For the past few days I’ve been birding the area from Rodman’s Neck to Orchard Beach, only walking on asphalt paths. The grass is pretty high all around so anyone visiting should be wary of ticks. Both deer and dog ticks are here. (Parking is $8 on weekdays and $10 on weekends at the beach. It’s best to park at Rodman’s Neck and bird your way over to the beach.)
There are large flocks of mixed swallows, including Barn, Tree, Northern Rough-winged and Cliff over Rodman’s Neck and at Orchard Beach. Lots of Chimney Swifts flying too. There are both egrets, GB Herons, Mallards, Cormorants and Yellow Warblers, Goldfinch, Carolina Wren around too. At the beach are Forester’s Terns, some feeding their young across the lagoon. There are several Osprey and lots of gulls lounging in the parking lot.There were about 50 Great Black-backed among the Laughing, Herring and Ring-billed. There was a flock of approximately 70 Semi-palmated Plover flying around the area. Interestingly both Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers are still forging in the puddles formed from the last rain. There was a Lesser Yellowlegs foraging in there too. I am still trying to figure out what these birds are eating from puddles that form overnight on asphalt. If it rains overnight, the birds are foraging the next morning. So what is it that hatches out so quickly on previously dry asphalt? (Photos available) Jack Rothman Cityislandbirds.com <http://cityislandbirds.com/> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
