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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

** 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.