A day at the beach

Great weather for a day at the beach.

Of course, for a birder, a day at the beach means a morning trip down Dune Road looking for shore birds and other denizens of the dunes, wetlands and water's edge. This morning was a SOFO 'walk' -- more of a drive with stops really -- starting at Shinnecock Inlet on the Ponquogue/Hampton Bays side and working along west to the East Quogue/Quogue area. The walk was led by Frank Quevedo, current president of SOFO (South Fork Natural History Society), and one of the participants was Jim Ash, former president of same. I was delighted to join in. The day started off and ended up sunny with clouds and a few drops of rain in between.

The bird list was not spectacular but there was a substantial list of local breeders and migrants including a number of Black-crowned Night-Herons, American Oystercatchers, Piping Plovers and Willets (the locals), plus Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstones (by far the most numerous shore bird), Greater Yellowlegs, a Short-billed Dowitcher or two, and a probable White-rumped Sandpiper (larger, darker, longer bill, streakier than its companions). No Least Sandpipers; apparently this sometimes abundant bird has already gone through. Many Common and Least Terns with a small group of Roseate Terns briefly seen by Jim. Several Osprey perched, flying, and sitting on a nest. At least one Glossy Ibis and two Great Blue Herons (uncommon at this season) along with many Great Egrets and a few Snowies. Clapper Rail heard calling but not seen.

In the dunes: singing Willow Flycatchers, Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers. One large male Boat-tailed Grackle seen in the marsh grass. The best bird was a distant Sooty Shearwater seen by Jim on the ocean from Ponquogue Beach before the trip even started. Also, after everyone else had departed, a brief stop at the Quogue Wetlands Refuge produced more Willow Flycatchers, many Tree Swallows in the nest boxes, a pair of Eastern Towhees, and a single singing Seaside Sparrow.

There was a noticeable lack of Horseshoe Crabs; New York State is the only northeastern state that permits harvesting of the extraordinary animals and even those lax regulations are essentially ignored. As a result, the great and ancient spring ritual of the Horseshoe Crab mating has essentially been wiped out in these parts and some of the shore birds -- notably the Red Knots -- which depend on Horseshoe Crab eggs have also disappeared. What a tragedy!

Eric Salzman