Red-necked Phalarope on Dune Road, Hampton Bays



I had a conversation with Peter Polshek this morning about birds we've being seeing and, of course, birds we hope to see. At some point in the conversation I said, "I'd like to find a Red-necked Phalarope today" while reminiscing of last year's Mecox bird.

I had plans to meet friend Bruce Horwith and his brother Michael, who was in from Colorado, for a morning of birding in the Dune Road area. We started off at Road K. The tide was low and still receding and the flats were well exposed. Many usual suspects were in sight like Dunlin, Piping Plover, Black-bellied Plover and my first of season Willets. Moving on to Shinnecock Inlet, where we saw hundreds of mixed scoters stacked along the shoreline, some in flight, occupying much of the offshore action.

Red-necked Phalarope at Road L, Shinnecock - iScoped
with Meostar S2 Spotting Scope & Meopix Adapter
We doubled back to Dune Road and noted some nice flats exposed on the bay side across from Road L. We scoped across to the distant flats but it took some time to figure out that there was Red-necked Phalarope, tucked in close some 30 feet from us feeding along the shore's edge! I guess this morning's wishful thinking worked out well! The Red-necked Phalarope fed actively and was undeterred by our presence. It was a beautiful female in full-on breeding plumage. I watched the bird pluck out what looked to be the larval stage of an American Eel, possibly a elver eel or "glass eel."It was quite a mouthful but the bird was able to force the hefty meal down its throat. What a great end to a fantastic weekend of birding.
Red-necked Phalarope at Road L, Shinnecock eating what appears to be
an elver eel- iScoped with Meostar S2 Spotting Scope & Meopix Adapter
Red-necked Phalarope at Road L, Shinnecock - iScoped
With Meostar S2 Spotting Scope & Meopix Adapter

Red-necked Phalarope at Road L, Shinnecock - iScoped
With Meostar S2 Spotting Scope & Meopix Adapter
Red-necked Phalarope at Road L, Shinnecock - iScoped with Meostar S2 Spotting Scope & Meopix Adapter









Comments

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