Unexpected Change of Plans

If you read my previous post, concerning my birding adventures yesterday, I left out one part of my day. After finishing at Robert Moses State Park I was ready to head home but figured I would check the New York State Rare Bird Alerts before leaving just in case there was anything interesting in the vicinity. To my surprise there was a recent report of a Lark Sparrow seen at the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach. It was reported at 3:30 or so, and since it was only 5:30, I decided to try for it.

I arrived at 6:00 after the 18 mile drive and stayed until a little after 7:00, but never could find the bird. I didn’t arrive home until after 9:30. Since I had woken up at 3:00 A.M. to start my day I was worn out to say the least. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get up early this morning so I figured I would go to the Bashakill WMA since it was close and have a quiet day. I hoped maybe something rare would show up in a nearby county.

So this morning I woke up at 8:00 and checked the rare bird alerts…nothing rare was reported at that point. I got up, let the dog out, wrote the previous post and headed down to the Bashakill WMA as planned. Winds for migration were favorable the previous night so my best case scenario was that I might find an early Philadelphia Vireo, one of the few normal passerines I have yet to see this year along with Connecticut Warbler.

I arrived at the “Deli Fields” and was there about an half an hour when Shai Mitra text me to let me know the Lark Sparrow was still at the Coast Guard Station and was being very cooperative. Just as I was returning Shai’s text Tom Burke called me to ask me if I was on my way to Jones Beach. I told Tom I just gotten the news and I asked him if he and Gail (Benson) were heading down for the bird. When he said they were I told him I would meet them down there.

After a two hour and fifteen minute ride I finally arrived at the Coast Guard Station. From a phone conversation with Tom, while I was in transit, I knew Tom and Gail had arrived about an hour earlier than I had and they had both seen the bird so I didn’t expect they would still be there when I arrived. As I approached the location I called Tom to double check where the bird was spending most of it’s time there. Tom said they had waited for me and saw me leave the parking lot as I started walking over to the station and that they were right behind me. Within five minutes Gail found the bird and we observed it for 15 minutes or so. After that we spent some more time birding the area. I can’t thank Tom and Gail enough for taking time out of their day to help me find the bird. Below are a couple of awful pictures taken though a chain linked fence that I had thought came out better but they will have to do.

Lark Sparrow is a central to western species that shows up annually in small numbers in New York State. I could have taken a chance and waited for it to show up somewhere closer to home but when doing a Big Year you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Besides, now instead of running for this species later it will free me up to run for something else. Other great birds were spotted today in the state including a Wilsons Plover out at Sagaponack Pond on eastern Long Island and a Sabine’s Gull at Hamlin Beach on Lake Ontario. Also, a Brown Booby was found on a reservoir in Ulster County where many people have been going to see a White Pelican for the past week. I would think this is probably the same booby I saw a few weeks back on Indian Lake in the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, tomorrow its back to work for me so my running for rarities will have to wait for next weekend.