Avian highlights of a stroll around the beach at Breezy Point this morning, in which I was joined by Andrew Farnsworth for a portion, were a single *Whimbrel* up on the high beach close to the jetty, a first-summer *Lesser Black-backed Gull*, *~4 Wilson's Storm-Petrels* (one was actually flying up the inlet adjacent to the jetty, but the other sightings were more distant), and some modest westbound swallow migration of at least 3 species (Bank, Barn, and Tree).
The unquestionable highlight for both of us, however, was when a male *POLYPHEMUS MOTH* (*Antheraea polyphemus*) flew in off the ocean and over the beach, heading north. It was the first time either of us could remember seeing one associated with migration over big water- very cool! Two photos of the moth are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29840397@N08/19527582885 https://www.flickr.com/photos/29840397@N08/19339649860 Also of recent note, on Monday morning at Plum Beach, I watched 2 very unseasonal immature *Great Cormorants* leading 3 Double-crested Cormorants eastbound up Rockaway Inlet. A Great Cormorant was also photographed and eBirded from Bush Terminal in Brooklyn, inside New York Bay, yesterday. Photos of the Moth and one of the Plum Beach Cormorants, along with the really cool looking black-billed, adult-like Arctic Tern from this past Saturday/Independence Day in Jamesport, are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29840397@N08/ Good Birding -Doug Gochfeld. Brooklyn, NY. -- 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/ --
