For me, today represented a seasonal shift. It was a real late summer/early fall day on Long Island. We didn’t see any rare birds, but we saw a lot of interesting things.
Having spent the morning working, I was led by the hand to see the now-famous Whimbrels of Heckscher SP. They were, as advertised, tame almost to the pitch of imbecility—and it was painfully obvious that they had by now been photographed to a pulp. In truth, they actually came across as quite noble, despite the often degrading attention they’ve endured from their admirers. In addition to the birds mentioned by others, we also saw three Pectoral Sandpipers there (down from seven on Friday). At Smith Pt County Park in the rain, we found a Lesser Black-backed Gull and another Pectoral Sandpiper. At the Riverhead Sod Fields, Derek Rogers’ big flock of golden-plovers was a real treat. Exploring even further east, we encountered an even larger flock of golden-plovers flying westward over the Cutchogue farm fields—at least 51 birds are visible in a photo I snapped of the flock as it flew past us. We also had a Whimbrel flying by there, but we were unable to re-find these birds on the ground. We returned to Riverhead on the chance that the second flock might have joined the first, but we found the first flock exactly as we had left it. Searching the area, we found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper along Doctor’s Path, but this bird vanished after it and its accompanying Leasts, Semis, and Killdeer were scattered by a Merlin. There was another Whimbrel near Shinnecock Inlet, along with 14 Western and 7 Eastern Willets. At Pikes Beach, we counted 43 Royal Terns—our largest count so far this season. It was getting late and the tide was getting high by the time we reached Cupsogue, but we decided to give it a try. Most notable on the bay side were 77 Black Terns, a Bonaparte’s Gull, and another Whimbrel. The last was disturbed by an ultra-light aircraft. If I were a Whimbrel, I’d be pretty disgusted by small aircraft and big cameras. On the ocean side, Patricia saw 8 Cory’s and 2 Great Shearwaters. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ Out of respect for others and the environment, the College of Staten Island is a 100% Tobacco-Free Campus. -- 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/ --
