Birding August 16-17 '25

[jle...@gmail.com]

Hank and I went to Cupsogue yesterday and we had a grand time crossing the bars at low tide. We had a wish list, including RED KNOT, MARBLED GODWIT and the rare SANDWICH TERN. We got our wish. One Marbled Godwit, two Red Knots and an adult Sandwich Tern feeding its young. We could only guessamate the numbers of species that were present. We observed a family group of SALTMARSH SPARROWS in one location in a marsh plant. Seven individuals!  SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, OYSTERCATCHERS, SEMI-PALM PLOVER and SANDPIPERS. Migration has always had my attention, wind direction, the species that appear first, rain fall, knowledge of behavior.  50 years of birding and I'm learning shit all the time and still surprised!  At Cupsogue we had 48 species.  This morning we went to Jack Levin, taking our egg sandwiches to the North Tower. Hank still needs a Virginia Rail for the year.....I wanted to see how "far" Suffolk County got in the extension Arshamomaque County park.  Suffolk County were constructing boardwalks across wet areas but the trail for Jack Levin to the new park was highly overgrown, we turned around. I suggested checking out the irrigation pond but there was a lad fishing, so we went along the north trial.  It payed off with one BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and two WORM-EATING WARBLERS!  But Jack Levin had more surprises for us.  We drove to at 25 parking lot and walked to the South Tower. There were three GREAT EGRETS in the pond where pools narrows.  Then another entered the pool and another.  Our high count was 12!  Also we saw something I've never seen here.... MALLARD/BLACK DUCK hybrid.  I guess it was the "fishiness" spot. Also there were several snapping turtles in the small area.  Didn't bother the Great Ones. We had 38 species to Jack Levin. Interestingly we had only eight single birds out of the 74 birds that we ticked off on eBird.  And one species was a ROCK PIGEON!  Will wonders never cease....

The "Rail Trail," the trail to the North Tower, the boardwalks were in rough shape.  Missing boards.... Careful out there.