Hi all, After the roads were (mostly) cleared of snow, I decided to see what, if anything, was going on over the Sound this afternoon. I spent roughly three hours seawatching from the point at Read Sanctuary in Rye from 1 to 4 PM. The wind was very strong, but the point was sheltered from the westerly winds. Most birds were distant and very difficult to get an accurate count of because of the churning waters. Highlights follow:
Surf Scoter 110 (est.) -- Two sizable rafts straight out from the point. White-winged Scoter 180 (est.) -- Definitely a conservative estimate. Many rafts, many flying around. Black Scoter 3 -- Managed to pick out a few when several large groups took flight (obviously smaller, with faster wingbeats). Long-tailed Duck 600 (est.) -- Impressive amount took flight late in afternoon, a conservative estimate. Northern Gannet 1 -- An immaculate adult close to shore. American Pipit 4 -- On the beach. Northern Harrier 1 -- Flying SW not 3 feet off the water, fighting the wind. Also of note, I counted 346 Canada Geese flying southwest in several groups, probably being pushed south due to the recent snowfall. A Horned Grebe around too. Good birding, Benjamin Van Doren White Plains, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
