Birding Dude: Baird's in Brooklyn and Queens...

Baird's Sandpiper at Floyd Field in Brooklyn NY

Dear Readers, I am back after a week of birding in SE Arizona. I have lots of catching up to do, so look out for posts on the Shorebird Festival etc. Of course, I have lots to share on Arizona as well...including photos.

However, my first post since back in NY is of, you guessed it "shorebirds". It was a gamble I took on traveling out of town during the shorebird migration season, but I had no choice with the dates, so I bit the bullet and went. It meant, that I was anxious to get back into "shorebirding" and that is exactly what I did.

My first outing on Saturday after my morning walk at Van Courtlandt in the Bronx, took me to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, where I went in search of a previously reported Baird's Sandpiper. I found the target bird feeding in and around small shallow pools that were on the runway East of the cricket field.

Baird's Sandpiper at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn NY

Today, I went in search of more shorebirds at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens and was able to pick up 2 additional Baird's Sandpiper on the East Pond. Additional, shorebirds seen on the East Pond included, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long and Short-billed Dowitchers, White-rumped Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpipers and Spotted Sandpipers. The water was high at the East Pond due to rains and a clogged drainage system (yet again), which is not good news for the many shorebirds who are migrating through. Hopefully, this is addressed quickly, so that the migrants have a place to feed and rest during high tide in the Bay.