Yesterday morning I arrived at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to bird the East Pond for shorebirds, specifically, Stilt Sandpiper. There were a lot of shorebirds present when I arrived. I would estimate somewhere between 1000-2000. The vast majority of these were Semipalmated Sandpipers.
As I walked along the edge of the pond (duck boots a definite requirement) I started to pick out the other species mixed in with the Semipalamted Sandpipers. On the drier areas I found many Least Sandpipers (49) and in the deeper water there were a mix of Greater Yellowlegs (9) and Lesser Yellowlegs (25). On the opposite side of the pond I spotted half a dozen Short-billed Dowitchers, At one point I spotted two Western Sandpipers.
After going out as far as I could safely go I still hadn’t found the bird I was looking for. I continued to scan the groups of birds looking for a Stilt Sandpiper. About half way back I finally found one feeding with a Lesser Yellowlegs and a small group of Semipalmated Sandpipers. It made the over 3 hour search worth it. A picture of the Stilt Sandpiper is below.
The rest of my day was mostly spent at Robert Moses State Park conducting a sea watch with the hope I could spot a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel of a Parasitic Jaeger, both species I need to find for my NYS Big Year. I didn’t see either of those, but while scanning the ocean in the afternoon portion of the sea watch I spotted a whale spout and soon after the whale’s head come partially out of the water as it spouted again! My best guess is it was probably a Humpback Whale. It was very cool and a first for me from shore.
This morning I’m a little worn out so I plan to stay fairly close to home but I check the NYS Rare Bird Alerts during the day in case something pops up that I should be aware of. I’ll let you know how I make out.
Sullivan & Delaware County Birder's Blog 