Shorebirder

Just back from a successful down-and-back run to Cape May for the adult WHISKERED TERN found there yesterday. Greg Hanisek, Phil Rusch, and Nick Block joined me for the chase. Weather was dreary but we made sure to arrive at 7am which allowed us to avoid the rain. Photography was difficult given the weather, but I got some stuff worth posting anyway. We enjoyed prolonged killer scope views while the bird was roosting on the beach and repeatedly watched it forage over the Bunker Pond, sometimes in company with a Black Tern. It spent the entire morning commuting back and forth between the beach and pond. We left Cape May very tired but happy! Whiskered Tern (right) with Forster's Tern During our only moment of sunlight all morning, the Whiskered Tern can be seen head-on in the middle of the frame, to give you an idea of what you're looking for among your typical autumn east coast flock. coming in for a landing left to right: Common Tern, Forster's Tern,

Sandy Point in West Haven, CT is one of Connecticut's top shorebirding hotspots. Hey, stop your snickering! We do too get shorebirds here, I swear... Jutting into the middle of New Haven Harbor from the west, Sandy Point is a small piece of sand and marsh that has a rather nice track record of rarities over the years. You'll never find loads of shorebirds here, but the quality can be surprising. Many of the point's best birds do not linger for very long, as one might expect for such a small parcel of land. Sandy Point has a reputation for being a great "drop-in" place for birds downed by weather or looking for a quick feed. The species composition here can vary greatly not only from day-to-day, but from tide-to-tide. Occasionally a goodie will hang around for a while, like the Snowy Plover found by Julian Hough that stuck for weeks in 2004! Map of New Haven Harbor with three of the best known birding spots highlighted in red. Last week Michelle Meyer and