The high points of the 5 hours (8:15-1:15) I spent birding the west end of Jones Beach State Park today (Sunday), included the following: an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, observed along the fisherman's trail that runs down to the beach from the southwest corner of Parking Field 2; 15 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on the jetty at the mouth of Jones Inlet; and the continuing NORTHERN SHRIKE, seen in the same location I reported it from Saturday (just east of the nature center, near the park road).
A light wind and calm seas enabled me to walk out to the end of the jetty, where I got fantastic looks at the Purple Sandpipers from within 20 ft. (2 photos can be viewed at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgluth_brb/). As I was observing the PUSAs, over 200 Dunlin and at least 2 dozen Sanderlings landed in stages at the tip of the jetty, the closest birds no more than 25 feet away. And all around meon the rocks, on the water, and in the air were hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls. Scores were feeding right in the surf along the ocean beach stretching to the east of the jetty, and many more were feeding around fishing boats at the mouth of the inlet and farther offshore. But, despite looking for them among all the "Bonies", I didn't have the same good luck as yesterday finding any Little or Black-headed gulls. I did see Several Red-throated Loons (also very close to the beach), a few Common Eider, modest numbers of N. Gannets, and a Harbor Seal or two. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
