I spent most of the day scoping Gravesend Bay from 3 different vantage points. Highlights included:
1 Tropicbird sp. 1 Cory's Shearwater 2 Wilson's Storm Petrel 3 Leach's Storm Petrel 1 Red Phalarope 6 Parasitic Jaeger 2 Royal Tern Full list here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11905104 At around 10:00 a.m. I spotted a brilliant white bird about half the size of the adult Gannets it was among just south of the mid-span of the Verrazanno. Unfortunately we were at the end of Bay Parkway at that point putting us a good 1.5 miles away but I was able to follow the bird for about 2 minutes in which time I was not able to discern any dark markings either above or below on the bird and no black wingtips (in case it was a runt Gannet). The shape struck me right away as tropic-bird-like with an attenuated rear though I could not make out tail streamers at that distance. The bird hover/kited into the wind and then dove toward the water and then swooping back up to hover again. It was facing into the wind when hovering and only flapped intermittently. It repeated this 3x cutting across east across the bay toward the Belt Parkway. On the third swoop down I lost it and was not able to relocate. Another band of rain moved in right at that point and viewing conditions quickly deteriorated. Given the size of the bird and the very white plumage I would think Red-billed might actually be more likely than White-tailed but honestly given the distant I was going mostly on GIS and the distinctive bright white plumage. Those who know me know that I tend to second guess myself a lot and the fact that only Rob Jett and I actually ever got on the bird and then we were not able to find it again gives me pause and I can't say I am 100% ceratain about the i.d. but wanted to put it out there anyway. Regards, Shane Blodgett Brooklyn NY Brooklyn NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
