Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival

If you've read this blog before, you'll remember from my last post that I had been stuck in the house for almost two months, unable to get out birding. Luckily for me, this last weekend in August provided a splendid opportunity to break that disturbing trend: the Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival.

Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best birding spots in New York City; indeed, one of the best in the state. Every year in July and August, astounding numbers of migrating shorebirds land on the mudflats there to refuel for their journey south. And every year, just like the shorebirds, astounding numbers of birders trudge through the muck on the East Pond in order to observe the shorebirds.

For nine years, New York City Audubon and the American Littoral Society have organized an annual shorebird festival. This years included presentations on shorebird identification and photography from the likes of Lloyd Spitalnik and Kevin Karlson, as well as walks around both ponds.

Arriving at Jamaica Bay on Saturday, I instantly went into the photography workshop and marveled at some lovely shorebird photos, in addition to learning more than a few things about how to photograph shorebirds and birds in general. After a brief conversation with Mr. Spitalnik, I slipped out the back door and onto the shorter of the two trails around the West Pond, hoping for some great birds (many rarities have shown up on the West Pond in previous years).

Not only did I not get great birds, I got hardly any birds at all. A Killdeer, Osprey and Canada Goose were the extent of birdlife on the West Pond. 

Turning over to the bay, several Great Egrets stood serenely and surveyed the marsh and the water beyond, watching the American Oystercatchers and Laughing Gulls to make sure they didn't do anything naughty. Double-crested Cormorants stretched their wings, Barn Swallows swooped about and an Unidentified Tern flew over. 

Nothing fantastic was hanging around the West Pond, so I turned around and came back. The East Pond and shorebirds were calling.

After getting the car parked in front of a rentable portable toilet storage area, I took a short trail down to the pond, squelched in some mud, got whacked in the face by a reed, and joined up with a group of scope-wielding shorebirders. This group was led by Kevin Karlson, one of the authors of The Shorebird Guide. If anyone knows anything about shorebirds it would be him, and he certainly proved his knowledge with his ample guidance on the fine points of shorebird identification.

As for the birds themselves, as soon as I got out of the reeds and onto the pond, they were there: about ten or twenty juvenile peeps, scurrying this way and that upon the mudflats and busily feeding. Upon closer examination, these birds proved to be Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers. 

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Moving along the shoreline of the pond, we came up right next to them. Mr. Karlson explained to the group that because these birds were juveniles, they have not yet learned fear of humans. They therefore let us come and stand only around ten feet from them and point gargantuan lenses and scopes at them.

Hopping from reed to reed came a Northern Waterthrush, an un-warbler-like warbler. Three Short-billed Dowitchers drilled in a distinctive way--just like a sewing machine on legs. A Lesser Yellowlegs paid no heed as we stood watching it from five feet away. 

Short-billed Dowitchers: sewing machines on legs

Further down, the group focused intently on the challenging task of picking a single Western Sandpiper out of a flock of Semipalmateds. This was not an easy task, but one that the group accomplished in the end, not paying too much attention to the Cedar Waxwings and Eastern Kingbird in nearby trees. A Snowy Egret danced in the water, dwarfing the Least Sandpipers that scurried about his yellow-booted feet.

It was getting late, and there was another great presentation to attend at the visitor center. However, I could hardly tear myself away from an odd Least Sandpiper: it had only one leg. It hopped along the mud, moving at a surprisingly rapid pace, and then flew off, looking like a normal Least. 

Over to my right, a Great Black-backed Gull landed on the water, but kept away from the Laughing, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls; it also maintained a respectful distance from some Mute Swans. Checking out some more of what I assumed to be Short-billed Dowitchers, we found among their midst three Stilt Sandpipers, a nice treat. 

Can you pick the Stilt Sandpiper out from the Short-billed Dowitchers?

After watching a Peregrine Falcon swoop low over the pond and freak out all the shorebirds, I grabbed a little food before heading back to the visitor center and attending Kevin Karlson's helpful presentation on shorebird identification by impression. A brief summary of the method of identification he presented can be found here, and his book can be bought here. He also spoke about the upcoming book on birding impression that he is coauthoring.

And that was it, the conclusion of a remarkable day of shorebirding and workshops. As the car slid gently over the bridge leading over and out of Jamaica Bay, I took a last fleeting glimpse of the refuge and promised to come a-shorebirding again someday soon.

Least Sandpiper

                 

Things to do when you're stuck at home

Every birder has felt the feeling at some point or another. After counting and frantically recounting on the calendar, you realize that--is it possible?--you haven't gone birding in three weeks.

Usually, you desperately clear a day the very next weekend to go out. And standing on a beach scoping skittering shorebirds or standing in a thick deciduous forest surrounded by warbler song, you make a vow to never, ever go that long without birding again.

Imagine, then, how I felt after counting the days and realizing that it had been a whole month and five days since I had been birding. What could be done? I knew I probably couldn't get out this weekend or even the next. I had to resort to some at-home techniques to keep myself from going round the bend.

And so in order to assist you, kind restless reader, I shall list some of these little things that can be done to maintain one's sanity at a somewhat reasonable level until you can get back out. I proudly present to you...

7 Things to do When You're Stuck in the House

     1. Read!

One thing I've noticed is that birders like to read. I will never forget one meeting of the New York State Young Birder's Club (NYSYBC) where members laid out various bird books upon a table for a book swap. The moment lunch break was announced, all the parents ran for the food and all the kids ran for the books!

A small sample of my reading material

You can read books about specific birds, or books about people who watch and study birds. You can even read books about people who went on nutty listing quests such as North American Big Years.

Another good thing to read are magazines. Living Bird, Bird Watcher's Digest, Birding, Audubon Magazine, and Bird Watching Daily are all good magazines with interesting information. The American Birding Association (ABA) also publishes a quarterly Birder's Guide series, with information about travel, gear, conservation and community and listing and taxonomy.

Part of my magazine collection

    

     2. Learn about other facets of nature

When you simply cannot get out and go birding, it can be fun to learn about other parts of nature. Birds are only a small part of The Big Picture. A partial list of other facets of nature that can be fascinating to observe might include dragonflies, damselflies, mammals, butterflies and moths. What's great about these animals is that they can be seen in your own backyard: hang up a sheet at night with a blacklight and you might see moths; opossums and raccoons are always hanging around suburban neighborhoods, intent on getting some easy food. 

Blue Dasher

     3. Read listservs and other local reports

There are lots of birders all over the country, and what's nice about that is that there are people birding somewhere almost every day. Often, these birders post to listservs and other bird reports with their sightings. It can be nice to hear what others are seeing when you can't get out. Be warned, though: if there are good birds being seen in the area reading about them when you can't go see them can be frustrating!

     

     4. Clean your optics 

Few things are so nice during a trapped-in-the-house period as getting your optics ready for when you can get out. It is also a good time to do routine optics maintenance, as during peak warbler migration or shorebirding season, you are often to caught up in birding frenzy to clean your binoculars and scope!

     5. Watch your backyard

Sometimes we forget to look at and appreciate the birds in our own yards, instead driving constantly to hotspots in your area to chase rarities. But when you can't do this, there's nothing to do but come back to your yard. Great things can be seen there: I have seen four species of raptor from my backyard, including two Merlins perching on the highest point of a spruce tree. So fill your feeders, get out your bins and maybe a camera, and see if you can find something good! You never know what might show up.

     6. Read bird blogs

These days, as I sit in my house wasting away from the lack of birds I have seen in the last two weeks, I find myself spending increasing amounts of time on some other blogs. These blogs offer tips, techniques, pictures and sometimes trip reports. Some of my favorites include The Eyrie, the ABA Blog, 10,000 Birds, Traveling Trinovid and Birdchick. I also read some blogs run by birders who live and bird in my area, to give me more of an idea of what I can see once I get out. 

     7. Take action for birds

We all love observing birds, but if we don't hurry up and start protecting them there won't be any to look at pretty soon. So while trapped at home, take action for the birds we love. Sign a petition, write a letter, share the word with your friends and fellow birders. Buy a Duck Stamp or make a donation to an organization. You can help restore the West Pond at Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge, stop cormorant slaughter, or help save migrating songbirds from death while sitting at home. The National Audubon Society's Action Center is a good place to start.

So if you, like me, are sitting at home and bemoaning your birdless fate, please give one of the above remedies a try. I hope it works!