Smith Point County Park - February 26, 2012

Sunday was a gorgeous day to cruise the Smith Point County Park outer beach in search of avian life. The northwest wind made for calm viewing conditions on the ocean, and I was hoping that the previous days of strong winds would force some ocean goers closer inshore. The dune blocked any bit of blowing cold and the sun was warm enough to fool one to a Spring day. Despite my hopes, the ocean was very quiet and lacked bird numbers and diversity. I had good views of Black and Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Horned Grebe, Common and Red-throated Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers. The photo below was taken near my home in Sayville on the Great South Bay. I included it as a reference for the Long-tailed Duck. You can see how it got its name. Formerly called an "oldsquaw" the need for political correctness has this beauty renamed.
Long-tailed Duck                                                                              Derek Rogers
Red Knots

The most exciting birds at Smith Point today were 2 Red Knots foraging along the inside of the West Jetty at Moriches Inlet. While knots are not uncommon to Long Island you are more likely to see them during the Summer and Fall months. I walked up to the jetty and had 2 shorebirds flush up from beneath me. My initial assumption, prior to pulling up my binocs was Purple Sandpiper, but it didn't take long for me to recognize this species as a Red Knot.

Red Knot at Moriches Inlet                                                             Derek Rogers


Non-breeding Adult Red Knot at Moriches Inlet                         Derek Rogers
The Red Knot has become a huge conservation icon in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. One of the the major food sources for the Red Knot is horseshoe crab eggs. The Knots, one of the longest distance migrating shorebirds, times its Northern migration with the horseshoe crab spawn on the full and new moon in May and July. Many nature lovers flock to Delaware Bay and Cape May to watch this unbelievable phenomenon. I have yet to witness this event but I plan on doing this very soon. Horseshoe crabs have been subject to over harvesting by commercial fisherman, as they make great bait for fish pots. Sadly, for the Red Knot, we took too many horseshoe crabs and their population plummeted. It's not that the Knot doesn't eat other food, it's all about the timing of the event and the nutrition carried by the horseshoe's eggs. Horseshoe crab eggs are high in fats. This allows the knots to double, even triple their body weight. They use these reserves to cover their courtship, migration, and egg production until food, again, becomes available. In an effort to reverse population decline, and even extinction, in 2008 New Jersey enacted a moratorium on horseshoe crab harvesting.

The Red Knot is a visually appealing shorebird as most of it's body color is a unique salmon pink during adult breeding plumage. The photos above show the duller, gray non-breeding stage of the birds plumage molt. It's always a great treat detail an adult-breeding red knot in your spotting scope. I'm excited for Spring and Summer.


Image from electronic Sibley Guide


 Long live the Red Knot!

Comments

  1. Ben C.July 2, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Derek, Thanks for the post on Smith Point County Park. I don't see many reports from this site and wondered if the fencing that protects the summer nesting birds is taken down in the winter?

    Nice images of the non-breeding plumaged Red Knot!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brown Booby at Cupsogue Beach County Park - 7/5/2012

Image
Today at 1415 a Brown Booby flew eastbound, across the sand flats at Cupsogue Beach County Park. The bird completely struck me by surprise but I did not hesitate to quickly shout, “Brown Booby!” I was scanning around the flats, located in the approximate pin-pointed area on the map below when I noticed a “different” looking bird coming straight at me from the west. My brain scanned, I waited, then waited and the Brown Booby flew right past me, offering great looks. Accompanied by Arie Gilbert, I turned to him once the bird made some distance toward the east. We responsibly debated the other options, but quickly firmed my initial thought and sighting as a Brown Booby. Arie was fast with the shutter and managed to snap these photos. While not award winning, we were excited to see that they helped firm that the bird was indeed a Brown Booby. Yellow pin indicates our stationary position when the Brown Booby crossed our path headed east. In the solid 30 seconds of viewing, as the boo
Read more

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)

Image
My morning began with excitement when I watched a Louisiana Waterthrush belting out its song along the creek corridor at Franklin Pond in Cold Spring Harbor. I have been routinely checking this site for the past week and half on my way to and from work and my time has finally paid off. There's definitely a bit of luck involved when it comes to finding birds but knowing and reading your habitat is a big advantage when it comes to being a successful bird watcher. Franklin Pond is part of the Cold Spring Harbor watershed. It is situated above (south of) St. John's Pond where the two are connected by a small freshwater stream. Water exits Franklin Pond by means of a spillway, runs into the stream and eventually makes its way into St. John's Pond. The understory vegetation consists of skunk cabbage, canada mayflower, american beech tree and other hardwood saplings. Moss covered snags and rocks line the stream bank making this a perfect recipe for suitable Louisiana Waterthrush
Read more

Female Eurasian Wigeons - What To Look For

Image
Every winter, wigeons migrate down the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts where they spend time dabbling in  marshes, ponds and tidal flats. Long Island has no shortage of these ecological features and in turn is a  great place to study the less common Eurasian Wigeon. Every waterfowl season, birders enjoy sifting through groups of American Wigeon, and other dabbling ducks, in search of Eurasian Wigeons. Adult male Eurasian Wigeons in full breeding plumage are very easy to identify and stick out like sore thumbs among flocks of other ducks. Females, on the other hand, are a bit more difficult and require careful observation. Here, I will share several photos of female Eurasian Wigeon, share some thoughts and point out some of the key features that have worked for me when separating female wigeons of both species. One of the first things that I always notice with female Eurasian Wigeons is how warm and chocolate-toned their heads are in direct comparison with female American Wigeon. Fe
Read more