Jones Beach and Mill River, East Rockaway 17 February Joe Giunta and I (Sy Schiff) arrived at the Coast Guard Station where Steve Walter pointed us to the RED-NECKED GREBE in the boat basin. Great view! To the east an accipiter flew by and flushed 2 Killdeer off the lawn. In the 1-ft. bare strip of grass next to the board walk wall (every thing else covered with 6+ inches of snow), 18 HORNED LARKS were feeding. (no longspur mixed in). As we scoped the channel, a flock of Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover flew onto the bar. The balance of the birding was mainly from the car. At the Nature Center we saw an AMERICAN KESTREL perched in a tree back towards the Coast Guard Station and a SNOWY OWL along the dune line.
While talking to Steve, he told us of some CANVASBACK in Mill River in East Rockaway. We took Ocean Avenue south from Merrick Road to the East Rockaway RR Station. We parked in the lot and trudged through the snow to a gazebo in a small park by the station on the edge of the river. In the water were:- GADWALL, MALLARD, NORTHERN SHOVELER, 3 CANVASBACK, BUFFLEHEAD, HOODED MERGANSER and RUDDY DUCK. Sy -- 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/ --
