Wasn't sure what to do this morning so wasn't rushing to get on the road. I was thinking that I might check the sod-farms around Riverhead even though its still a bit early for Grasspipers. While I was dithering over coffee I got a text from Andrew Baksh who had just found an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at Jamaica Bay. So I had a plan, and rushed off to the car, arriving at the East Pond at around 8am and quickly finding the bird (NYS 2012 #333). Now if only I could find a Brown Pelican ...
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| American White Pelican |
Anxious to get to the pelican, I'd run into the East Pond in sandals and with just my bins and camera. Not really able to study the shorebirds, I turned around and walked out, passing Patricia Lindsay and Rob Bate heading in to look for the bird. I did see a White-rumped Sandpiper, but otherwise a brief, but rewarding stop at Jamaican Bay.
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| White-rumped Sandpiper |
Next stop was Jones Beach West End, where I hoped for a 2 Pelican day but the Brown Pelicans that had been there on Saturday have failed to return since then. I did get a Marbled Godwit and a Whimbrel and spent some time with a gang of Long Island birders who'd gathered at the spot mid-morning.
Then off Out East; I'd seen some shorebirds on a sod field near Manorville a few days back but couldn't stop for them at the time so I wanted to return to check them out. The grasspipers turned out to be just Killdeer but at least I worked out how to check that particular sod farm in September. More sandpipers ended my day at Heckscher State Park where a small puddle held 7 Pectoral Sandpipers and an assortment of other shorebirds. Studied Pectorals up close for the first time in years; Sharp-tailed Sandpiper has been found in New York before now, but not to be today. This particular spot looks good for a range of shorebirds this Fall though, assuming we get enough rain.
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| Pectoral Sandpiper (two shots) |
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