Seawatched this morning from Amagansett (Suffolk Co.) before the rain set in. Chilly with a stiff NE to E wind. A 1 hour count (8:55-9:55 AM) tallied 13,252 *SCOTER* of all three species moving west. Good numbers of Northern Gannets (650) and Double-crested Cormorants (1,425) were also moving along the ocean front. Migrating waterfowl included 62 Red-throated Loon and 12 Long-tailed Duck.
When the rain became heavier, I moved out Montauk Point. Viewing conditions were tough but it was very birdy offshore. I counted from 10:40 AM to noon at which point the wind began driving the rain right up against the restaurant, soaking me and my optics. The highlight was more that 300 *GREAT SHEARWATERS *that appeared to funneling out of the mouth of Block Island Sound back into the Atlantic proper. For a while they worked over the rips before moving to the south side of the Point and out of sight. This was a minimal estimate, there could well have been many more hidden by the thick water vapor and masses of other birds feeding over fish blitzes including large numbers of gannets. For some reason the eastern tip of the south fork seems to be the last place in the state to report *HORNED GREBE* each fall and I was pleased to find a basic plumaged bird on Fort Pond Bay today. Also from the Point, I picked out a single adult *BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE*among the throngs of Laughing Gulls. Numbers of Common and Forster's Terns remain high all around the Montauk area, with day totals of 122 and 160 respectively. Can't remember seeing such high numbers of Forster's Terns this late in the season before; there were 110 on the relatively placid waters of Lake Montauk alone. I checked a lot of gulls throughout the day (>6,000 total) but could only find 5 *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS*, fresh juveniles at Montauk Point, Fort Pond Bay and Mecox Inlet, a 4th yr at Fort Pond Bay and a full adult at Hook Pond in East Hampton. A scattering of shorebirds brought down by the storm included 2 juvenile *AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS* sheltering in the cove at Montauk Inlet and a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs with a juvenile *STILT SANDPIPER* at Rita's pasture. No sign of the Brown Pelican or Greater White-fronted Goose, even though both were seen yesterday. -- Angus Wilson New York City & The Springs, NY, USA http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
