Around midday I checked the raunt from the Big John's Pond area. There were not many birds, but a decent variety: Greater Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated, White-rumped (1), Stilt(2),Pectoral(1) Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers.
The highlight for me was a brightly colored juvenile Dunlin, a plumage I had not seen before. Although there were a few gray basic scapulars, most of the scapulars and wing coverts had rufous fringes, with a bright spot by the alula area. The breast was heavily streaked, and the face was a pale brown. The belly was white, showing little sign of the black spot that the books say is typical of juveniles. Not a rare bird per se, but certainly an interesting one. A brief walk through the gardens found little except a Prairie warbler between the HQ and south garden -- 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/ --
