In addition to the vast numbers of Laughing Gulls present yesterday at Montauk Point (on Block Island Sound, east and south of the point itself and at Ditch Plains), Ted Floyd reports that there were still more of these birds birds on Lake Montauk. All in all, the numbers were easily in the range of five figures; i.e. 10,000+ birds. A significant phenomenon indeed, especially since we are dealing with an essentially (or perhaps one should say, originally) southern bird which has only colonized Long Island in relatively recent times and which, even today, only breeds as far east as Moriches Bay. Where do these birds come from and what causes them to congregate in such numbers? My guess is that these numbers result of from a dispersal of southern birds similar to the dispersal of Royal and Forster's Terns to the north. And, as with the terns, these birds travel along up and down (with their young) looking for schools of bait fish which are also moving along the coast. Since most of the local terns have moved south, the Bonaparte's Gulls have yet to appear and the larger gulls are too clumsy to catch fast-moving fish, there is an opportunity for these small and agile gulls.
Ted also saw large movements of Common Eiders in the afternoon suggesting that there are at least 250 birds of this species at or near the point. Even more extraordinary was his estimate of c. 500 Northern Gannets. Ted's final list also included Harlequin (a fly-by) and, at last, the Cory's Shearwater he searched for so assiduously. He also agreed that the jaeger we saw was a Parasitic. All in all, it was a big day with a total of 45 species.
Eric Salzmanmore
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