August 23 - Jones Beach & Jamaica Bay

With Hurricane Bill passing through on Saturday night my friend Bill and I tried our luck out at Jones Beach this morning. While no storm birds were seen we did have some nice success. First at the Coast Guard Station we had numerous species of shorebirds & sandpipers. Notables were Red Knots, Plovers of Piping, Semi-Palmated, and Black-Bellied, both Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, Oystercatcher, flyover Bobolinks, and a fly through Peregrine Falcon. A male Kestrel was perched nearby.
Later in the West End 2 area we saw a pair of Baird's Sandpipers, and numerous Black Skimmers, and a single Black Tern.
Red Knot credit: RJ Wiley

We then traveled to Jamaica Bay where we enjoyed some more good fortune. We were able to see all of the recently reported rarities of American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's Phalaropes along with the expected Stilt Sandpipers, both Dowitcher species, another Black Tern, both Night-Heron species, Glossy Ibis, White-Rumped Sandpipers and Little Blue Heron.

Avocet credit: J Reynolds
Marbled Godwit credit: Ken Lillis


A great morning of birding !