A quick stop at Jones Beach West End this morning yielded 5 American Pipits, 30 Razorbills, 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, a PIPING PLOVER and a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER among other things. It also left me at 149 species for New York State for 2012 - so another year bird was a major priority. I decided against another Jamaica Bay/Floyd Bennett attempt for the Barrow's Goldeneye - after 6 failed attempts I figured it was hopeless (how wrong I was as it turns out!). Instead I went up to the Bartow-Pell Mansion in Pehlam Bay and spent a fruitless hour looking for owls. As I was leaving though some helpful locals suggested I try Hunter's Island where a very loud and persistant group of Blue Jays eventually led me to a roosting LONG-EARED OWL in a white pine to the West of the "Island". A nice bird to get to 150 for the year in New York before the end of January.
Then I drove home and just heard about the Barrows ....... -- 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/ --
