Registrar: Richard Davis
Participants: 14
Weather: 71–83 F and sunny with gentle breezes, NE Wind 4–5 mph
Bird Species: 57
It was rather amazing to experience such mild weather at the start of August, but a heatwave earlier in the week had broken with a powerful inundation a couple of days previous to this trip. Gabriel situated the group with the geography of the refuge, as a unique spot along the New York New Jersey bight where the east-west orientation of Long Island begins to make a turn to the north-south oriented shoreline of New Jersey, and thus becomes an inviting stopover for migratory birds.
A young Peregrine Falcon took to the air just as the group arrived at the West Pond, but didn’t end up flushing many shorebirds. The group quickly discovered rather high water levels, and very few shorebirds compared to the much larger flocks seen just a week previously. It should also be noted that low tide was just before 10 am this morning. Looking out over the bay, we observed small schools of fish being driven along by groups of cormorants, with gulls and terns joining in the feeding frenzy. A pair of Black Skimmers put on a brief show. There were also a few scraggly molting passerines and a cute scene of young Cedar Waxwings being fed.
It was already known that the water levels in the East Pond were high because of the rains, and a valve installed a year ago by the park service to drain the pond was no longer working properly. The paths to access the south end of the East Pond were known to be under water, so we decided to check out the area of the bench, across from the Raunt. This decision was rewarded with views of many more shorebirds feeding across the water and a Gull-billed Tern flying by—a life bird for a few people in the group. After spending some time sifting through the dowitchers and sandpipers, Gabriel picked out a White-rumped Sandpiper and two Stilt Sandpipers—a delightful way to end a beautiful trip.
Species List
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Ruddy Duck
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Clapper Rail (h)
American Oystercatcher
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Stilt Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
American Herring Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
Black Skimmer
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
Downy Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Willow Flycatcher
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
