A pleasant morning and afternoon was enjoyed on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Made so, by the weather, birds and company. Birding with Tom Burke, Gail Benson, Shai Mitra, Patricia Lindsay, Steve Walter, Rex and Renee Recker and Bob Shriber, we worked both south and north end of the ponds.
An estimated 1500 Semipalmated Sandpipers were the dominant shorebird species with the remaining species of shorebirds making up another 300 or so birds. The juvenile numbers are building, especially among the Semipalmated and Leasts. In total, there were 14 species of shorebirds that most in our group observed. The list includes: American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs *WHIMBREL* Ruddy Turnstone Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper (2 birds) Semipalmated Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher The Pectoral Sandpipers were seen on the bayside off the north dyke late this afternoon and a calling Whimbrel was a flyover coming in from the bayside heading south over the pond. We did not see the Red-necked Phalarope that was reported by Isaac Grant earlier in the day. The 1 Stilt Sandpiper that I had as recently as Thursday was also not seen today by anyone in our group. I have been checking on the arrival and departure of birds all week and based on my observation it seems that the turnover on the pond is happening quite frequently *(favorable winds I suppose)*. Tomorrow, could be quite a different day with more or less birds on the pond. The non shorebird sightings are nothing much to write about. The usual waterfowl assortment for this time of the year were present. Isaac, also reported having Blue-winged Teals this morning but unfortunately no one in my group were able to connect with any. A good number of Great Blue Herons were on the pond and nice mix of juvenile Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets make a good study in separating them. The juvenile Peregrine Falcons, now up to three were their usual nuisance selves, with one female observed buzzing a Glossy Ibis which received a ding on the forehead. A couple of notes on shorebirding on the pond this season. The Algae, is making shorebirding quite the task in terms of counting and observing the birds. Under normal circumstances, shorebirds could be observed feeding on the exposed shoreline. The Algal mat has provided additional areas where the smaller birds--your Semipalamted and Least Sandpipers are seen feeding on. This means, the birds are quite scattered throughout the pond and are not concentrated along the shoreline. Regarding navigating around the pond. The water level, is where it needs to be finally and the valve is shut. This is right in line with the expected water level draw down and now nature takes its course in drying out the exposed mudflats. I want to remind birders and visitors not to bird the East Pond casually. There are some tricky areas around the pond on both ends. Please exercise extra caution when navigating around the deep cut on the south end; last year a photographer went down in that area with all his gear and today someone else took a dip. Some smaller cuts on that end are covered with the Algal mat and looks quite deceptive. If unsure, look for previous tracks to help with your decision making. I have done all that I could to work with NPS in getting the pond ready as best as it could be. Now, let's hope for birds and lots of them to make up for all the shorebirding we missed. When you stop in at the refuge, please take a moment to convey your thanks to NPS for the efforts made or write to those folks we went to when action was needed to lower the water. Good Shorebirding! -- 風 Swift as the wind 林 Quiet as the forest 火 Conquer like the fire 山 Steady as the mountain Sun Tzu <http://refspace.com/quotes/Sun_Tzu> *The Art of War* <http://refspace.com/quotes/The_Art_of_War> (\__/) (= '.'=) (") _ (") Andrew Baksh www.birdingdude.blogspot.com -- 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/ --
