So now 0-for-2 on Fall Twitches to Western New York - the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Dip

You can't see everything .... I guess.

On Sunday, while we were entertaining guests and enjoying one of the last 'pool-days' of the Summer, word started to spread that Gary Chapin had found a SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER in the Rochester area.  I briefly toyed with the idea of running up that afternoon but it's a 9-hour drive from East Hampton so I couldn't have made it by car, and the logistics of flights, cars, guests, etc. meant that it just wasn't going to happen.  So compromising, I drove back to New York City on Sunday night planning on an early start and the shorter 6+ hour drive in the morning.

Up at 2:30am (yay!) and in the car for the drive.  Somehow it doesn't seem so bad in the dark, and with the aid of Charles Dickens on the iPhone Audiobook App, the miles flew by.  As I got closer I was hoping for news that the bird was still present, but apart from Willie D'Anna's excellent directions, no-one published anything.  I assumed though that there would be people out looking for the bird, so when I pulled in to the parking lot overlooking Irondequoit Bay I was a bit shocked to be the first car there.

Still, at least there were no negative reports so I slogged out on to the mud, started scanning the Pectoral Sandpipers, and was soon joined by Brad Carlson (who had seen the bird yesterday and was back hoping for better photos).  While we found a Baird's Sandpiper, and the previous reported Black-headed Gull among a good mix of birds, the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was nowhere to be seen and no amount of staring at the 39 Pectorals would make it appear.

Black-headed Gull

So, after nearly 5 hours of scanning, my time was up, and I had to conclude that Rochester had enjoyed another one of its famous one-day rarities.  I thought that after running up for the Franklin's Gull (and dipping that too) I might get a break from the Birding Gods but perhaps the Fork-tailed Flycatcher had used up my karma for the week.  And so on to the next bird ....

Getting back to the Montauk Circuit

The Township of East Hampton, where we (mostly) live, is a truly beautiful spot and actually does get a fair number of good birds.  It is not known for its migrants however, and exists in a bit of a 'migrant shadow' especially in the Spring.  While we do get some migrants in the Fall, I suspect you could see four times the diversity of species in any given day by heading to say Central Park.  As the season turns though, and Winter birds (and late migrants) start to join the mix, our area gets a lot more interesting, and it starts to be worthwhile to get out and check all the nooks and crannies.  The historical list of rarities is a long one and hey, you just never know ...

Inspired by reports of Western Kingbirds and Northern Wheatears on similar dates in prior years, I did spend a fair amount of time in the Montauk (in East Hampton Township) area this weekend.  While birding was generally quiet, Michael Duffy and I slogged away and managed to winkle out a few things.  Seawatching was reasonably productive with Manx and Great Shearwaters seen from shore, a few sea duck, and the odd seasonal mix of Common Terns and Northern Gannets feeding together.  I also had two Parasitic Jaegers chasing terns at the Point in Saturday, and there are still some Forster's Terns about.  Still no Brown Pelican though, looks like that might be my 'bogey bird' for the year.

On the shorebird front, an American Golden-Plover at Rita's Stable was a surprise among the Killdeers.  The change of ownership at Deep Hollow Ranch has unfortunately resulted in the removal of the feed lot (which was good for blackbirds) and the associated 'cow puddles' (which were good for shorebirds) so diversity has been low this Summer in Montauk.  This was my first and only 'grasspiper' in Montauk itself this year.

American Golden-Plover with Killdeer (and fence lines)

On the land bird side we had 12 Bobolinks, an Indigo Bunting, 12 species of warblers (including Bay-breasted), and a Philadelphia Vireo.  Not a bad haul for passerine-poor Montauk and the vireo even posed for a few photos....

Philadelphia Vireo - the first 'good' one I've seen this Fall Out East.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Nassau County.

One of the best things about birding is the unexpected, and today New York birders had quite an unexpected treat.

Up late, but seeing text alerts from Central Park with Golden-winged and Tennessee Warblers I jumped on the subway and headed North.  I couldn't find the warblers, and despite the texts, the park was pretty quiet.  Best bird by far was an Eastern Whip-poor-will that has been roosting in the same tree for several days now.  Otherwise, there was a scattering of warblers, but nothing too amazing and I resolved to head back downtown at around 10:45am.

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Just as I was heading out I got a call from Richard Fried.  Joe Guinta had just told him about a second hand report of a FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER at Marine Nature Study Center in Nassau County.  This is a really good bird in New York, but a really difficult bird to chase as most sighting are brief and the notorious nomad usually moves on before many people can see it.  Having said that, you don't look, you don't see, so Richard and I met up and rushed off to pick up his car (nearer than mine) to brave the mid-day traffic and see if we could get there in time.

When we got to Richard's car he briefly entertained the idea of going back to his apartment to pick up his scope, but given this species' reputation as a short-stayer, we thought better of it and headed straight out there.  Forty-five minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot at the Center, walked out onto the boardwalk, and there was the bird.  We were offered quick scope views, I fired off a few distant shots, and then .... a Cooper's Hawk swooped in, and the bird vanished.  If we'd stopped for the scope we'd have missed it.  Phew!  Fork-tailed Flycatcher (NYS 2012 #341).

Fork-tailed Flycatcher (2 shots) 

We stuck around the location for another hour and a half but there was no sign of the bird.  Got to talk to a lot of the New York birders and the number of big names that still needed this species as a State Bird was testament to the short-staying nature of the species.  Feeling really lucky to get this bird.

Update:  the bird was apparently relocated later in the afternoon but on a private golf course nearby.  Access may be an issue but perhaps the bird will stick around for many to see.  Hope so ...

I'm old enough to remember when Lesser Black-backed Gulls were considered a European Vagrant in New York ...

So the forecast was miserable today - blasting Southerly winds and heavy rain - but I had to get out of the apartment (the maid needs her space on Tuesdays) so I went to the beach anyway.

Not a ton to report but there were birds sheltering from the weather.  There were more than 300 Black Skimmers on 'the spit" at Jones Beach along with a Caspian Tern and a Western Sandpiper.  A Pectoral Sandpiper in the parkway median had the distinct look of a bird that would rather not be flushed and have to go back up into that wind.  The parking lots were also full if gulls, including at least 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls ....

Black Skimmers

Wait ....  Aren't Lesser Black-backed Gulls a European species (I hear you ask)?  Well they used to be. In fact, when I moved here in 1991 they were still considered a reportable rarity and an exciting star bird for a day on Long Island.  Fast forward 20+ years however, and they are now pretty common in the near-shore and mid-shore waters of Long Island.  On a day like today, with big Southerly winds, any visit to a coastal parking lot is going to come up with this species.  We are also seeing more juveniles, which suggests breeding 'on this side of the pond' so probably not really a vagrant any more. Looks like they are here to stay ...

Adult

Heading into 4th Winter?

Heading into 3rd Winter?

Heading into 2nd Winter?

Finally out to the Hudson Canyon ...

I've been itching to get out to the Hudson Canyon all Summer.  New York isn't exactly one of natures natural pelagic birding states, in fact it's generally pretty awful compared to say Massachusetts or the Carolinas, but such as we have, tends to show up 90-miles offshore in the canyons.  So any trip out there is filled with the thrill of possibility and it was with great anticipation that I, and 39 other New York birders, boarded one of the Captain Lou boats at Freeport at Midnight on Saturday.

It's a long slog out out to the Canyon, so sleeping bags were spread out and folks crashed on the benches, or on the floor, as we cruised South for 6-hours through some fairly rough weather and a fairly tough (6-8 foot) swell.  As dawn approached, we all came to life in the semi-darkness.  Forty pairs of bins were put on, forty cameras came out of their bags, and fort pairs of bleary eyes sharpened to the coming light.

Hard to shoot at first light when your camera is set for bright light - but I think
this is an Audubon's Shearwater.

As the light came out, I guess as the result of the swell, we weren't as far off as we hoped to be, so we motored on for an hour to get to the center of the Hudson Canyon before laying a chum slick in 75-degree water.

Over the canyon we had a lot of Great Shearwaters, a couple of Audubon's Shearwater (NYS 2012 #339), a few Cory's Shearwaters, a brief Leach's Petrel (NYS 2012 #340), and a few Pomarine Jaegers.

Pomarine Jaeger

Although there were lots of birds around, the hoped for Band-rumped and White-faced Storm-Petrels failed to show, so we moved on and worked back down our slick.  That tactic didn't produce more petrels, but we did get some Red-necked Phalaropes, and later, checking the local draggers we added Parasitic Jaeger and three Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Red-necked Phalaropes

So not the best trip bird-wise and, as so often this Summer, the cetaceans were the highlight of the trip.   We had a number of Short-beaked Common Dolphins and Atlantic White-sided Dolphins over the canyon, and had a small group off Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins following the draggers.  We also had two or three Humpback Whales included a very acrobatic young animal that spent a lot of time airborne.  Unfortunately, that whale was way too close to get shots with my 400mm, but others (notably Richard Fried) have posted great shots on Facebook.

Juvenile Humpback Whale

So all too soon, at 10am, we had to head back to land and we steamed for 6-hours back to the dock (mostly through the bird-desert of the mid-shore zone).  I knew that we'd miss land birds given that so many of the locals were off-shore (Murphy's Law demands it) and, sure enough as we got back to cell-phone range, we heard about Western Kingbirds at Robert Moses SP and Jones Beach SP.  So within minutes of arriving at the dock, a convoy of birders headed out to look for them, but to no avail.  Can't see everything I guess, but there's plenty of time for WEKIs and I'm looking forward to getting back offshore again as soon as I can ....

Photospot: Connecticut Warbler in Bryant Park

Was planning (and really needed) a day off today but was lured to Midtown Manhattan when Matthew Rymkiewycz found a Connecticut Warbler feeding in the open on the lawn at Bryant Park.  Having failed to photograph the only one I'd seen so far this year, I grabbed the camera and jumped in a cab.  Was able to get some photos and got back home so quickly that my coffee was still warm.  Urban birding can be very convenient sometimes ....

Connecticut Warbler (3 shots)

A tale of two Godwits ...

Anyone with the misfortune to be near me when I'm in a griping mood recently knows that Brown Pelican and Hudsonian Godwit have been my Summer bogey birds.  More so the godwit because of a series on near-misses, where I've rushed West along Long Island only to arrive just after a group of short-staying Hudwits has flown the coop.  Not that I haven't put in the time; I've scanned for them at Jamaica Bay, Jones Beach and Cupsogue (all historical sites) every week, often several times.

This week, it looked as though I'd missed my last shot at the species, when two birds that had stopped for a day at Montezuma NWR moved on before I could get there.  Still, ever optimistic (despite the griping) I kept scanning likely spots on Long Island almost daily.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

At Jones Beach this morning there were quite a lot of shorebirds, and detailed scanning through the morning produced a good selection including a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, 2 Western Sandpipers, a Pectoral Sandpiper, and a MARBLED GODWIT.  The last bird was hidden, sleeping, among the Willets and just appeared (as if by magic) when the birds reshuffled under Peregrine attack.  The bird also flushed as others, including Greg Lawrence and Gary Chapin were rushing over to get a look - I could see the bird flying West and frantically jumped up and down making exaggerated pointing gestures, but to no avail.  Always good to get a Godwit, but unfortunately, the wrong one again, and even that one didn't stay long.

Merlin

While we were watching the shorebirds, Derek Rogers texted me a photo of a Clay-colored Sparrow, so a group of us headed over to Robert Moses SP to see if we could find that bird.  After a couple of minutes of searching, Gary Chapin picked up the bird, and we all got good looks - another Suffolk County year bird for me.  A pleasant day, with some decent birds but, wanting to rest before that night's pelagic trip, I departed happy, and slogged my way into the City through miserable Saturday traffic.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Almost as soon as I got in through my door, the phone rang.

"Hi, it's Greg" said Greg Lawrence.
"You're going to kill us, but we're at Jamaica Bay, and we have a Hudsonian Godwit."

So back to the car, which the bemused garage attendant had just put away for the night at the back of the building.  Back into traffic, which of course was horrible, and off to Jamaica Bay.  While I was on the road Andrew Baksh, Tom Burke, Derek Rogers, and Corey Finger all called.  They wanted to make sure I knew about the bird (which was really nice) but each call also ramped up the stress level so that I was positively frothing at the mouth by the time I finally broke free of traffic after almost an hour of bumper-to-bumper crawling, and pulled into the reserve HQ.

I needn't have worried though, after a quick walk/jog over to The Raunt, I found Greg, Gary, Tom, etc. all quietly watching the bird, which looked happy and settled.  HUDSONIAN GODWIT (NYS 2012 #338)!

Hudsonian Godwit (distant iPhone shot)

Then back to the City, through horrible traffic for a quick nap, before heading back out to Long Island at 10:30pm tonight for the Pelagic.  No rest for the wicked ...