Jamaica Bay Shorebird Report 07-14-2014

Short-billed Dowitchers on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay.

With the pending rainy weather, I visited the East Pond to check on the water level and also to assess the shorebird turnover. The prediction of 2 inches of rain by the time the storm front moves through, is a bit worrisome, as the water level is expected to rise and that cannot be good for the smaller shorebirds. I will attempt to check the water level as soon as I could and report back on the shoreline.

Stilt Sandpiper on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay.

Today's Shorebird observations are as follows:  

Short-billed Dowitcher1500 an increase of 400.  
Semiplamated Sandpiper 350.
Least Sandpiper 40
Killdeer went from 1 to 3 birds. 
Stilt Sandpiper 5
Semipalmated Plover 1
American Oystercatcher 6
Spotted Sandpiper 2

Solitary Sandpiper 1*
Greater Yellowlegs 4

Lesser Yellowlegs 8

Least Sandpiper on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay.

Other notable birds on the pond include, Tricolored Heron, Hooded Merganser, Little Blue Heron, Ruddy Duck, Greater Scaup and Green-winged Teal.

Tags: Shorebirds, East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Stilt Sandpiper, Queens

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Jamaica Bay East Pond Shorebird Report 7-13-2014

While much of the west side on the north end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay remains under water, adequate shoreline has developed on the south end and much of the east side of the pond. The exposed shoreline is just in time for hungry migrants as evidenced by the influx of new shorebirds I counted today on the pond.

Altogether, there were 10 species of shorebirds American Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover*, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper*, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper* and Short-billed Dowitcher .  Asterisk indicates a new arrival for the season according to my observations.

In summary, here are the notable changes in numbers since I last checked on Friday. As expected, Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) saw the biggest increase and my count was 1100, this was followed by Semipalmated Sandpiper - where there was zero on Friday, today there were at least 100 (with one flagged SESA).  Least Sandpiper, also saw an increase in number with 50 today, including my very first flagged Least (I was excited over this as though I had found a rare species). In addition to SESA being new, 1 each of Stilt Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover were also new arrivals.

Other notable birds on the pond include the continuing 2 Greater Scaup (male and female), several Little Blue Herons and probably the best bird of the day, besides the banded Least. A Bonaparte's Gull that was hiding among Laughing Gulls.

I refer to a post from last year, where I outlined the changes to the pond and how to bird the area keeping these changes in mind.  Unless you plan to wait until there is dried out shoreline for sneaker use (yes, there are folks out there...though there is nothing wrong with that), I highly recommend knee high wader boots to bird the East Pond.  I will keep posting shorebird reports on the blog, so keep checking to get the latest news on shorebird movements on the pond.

I cannot end this post without a reminder, that this coming Thursday, GNRA (Gateway National Recreation Area) will be holding a public scoping session at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitors' Center from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This meeting will be to solicit public opinion for an Environmental Assessment (EA) of several designs with regards to the restoration of the West Pond. It is VERY important that the birding community is well represented in numbers at this event. I hope to be there and see many of you in attendance as well!

Also, the online petition calling for the restoration of the West Pond, which will be an IMPORTANT attribute to the input process, continue to add signatures. If you have procrastinated, there is still time. Do it now and sign on to make a difference! A big thank you to all those who are doing what they could to help us see the goal of 7500 signatures.  I want to especially recognize the efforts of Ann Lazarus, Doug Futuyma, Takeo and Louise Fraza for all their work in sponsoring ads and recruiting others to sign up and sponsor an ad.

Sponsoring an ad for the petition at Change.org allows the petition to be sent to potential signers from the Change.org database.  I have sponsored ads a few times already and seen the results. An ad could be as little 10 dollars so please take a look if you are interested.


Tags: Shorebirds, East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Bonaparte's Gull, Queens

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Shorebirding on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Let's Get Ready to Shorebird! Yep, it is that time of the year again and after a few anxious moments of checking the water level and ensuring that the draining was working as it should, I am happy to note that the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens NY is ready. All the paths are clear, water level is getting to where it needs to be and what we need are the shorebirds to show up in the thousands.

Do you see the Gull-billed Tern?

Today, I checked up on the water level and birded the East Pond, starting from the South End. While there are small areas still under water the pond in my opinion is ready for those birders willing to wade in muck and get chewed on by bugs while cooking in the sun.

Greater Yellowlegs.

The shorebirds seen today totaled 7 species.  They include: American Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher, Killdeer,Spotted Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper.

Greater Scaup.

The pond had the usual mix of birds. Some of the highlights include, Snowy and Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, 220 Mallards, 101 Mute Swans, 1 Wood Duck, 3 Gull-billed Terns, 3 Ruddy Ducks and 2 late Greater Scaup. Great Crested Flycatcher and Marsh Wrens were nice to see and of course the dreaded presence of a Peregrine Falcon.  It looks like shorebirding is once again going to be tough going if we have Peregrines strafing the East Pond.

Flock of Short-billed Dowitchers.

East Pond South End.

I have edited some photos to show some areas of concern on the pond, especially for those who are not familiar with the pond. Remember to respect the pond, the birds, birders and photographers. Keep checking the blog for shorebird reports and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about birding the East Pond.


Tags: Shorebirds, East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gull-billed Tern, Queens

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Jamaica Bay West Pond Restoration

The once annual Waterfowl scene on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay.

In Broad Channel, an island in the middle of Jamaica Bay Queens New York, a jewel exists in the form of a Wildlife Refuge. Easily accessible, even by mass transit, it is the only Wildlife Refuge that exists in New York City.  Sadly, due to years of neglect and an apathetic approach to maintenance and enhancement, this jewel lost much of its shine. On October 29th-30th, 2012 one of the refuge's main attraction, the West Pond, was severely damaged after Hurricane Sandy breached the dike surrounding the pond. After the storm waters receded, the breach was left unattended and the pond has now turned into a tidal, saltwater mudflat that is devoid of wildlife.

Diamondback Terrapin nesting on the shores of the West Pond at Jamaica Bay.

The 45-acre West Pond, situated along the Atlantic flyway, was one of the only significant freshwater habitat in the coastal ecosystem of New York City (the other being the East Pond). Listed as an international Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International and the National Audubon Society. It was an important site for thousands of migratory waterfowl and hosted many breeding birds that relied on a fresh water ecosystem. In addition, the area around the West Pond had been critical nesting habitat for the threatened Diamondback Terrapin and a great variety of butterflies and other insect life.

A rare showing of a Black-bellied Whistling Duck on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay 2010.

More than 330 species of birds have been seen in the Refuge, owing to the unusual proximity of a freshwater Pond to a saltwater bay, together with saltmarsh, tidal flats and surrounding gardens of trees. Several mega rarities were recorded at the West Pond including the first record in the lower 48 states of a Broad-billed Sandpiper. It is considered, one of the more reliable places to see rarities like White-faced Ibis in New York and just prior to Hurricane Sandy, hosted rare and uncommon birds such as American White Pelican (2010) and Black-belied Whistling Duck (2010).

Possible future birders, naturalists and photographers on the West Pond Trail 2014.

GNRA (Gateway National Recreation Area), the caretakers of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge are looking at options on whether to restore the West Pond or not.  Several organizations and individuals concerned at the lack of action, banded together to form the "Birders Coalition" and have published an online petition calling for a restoration of the West Pond.  GNRA, recently announced that they will be hosting an open house, public meeting on July 17th from 6-8 pm at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center.  The restoration of the West Pond is critical not only for the birds but for many of us who use it for recreational and educational purposes.  If you have not signed the online petition, I urge you to please do so and to share it with friends and family and encourage them to do likewise.  In addition, if you can please consider attending the open house. There is no reason not to restore the West Pond.  Funds are available from Hurricane Sandy to fix the West Pond, let us show up in numbers and show our support and a unified front for a West Pond restoration.


Tags: West Pond Restoration, Diamondback Terrapin, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Queens

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Wordless Wednesday

Tags: Piping Plover, Wordless Wednesday

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Today's photo is a Common Tern

Readers should take some time to study this photo well. It is of a Common Tern but more importantly, can you tell what age? If you think you know, then leave a comment.

Tags: Common Tern

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Make Your Voice Count: Buy A Federal Duck Stamp Through ABA

Regular readers know by now how I much I lament the often times non involvement of our birding community when it comes to protecting wildlife habitat.  At least that is how I see it.  We have the numbers but for whatever reasons, we don't seem to have the clout.  Why the lack of involvement in things that matter such as the restoration of the West Pond at Jamaica Bay, is something that I struggle to come to terms with.

I respect everyone's right to do as they please and understand, that many of us would rather just go out into the field and observe, photograph or listen to the birds we love and can't be bothered with activism.    However, what happens when there are no more places for our feathered friends? What then?  Will we then break out into a cacophony of, "I wish", or "If I only knew." Okay, maybe, getting out into the field for conservation matters is not your thing but there are other ways to support the conservation of wildlife and the habitat they use.

Here is one way to do something that does not involve much other than a few clicks and a few bucks. The American Birding Association is offering the Duck Stamp, formally called the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp or Federal Duck Stamp through their website.  This stamp which cannot be used for postage was conceived in 1934 as licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl. Today, the stamp has a much larger and VERY important role.  Ninety eight cents out of every dollar spent on a duck stamp is used to buy or lease wetlands for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System (to learn more, visit the website of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). In addition, the stamp can be used an entrance pass to any National Wildlife Refuge where an admission fee is charged. So for a few bucks, you contribute to wildlife conservation and also get an admission pass that could save you money.  How cool is that?

By purchasing the Duck Stamp through the ABA, you are helping to show that there are a great number of birders who use many of our Wildlife Refuges throughout the US and we support habitat and bird conservation. If we want our voices to be heard, then we have to put our money where our mouth is to get our seat at the table. I got mine. Will you take a moment and get yours today?


Tags: Duck Stamp, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, American Birding Association, Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp

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