just SE of Bridgehampton. This field is between Fairfield Pond Ln and Gibson Ln.

I took a quick look at a few East Hampton (Suffolk Co.) spots this chilly afternoon. Highlights were a splendid adult LITTLE BLUE HERON on the marsh at Landing Lane in Accabonac Harbor (could this be Vicki Bustamante's Montauk bird?) plus a Great Egret and a Greater Yellowlegs. A male PIPING PLOVER was hunkered down on the outer beach at Gerard Point. The wintering shorebird flock around the inlet included 8 Black-bellied Plover, 45+ Ruddy Turnstone, 20+ Dunlin and a few Sanderlings. A good number of oystercatcher (16+) and Osprey (7+) seem settled into the harbor area.

A quick seawatch from Atlantic Ave in Amagansett produced a RED-NECKED GREBE, growing numbers of Red-throated Loons (76++) and small numbers of the usual winter stuff.

Sandhill Cranes in Sagaponack - 27 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

This morning Peter Matthiessen (fide Hugh McGuinness) found two SANDHILL CRANES on a corn field along Daniel's Lane in Sagaponack. This field is between Fairfield Pond Rd and Gibson Lane. They had disappeared within an hour or two but some searching we refound them roosting on the narrow spit at the south end of Sagg Pond. This is visible from the town beach parking lot at the south end of the pond. Between naps, the cranes were actively chasing Great Black-backed Gulls. These are presumably the pair that were seen and photographed last weekend by Evan Marks.

Also on the pond are the two adult TUNDRA SWANS (getting late) and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Some 27 teal (presumably all Green-winged Teal) were in the cove near the cranes. An adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was working the edge of the pond. Five COMMON MERGANSERS were on the pond, north of Bridge Lane.

No PIPING PLOVERS were evident at Sagg (just 10+ Killdeer) but 5 were at Mecox Inlet.

Dovekie off Montauk Point - 14 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

The passing storm left the South Fork of Long Island (Suffolk Co.) bruised and battered, with flooded roads, lots of damaged or felled trees and a few downed telephone lines. The ocean swell was majestic as viewed from the Montauk Point restaurant overlook, with 20-30 ft rollers passing over the reef in front of the lighthouse. Viewing conditions were OK at first but as the wind dropped a light fog settled in over the entire area. Surfers found good waves off Culloden Point on the north side of the peninsula.

The highlight of my morning was a DOVEKIE that flew right into Turtle Cove (south side of Point), made a wide circle and flew out again! It was close enough to see the tiny bill and dusky underwings. I scanned the area for a further hour but did not relocate it. Other birds of note off the Point were 3 RAZORBILL, 2 different adult KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULLS and a 4th-winter type LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Many large gulls were cruising up and down the shoreline making quick work of edibles that had been ripped up off the bottom. Three Bonaparte's Gulls off Camp Hero were only ones I saw today.

Of local interest, thirty-three RING-NECK DUCK were on Tuthill's Pond (almost connected to the ocean by flooding) and four CANVASBACK were on Fort Pond. The 2nd basic-type GLAUCOUS GULL that I saw yesterday was back on Further Lane in East Hampton and 4 TUNDRA SWAN were with 3 Mute Swan in fields between Highland Terrace and Sag Main Street in Sagaponack.

Nor'easter brings Glaucous and Iceland Gulls to the South Fork - 13 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Todays Nor'easter pounded the eastern tip of Long Island and birds were few and far between. The storm still rages as I type. The high winds, heavy rain and volume of spray/sand in the air made seawatching a challenge to say the least. When I could see beyond the crashing surf, there seemed to be little activity. On the ponds, waterfowl numbers seem low and I could not find anything of note among the lingering flocks of Canada Geese.

Not too surprisingly, most of the Great Black-backed Gulls had moved inland off the beaches to wait out the weather and flocks stood huddled in fields and other open areas. Looking through these, I found an adult GLAUCOUS GULL on Bridge Lane in Sagaponack, and just before dusk a 2nd basic-type GLAUCOUS GULL on Further Lane in East Hampton. This latter bird, a predominantly white individual, flew in as I was watching an adult KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULL bathing in a rain water pool. A couple of Bonparte's Gulls were on Shorts Pond in Bridgehampton, the first time I've seen the species there. Ironically, we've reached a point where I find the absence of any Lesser Black-backed Gulls among these storm displaced gulls more surprising than if one or two were present.

Flyby Thick-billed Murre off Montauk Point - 8 Mar 2010

2010-04-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I seawatched from Montauk Point (Suffolk Co.) for a couple of hours (Sun 7 March, 7:11-9:15 am). Numbers were low but the diversity was good. Strong sunshine made the viewing to the south difficult.

The highlight was a THICK-BILLED MURRE that came round the point from the south and headed out over Block Island Sound. This was at 7:22 am. The solid dark hood was immediately apparent but it was only until the bird was directly east of me that I could see its short bill, seemingly unmarked underwings/flanks and dumpy profile. The upperparts looked similar in color to the Razorbills but truthfully, the light was probably not good enough to distinguish black from dark brown. One thing I noticed was the slightly slower cadence of the wing beats compared to a Razorbill that followed essentially the same track a few minutes later. Altogether, I counted 46 RAZORBILLS, with a maximum of 20 together in a flock that plopped down on the water over the reef. There were 11 additional 'large alcids' that were too distant and poorly lit to identify safely.

Other birds of note were a 1st-year BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, growing numbers of LONG-TAILED DUCK (otherwise scarce from this spot) and several flights of CANADA GEESE (>600) and ATLANTIC BRANT (74 total in six flocks) headed NE towards RI and MA. Several flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds took flight from the point and headed out over the sound. One exception in this migration pattern was an American Crow that I watched for a while as it made a beeline from Block Island west toward the Point. Once it made land fall, the crow turned north and followed the coastline with what seemed like genuine purpose (a messenger crow perhaps?).

At Montauk Inlet, 6 GREAT CORMORANT (5 ad., 1 juv.) were on the jetty towers, 5 RAZORBILL passed offshore and a 1st-basic KUMLEIN'S GULL was roosting with other gulls on the spit just inside the harbor. An immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was soaring low over the trees on the west side of Fort Pond and 2 REDHEAD were with Ring-necked Ducks on Tuthill's Pond. The adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continues the rocks on the west side of Fort Pond Bay. Eleven PURPLE SANDPIPERS were on the rocks east of Ditch Plains. Common Eider were present at every stop but I could not find a King among them.

Overall, numbers of Red-throated and Common Loons were down compared to the past few weeks but HORNED GREBES (total 155) made a good showing, typical of early March. A couple of weeks ago there were Bonaparte's Gulls all along the ocean front but these seem to have moved on.

Montauk area gulls - 21 Feb 2010

2010-04-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

With a brisk WNW wind and brilliant sunshine I ended up doing a lot of beach walking today. There were at least 450 Bonaparte's Gulls working along the ocean between Montauk Village (Suffolk Co.) and Ditch Plains. Among them, I found an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL, likely the same bird I saw out here last weekend. It was feeding in the surf off the middle of Shadmore State Park. This winter I've noticed a marked paucity of first-year birds, today I counted only 14 (3%). A priori, this would suggest a poor 2009 breeding season but I know that the ratio of adults to young varies with location so it seems unsafe to draw conclusions from this one area. It would be interesting to know if others have observed something similar elsewhere?

Otherwise there wasn't too much to see. I even slogged all the way along the sand to the Warhol Estate but could not find a King Eider or a Harlequin Duck. The only birds of note along in this section were three RAZORBILL (a pitiful number this winter) and 12 PURPLE SANDPIPER, roosting on the large triangular bolder east of the Ditch Plains Trailer Park.

The 2 wintering adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at their usual stations on Fort Pond Bay (rocks at the western corner) and on Lazy Point in Napeague. At Montauk Inlet, there were 3 KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULLS, two first winter birds and a second winter. Lone Great Cormorants were on one of the jetty towers at the inlet and on the ice of Oyster Pond.

I spent a lot of time looking for vultures but saw none - too windy perhaps? Likewise I was unable to find the Great Egret that Carl Starace and party found at Napeague yesterday. The egret is a darn good bird out here in February - I haven't seen one since November.

Black-headed Gull and King Eider off Ditch Plains nr Montauk - 14 Feb 2010

2010-04-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

The combination of a brisk and chilly wind and bright sunshine made for less than idea ocean viewing off Montauk Point (Suffolk Co.) this morning. Shortly after 8 am, I scoped from the restaurant overlook for a half hour but only managed 8 RAZORBILLS and a couple of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES. The only other birds of note were four American Wigeon and a lone Brant that nudged around the rocks below the overlook.

Things were a better off Ditch Plains (east of Montauk Village) with at least 22 Black-legged Kittiwakes and 60 or more Bonaparte's Gulls. The behavior of the gulls suggested they were feeding over Razorbills and after watching for while, I saw three of the alcids pick up and fly a few yards before flopping down into the choppy sea. An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL flying west long the surf line with a Bonaparte's made for a pleasant surprise, as did a female KING EIDER in Cavett's Cove - this requires a half mile hike east along the beach. A few PURPLE SANDPIPERS were on the weed covered rocks. Small numbers of Razorbills and kittiwakes were evident from a number of vantages along the south shore between Montauk and Amagansett and I suspect there are good numbers some distance offshore. Oddly, this was a day for Horned Grebe to stretch their wings - I saw at least 12 individuals in flight. As a nocturnal migrant, it is only once in a while that one sees Horned Grebe fly and more than once I've been momentarily baffled by the white secondaries and long foot projection of such birds.

Unfortunately, there was no repeat of the afternoon alcid flight from yesterday. A 45 min watch from Amagansett turned up a paltry four birds. Late in the afternoon, Hugh McGuinness and I counted 9 COMMON MERGANSERS in the patches of open water on Hook Pond in East Hampton as we looked through the roosting geese. A young male Northern Harrier made several circuits of the pond.

Large alcid flight off East Hampton including Dovekies - 13 Feb 2010

2010-04-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

There was an impressive and somewhat unexpected flight of large alcids off the south shore this afternoon, with groups of birds flying westward sometimes in fairly large groups (max. 65). Many were quite far out and thus only identifiable as large alcids, but all of the closer birds were all clearly RAZORBILLS. As indicated below, I counted more than 700 in a 1 hour sample. The one exception was a trio of tiny DOVEKIES flying together with three Razorbill. A good number of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, a species that often feeds over Razorbills, were also drifting west. Some of these birds seemed to be coming up off the water and I suspect there were considerable numbers of alcids, scoter and gulls on the water about a mile or more offshore and essentially invisible unless they took flight. Perhaps this is why there were comparatively few Razorbills off Montauk Point this morning, as per Doug Futuyma's report? Winds were from the northwest (~10-15 mph) and visibility was excellent with minimal heat shimmer. It will be interesting to know how far west the flight extended (e.g. Shinnecock Inlet, Smith Point SP or Robert Moses SP).

A 1 hour (2:15-3:15 pm) spot count from the beach in Amagansett tallied the following:

Red-throated Loon - 3
Horned Grebe - 15
Northern Gannet - 18
Common Eider - 12
Black Scoter - 10
White-winged Scoter - 360
Surf Scoter - 25
scoter sp. - 200
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
RAZORBILL (or large alcid) - 703
DOVEKIE - 3
Herring Gull - 15
Great Black-backed Gull - 5
Ring-billed Gull - 4
Bonaparte's Gull - 59
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 49 (only one 1st-basic, rest ads.)

Also of note were two HARBOR PORPOISE feeding a short distance off the beach in Napeague (White Sand Motel). A Red-throated Loon was fishing with them and seeing the loon alongside emphasized just how small these porpoises are compared to dolphins. Lastly, the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ('Larry') continues at Lazy Point on the NW side of Napeague Harbor. There were no geese on the field at Further Lane when I passed by and nothing of note among the geese I could see on the lawns around Hook Pond.

Unprecedented Razorbill flight off Montauk Point - 24 Jan 2010

2010-04-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Observers gathered at Montauk Point this morning were treated to an absolutely remarkable flight of RAZORBILLS. They were quite literally the most numerous bird on view, with the peak numbers passing between 7:30 and 8:30 AM. Tom Burke tried to keep a continuous count but began to flag at 2,500! Using a clicker I tallied 1,344 passing through my fixed scope view in a 20 min count and have thumb cramp sto prove it. All told, we estimated a minimum of 4,000 Razorbills, quite possibly more.

As I said, they were the most common bird. Small flocks were coming round the point from the south, but the majority seemed to be traveling towards west across Block Island Sound and then turning north to pass in front of the restaurant overlook. Significant numbers also followed a more direct line from the north end of Block Island towards Shagwong Point. Many birds passed right in front of the overlook giving superb views, sometimes landing in the water. For most of the time the light was very good and I feel confident that the vast majority of the birds could be accurately identified to species. In other words, we weren't missing other alcid species.

With so many Razorbills it was not surprising that the numbers of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were equally special. Patricia Lindsay took charge of the tally and I believe she settled on something like 300 (!!), the vast majority (>90%) being adults. Other species seemed incidental by comparison but included a gleaming white GLAUCOUS GULL (2nd basic) roosting on the beach below the restaurant overlook, and the usual assortment of loons and seaduck. Two, possibly three, adult male KING EIDER were on the southside of the Point, as viewed from Camp Hero. Another male KING EIDER was off Ditch Plains. Two ICELAND GULLS and a handful of Razorbills (actually 45 or more) were off Montauk Inlet, the gulls frequenting the beaches on the west side of the inlet. Single adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were in their usual spots on Fort Pond Bay in Montauk and Lazy Point in Napeague. Whilst counting waterfowl on Napeague Harbor, Hugh McGuinness and I picked up a single RED KNOT (very notable on the East End in winter) amongst a flock of Dunlin.

The goose flock on Further Lane was much depleted when we stopped there in the early afternoon and we could not pick out any unusual species. More geese were on the ice at Hook Pond along with 26 COMMON MERGANSER.

Co-observers of the morning flight included Hugh McGuinness, Tom Burke, Gail Benson, Patricia Lindsay, Doug Futuyma, Andrew Baksh, Dave Klauber and Seth Ausubel. A very exciting morning and I wouldn't be surprised if I've forgotten some noteworthy sightings.

White-fronts and Cacklers on Further Lane and major Razorbill flight - 10 Jan 2010

2010-01-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

Douglas Futuyma and Karen Rubinstein provided excellent accounts of the uncommon geese frequenting the one remaining field on Further Lane in East Hampton (Suffolk Co., NY). Yesterday we watched 4 first-winter GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (little or no barring on bellies) and a single well-marked adult. Interestingly, the two Greater White-fronts that were here on Saturday were both adults! Thus, there must be at least 6, perhaps even 7, white-fronts in the area. I wonder how many are on Long Island at the moment? Just before sundown, the 4 youngsters were on the Oceanview Farm field just east of the village of Amagansett. This is just beyond the IGA supermarket on the north side of Route 27. Although there are sometimes a few Canada Geese or gulls here, this is the first time I've ever seen anything newsworthy. Whilst I watched, the geese were spooked by the LIRR train that runs along the back of the field and they flew back to Further Lane, landing on the partly obscured field between the lane and the ocean.

I spent much of the morning looking at waterfowl elsewhere. For the most part, the fields were gooseless due to hunting pressure but there were some 3,000+ on the ocean off Sagaponack. I spent a good deal of time going through these but could not come up with anything different. Shorts Pond on Scuttlehole Lane (Bridgehampton) was disappointing with less than a hundred geese, 11 SNOW GEESE and one Ruddy Duck. I noted that the Snow Geese here and off Further Lane are all adults. Does this mean that Greater Snow Geese had a poor nesting season this year? Does anyone have a sense of the adult to first-year ratio at Jamaica Bay?

After hearing about Doug Futuyma's many good finds out at Montauk Point, I zipped off in the that direction before the light gave out. A beautiful 1st winter KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULL was at Lazy Point in Napeague and an adult male KING EIDER was floating with a small group of Common Eiders at Ditch Plains, where I also noted an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE and 26 PURPLE SANDPIPERS. At Montauk Inlet, I stumbled on a 1st basic NELSON'S GULL (Herring x Glaucous hybrid), likely the bird found by Shai Mitra on Fort Pond during in the Christmas Bird Count. Doug, Mike Cooper and Vicki Bustamante all saw the 2nd winter Kumlein's Iceland Gull around the mouth of the inlet (seems to prefer the west side) and have commented on its unusually dark tail band. Critical study of other features still place this striking bird within the Kumlein's spectrum.

In an earlier posting Doug Futuyma (Stony Brook, NY) wrote: This morning, I did a seawatch at Montauk Point (sheltered from strong wind by the restaurant) from 7:10 to 9:50, with several short breaks. The weather was clear and cold (low to mid 20's); visibility beyond a few hundred yards was seriously compromised by therrmal distortion due to the very cold air.

Highlights of this watch were an approximate count of 120 RAZORBILLS that could be identified with confidence, plus at least 130 distant 'large alcids' that were presumably mostly Razorbills. Almost all were moving northward; some small groups alighted on the water, but seemed generally to take flight after a short while. I saw at least 35 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, some of which were very close; a considerable number of distant gulls, obscured by thermal distortion, were also probably Kittiwakes, based on jizz and
behavior. The numbers of both of these species can probably be augmented by some of those seen by Mike Cooper and members of Great South Bay Audubon, who were present for at least an hour, Large numbers of BONAPARTE'S GULLS were visible at all times, numbering in the hundreds; among them was one adult BLACK-HEADED GULL that flew northward. Fair numbers of all three Scoters and of Common EIders were present, but conspicuously scarce were Northern Gannet (2), Red-throated Loon (3), and Common Loon (3). (Common Loons were abundant at several other sites, e.g. Gin Beach.) I saw Common Eiders at every saltwater stop in the Montauk area.

A drake HARLEQUIN DUCK was on Lake Montauk at the north end, and another was at Ditch Plains. On the beach just west of the west jetty at Lake Montauk inlet, the second-winter ICELAND GULL reported yesterday by Angus Wilson, was present. Near the south end of Lake Montauk were ca. 60 Common Goldeneye and ca. 50 Greater Scaup.

Among the Canada Geese on the field at Further Lane (Easthampton) were 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that Karen and Barbara Rubenstein were looking at when I arrived. Angus Wilson arrived soon afterward, and after considerable scrutiny he located a compact group of 7 CACKLING GEESE that were well hidden behind a dense flock of Canadas. These birds, presumably the same ones he reported yesterday, soon joined the steady exodus of Canadas toward the northeast.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the ice on Lake Agawam in Southampton. The ducks on Halsey Neck Pond included ca. 11 Redhead and >100 Lesser Scaup; also 2 Pied-billed Grebes.

Stops at Culloden Point, Fort Pond Bay, Lazy Point (Napeague), Georgica Pond, and Mecox Bay (west side) yielded only common species.

Karen Rubinstein (East Hampton) followed: Searching for the 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE reported yesterday by Angus Wilson, my sister Barbara and I went to the Further Lane field in East Hampton around 11:00 AM Sunday. First one, then a second goose revealed its orange legs. Wanting better views, we waited and searched for the CACKLING GEESE. As the flock began to move around after about an hour, we found 4 GWFG together and shortly afterward a 5th GWFG a, a bit further away. The 6 SNOW GEESE were also still present.

We did not find the CACKLING GEESE, but around 20 minutes after we left, Angus and Doug Futuyma, who had joined us by then along Further Lane, did see them.

Gulls and Geese on a crisp winters day - 9 Jan 2010

2010-01-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Montauk Point was especially beautiful today with blue skies, crisp cold air and a coating of snow left from last week's storm. At Montauk Inlet, 2 KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULLS (1st-basic and 2nd basic) were feeding with other gulls along the small beach immediately west of inlet and both visited the melt water pools in the empty Gosmans parking lot. Increasingly scarce on eastern LI, four CANVASBACK were using an opening in the ice on Fort Pond.

Out at Montauk Point, another 1st winter KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULL and 2 adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE were among the cloud of gulls following the 'Hellcat' party boat as it came in from an offshore fishing trip. At least 4 adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were milling around off the point with 30 or so BONAPARTE'S GULLS. Interestingly, Hugh McGuinness and party found a 150++ Bonaparte's here earlier in the morning, again with some kittiwakes mixed in. Where did they go and could there be something better mixed in amongst them? After some scanning, I picked up 4 RAZORBILLS flying over the more distant rips. Considering the excellent visibility, the number seems low. Certainly the numbers of loons and gannets have dropped significantly.

The field on the north side of Further Lane in Amagansett held a large flock of Canada Geese. By phone, Hugh McGuinness alerted me to the presence 3 CACKLING GEESE and 6 SNOW GEESE, the latter almost certainly the birds seen earlier by Karen and Barbara Rubinstein on a corn field behind Mary's Marvelous Cafe in Amagansett. When I arrived shortly before dusk, the Snow Geese were still there and quickly I found 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that moved around as a pair. Hugh had seen these early in the morning on Hook Pond. Allowing for the late afternoon sun both white-fronts seemed orange rather than pink billed (a topic I want to discuss in another post). After a bit of searching I found a Cackling Goose that quickly morphed into a flock of 7 CACKLING GEESE, again moving through the Canadas as a cohesive group. This is the largest flock of (Richardson's) Cackling Geese (nominate subspecies hutchinsii) that I've witnessed on Long Island. Small flocks are more typical of western NY which is significantly closer to the Central flyway.

Extralimital - pale falcon brings excitement on a wet and gloomy day - 13 Dec 09

2009-12-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

Around noon today, Tony Lauro found a large pale falcon hunting over the fields between Sound Avenue, Hulse Landing Road and Route 25A in Calverton near Riverhead (Suffolk Co.). Hugh McGuinness and I beat our way through the Sunday traffic and ever worsening rain to find Tony and a small crowd of Long Island birders looking at the falcon perched on a tall powerline pole. It was a fantastic looking (1st-year?) bird, very pale gray bordering on white. The falcon made a couple spectacular dives in pursuit of Mourning Doves and had apparently been doing this for a while. The tentative identification made by Tony and endorsed initially by all of us was a pale-morph GYR FALCON.

However, some felt that subtle aspects did not quite fit our expectations for a Gyr but more on this later. Our elation was short lived when we got a better chance to study the legs, which had been obscured in most viewsby the tops of the poles or by the bird's tail. Little-by-little we realized that it likely had leather ankle bracelets and this was confirmed as it came into land after one of its sorties. Drat! An escaped falconry bird. Tony Lauro took the disappointing news with grace and most folks soon headed for their cars to escape cold and unrelenting rain. Hugh and I lingered for a bit trying to get photo-documentation of the offending leg ornaments. Over the next 20-30 mins we witnessed a couple more flights including an amazing high speed streak right over the farm buildings were hiding behind. Escape or not, this is one fast bird!

Hugh first raised the possibility of a hybrid, possible a Gyr x Saker cross, rather than a pure Gyr, based on the sleeker profile and noticeably pale head. From on our collective but very limited experience, we also considered the constant activity of the bird to be a bit unusual. Was the bird really big enough to be a Gyr, even a male? Shouldn't it be hunting ducks rather than doves? Obviously these are subject criteria and as has been mentioned before, identification of hybrids (there are several popular combinations) is difficult. More research is clearly needed. The yellow rather than blue feet may also indicate a hybrid assuming that the aging is correct. There are two lessons here, first that large falcon ID is not necessarily straightforward and second, that birds need to be studied carefully; even something as seemingly obvious as the presence of leather straps around both legs may not be revealed immediately.

Anyway, we all enjoyed the bird tremendously and thank Tony for not only getting the word out immediately but for staying on the bird to make sure we all saw it - a true gentleman!

Greenland White-fronted and Canada Geese - 12 Dec 2009

2009-12-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

Between errands I checked some of the fields around Bridgehampton, Mecox, Wainscott and Sagaponack for flocks of geese. In general, the numbers seem a bit low but perhaps the current cold spell will change that. The highlights of my search were two geese of Greenlandic origin. The first was a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, seen with c.250 Canada Geese in a field off Wainscott Hollow Road. There is some controversy about the field ID of eastern North American and Greenland populations but to my eyes, the bird shows characters attributed to the Greenland subspecies including a bright orange bill and heavy belly barring. It was quite aggressive, constantly snapping at any Canada Goose that came near and managed to keep a goose free zone around itself much of the time. The geese were feeding on freshly harvested maize on the east side of the road and the white-fronted seemed particularly adept at lifting the flattened steps to uncovered discarded cobs.

Shortly before that I found a marked Greenland-origin Canada Goose at the small pond in the apple orchard off Horsemill Lane in Mecox. This bird was banded as part of an exciting project studying the recent and rapid colonization of western Greenland by Canada Geese. This expansion is believed to be to the detriment of the nesting Greater White-fronts which are smaller and easily displaced from optimal nesting areas. The Canada Geese originate and return to the Atlantic coastal states of North America, whereas the white-fronts winter in western Europe, primarily Ireland and Scotland.

The individual I saw today (marked with a yellow plastic collar and leg band with G24 in black letters) is apparently an adult male that was first captured near Isunngua in western Greenland ('Lake T') on 17 July 2008. He (and for once I can justify using a pronoun to describe a goose) was not reported in the winter of 2008/09 but has already been sighted by Shawn Deuel in the Sagaponack area (9 and 27 Oct 2009). I'm not sure how many birds were marked by the project in the summer of 2008, but the team marked 118 Canada Geese and eight White-fronts in the summer of 2009. Finding these birds on the wintering grounds offers a fantastic opportunity for birders in New York and neighboring states to contribute to this important research.

You can read all about the project here.

Kittiwakes and Little Gull off Montauk Point & extremely late Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Deep Hollow - 29 Nov 2009

2009-11-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

The largest number of 'small, non-Laughing' gulls that I've seen out here in a while were off Montauk Point (Suffolk Co.) this morning.There were more than 300 Bonaparte's Gulls with at least 45 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES (max count for single sweep, 50:50 ads:1st winters) and a striking 1st-winter LITTLE GULL. I counted only 15 Laughing Gulls, a very low number for this date. I arrived at slack tide which was probably not ideal as the many of the gulls stopped feeding around 10 am and either settled on the water or flew northward into the center of Gardiners Bay. Many of the Red-throated Loons also took to the air and headed in the same direction. Other than these gulls, I couldn't pull out any other birds of note. Plenty of loons, eiders and scoter but no alcids yet.

At Deep Hollow, the CACKLING GOOSE continues on the south pasture and has been joined by an adult SNOW GOOSE. Whilst looking for through the geese I noted a swallow flying low over the pasture, sometime alighting on the fences. Initially the light was really poor (straight into the sun) but eventually I got good looks confirming that it was a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. Exceptionally late from a coastal standpoint. It soon disappeared but later I relocated it over the ponds on the north side of Rt 27. Needless to say I thought about but quickly ruled out, Brown-chested Martin - a more outlandish but not entirely unreasonable possibility given the recent sighting from MA and the late fall bird from Cape May NJ a few years back. Otherwise, passerines seemed few and far between today despite the glorious weather.

Black-legged Kittiwakes and male King Eider off Main Beach in East Hampton - 28 Nov 2009

2009-11-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

The South Fork of Long Island was buffeted by strong WNW winds (22-36 mph) this morning as the front pushed out yesterdays wet weather giving blue skies by late morning. I seawatched for an hour and a half (8:38-10:08 am) from Main Beach in East Hampton and noted a good showing of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES (28 total) and assortment of waterfowl passing offshore headlined by a full adult male KING EIDER flying east. A 2nd winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL briefly joined the regular species feeding in the surf as the tide dropped. The kittiwakes passed westward in small groups mixed with Bonaparte's and Laughing Gulls. Here's my tally:

Red-throated Loon - 46
Common Loon - 9
loon sp. - 12
Northern Gannet - 595
Brant - 3
Canada Goose - 8
Wood Duck - 2
Mallard - 1
Green-winged Teal - 3
Greater Scaup - 1
Common Eider - 9
KING EIDER - 1 (ad. male flying east)
Long-tailed Duck - 42
White-winged Scoter - 49
Surf Scoter - 55
Black Scoter - 865
dark winged scoter - 380
Hooded Merganser - 12
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 28 (6 ads & 22 juvs)
Bonaparte's Gull - 80
Laughing Gull - 36 (mostly ads)
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 (2nd winter)
Herring Gull - 60
Great Black-backed Gull - 45
Ring-billed Gull - 75

Continuing Gannet flight - 27 Nov 2009

2009-11-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

The seabird flight this morning was headlined by an unbroken eastward stream of Northern Gannets, along with two flocks of Atlantic Brant totaling 60 birds, my f.o.s. Iceland Gull (an immaculate 1st winter) and Common Goldeneye. A 1 hr count (9:40-10:40 am) logged the following:

Red-throated Loon - 120 (most flying east)
Common Loon - 16
Northern Gannet - 1,452 (all ages, majority adults)
Great Cormorant - 7
cormorant sp. - 14
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 1 (ad.)
Laughing Gull - 1
ICELAND GULL - 1 (1st winter, west along surfline)
Atlantic Brant - (33 & 27 east)
Common Eider - 2
Black Scoter - 70
Surf Scoter - 5
White-winged Scoter - 20
scoter sp. - 75
Common Goldeneye - 2
Long-tailed Duck - 9

With the exception of a PEREGRINE over Hook Poind, there was little of note at Hook, Sagg Mains and Mecox Inlet. No sign of the Cattle Egret reported last week from the farms in Mecox.

Being thankful for Parasitic Jaeger, Kittiwake and loons: 26 Nov 2009

2009-11-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

This morning I seawatched from a number of spots between Amagansett and Montauk Point. Flat calm and overcast conditions made for excellent viewing. The unusual dispersal of COMMON EIDERS is still much in evidence, with birds (sometimes in their hundreds) at every stop. Perhaps as a consequence, there were relatively few eider over the reefs at the Point. Alternatively, the absence of food in the traditional areas explains the western shift in distribution. Loons were also very much in evidence, with a nice flight of Red-throated Loons along the ocean until mid-morning. Squadrons of Northern Gannets pushed east in the direction of Block Island with almost no feeding activity. The CACKLING GOOSE continues on the pasture at Deep Hollow as does the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the shore of Fort Point Bay. No Horned Grebes yet nor Razorbill - perhaps still a little early.

Here is my culmulative tally:

Common Loon - 345
Red-throated Loon - 659
loon sp. - 30
RED-NECKED GREBE - 1 (Fort Pond Bay)
Northern Gannet - 3,200+ (persistent flght, the majority heading east into RI waters or beyond)
Great Cormorant - 6 (Fort Pond Bay & Montauk Inlet jetties)
Double-crested Cormorant - 24
Brant - 33 (headed east)
Common Eider - 1,044 (widespread)
Red-breasted Merganser - 42
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Black Scoter - 1,490
Surf Scoter - 1,400
White-winged Scoter - 74
scoter sp. - 300
PARASITIC JAEGER - 1 subad. (flying east, seen from Atlantic Avenue, Amagansett)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 8 (6 juv. and 2 ad., flying east, seen from Amagansett & Napeague)
Bonaparte's Gull - 28
Laughing Gull - 22
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 1 ad. (Fort Pond Bay)

GRAY SEAL - 2 (Hither Hills State Park & Montauk Point)
Harbor Seal - 4 (Fort Pond Bay, Ditch Plains & Montauk)

Recent sightings of Pink-footed Geese on Long Island - New or returning?

2009-11-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Waterfowl can sometimes be tracked by noting differences in the patterning on their bills. This was pioneered by Sir Peter Scott and the Wildfowl Trust in the UK in the study of wintering Bewick's (Tundra) and Whopper Swans. I wondered if this same technique could be applied to gray geese, so began looking at the bill patterns of the recent spate of sightings from Long Island and New England. Click on the image for a slightly bigger version. I think we can say that the Pink-footed Goose at Sunken Meadow State Park, Suffolk, is almost certainly a different individual from the bird that spent several weeks in and around Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens during the winter of 2008/09. Whether it can be distinguished from the bird that wintered around Stony Brook (2007/08 and only a few miles east of Sunken Meadow) is harder to discern but needs more study. Likewise, the Montauk bird (2007/08, more than 40 miles further east and coincident with the Stony Brook bird) is fairly similar. I have been images of that bird but will need to dig them out. My thanks to Paul Gildersleeve and Ed Coyle for use of their images.

Two Western Kingbirds near Bridgehampton - 1 Nov 2006

2009-11-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

The WESTERN KINGBIRD was still present this morning in Deep Hollow, Montauk (Suffolk Co.), favoring the trees on the eastern side of the horse pasture. The bird disappears from sight at times, so be patient if you go in search of it.

Twenty miles further west in Bridgehampton, I found 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS hawking insects in the heavily overgrown field on the south side of Daniel's Lane (40.9188, -72.2618). Initially the birds were close to Peter's Pond Lane, a dirt road running down to the ocean access but they later ranged more widely across the field, sometimes appearing to go over the dune on the beach itself. An American Kestrel, increasingly scarce on the South Fork, was in a field off Gibson Lane.

The ocean between Main Beach in East Hampton and Mecox Bay was fairly active with numerous rafts of scoter, several hundred Atlantic Gannets and small flocks of Laughing Gulls. Most of the bird feeding on small bait fish being pushed to the surface by Striped Bass and I was surprised to see that even the scoter were feeding on these fish, thinking that their diet was limited to bivalves, polychaete worms and small crustaceans. However, they could often be seen surfacing with these slender fish dangling from their bills before being swallowed. No wonder the gulls like to pester them.

Numbers of Common Eider seemed higher than usual this far west of Montauk, and I tallied 103 along this stretch. GREAT CORMORANTS were also in evidence, with 16 flying west along the beach front and an immature roosting with Double-crested Cormorants on the sand flat at Georgica Pond. An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Sagg Mains. Tom Burke and Gail Benson noted a PARASITIC JAEGER off Main Beach and another off Montauk Point. They also located the female KING EIDER off Ditch Plains before hurrying over to Bridgehampton for their 2nd and 3rd _Tyrannus verticalis_ of the day.

Western Kingbird, Deep Hollow - 31 Oct 2009

2009-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

The handsome WESTERN KINGBIRD continues in Deep Hollow near Montauk (Suffolk Co). Look for the bird around the edges of the horse pasture south of Rt 27. This morning it was flycatching from trees on the slope on the eastern (most distant) side and favored the area right of the very obvious bank of solar panels where there is a new fence (41.0543, -71.8945). The kingbird also ventured out into the open field and used the various fences that run north-south as a vantage point from which to snatch flies from the many fresh dung piles. I should mention that Vicki Bustamante refound this bird during the week, after it was first reported by Michael McBrien (per Shai Mitra) last Monday.

At Montauk Point, decent numbers (600++) of Atlantic Gannets continue with some impressive feeding frenzies, presumably over migrating herring. I noted a lingering CORY'S SHEARWATER with one of the feeding groups. Upwards of 350 Common Eider were scattered around Point and were in fact evident at many spots around the peninsula. A female KING EIDER (most likely the bird I found near here last weekend) was in the surf off Ditch Plains (41.039,-71.9105). An immature GREAT CORMORANT was on the jetties at Montauk Inlet and another was in Fort Pond.

Lastly, Patricia Lindsay and Shai Mitra found a (Richardson's) CACKLING GOOSE on Further Lane between East Hampton and Amagansett (40.9622, -72.1599) and it was still there at the front of the Canada Goose flock when I went past at 1 pm.

Ditch Plains: Northern Fulmar, King Eider and much more

2009-10-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

I figured the strong onshore winds (S to SSE, 25-30 kts) and wet conditions might bring some seabirds inshore and indeed there were masses of gulls, gannets and seaduck all along the ocean side of the South Fork. By far the largest concentration occurred to the east of Ditch Plains, off Caswells Point. Access is limited along this stretch and so I walked about 1/2 mile east of the trailer park and then scoped from a ladder running up the steep bluff. The main throng was a little distant to study properly but I estimated somewhere between 5,000-7,000 Laughing Gulls, 800 or more Northern Gannets, and good numbers of other gulls. The highlight was a NORTHERN FULMAR that flew along the beach towards the action at or less than 100 yards out. I got scope filling views of this somewhat ratty pale-morph individual. A female KING EIDER was in the surf with a group of Common Eider and was acting suspiciously like the female that spend the last two winters along this stretch.

*** Ditch Plains/Caswells Point, Montauk ***

NORTHERN FULMAR - 1 (pale morph, headed east just beyond surf line)
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 2+ (could well have been more but hard to make out in the distant feeding frenzy and rough seas)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 3 (all 1st basics)
ROYAL TERN - 3 (2 ad. 1 juv)
PARASITIC JAEGER - 3 (all juvs)
jaeger sp. - 1
Common Eider - 250+
KING EIDER - 1 (fem., first of the season)
PEREGRINE -1 (was perched on bluff then headed out into the mass of seabirds)

*** Montauk Point ***

CORY'S SHEARWATER - 2 (working back and forth over the reef just east of the lighthouse)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 1 (1st basic)
COMMON TERN - 2
PARASITIC JAEGER - 2
SNOW BUNTING - 2 (on the beach, first of the season)
Common Eider - 600++
Black Scoter - 2,500
Surf Scoter - 200
White-winged Scoter - 150

I encountered Common Eider at almost every ocean vantage point between Amagansett and Montauk Point and would guess that the recent bad weather has moved them around a bit. Laughing Gulls were also everywhere with 500-600 bathing or roosting on Fort Pond in Montauk and a continuous stream of birds going back and forth from the ocean. Despite two visits I couldn't pull out anything more interesting among them. One thing I have never seen before is skiens of scoter, mainly Blacks, flying low over the town of Montauk headed towards the ocean. Flocks were also rounding the Point and crossing Gardiners Bay in a similar direction as viewed from Culloden Point. I wasn't sure what to make of this but now looking at the reports of scoter from inland sites, I wonder if these weren't newly arriving migrants rather than birds that have been here a few days?

Elsewhere, 2 SEMINPALMATED PLOVER continue in Deep Hollow on the southern most pasture, and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the beach at Fort Pond Bay. The restaurant at Montauk Point seems to have closed for the season. I looked for the Lark Sparrow (seen as recently as Wednesday by Vicki Bustamante) but the area was being used for a BBQ (poor choice of day!) and no sparrows were in evidence. Lastly, a SORA was calling from the small freshwater pond below the restaurant.

Montauk: Lingering Cory's Shearwater and Common Terns - 18 Oct 09

2009-10-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

The combination of a really strong easterly wind (40 knot gusts), tempestuous seas and driving rain made birding, shall we say, a little difficult this morning. First I seawatched from Main Beach in the Village of East Hampton (Suffolk Co.). Good numbers of Laughing Gulls and Gannets were just visible in the gloom as they fed on bait fish some distance offshore. A steady procession of gulls would fly into the beach for a break and then head out again giving some chance to look through them. I got no sense that there was a seabird flight, simply birds moving around as they fed or rested. Highlights were an unidentified JAEGER, 2 ROYAL TERNS and 4 COMMON TERNS.

I then ventured out to Montauk Point, where the weather seemed even worse but at least there was some shelter from the rain at the restaurant. Again, no evidence of a movement but plenty of birds to look at, including an estimated 800 COMMON EIDER and a comparable number of scoter. The highlight was a lingering CORY'S SHEARWATER that made repeated forays through the flocks of feeding gulls and sea duck. Also 2 COMMON TERNS. Red-throated Loons were more in evidence but no alcids or kittiwakes yet.

Three adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were on the beach at Montauk Point. Another adult was on the shore at Fort Pond Bay, where 4 Ringed-neck Ducks and a Lesser Scaup have returned to Tuthill's Pond. Two additional LESSER BLACK-BACKS were on the field off Further Lane in Amagansett, making a total of 6 for the morning. A couple of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS linger on Hick's Island in Napeague.

Lark Sparrow at Montauk Point - 17 Oct 09

2009-10-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Posted to NYSBIRDS by Hugh McGuinness

Dear NY Birders,

Today I led a small band of intrepid birders for the South Fork Natural History Society on a trip to Montauk Point. Despite the blustery weather we were not disappointed as the day dawned sunny, and remained so for several hours. The fierce east wind had pushed numerous seabirds north of the point and by the time we arrived at 8am, many of them were rounding the point heading to sea. NORTHERN GANNETS, LAUGHING GULLS and BLACK SCOTERS passed in abundance. Just north of the concession stand we found a VESPER SPARROW.

We next headed to Teddy Roosevelt Co Park, where we found a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and a BLUE GROSBEAK among a modest size flock of sparrows that included 5 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

At the end of our walk, we received a call from Angus Wilson who had located a LARK SPARROW on the north side of the new bathrooms at Montauk Point, so we returned for leisurely views of this obliging bird. Shai Mitra and Pat Lindsay saw the bird an hour or so after we left, so perhaps the bird will hang around. Angus also conducted an extended, if frigid, seawatch at the point, and he'll probably report his results in his own impeccable style.

At the south end of the horse farm, there were 3 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, one of which could be mistaken for a Baird's, in the KILLDEER flock, which also contained 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.

After my trip was done, Angus and I visited Hither Hills State Park campground where we discovered a brightly-colored DICKCISSEL among the church of House Sparrows on the western loop.

All in all a surprisingly successful day of birding given the weather conditions.

Hugh McGuinness

Slow morning around Montauk Point - 4 Oct 2009

2009-10-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday's weather was wonderful but the birding was a bit slow. In the morning, Hugh McGuinness and I walked the pony trail up the northeast side of Deep Hollow in search of the rare warblers seen the day before but found only a sprinkling of commoner migrants (Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, Nashville Warbler, Parula, 5+ Palm Warblers, 5-10 Northern Orioles, 2 Winter Wren, 10+ White-throated Sparrows and 3 Eastern Phoebe). Four Blue-winged Teal were on a pool in horse pasture and a migrant American Kestrel tussled with crows. We noted a couple of Solitary Sandpipers on the pools, with another near the cow feeding lot on the south side of the highway. The waters off Montauk Point were placid and spectacularly birdless! A few (c.50) Laughing Gulls, 10+ Surf Scoters, and a couple of distant Gannets were all I could find in about 40 mins of scanning. Given the activity along the beach on Saturday, I was surprised not to see any sterna terns. Did they finally leave with the front? The first skeins of cormorants flying in across Block Island Sound was a sign of autumn. Time to watch out for Great Cormorants. A Merlin hunted around Turtle Cove but had nothing to chase beyond dragonflies. I briefly checked the pools along West Lake Drive, Rita's Horse Farm and Montauk Inlet but saw nothing of note. Maybe next weekend will be more exciting?

Movement of larids, including another good showing of Parasitic Jaegers - 3 Oct 2009

2009-10-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

This morning, I seawatched for two-hours from Main Beach in the Village of East Hampton, Suffolk County. As forecast, the rain was heavy and unrelenting but the on-shore winds were not as strong as I’d hoped for. Consequently, the visibility was often limited to a few hundred yards, but occasionally improved revealing many more birds further out. Regardless, there were a decent number of larids moving eastward along the shore, primarily COMMON TERNS, LAUGHING GULLS and RING-BILLED GULLS. Laughing Gulls have been relatively scare on the South Fork so far this fall but now seem to be working their way east, as is typical for Oct and Nov. Perhaps because of the limited visibility, I did not see any shearwaters and surprisingly few seaduck. Interestingly, I re-sighted the albino Common Tern from last week indicating that some of the terns at least are lingering in the area rather than moving through.

The gulls and terns were pausing to snatch slender bait fish (likely sandlance, Ammodytes americanus), which seemed to be quite abundant. With this amount of activity, I was not surprised to see some PARASITIC JAEGERS (conservative estimate of 22 different birds). As with last weekend, this number seems well above average. One hapless Common Tern was chased onto the water by a squadron of five jaegers. That’s when you know it’s time to chuck up your breakfast!

** Main Beach, East Hampton (9:05-11:05 am) **
Black Scoter - 20
Northern Gannet - 38 (mix of ages)
Double-crested Cormorant - 7
Laughing Gull - 910+++
Ring-billed Gull - 370+++
Herring Gull - 60
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 1 ad. (flying on beach)
Common Tern - 410 ++
Forster’s Tern - 18
PARASITIC JAEGER - 22 (16 ads/near ads and 6 juvs)

** Sagg Mains, Bridgehampton **
Forster’s Tern - 20

** Mecox Bay Inlet, Watermill **
ROYAL TERN - 3
Forster’s Tern - 5
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER - 1
Greater Yellowlegs - 2
Tree Swallows - 5,000 (massive cloud of birds roosting in the phragmites beds on either side of the inlet)

Unprecedented Parasitic Jaeger flight and N. Fulmar - 27 Sep 2009

2009-10-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

The passage of the low pressure system and associated front produced heavy rain overnight and through most of today. With the limited visibility, I opted for seawatching from the shelter of the beach club house at Main Beach in the Village of East Hampton (Suffolk). There were lots of Common Terns and Laughing Gulls feeding offshore, and it soon became obvious that there was a strong eastward push of PARASITIC JAEGERS. Over the next 4 hours I counted close to eighty birds moving eastwards, often in ones and twos but sometimes small flocks (5-11 birds). There seemed to be an equal mix of juvenile-types and adults/near-adults. A few of the adults still had full-length tail streamers. Some of the young bird were quite dark and one was pretty much as dark as they come – dark brown/black like a Sooty Shearwater, with very reduced pale patches on the underwing and no evident flash on the upperwing. Around 11 am, I was joined by Hugh McGuinness and we continued to carefully pick through jaegers. Hugh spotted a storm-petrel moving west very quickly but it was gone before I could connect with it. Around 11:30 am, jaegers started appearing from the west (circling back?) and we clicked off 43 different birds. At the end of the count period, my tally was 88 PARASITIC JAEGERS traveling east, with an additional 16 jaegers left as unidentified, and 43 Parasitics traveling west [presumably duplicates]. Needless to say we looked very hard for the other jaeger species, but saw no convincing candidates and I feel comfortable calling all of these birds as Parasitic.

In addition to the jaegers, there was a trickle of CORY’S SHEARWATERS moving east and whilst watching a trio of birds in the middle distance, a light-phase NORTHERN FULMAR powered up behind them, a rare and pleasing sight from shore! My bird of the day, however, was all white Common Tern that passed up and down the beach several times. This is the first example of an aberrant colored tern I can recall seeing with my own eyes. It’s plumage was an immaculate ivory white and suggestive of a true albino, had a pink bill and pink legs - very striking! We watched it at length as it foraged with other Common Terns, sometimes alighting on the sand. Interestingly, it did not attract the attention from the jaegers nor was it harassed by the other terns. The proportions seemed identical to the other Commons – hence the ID as a Common – but we noted how the bird often _appeared_ larger that the others; a familiar trick of the eye that bedevils observations of white birds.

Once the offshore movement slowed down, I trekked out to Montauk Point but found the viewing difficult in the heavy rain and mist. All of the jaegers I noted during an hour-long watch were moving rapidly from the north side of the Point and they seemed anxious to get out into the ocean proper. Could these birds have traveled down Long Island Sound? At the time of writing, I've not seen reports of jaegers from further west along Long Island and can add that none were seen by Tom Burke and Gail Benson stationed near the Shinnecock Inlet (20 miles southeast) around mid-day. So were where the birds coming from or going to?

*** Main Beach, East Hampton ***
8:50-13:00, heavily overcast w. persistent rain.

COMMON EIDER – 1 (fem. west with scoter)
White-winged Scoter – 1
Black Scoter – 82 (mostly west)
Surf Scoter – 10
dark-winged scoter sp. - 1
Green-winged Teal – 1 (fem)
NORTHERN FULMAR – 1 (light-phase traveling east w. 3 Cory’s)
CORY’S SHEARWATER – 17 (mostly moving east)
[storm-petrel sp. – 1 speeding west (likely Wilson’s)]
Northern Gannet – 63 (most west, mix of ages)
Laughing Gull – 70
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE – 1 (1st basic, west)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – 1 ad. (roosting on beach)
Common Tern – 250++
Forster’s Tern – 3
PARASITIC JAEGER – 88 (east, 50:50 split of juvs to ads/near ads, 43 traveling west).
Jaeger sp. – 16

*** Montauk Point ***
14:05-15:05, heavy rain with limited visibility.

COMMON EIDER – 2 (fem types)
White-winged Scoter – 28
CORY’S SHEARWATER – 6
GREAT SHEARWATER – 1
Northern Gannet – 12
Laughing Gull – 300++
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – 1 (ad. flew around Pt.)
Common Tern – 250
Roseate Tern – 2
PARASITIC JAEGER – 9 (mix of ages)

*** Maidstone Golf Course, East Hampton ***
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – 1 (ad.)

*** Further Lane, East Hampton ***
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – 1 (ad.)

*** Gerard Drive, Springs ***
Common Loon – 6
Northern Gannet – 4

Additional stops at Napeague Bay (Lazy Point), Hither Hills, Montauk Inlet, Star Island, Rita’s Horse Farm Pond and Deep Hollow did not yield anything of note.

Black Terns congregate in Napeague Harbor - 30 Aug 09

2009-08-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

The BLACK TERN show continues in Napeague Harbor (Suffolk Co), viewed from Lazy Point on the western side of this shallow bay. The Black Terns - a nice mix of molting adults and birds in smart juvenile/formative plumage – were dip feeding all over the bay and roosting on the shellfish hatchery floats at the north end along with several hundred Roseate and Common Terns. The latter two species appeared to be feeding on the ocean and flying back and forth over Route 27. I kayaked across the channel so as to get a better look at the roosting birds and made several single sweep counts, with a maximum of *261 * Black Terns. I only noted a single Forster's Tern in the mix and a handful of Least Terns. A basic-plumaged COMMON LOON flew overhead into Gardiner's Bay and a scattering of shorebirds around the bay included 8 WESTERN WILLET.

There was a good ocean swell at Montauk Point, left over from yesterdays storm, but relatively few birds. I noted a single CORY'S SHEARWATER, 5 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a paltry 10 Laughing Gulls (presumably this will build as we enter the fall). Small groups of Common and Roseate Terns ranged widely but did not form any significant feeding congregations.

Three WHITE-WINGED SCOTER flew past the Montauk Inet and 6 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, and 2 Black-bellied Plovers joined 18 Killdeer on the fields at the Deep Hollow Ranch on the south side of the road. The pond on the north side is brimming (no shoreline) but I noted 4 Green-winged Teal and 2 Green Heron in the vegetation. I checked several wooded and scrubby area but could find no evidence of any passerine migration.

Tropical Storm Bob stirs up the terns - 29 Aug 09

2009-08-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a major eastward flight of terns and other larids along the ocean side of Long Island today, presumably brought about by the heavy rains. Winds were moderate swinging around from the S to the E during the middle part of the day. I seawatched from Main Beach in East Hampton (Suffolk Co) late this morning. Visibility was limited to a few hundred yards but there was enough movement very close inshore (and overland) to keep it interesting. A 1-hour tally (11:40-12:40) produced:

Wilson's Storm-petrel – 5
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 1 juv.
Laughing Gull – 6
Common Tern - 1,423
Forster's Tern – 19
Roseate Tern – 326
Least Tern – 265
Black Tern – 11

Andy Baldelli (via Hugh McGuinness) also watched from Main Beach earlier in the morning and I believe he logged 6 PARASITIC JAEGERS, numerous Wilson's Storm-Petrels and Black Terns - again all going east fairly close to shore.

In Napeague Bay I counted 200+ BLACK TERNS but there could easily be more as it was impossible to scope properly in the driving rain. There were also a few Roseate and Forster's Terns. This seems to be one of the best spots for Black Tern in the fall. An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the Maidstone Golf Course and in only a few minutes of looking skyward, I noted several hundred terns flying out of Hook Pond and back onto the ocean. Like observers to the west, I am currently puzzled by the numbers of Roseate Terns (mix of adults and juvs) in this eastward movement as the bulk of the local population is already east of these watchpoints. Perhaps they had moved south offshore and are now spinning back up to avoid the worst of the weather?

Whimbrels at Mecox Inlet - 16 Aug 2009

2009-08-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

This morning (7:15 - 9:00 am) I scanned the extensive sandflat at Mecox Inlet (Watermill, Suffolk Co.) from the overlook on the eastern side. A good number of shorebirds and terns were present, including 2 WHIMBREL which flew in around 8:15 and single a BLACK TERN. Here are my approximate totals.

Forster's Tern - 25
Common Tern - 30+
BLACK TERN - 1
Least Tern - 40+
Laughing Gull - 1
Greater Yellowlegs - 10
Lesser Yellowlegs - 3
Western Willet - 6
Eastern Willet - 2 (fresh juvs)
WHIMBREL - 2
Short-billed Dowitcher - 15
Ruddy Turnstone - 4
White-rumped Sandpiper - 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 200+ (mix of ads and juvs)
Least Sandpiper - 160
Sanderling - 220
Black-bellied Plover - 20
Killdeer - 2
Piping Plover - 10
Semipalmated Plover - 60

CRESLI Whalewatch off Montauk - 19 July 2009

2009-07-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

This morning I joined the whalewatch run by Artie Kopelman and his team of CRESLI volunteers. We ran south of Montauk Point through good seas and quickly found some extremely cooperative whales. A mother/calf pair of Humpbacks and at least seven Fin Whales. The whales were actively feeding in surface water and performed admirably. There were fewer seabirds that I expected based on reason tallies from the previous CRESLI trips and from shore-based observations, but still the trip produced a nice tally and again with excellent views.

Cory's Shearwater - 113
Great Shearwater - 270
Sooty Shearwater - 13
shearwater sp. - 1
Manx Shearwater - 1 (on return, less than 1 mile from Point)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 410
Northern Gannet - 4
Monarch butterfly - 4 (offshore migrants)

Shearwater congregations off Montauk Point - 18 Jul 2009

2009-07-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

This evening, a mixed feeding flock comprising 171 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, 46 GREAT SHEARWATERS, 1 SOOTY SHEARWATER, 2 MANX SHEARWATER and 3 NORTHERN GANNETS were directly south of the bluffs at Camp Hero near Montauk Point (Suffolk Co.). A similarly sized flock was actively feeding east of the Point but conditions were a bit too hazy to make out much beyond the Cory's and Greats.

A quick stop to look at Rita's Pond, revealed 12 Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers and a fresh juvenile Glossy Ibis (presumably hatched on Gardiner's Island, where the species may nest). A young Cooper's Hawk flew over the pond, chased by an angry flock of grackles.

Evening shearwater flight, Amagansett - 3 Jul 2009

2009-07-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

There was a nice flight of shearwaters off Amagansett (Suffolk Co.) this evening. During a 1-hour count (6:48-7:48pm) I clicked off the following:

CORY'S SHEARWATER - 442
GREAT SHEARWATER - 14
large shearwater sp. - 17
SOOTY SHEARWATER - 1
MANX SHEARWATER - 1
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 22
Northern Gannet - 7
Laughing Gull - 2

A large ocean sunfish (mola mola) drifted east fairly close to the shore but was unseen by the beach goers. The gannets and Sooty Shearwater were traveling west, everything else was headed east, with some of the Cory's pausing to raft for a few minutes directly offshore.

Storm-petrels, jaegers and lingering loons - 21 Jun 2009

2009-07-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

It rained off and on all morning but the visibility on the eastern tip of the South Fork was much better than yesterday. I seawatched from several spots and it was a case of 'boom-or-bust', meaning it was reasonably birdy in some spots and completely dead in others. Highlights included four Parasitic Jaegers, my first Cory's Shearwaters of the season, good numbers of Wilson's Storm-Petrels off Amagansett (but oddly nowhere else) and some very late Red-throated Loons.

**Amagansett** (6:50-7:15 am)
RED-THROATED LOON - 1 (alt. plumage, flying east)
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 6
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 55

**Montauk Point** (7:55-9:15 am)
Northern Gannet - 17
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 2
PARASITIC JAEGER - 3+ (all subads. seemed focused hounding on Laughing Gulls)
Laughing Gull - 100+
several hundred Common & Roseate Terns

**Amagansett** (10:20-11:20 am)
RED-THROATED LOON - 2 (one alt. flying east and one basic type on water)
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 7
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 1
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 125 (max. count on single sweep)
PARASITIC JAEGER - 1 (sub ad., at times close inshore. Successfully robbed Common Terns and Laughing Gulls but also chased storm-petrels)
Laughing Gull - 15
Eastern Willet - 2

Didn't spend much time looking inland because of the soggy and overcast conditions. A TURKEY VULTURE over Fort Pond and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (3rd summer?) on the Montauk Town beach were the one things of note.

Manx Shearwaters, Wilson's SPs, Amagansett - 20 Jun 1009

2009-07-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

The waters off Montauk Point (Suffolk Co.) were shrouded in fog today peventing me from doing any seawatching but by evening the visibility was improved off Amagansett, about 15 miles further east. During the hour before dusk (6:00-7:00 pm) offshore movement was slow but the diversity reasonable.

Northern Gannet - 28
D.c. Cormorant - 4
Common Loon - 2
MANX SHEARWATER - 2 (both zooming west)
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 44 ++
PARASITIC JAEGER - 1 subad.
Laughing Gull - 4 subads.

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN -1 (leapt clear of the water a couple of times showing a nice pink belly)

The jaeger set up shop on the ocean to the west of me and every 20 mins or so would lift off the water and go after a Common Tern, successfully on each occasion. The count of WILSON'S STORM-PETREL was very good for this location and likely a significant under-estimate of the real number. Storm-petrels were strung out all along the horizon and seemed to steadily working eastward. Considering the momentus arrival of the 'summer shearwaters' into the regions earlier in the week, I was suprised to see so many storm-petrels and yet log no Cory's or Great Shearwaters. Water temperature might be a factor in this, being a few degrees cooler around the eastern tip of the island compared to spots further west.

Parastic Jaeger and likey Arctic Tern off Montauk Point - 12 Jun 2009

2009-07-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

This evening I seawatched for a couple of hours from Montauk Point. There was dense fog along the south shore especially over the low areas around Montauk Village but it was fairly clear on the north side of the point. Good numbers of Common and Roseate Terns, Laughing Gulls (100+) and larger gulls were feeding on bait fish. After a while a subadult PARASTIC JAEGER cruised through, making half-hearted runs at birds carrying fish. Oddly, the jaeger seemed uninterested in the abundant Common Terns, favoring Laughing Gulls and the few Least Terns that were also present. The only tubenose I saw was a single WILSON'S STORM-PETREL that also cruised past once and vanished. Given the limited visibility there could have been more activity further out, as illustrated by the 1st and 2nd summer NORTHERN GANNETS that would briefly emerge from the gloom and then disappear. I have no explanation for the tight raft of 30 CANADA GEESE ridding the chop surrounded by charter fishing boats.

As I was watching an excited group of terns feeding about 150 yards in front of the restaurant, I noticed a smaller 1st-summer type tern among them. It was surprisingly easy to track because of its shorter wings and distinctive 'twinkling' flight style - more like that of a Roseate than a Common. There were one or perhaps two other 1st summer birds in the group and they were clearly much more similar to the Commons that this individual which I suspect was an ARCTIC TERN. The dark bill looked relatively short and the black half-cap was solid across the nape and did not seem to extend as far down the neck as the other similar aged birds. The wing tips were pale with a well-defined black trailing edge visible on the underside. It was difficult to resolve any pattern on the upperside of the wing tips, certainly nothing like the obvious grey/block visible on the adult Commons. Obviously, the ID remains tentative given the distance and the fact that I did not get to see the bird landed when the very short legs become a valuble ID feature. Based on Shai Mitra's observations at Cupsogue, it seems likely that small numbers of Arctic Terns (mostly 1st summer birds) visit the inshore ocean waters off Long Island in June and July and are well worth looking for when an opportunity presents.

Little Gull & Merlin, Montauk Point - 30 May 2009

2009-05-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

During the morning the wind shifted from the north to the west giving clear skies and warm temperaures. Activity off Montauk Point was mostly limited to several hundred Common and Roseate Terns with a couple of distant SOOTY SHEARWATERS and Northern Gannets. Whilst looking north of the point from the start of the Money Pond trail, I noticed a group of terns vigorously harassing a LITTLE GULL. The gull has a nearly complete black hood. It was interesting how the terns took such offense to this similar sized bird and would not let it settle on the sea. The gull was dive bombed repeatedly and flew north toward Shagwong Point. Another surprise was a late MERLIN which swished over the dune on the northside. Purple Martins, Bank Swallows, Chimney Swift and Eastern Kingbirds were feeding over the ocean, presumably on insects pushed by the wind. Two lingering Common Eider and a female White-winged Scoter were the only seaduck.

In woods at Camp Hero, I looked in vain for the Blue Grosbeaks that Vicki Bustamante has seen recently but there was a nice collection of breeding species including some very vocal Eastern Wood Pewees and an Eastern Phoebe. A surprise was a COMMON NIGHTHAWK flying low overhead - odd at 11 am but perhaps it had been disturbed from a roost site.

For the first time in a long while, Oyster Pond is open to the ocean (natural) and has an extensive shoreline. Unfortunately, a walk around the pond edge did not yield much. Seven Black-bellied Plovers were the only shorebirds. Ten Red-breasted Mergansers and a male White-winged Scoter (all in molt) were on the ocean near the outlet. With the warm airflow, I kept a sharp eye out for soaring hawks, hoping for a kite but instead only found Red-tailed Hawks (4 ads., 2 imm.), several Osprey and 6 Turkey Vulture. Visits to Third House and Rita's did not turn up anything special, nor did an evening seawatch off Amagansett.

More Sooty Shearwaters - 25 May 2009

2009-05-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning on the Walking Dunes and Goff Point, trying to photograph Grasshopper Sparrows. Birds weren't singing much and didn't pose the camera as well as they have in the past. Saw about 8 altogether and one singing Saltmarsh Seaside Sparrow. A Turkey Vulture and female Northern Harrier over the dunes were the only other birds of note.

An hour of seawatching in the evening (6:20-7:20 pm) from Atlantic Avenue in Amagansett yielded the following:

SOOTY SHEARWATER - 7 (moving west, rather than east)
Northern Gannet - 8
Red-throated Loon - 13 (together as a roving flotilla)
Common Loon - 15
Black Scoter - 1 (ad. male)
Double-crested Cormorant - 11

A male Northern Harrier was corsing over the Double Dunes in the evening light. At Accabonac Harbor in Springs, a single RED KNOT was in with the Ruddy Turnstones (85+) and Dunlin (46). This may have been the same individual that was at Napeague Habor on Sunday evening.

Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, Montauk Point - 22 May 2009

2009-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

There were at least 20 SOOTY SHEARWATERS feeding off Montauk Point this evening, together with a single MANX SHEARWATER. At times, the Sooties were reasonably close to shore (binocular range), joining flocks of large gulls moving from one bait school to the next and it was fun to watch then diving under the gulls. Some 200 Atlantic Gannets, several hundred Common and Roseate Terns and at least 4 Laughing Gulls were also part of the throng. Most of the loons seems to have departed (finally) but a few Commons and Red-throats linger. A lone male White-winged Scoter was off the Point and several Orchard Orioles were singing around the Restaurant.

In Napeague, a Glossy Ibis was seen flying over the main marsh and another was feeding in the small pond where Old and New Montauk Highways split.

Lastly, a late night drive around Napeague (12:30-1:30 am) produced 2 (possibly 3) Chuck-will's-widows calling close to the roadside and at least 6 Whip-poor-wills.

Sidenote: Jim Ash found an Iceland Gull at Lazy Point today (per Hugh McGuinness). Hugh heard singing Marsh Wren and Whip-poor-will near Northwest Creek.

Amagansett Seawatch - 21 May 2009

2009-05-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

The wind direction was not ideal this evening but there was some movement on the ocean. A 1-hour seawatch (6:25-7:25 pm) from Amagansett (Town of East Hampton, Suffolk Co.) produced the following seabirds traveling east:

SOOTY SHEARWATER - 5
Northern Gannet - 284
Common Loon - 3
Red-throated - 2
loon sp. - 2
BLACK TERN - 1
Common Tern - 25
Laughing Gull - 1
Dc Cormorant - 2

Typical of the date, the gannets were all sub-adults, most in various degrees of brown.

Faunathon: Sandhill Crane, Sooty Shearwater and Stilt Sandpiper - 17 May 2009

2009-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Today, as part of the Group for the East End's Annual Faunathon fundraiser, Angus Wilson, Brian Kane and I birded from Montauk to Westhampton. We began in a torrential downpour at 3:30 am and finished
at 8:30 pm listening to AMERICAN WOODCOCK. The undoubted highlight of the day was the SANDHILL CRANE at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton found earlier in the day Claire Borrelli and Amy Simmons. We thank them for their timely report. When we arrived at about 6:30 pm there were more than a dozen birders watching the crane.

For the entire effort, much of which took place in the rain and cold, we recorded 136 species. Here are the highlights.

Montauk Point***
SOOTY SHEARWATER--4
Northern Gannet--200+
Common Eider--1
White-winged Scoter--5
Roseate Tern--100+
Common Tern--1500+
Black Tern--4
Caspian Tern--1
Orchard Oriole--2
***Camp Hero SP, Montauk***
Turkey Vulture--5
***Fort Pond, Montauk***
Bonaparte's Gull--2
Lesser Black-backed Gull--1 2nd year
Roseate Tern--6
***Montauk Village***
Turkey Vulture--1
***Napeague***
Caspian Tern--1
***Accabonac***
Black Skimmer--6
***Amagansett (Atlantic Ave)***
Long-tailed Duck--1
***Georgica Beach & Pond***
Purple Sandpiper--2
Bonaparte's Gull--2
***Swamp Road & Edward's Hole Rd***
Brown Creeper--4
***Sagaponack***
STILT SANDPIPER--1 in near breeding plumage
White-rumped Sandpiper--1
***Shinnecock (Dune Road)***
Common Eider--1
Red Knot--1
Roseate Tern--10
Black Skimmer--3
Northern Harrier--1
***Gabreski Airport, Westhampton***
SANDHILL CRANE--1
Horned Lark--1

In addition to the birds we saw, at least 6 SOOTY SHEARWATERS were inside the inlet at Cupsogue, while one was inside the inlet at Shinnecock.

Hugh McGuinness, East Hampton

Caspian Terns and newly arrived shorebirds at Sagg Mains and Mecox Inlet - 25 April 2009

2009-04-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

The cuts at the Sagaponnack and Mecox Inlets (Bridgehampton, Suffolk Co.) have been opened and the water level on the ponds has begun to fall after being high for quite a while. At Sagg Mains (south end of pond) seven CASPIAN TERNS, a LAUGHING GULL and an estimated 800 or so Double-crested Cormorants were on the main sand bar. The impressive number of cormorants implies a large build up of small fish. A number of newly arrived shorebirds were feeding around the muddy edges, as was a gorgeous looking IPSWICH SPARROW. When I checked back in later, the Caspian Terns had moved up the pond north of the bridge and were just visible through a gap off Parsonage Lane. Hugh McGuinness informed me that a similar number of Caspians (probably the same) had been on Georgica Pond on Thursday.

CASPIAN TERN - 7
LAUGHING GULL - 1
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER - 1
Greater Yellowlegs - 6
LESSER YELLOWLEGS - 2
EASTERN WILLET - 1
LEAST SANDPIPER - 22
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER - 1
IPSWICH SPARROW - 1

At Mecox, the water is still pretty high but I did note:

LEAST TERN - 1
Greater Yellowlegs - 3
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER - 1
Piping Plover - 13
Bufflehead - 26 (no doubt counting the days befor departing)

Virginia Rail at Little Reed Pond, Montauk - 19 April 2009

2009-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

The birding was pretty slow today on the South Fork of Long Island (Suffolk Co.) - lovely weather but the wind was from the east shift to the south in the afternoon. The three major ponds (Mecox, Sagaponack and Georgica) are full to the brim and essentially birdless. Anyone good with a shovel? An adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK on Daniel's Lane and an AMERICAN KESTREL nearby were the only birds of note in that area.

Out at Montauk, a confiding GLOSSY IBIS was on the small ponds at Teddy Roosevelt County Park (aka Third House). There have been a few sightings this month from the Montauk area, including four ibis seen yesterday evening by Vicki Bustamante alongside Rt 27 at the eastern end of the Napeague stretch. Three WILSON'S SNIPE were also at TRCP. At Little Reed Pond off East Lake Drive there was no sign of the Little Blue Heron seen as recently as Saturday, but I did get fabulous views of a VIRGINIA RAIL which flew across a ditch in front of me and then proceeded to walk around in fairly open vegetation. Three female-type HOODED MERGANSER continue on Little Reed. A couple of PALM WARBLERS were mixed in with a flock of 40 or so YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

Along the ocean beach there was a modest flight of seaduck and loons (see 1 hour count below). As is typical at this time of year, Green-winged Teal and other non-ocean duck were mixed in with the scoter. For the record, I've also included a seawatch count from Saturday evening. It is interesting that Laughing Gulls are still passing offshore, I raise this because I haven't seen that many reports from further west.

**Hither Hills State Park (19 April 09, 12:55-13:55)**
American Black Duck - 6
Green-winged Teal - 34
Greater Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 610
White-winged Scoter - 20
Black Scoter - 195
scoter sp. - 320
Long-tailed Duck - 8
Red-throated Loon - 54
Common Loon - 49
loon sp. - 2
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 30
Double-crested Cormorant- 49
Black-bellied Plover - 6
Laughing Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 20
Great Black-backed Gull - 10

**Atlantic Avenue Beach, Amagansett (18 April 09, 17:20-18:20)**
Anas duck sp. - 2
Surf Scoter - 385
White-winged Scoter - 3
Black Scoter - 585
scoter sp. - 590
Long-tailed Duck - 8
Red-throated Loon - 12
Common Loon - 9
Northern Gannet - 132
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Laughing Gull - 3
Ring-billed Gull -15
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
gull sp. - 50

TRICOLORED & LITTLE BLUE HERONS continue in Accabonac Harbor - 18 April 2009

2009-04-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Single TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERONS continue in Accabonac Harbor, East Hampton, Suffolk Co., with the Tricolored sunning itself on the marsh across from the end of Landing Lane (Springs Village) and the Little Blue feeding on the edge of the marsh across the from the mid-way point on Gerard Drive. A WILSON'S SNIPE was also in the marsh at Landing Lane. No sign of the first-summer Black-headed Gull seen as recently as Wednesday. PINE SISKINS continue at our thistle feeder but otherwise there is little evidence of recent landbird migration, at least not this far out on the island. With lingering siskins and White-winged Crossbills all over the region it is going to fun seeing how many actually stay to nest.

Black-headed Gull & Tricolored Heron, Accabonac Habor, Springs - 12 April 2009

2009-04-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Whilst searching the marshes of Accabonac Harbor, Springs, East Hampton (Suffolk Co.) for the Tricolored and Little Blue Herons found earlier in the week by Karen Rubinstein, I noticed a 1st cy. BLACK-HEADED GULL roosting with some Ring-billed Gulls, Dunlin and Turnstones. Karen and Barbara Rubinstein were able to join me and we got good looks at the gull. Later they resighted one of probably two LITTLE BLUE HERONS on the northside of the harbor off Gerard Drive and later in the afternoon I got good looks at the TRICOLORED HERON (quite scarce out here) from Landing Lane this afternoon.

At Lazy Point, in Napeague Harbor, 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was still present and is now in essentially full breeding condition with gleaming white head and bright orange-yellow legs. At Hither Hills State Park I saw my first PURPLE MARTIN of the season and a raft of roughly 1,000 Surf Scoter was gathered offshore. There was good flight of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS today in spite the strong and chilly NW winds and it was interesting to see the flocks working east along the ocean and then cutting northeast, either over the narrow neck of land at Napeague or over the Montauk Peninsula itself. Those I could follow seemed to be heading straight for Rhode Island.

AMERICAN ROBINS were also very much in evidence - by far the commonest bird of the day. There were, for example, more than 350 feeding on the pasture on the south side of Rt 27 at Deep Hollow. Two WILSON'S SNIPE were on the pond at Theodore Rooseveldt State Park and another was feeding on a puddle in the middle of the horse pasture along with 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Lastly, the 1st cy. ICELAND GULL continue at Montauk Inlet.

Blue Grosbeak (Brown Pelican & Black Vulture), Montauk - 5 April 2009

2009-04-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Karen Rubinstein and I went to Montauk Harbor in search of the BROWN PELICAN found earlier in the morning by Jack Passie (see earlier post by Hugh McGuinness) and a BLACK VULTURE seen near Ditch Plains by Vicki Bustamante. Unfortunately, we were unable to relocate either bird. Apparently the pelican gulls were harassing the pelican and it was last seen flying towards the Montauk Inlet. Who knows perhaps it will reappear when some fishing boats return to the dock. On a more positive note we did find the following.

At the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt County Park (Third House) we found a subadult male BLUE GROSBEAK. Otherwise, passerine migrants of any kind seemed extremely scarce. Also in Deep Hollow, the horse pasture on the southside of Rt 27 had 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS with killdeer and Black-bellied Plover. A BARN SWALLOW was coarsing over the ranch pond on the northside of the road. We did see at least 3 TURKEY VULTURES soaring over the eastern side of Lake Montauk. Lastly, the 1st cycle KUMLEIN'S ICELAND GULL was still present at the Montuak Inlet. Large numbers of Common Loons continue around Montauk Point, along with good numbers of Black Scoter. Our thanks to Hugh and Vicki for quickly alerting us to the pelican and vulture.

Little Blue Heron, East Hampton - 29 Mar 2009

2009-04-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

An adult LITTLE BLUE HERON, looking distinctly bedraggled and miserable in the drizzle, was on the eastern arm of Hook Pond, East Hampton, Suffolk Co. today. Although widespread in saltmarsh habitat on Long Island during the summer, Little Blue's are fairly scarce on the South Fork, east of Shinnecock Bay. Not much else to report from a quick tour of East Hampton, except for newly arrived Ospreys and Great Egrets in several places and a couple of Turkey Vultures at Napeague.

Seabird movement & Northern Goshawk - 4 April 2009

2009-04-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today's persistent westerly winds (21-25 mph) produced a nice flight of seabirds and ducks along the Atlantic seafront of the South Fork of Long Island. A one-hour count in the early afternoon (1:30-2:30 pm) from Atlantic Ave, Amagansett, Suffolk Co., logged 9,811 birds - the vast majority flying east. The highlight were my first of the season LAUGHING GULLS, a RAZORBILL and two COMMON EIDER.

Northern Gannet - 770
Red-throated Loon - 145
Common Loon - 9
loon sp. - 9
RAZORBILL - 1
Black Scoter - 2,550
Surf Scoter - 60
White-winged Scoter - 4
scoter sp. -5,350
Long-tailed Duck - 75
COMMON EIDER - 2 (females)
Red-breasted Merganser - 55
Atlantic Brant - 18
Canada Goose - 30
Green-winged Teal - 2
duck sp. - 600+
LAUGHING GULL - 4 (all adults)
Herring Gull - 92
Great Black-backed Gull - 30
Ring-billed Gull - 5

In Napeague, 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL was still in its favored spot at the narrows between Lazy Point and Hick's Island. On Promised Land Road near the fish hatchery I was treated to spectacular views of an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK fighting its way into the wind over the strip of pines that runs parallel to the railway. Goshawks tends to get over reported on Long Island, when people to mistake large Cooper's Hawks for Goshawks. What prompted me to pull off the road and get out of the car today was how un-accipiter-like the hawk looked. My first impression was of a small buteo, perhaps a Red-shouldered Hawk rather than a typical accipiter. I encounter Goshawks so infrequently, and often so briefly, that a chance for proper study is a real treat.

Early Indigo Bunting in Springs - 4 April 2009

2009-04-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

This morning a sub-adult male INDIGO BUNTING was attracted to seed in our Springs yard. I haven't noticed any other reports from New York State so far this spring. Still have 10 or so PINE SISKIN visiting out thistle seed feeder.

King Eiders and masses of Common Loons, Montauk - 7 Mar 2009

2009-03-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

Common Loon was definitely the ‘bird of the day’. I tallied 553 in the Montauk area alone, including 322 loafing and fishing around the mouth of the Montauk Inlet. Seaduck numbers are dwindling but there were still plenty of all three scoters scattered around the usual spots. The drake KING EIDER continues with a Surf Scoter flock, today they were north of the Point and visible from the overlook at the beginning of the Money Pond trail. The three long-staying female KING EIDER were rafting together and seen from the western bluff overlook at Camp Hero. An adult male HARLEQUIN DUCK was also off the rocks here. At Montauk inlet, I found 1 RAZORBILL and the 1st cy KUMLEIN’S ICELAND GULL was near the west jetty and 4 GREAT CORMORANTS were on the towers. A fifth GREAT CORMORANT was in the Star Island marina. These birds are coming into nice breeding condition. On Fort Pond, I noted 2 REDHEAD in the morning but could not find them again in the afternoon. The Canvasback from last weekend seem to have departed. Some 39 RING-NECKED DUCK continue, either on Fort Pond or Tuthill’s Pond.

Thick-billed Murre and sea duck, Ditch Plains/Montauk - 28 Feb 2009

2009-02-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, an adult basic THICK-BILLED MURRE was on the ocean off Ditch Plains, just east of Montauk Village (Suffolk Co.) on the South Fork of Long Island. This area (Google Maps 41.0387, -71.9145) can be viewed from access points at the end of Otis Road or the parking lot off Ditch Plains Road (East Deck Motel). The murre favored the outer edge of the surf zone near where the sandy beach gives over to rocks. The human surfers also favored this area and twice I noted the murre paddling around (but alas not hanging ten) between them. It seemed to spend a lot of time underwater and sometimes vanished entirely for extended periods. The murre is still in basic plumage with a neat triangle of white on the throat. From the proportions of the bill it looks like an adult to me. Other birds at Ditch plains included the continuing female KING EIDER, three HARLEQUIN DUCKS (further east along the rocky stretch) and twenty-one PURPLE SANDPIPERS. There were in excess of 100 Bonaparte's Gulls feeding in the surf or among the rocks but I could not find any other species of small gull amongst them.

At Montauk Point, a drake KING EIDER was with the main Surf Scoter flock (off restaurant and SE of lighthouse) and three female KING EIDER were directly south of the Camp Hero Overlook. A fourth HARLEQUIN DUCK (immature male) was at the western end of Camp Hero with some Common Goldeneye. At Montauk Inlet, 2 GREAT CORMORANTS were roosting on the jetty towers and the 1st cy KUMLEIN'S (ICELAND) GULL came into the inlet following the 'Viking Superstar' which had been offshore fishing. As expected for the beginning of March, loon and grebe numbers are climbing with some birds beginning the molt into alternate plumage. A few Common Loons were already quite advanced. I also noticed a color-banded Common Loon feeding in the inlet. In Napeague, 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continues at Lazy Point, favoring the narrow channel between the mainland and Hicks Island.

THICK-BILLED MURRE - 1 ad. basic. (Ditch Plains)
KING EIDER - 5 (1 male and 3 fem. Montauk Pt, 1 fem. Ditch Plains)
HARLEQUIN DUCK - 4 (2 males and 1 fem. Ditch Plains, 1 imm. male Camp Hero)
Canvasback - 15 (Fort Pond, Montauk)
Ring-necked Duck - 3 (Fort Pond, Montauk)
Common Loon - 294
Red-throated Loon - 12
RED-NECKED GREBE - 2 (Culloden Point)
Horned Grebe - 68
Bonaparte's Gull - 150+
KUMLEIN'S (ICELAND) GULL - 1 (1st cy. Montauk Inlet)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 1 (Larry, Lazy Pt, Napeague)

Harlequin Ducks at Ditch Plains 22 Feb 2009

2009-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the birding between East Hampton and Montauk (Suffolk Co., Long Island) was a bit slow this morning, and was not helped by the intermittent rain and generally soggy conditions. The only birds of local that I could find were:

HARLEQUIN DUCK - 4 (2 ad. males, 1 fem and 1 im. male) continue off Ditch Plains.
RED-NECKED GREBE - 2 continue off Culloden Point.
Great Cormorant - 3 ads. Montauk Inlet, 1 ad. Montauk Point, 1 imm. Fort Pond Bay.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 ad. 'Larry' continues at Lazy Point, Napeague.
Purple Sandpiper - 10 Georgica Jetties, 15+ Ditch Plains, 2 Montauk Inlet.
Canvasback - 9 Fort Pond.
Horned Lark - 2 Napeague.

More on marked Snow Goose at Shorts Pond, 4 Jan 2009

2009-02-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

The marked Greater Snow Goose I observed on Shorts Pond (Bridgehampton) - yellow neck collar with RE43 in black letters - turns out to have be a female and was banded by researchers from the Université Laval on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada in August 2008. When captured, this individual was already an adult and so far this is the only re-sighting since it was banded.

You can learn more about the Greater Snow Goose monitoring project and submit your own collar reads by clicking here.

Barrow's Goldeneye, Cackling Geese and other waterfowl, Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton, 4 Jan 2009.

2009-02-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a belated report from Sunday 04 Jan 09 of various waterfowl on the South Fork of Long Island.

At Sag Harbor (Suffolk Co.) a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was at the southern end of Noyack Bay as viewed from the beachfront park near the intersection of Noyac Road and Noyack-Long Beach Road. The Barrow’s was with 3 male and 1 female Common Goldeneye. Obviously this is a different bird from the female Barrow’s found on the Sagaponack Christmas Bird Count (21 Dec) and relocated during this past week by Hugh McGuinness. I searched for the female on Sunday but was hampered by the windy conditions, and imagine it was out on the bay somewhere in one of the several groups of goldeneye. I recall that on the CBC, the female Barrow’s was found on the more sheltered Sag Harbor Cove, viewable from Noyack-Long Beach Road and Redwood Road.

As an aside, the number of Barrow’s Goldeneye reported from Long Island so far this winter has been very impressive. In addition to the two from Noyack Bay, a female was seen near Cedar Point, Town of East Hampton, on 21 Dec, and more recently a male has been reported multiple times from the East Marion Causeway (Suffolk Co.) on the North Fork, with perhaps a different bird at Bailie Beach in Mattituck reported on 30 Dec. Further west on the north shore of Long Island, a returning male has been seen a number of times at Bayville and Center Island (Nassau Co.) and just a hop and skip across the sound, a female was at Playland, Rye (Westchester Co.) on 27 Dec.

At Shorts Pond (Bridgehampton, Suffolk Co.), there were a large number of geese cycling in and out of the partly frozen kettle pond on the north side of Scuttlehole Road. My maximum count for SNOW GOOSE was a respectable 145, including a collar-marked adult from the Canadian Bylot Island Great Snow Goose banding project. Other waterfowl included 4 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 9 AMERICAN COOT and 5 RING-NECKED DUCK. A Canada Goose with a predominantly white head and neck made an odd sight.

Many of the Canada and Snow Geese were shuttling from the pond to a large pasture (polo field?) just south of Scuttlehole Road and parallel to Hayground Road. Part of the 1000-2000 strong flock lifted up when some farm employees drove across the field in a golf cart and by naked eye I spotted two small geese that I initially took to be brant. However, as soon as I got my bins on them, I realized they were actually a pair of CACKLING GEESE. Unfortunately, I could not relocate them in the dense mass of birds on the ground for a better look. Some 70 HORNED LARK were also in these fields.

Another sizeable goose flock on a field off Beach Lane in Wainscott (Suffolk Co.), included another nominate CACKLING GOOSE and 4 SNOW GEESE. On Georgica Pond, I located a 1st-winter TUNDRA SWAN in an open area with 50 or so Mute Swan and was surprised not to see the 2 adults (parents) that have been in the same spot on my last several visits. Perhaps they were over on Hook Pond or out in a field somewhere?

A trio of ATLANTIC BRANT (found earlier by Karen and Barbara Rubinstein) on Gardiners Bay at the terminus of Springs/Fireplace Road in The Springs (Suffolk Co.) rounded out a cracking weekend for waterfowl on Long Island.

25-26 Jan 2009 -‏ Cackling Goose in Sagaponack, Tundra Swans on Georgica Pond

2009-01-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I helped with the East Hampton to Watermill section of the New York State waterfowl count, mostly stopping at ocean access points to count seaduck and loons. Unfortunately there really wasn't movement offshore and numbers were fairly modest. Birds of note found during the day included:

CACKLING GOOSE - 1 with a large flock of Canada Geese in a Sagaponack field off Sag Main Street near junction w Sagg Pond Ct.
TUNDRA SWAN - 3 on Georgica Pond. This family group seems to spend more time on Georgica Pond than nearby Hook Pond.
EURASIAN WIGEON - 1 on Hook Pond. Young male present since December.
WILSON'S SNIPE - 6 on a muddy creek running into Georgica Cove (southside of Cove Hollow Road)
PURPLE SANDPIPERS - 24 on the middle of the three ocean jetties at Georgica.
KILLDEER - 1 Mecox Bay (Bay Lane), relatively scarce in midwinter.

Today we had a flock of 28 PINE SISKIN at our feeder in Springs and a late afternoon visit to Napeague produced 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL at its usual spot on Lazy Point and a good number of shorebirds on the flats exposed by the low tide: 150 RUDDY TURNSTONE, 190 DUNLIN, 220 SANDERLING and 4 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

The evergreen berries that seemed to have attracted the Bohemian Waxwing to the community at Napeague Beach have mostly been devored and may explain the complete absence of the waxwing and the Starling/American Robin flock it associated with. I understand the waxwing was looked for repeatedly during the week by Andy Baldelli and others, so presumably it has moved elsewhere. Likewise, the Western Grebe found by Jorn Ake in Amagansett on 9 Jan and seen again by Jorn and several others the next day has not been relocated in spite of intense searching by Hugh McGuinness, myself and others, so it too may have moved, although the beach is so extensive that it could still be in the same general area and should be watched for at any access point between Shinnecock Inlet and Montauk!

19 Jan 2009 - Bald Eagle on Gardiners Island

2009-01-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

A few bits and pieces today.

PINE SISKIN - up to 6 on our feeder in The Springs.
COMMON REDPOLL - 1 briefly on the feeder.
BALD EAGLE - adult at south end of Gardiners Island, visible from Gerard Drive and from Promised Land Road. Sometimes perched on 'no landing' signs or flying around making half-hearted attempts to snatch one of the hundreds of ducks it flushed off the pond at the tip.
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - light morph hunting at southern end of Gardiners Is. Probably the bird we saw heading across to Gardiners to Lazy Point on Sat.
CANVASBACK - 5 on Gardiners Bay off Gerard Point.
GREAT HORNED OWL - perched on the top of the trees at the edge of the Walking Dunes.

After looking unsuccessfully for the Western Grebe off Napeague Lane, Atlantic Ave and Mako I ended up at Montauk Pt in the late afternoon. The duck hunters were still there and had clearly pushed the majority of birds quite far out. Anthony's Dovekie was still present below the bluff at Camp Hero swimming widely around in Turtle Cove. A couple of distant razors were the only other birds of note. Gannet numbers seemed down compared to Sunday.

18 Jan 2009 - Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre and other winter waterbirds off Montauk

2009-01-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hugh McGuinness and I birded the Montauk area today as part of the DEC/NYSOA January waterfowl count. The snow/sleet mix fizzled out by late morning. The relatively windless conditions, heavy overcast and lack of heat shimmer made for excellent ocean viewing. Our highlights included a DOVEKIE, a THICK-BILLED MURRE, 53+ RAZORBILL, 4 RED-NECKED GREBE, 3 KING EIDER, 4 HARLEQUIN DUCK, 2 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, 19 PURPLE SANDPIPER, SNOWY OWL and SHORT-EARED OWL. Common Eider and scoter numbers seemed relatively low compared to previous weeks whereas the numbers of Common Loons and Horned Grebes remain fairly high. The partially leucistic White-winged Scoter first found two weeks ago was still present off the Consession Building. As noted in an earlier post by Anthony Collerton, the BOHEMIAN WAXWING we found yesterday continues on Shore Drive in Napeague and was seen by several parties during the day.

Details of the highligh speces are as follows:

DOVEKIE - single in Turtle Cove. Found yesterday by Anthony Collerton. Turtle Cove is on the south side of the point and today was best viewed from the bluff east of the Camp Hero parking lot.

THICK-BILLED MURRE - Whilst scanning from the concession building Hugh picked out a Thick-billed Murre on the edge of a Surf Scoter flock. Unfortunately it disappeared almost immediately but a couple of hours later what was presumably the same bird was seen again by Shai Mitra, Patricia Lindsay and Dough Futyuma from the southside of the Point and seemed to be heading back towards the north side. Remarkably, Shai et al. saw a second Thick-billed Murre in flight from Culloden Point but we were unable to relocate it later in the afternoon.

RAZORBILL - small groups were noted from vantages at Montauk Point and Camp Hero. A dead Razorbill was also noted floating on Lake Montauk.

RED-NECKED GREBE - One was observed from Gin Beach on the east side a Montauk Inlet and three from Culloden Point.

KING EIDER - at least two females were present off the Point and third was at Ditch Plains.

HARLEQUIN DUCK - A quartet at Ditch Plains comprised two adult males, an immature male and a female.

BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - Two adults made brief appearances over the scoter flocks at Montauk Point before heading out into Block Island Sound.

PURPLE SANDPIPER - Fifteen roosting on a large bolder at Ditch Plains, two at the Montauk Inlet jetties and two on the rocks below Camp Hero.

At dusk we watched a SHORT-EARED OWL corsing over the dunes bordering Napeague Harbor and were pleasantly surprised when it stooped to dive bomb a SNOWY OWL perched on the top of a small tree.

17 Jan 2009 - Bohemian Waxwing in Napeague Beach

2009-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

Whilst counting waterfowl in Amagansett and Napeague, Hugh McGuinness and I spotted a handsome BOHEMIAN WAXWING perched on an overhead wire at the intersection of Atlantic Drive and Shore Drive. I believe this is the first Bohemian on the island so far this winter. The waxwing gave superb views as it flew around the neighborhood returning repeatedly to a stand of fruiting evergreens behind the 2nd and 3rd houses to the east of the beach access road. The waxwing seemed to be traveling with a flock of 20-30 Starlings, rather than a similar sized flock of American Robins that were feeding on the same berries. This was all in a small community of beach side houses between Montauk Highway (Route 27) and the ocean, near the junction with Napeague Meadow Road ('Art Barge'). Although late in the afternoon, Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein and Vicki Bustamante were able to join us in time to see the bird.

Nearby Napeague Harbor was almost completely frozen, with a variety of waterfowl concentrated in a small area of open water off Lazy Point. In addition to 'Larry' the resident LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, Karen and Barbara found an adult PEREGRINE with prey out on the ice. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was noted flying from Lazy Point towards Gardiners Island. In Beachampton, Hugh and I found three IPSWICH SPARROWS at the end of Napeague Lane and noted three RAZORBILLS on the ocean along with large numbers of Red-throated Loons. We could not find the Western Grebe seen in this area last Friday & Saturday.

In Southampton, a male AMERCIAN KESTREL was at the tree farm on the northside of Route 27, just east of the junction with County Road 39A. Sadly this species has become very scarce on the South Fork in the winter and was missed by both the Montauk and Sagaponack Christmas Bird Counts. Lastly, whilst driving on Montauk Highway in Waterwill, I was puzzled by a large bird that was weaving a few feet above the dense vehicular traffic much like an impatient motocyclist. Only as it flew past my driverside window did I realize it was an immature and apparently very confused GREAT CORMORANT! Moments later, a second GREAT CORMORANT (an adult this time) was seen flying over the vinyards of the Duckwalk Winery.

3 Jan 2009 - Razorbills, Cackling Goose etc

2009-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

There was a nice mix of waterfowl today in East Hampton and Montauk (Suffolk Co.). Some 500 or more LONG-TAILED DUCK were displaying in Gardiner's Bay off Clearwater Beach in Springs. At Hook Pond in East Hampton Village, the immature male EURASIAN WIGEON continues and this morning was with 11 AMERICAN WIGEON, 5 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 6 COMMON MERGANSER and 3 GREAT CORMORANT - all gathered around a narrow openning in the ice. A MERLIN was hunting over the golf course during my visit. A CACKLING GOOSE was with Canada Geese on the field off Further Lane.

At Lazy Point in Napeague, 'Larry' the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continues at its regular spot, the narrow channel between the mainland and Hick's Island. For about 15 minutes, I watched a female NORTHERN HARRIER hovering low over the shallow water at the other end of Hick's. It repeatedly dropped with outstretched legs down onto the water, once or twice almost landing completely. I'm not aware that harriers ever fish (although Old-World Western and Eastern Marsh Harriers might) and the answer to this curious behavior finally came when the harrier lifted clear of the water clutching a dead female bufflehead, which it carried to solid ground.

At Montauk Point, the wind was fairly strong from the NNW and NW but sufficient shelter could be had in the lee of the restaurant. A one hour seawatch produced a fly-by RED-NECKED GREBE, 28 RAZORBILL and a female KING EIDER. As previous posts have indicated, the scoter numbers remain high. I estimated 3,500 SURF SCOTER, 1,500 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, 150 BLACK SCOTER and 700 COMMON EIDER from this vantage point. Scanning from the bluffs at Camp Hero revealed a considerable number more to the SE of the Lighthouse, but by then I was too chilled to count them properly. Elsewhere, a dark ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was vigorously mobbed by crows just east of Montauk Village, two GREAT CORMORANT flew over Hither Hills State Park and at sundown another Merlin briefly buzzed a SNOWY OWL perched on a sand dune.

13 Dec 2008 - Cackling Goose in East Hampton

2009-01-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

Late this afternoon, a CACKLING GOOSE (Richardson's) was with 150 Canada Geese on the field on the north side of Further Lane, halfway between East Hampton Village and Amagansett Village (Suffolk. Co., South Fork of Long Island). A nice variety of ducks were enjoying the open water at Hook Pond in East Hampton, including 10 Common Merganser.

Earlier in the afternoon, Jorn Ake found a 1st-winter Glaucous Gull feeding on a Red-throated Loon carcass on the ocean beach near the Indian Wells beach access, and seen again nearer the Atlantic Avenue access and also an adult Lesser Black-back Gull on the beach near Napeague State Park.

6 Dec 2008 - King Eider, Harlequin, Chat, Clay-colored Sparrow in Montauk

2009-01-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

The calm conditions made for a pleasant day on the eastern tip of Long Island. Essentially any view of the ocean yielded nice looks at loons, scoter and Long-tailed Ducks. My totals from several spots between Amagansett and Montauk Point (MP) were 165 Red-throated Loons, 175 Common Loons, 2 Horned Grebe, 1000+ Common Eider (most off MP), White-winged Scoter 4000+ (ditto), Surf Scoter 2000+ (ditto), Black Scoter 100+, scoter sp. 2000+ and Long-tailed Duck 50. In the afternoon a nice male HARLEQUIN DUCK was flying in front of the MP restaurant with 2 WW Scoter and had been seen in the morning by Barbara Rubinstein and party and a full adult KING EIDER was pushed up by a passing fishing boat. A pair of Bufflehead, 5 Black Duck and a female Hooded Merganser were less expected duck for MP. Razorbills remain scarce this season (so far), although Hugh McGuniness and others saw 11 or so from the Point this morning. Despite the excellent visibility, I had no luck with alcids in the afternoon. Razorbills are often, but certainly not always, easier to find in the early morning from this location, so where do they go in the afternoon? Bonaparte's Gull numbers have dropped significantly since last week but a lingering adult Laughing Gull as encouraging for the upcoming CBC (20 Dec).

Other local notables are itemized below.

** Amagansett **
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT - 1 (northeast corner Bluff Rd & Atlantic Av)
Field Sparrow - 1

** Hither Hills SP **
Horned Grebe - 1
Common Eider - 18
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW - 1 (seen with Hugh McGuiness, Karen and Barbara Rubinstein)
Chipping Sparrow - 1

** Tuthill Pond, Montauk **
Ring-necked Duck - 1

** Montauk Manor **
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK - 1 juv (Foxboro Road)

** Montauk Point **
Common Eider - 1000
KING EIDER - 1 ad male
HARLEQUIN DUCK - 1 ad male
Bufflehead - pr.
Hooded Merganser - 1 f
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 1 1st-w
Laughing Gull - 1 ad.

** Ditch Plains **
Common Eider - 10
COMMON GOLDENEYE - 2 f (not many around yet, my f.o.s)
PURPLE SANDPIPER - 10
Dunlin - 1 (compared to other Dunlin seen at Accabonac in the morning, this struck me as a quite pale bird with a very long bill)

29 Nov 2008 - King Eiders, Fin Whale(s) and more, Montauk

2009-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

There was a nice mix of late-fall/winter birds in the Montauk area this afternoon with impressive numbers of Common and Red-throated Loons, Northern Gannets and scoters offshore, and the highest counts of Bonaparte's Gulls I've had so far this season.

At Hither Hills State Park, the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW continues on the loop east of the campground entrance, along with 2 FIELD SPARROWS. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT made a brief appearance before diving back into the bushes near the eastern most shower block. At Culloden Point, 2 RED-NECKED GREBES were steaming around among the loons, and a single PURPLE SANDPIPER was on the jetties at Montauk Inlet.

The numbers of Common Eider and scoter continue to build off Montauk Point and whilst sifting through these I spotted 2 adult male KING EIDERS flying into the large raft gathered to southeast of the lighthouse. I understand three King Eiders were also seen in the morning. Unfortunately most of the seaduck are quite distant and best studied as they pick up and fly to compensate for the drift caused by the tide. A FIN WHALE was actively feeding directly south of the Camp Hero overlook. A MERLIN was noted coming in off the sea from the southeast. A paultry total of three LAUGHING GULLS (1 ad and 2 first winter) for the day confirmed the mass exodus triggered by last weekend's coldsnap. At Ditch Plains, the male HARLEQUIN DUCK continues in the rocky area east of the trailer park and a FIN WHALE (perhaps a second?) was feeding offshore. At least two SNOWY OWLS are being seen in the Town of East Hampton. There is evidently a fairly significant incursion into the northeast this year with a number on Long Island already and it will be interesting to see how many establish wintering territories or continue south. Please use common sense and view roosting owls from a distance to avoid unecessary disturbance.