Joe Giunta, Debbie Martin and I (Sy Schiff) started at the Jones Beach Coast Guard Station where we found BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and DUNLIN on the bar; LONG-TAILED DUCKS, BOTH LOONS and BONAPARTE'S GULLS were in the water. A huge flock of SANDERLING was resting on the other side of the channel. At the swale, there were SNOW BUNTINGS and HORNED LARKS. Four TREE SWALLOWS flew by. Down by the water we observe NORTHERN GANNET and more LONG-TAILED DUCKS.
We drove north on the Wantagh Pkwy. to Mill Pond in Bellmore where we found an unexpected RED-SHOULDERED HAWK soaring overhead. With a mostly thin sheet of ice on the pond, the waterfowl were all concentrated at the NE corner. The usual puddle ducks included RING-NECKED DUCK, REDHEAD and PIED-BILLED GREBE plus the continuing male BLUE-WINGED TEAL. At Cammans Pond in Merrick, we found the usual BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS along with a group of ducks in the water. When we arrived, there was a very tame second year ICELAND GULL in the water opposite the parking lot. A GREAT EGRET flew alongside of the car on the Loop Pkwy. on our way to Point Lookout. There, a SURF SCOTER was off the west jetty. Four HARLEQUIN DUCKS, a BLACK SCOTER and a COMMON EIDER were in the inlet close to the jetty. Returning to Jones, we had a foraging NORTHERN HARRIER and a fly over NORTHERN FLICKER. Cold, but sunny. Lovely to be out. Sy. -- 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/ --
