Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Robert Moses: Cory's Shearwater

There had been a continuous southeast wind recently and a good amount of shearwaters were seen off the south shore of Long Island.  I got up late and later reluctantly decided to try anyway because of a post Tim Healy made.  I'm glad I followed the advice he gave everybody because I was treated to about 15 Cory's Shearwaters - some right past the breakers.  I may have seen other Shearwaters including a Great and a couple of Wilson's Storm Petrels but I'm not an experienced sea watcher so can't be positive.  I went back the next day and saw just a handful of Cory's/

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

New Jersey: Roseate Spoonbill, Great Shearwater

Snouty and I took a trip to Edwin Forsythe because I wanted to see a continuing Roseate Spoonbill and there was a report of a Red Necked Stint the previous day.  We dipped on both but my consolation bird was a Great Shearwater clearly seen by the marsh.  Sadly, we heard the bird died later that day.  We also saw Clapper Rails, Whimbrels, Gull Billed Terns, a Caspian Tern, Purple Martins, Seaside or Saltwater Sparrows to name a few.  We traveled south to Nimmy Island to try for a continuing Pacific Loon but came up empty handed.  Also tried for continuing Mississippi Kites in Ocean County.  After some debate we went to Wallkill Refuge and saw another but juvenile Roseate Spoonbill so I got another good lifer that day.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Updates from Spring into Summer: including Alder Flycatcher and Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

I haven't posted in a while but writing this post with as many notes as I can remember.  I tried to include dates when possible.  There are a lot of other birds that I've seen that are not listed.  I saw a Bald Eagle fly over my house recently as well as seeing/ hearing Blackpoll Warblers across the street from my house during migration.  I missed some good sightings as well - there was a Wood Sandpiper at Timer Point that I missed by 2 minutes, Kirtland's Warbler in Central Park, Mississippi Kite seen a couple times over Hempstead Lake State Park and a group of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks in Brooklyn but I saw the ones that later appeared at Nissequogue.

Hempstead Lake State Park: Rusty Blackbird, Solitary Sandpiper
Bayard Cutting Arboretum: Yellow Throated Warbler

Southaven County Park: Blue Grosbeak, female
Jones Beach West End: Red Headed Woodpeckers, 3 were reported, I saw 1
Massapequa Preserve: Solitary Sandpiper
Private Residence in Brookhaven: Western Tanager
May 6 - Hempstead Lake State Park: Cerulean Warbler
Forest Park: Blackburnian Warbler, Veery
May 14 - Fuchs Pond Preserve: Alder Flycatcher *LIFER
May 21 - Heckscher State Park: Ruff
Nickerson Beach (parking lot): Nighthawk
June 4th? - Heckscher State Park: Wilson's Phalarope
June 7 - Massapequa Preserve: Black Vulture very high up heading northeast
Nickerson Beach (several visits): Arctic Terns (2 adults), Arctic Tern (continuing juv), 2 Pelicans
Nickerson Beach: Sandwich Tern
June 18 - Timber Point: Cattle Egret
Oceanside Marine Nature Study: Tricolored Heron, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Clapper Rail (1st I saw here)
June 21 - Nissequogue River State Park: 2 Black Bellied Whistling Ducks *LIFER
Centerport Pond: nesting Bald Eagles including juvenile, Rough Winged Swallows (perched)
July 1 - Robert Moses State Park: 4 Brown Pelicans (landed briefly on the ocean)



Western Tanager
Ruff
Wilson's Phalarope
Cattle Egret
Arctic Tern adult
Common Tern possible Siberian
Arctic Tern juvenile
Clapper Rail from Oceanside
Tricolored Heron
Black Bellied Whistling Ducks
Northern Rough Winged Swallow
Common Eiders
Brown Pelicans
Sandwich Tern
Alder Flycatcher