Black-headed Gull, Razorbills - Jan 10
I met Glenn Williams and Phil Rusch at 6:30 this morning to take the 7am ferry to Fisher's Island in hopes of a rare alcid or seabird. While we did not luck out with any true rarities, we had 4 Razorbills (1 in CT waters, 2 in NY waters, 1 in both) and a Northern Gannet. One of the razorbills in particular flew right along the boat in great light after sunrise, providing all 3 of us with our best views of the species in the state.
From there I worked my way home, stopping at Hammo first. The only notables here were a Fox Sparrow and a 1w Iceland Gull. I checked the pines for crossbills a few times but struck out. I also checked out East Shore Park for the first time in a while, again hoping for crossbills in the pines...and again missing. But I did have the bird of the day here, a first-winter Black-headed Gull, which I believe was first reported by Turk Duddy on 12/28/08. Given that it's still there today, this bird could be wintering in the harbor.
From there I worked my way home, stopping at Hammo first. The only notables here were a Fox Sparrow and a 1w Iceland Gull. I checked the pines for crossbills a few times but struck out. I also checked out East Shore Park for the first time in a while, again hoping for crossbills in the pines...and again missing. But I did have the bird of the day here, a first-winter Black-headed Gull, which I believe was first reported by Turk Duddy on 12/28/08. Given that it's still there today, this bird could be wintering in the harbor.
blog surfing and came across your great pictures......keep em coming, I'll have to check back. good luck in med school.
ReplyDeletekurt