August Avocet at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge...

So we have our first American Avocet of August on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens NY. This is our 4th one for the year and this bird looks to be a male based on the length and curvature of the bill (the bill on a female is shorter and has more curvature). The shorebird numbers were extremely low today on the pond with Black-belied Plovers out numbering Short-billed Dowitchers. Other highlights besides the Avocet, included 2 Red Knots. Hopefully, we see more birds arriving shortly.  Here are some photos.

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, American Avocet

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Today's Photo - Lesser Yellowlegs...

A juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs photographed at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, in Queens New York. Juvenile birds are coming through in small numbers and I always enjoy seeing their nice crisp plumage!

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Lesser Yellowlegs

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Working on those Pecs...

Despite the threat of rain, I went birding in overcast conditions, hoping to refind the Wilson's Phalarope that went missing late yesterday morning.  Well, no Wilson's Phalarope today on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens NY, but enough birds to keep me busy until the Peregrine Falcons put them up and just like that they were back into the bay and off the pond. It has to be quite frustrating for folks who make the long trek into Queens only to have their shorebirding jacked up by the marauding Peregrines. I feel their pain, but I suppose it is the sacrifice one must make to do the pilgrimage at the East Pond. So Dowitcher fans (there are those out there...yes?)  Take a look at the photo above and tell me your thoughts about the paler Dowitcher in the middle.  It is a Short-billed Dowitcher.  But can you age the bird and tell me the subspecies?

Red Knot (middle) still in nice breeding plumage

Today, I managed to spend some time working through the shorebirds and the flock that usually gather at the spit after Dead Man's Cove were quite cooperative allowing me to scan through them for a bit. Again proving that if you stay against the phragmites, the birds will come to the shore from the Island. Sifting through the flock, I found 4 Red Knots in a variety of plumage with some hardly recognizable, to one that was still retaining good breeding plumage.

Pectoral Sandpiper in the back of the flock

It was while I was working over the flock that I found a Pectoral Sandpiper a bird that was not there and suddenly it was; that is the beauty of the ever changing flow of birds on the pond. Pectoral Sandpipers have been rather scarce on the pond with only 6 for the season so far that I am aware of; save for a few days when there were four of them, the other was seen last Thursday during a downpour and now today's bird. I also managed to find two banded Semipalmated Sandpipers. One had a flag and a federal band and the other only had a federal band. I'll be submitting these two birds to get some information on who did the banding and where.

Pectoral Sandpiper

It seems I can't get enough of those odd looking peeps.  I am fascinated by their molt and the variation of their bill and shape.  Here is an interesting looking bird. Thoughts and comments are always welcome.

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Pectoral Sandpiper

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Wilson's Phalarope @ Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge...

Below are a few photos taken today of a molting juvenile Wilson's Phalarope on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Queens, NY.   Note a few pale grey non breeding scapulars already replacing the juvenile plumage.

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Wilson's Phalarope

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Banded Semipalmated Sandpiper at Jamaica Bay East Pond...

Today, I photographed a banded Semipalmated Sandpiper on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay. I have never seen a SESA with only a color band instead of a flag and or color bands. I will be submitting this to the NA Bird Banding Laboratory and I will post an update once I obtain information on where the bird was banded.

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Semipalmated Sandpiper

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Those Westerners can be tough and I don't mean Josey Wales...

So I am a fan of Clint Eastwood movies...aren't you? Whats not to like when you deliver killer lines like this one, "ever notice how sometimes you come across somebody you shouldn't have #^*#ed with?" Well, I'm that guy".  But I digress. A lot of birders have been searching the peeps on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildife Refuge in Queens NY, for Western Sandpipers. They are tough, especially when you have to sift through thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers but if you are careful and patient, you may end up lucky like I did in finding a few.

In fact, I have seen more Western Sandpipers this season than I have seen White-rumped Sandpipers. To quote my naturalist friend Rich kelly, "What's up with that"? Here are a few that were not too hard to pick out. I have photos of a few that were just soooo tough, but I will leave them for another post. Oh and look out for those big billed Semipalmated Sandpipers, there are plenty of them around at the moment and they try their very best into tricking you into thinking Western.

Two Western Sandpipers together or is there a third in the background? :)

After sifting through well over a thousand peeps, I finally connected with a Western.

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Western Sandpipers

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To Stint or not To Stint...

So here we go again, am I faced with another one of those odd looking Semipalmated Sandpiper or did I just land the coveted Little Stint. Last year, I had a candidate that I let go only because I was not as confident as others, mind you some bright minds in the birding community thought I nailed one last year.  For example, Blair Nikula the shorebird aficionado who pulls out Little Stints like you would not believe it up in MA, wrote back to me in response to a photo I had sent him, "tell me why this is not a Little Stint". You would think with that endorsement I would have written it up and send it to NYSARC (New York State Avian Record Committee), but I am a stubborn creature and when I don't feel sold on an ID, I don't go for it; I would rather let it go and that is what I did. Discipline is what I like to call it; others call it nuts and stubborn!

So today when every sane person was trying to remain dry, I thought I would take my mind off from work and get in on some rain soaked birding at Jamaica Bay Queens NY. That is exactly what it was "rain soaked"- minus the birding and I was asking myself what the heck was I doing on the East Pond wet and shivering, when this little guy stepped into view. Take a look and let me know what you think. Semipalmated Sandpiper albiet a very small one or a Little Stint.
8-2-2013 I put some more thoughts into this last night and I think this is a Semipalmated Sandpiper, probably a male with some bright plumage. I am I threw the images up and opened it up for discussion. We shall see what others will add to this.

Interesting peep is the one to the far left.  Note primary projection and bill size to nearby SESA's

Tags: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, Shorebird, Jamaica Bay, Calidrid

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