Surprise, Surprise: Banded Royal Tern

I was looking through my photos from a trip out to Cupsogue County Park on July 8th and noticed this, a banded Royal Tern!  This is my first discovery of a banded bird other than Canada Geese.  Unfortunately the band number is unreadable in the photos.  However the obvious or maybe not so obvious metal band is visible on this Royal Tern's right leg.  These photos also show just how large they are in comparison with the Ring-billed Gulls.  It was nice to see this Royal Tern in full breeding or alternate plumage since they molt almost immediately after nesting.  For the vast majority of the year they lack the full black cap, just retaining the black shaggy crest.  

Reseeing the Past: Long-billed Dowitcher and Western Sandpiper

On Thursday, I planned to bird the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and got out to the flats just after 8:00.  Upon arriving on the Pond I noticed the paucity of birds but I after a quick scan to the east revealed a mixed flock of some larger shorebirds including Stilt Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers.  While studying these birds, one dowitcher caught my attention.  It was feeding between two definite griseus subspecies SBDOs.  Immediately I thought Long-billed Dowitcher and not hendersonii due to the bird's longer, straighter bill in direct comparison with the two adjacent Short-billeds.  Size wise, this bird was slightly larger than the other two Short-billeds.  I know bill length and size are not clinching identification marks but these along with a completely dark orange breast which extended to the belly past the legs made me think LBDO even more.  Still thinking LBDO, I continued to observe the dowitcher while I checked my Sibley's field guide.  This bird had white markings on the undertail coverts which is unique to LBDOs.  This bird's supercilium was more evenly bolded when compared to the two Short-billeds along side it.  The supercilium on a Short-billed Dowitcher tends to flare and then disperse as you move toward the posterior of the bird from the lore toward the back of the head.  Also, this bird's primary projections ended before the tail while hendersonii SBSOs have their primaries project just past the tail.  I had myself a Long-billed Dowitcher!  Later in the day I received an encouraging text from my friend, expert shorebirder, birdingdude (http://birdingdude.blogspot.com), Andrew Baksh who had refound and confirmed the Long-billed.    

Just after the Long-billed Dowitcher flew off the pond, a medium sized peep flock landed on the exposed shoreline which I was standing on.  Since the birds were so close, binoculars were the way to best study the peeps.  While scanning the multitude of Semipalmated Sandpipers, a bird with a reddish crown, auriculars and scapulars ran through my field of vision.  Western Sandpiper!  I managed to get a two second look at the this beautiful bird which still retained almost all of its alternate plumage including the White-rumped Sandpiper like arrow shaped streaking down the flanks.  Later on into my scans through the flocks of "Semi-Sands" did manage one actual White-rumped Sandpiper. 

I have in my records that I have seen both Long-billed Dowitchers and Western Sandpipers in Jamaica Bay back when I was between seven and ten years old, but that was a long while ago.  It was nice to re-see these birds and study them well now at 18 years old. 

First Post, First Whimbrels and A Lot of Running

Seeing the reports from "The Whimbrel Spot"on Long Island, Cedar Beach County Park in Southold, and the fact that I have never seen one, Tuesday seemed like a perfect day to give it shot.  Since low tide was around 5:30PM I decided for a late start.  After arriving around 11:30, even though it was high tide I figured it was worth a try.  The first shorebirds of the day were 7 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 4 Least Sandpipers on a few circular flats created by breaks in the marsh grasses.  Upon seeing these peeps, I immediately had hope that the much longer legged Whimbrel might also be around with the tide still high.  Short legs don't usually go well with high water! 

A quick scope scan through the nearby grass revealed nothing.  While making my way down the rocky path, I was met by a flustered Northern Mockingbird which probably defending a nest in one of the small evergreen trees surrounding the trail.  After rounding the corner I immediately saw several large shorebirds on a raised sandbar covered in the same marsh grasses as in the lower area surrounding the bar.  Quickly raising my binoculars three birds standing on the far left became apparent, slightly larger browner birds than the Willets on the right with long obviously decurved bills, that was them.  I had my life Whimbrels, Numenius phaeopus!  Life bird #452.  I immediately went to grab my camera but realized that in my rush to find my life Whimbrels I had left my camera in the car.  I left my scope and sprinted back to the car to grab it.  I got back to my scope and then remembered I again left something in the car, my digiscoping adapter.  Once again I sprinted back to the car, grabbed the adapter and sprinted back to photograph the Whimbrels.  Unfortunately my running had startled the Whimbrels and Willets and they flew off toward the shore line of the beach.  The good new was I was able to see the birds in flight well and was able to confirm the subspecies to be the common hudsonicus and not the rare European subspecies with a white rump patch.  After a few minutes of brisk walking careful not to spook the Whimbrels again, I got to a good viewing point.  A quick glance revealed another two Whimbrels had joined the original three bringing the total to five.  A great day!