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DVOC Field Trip Report
by Chris Walters

January 15, 16, 17, 2005
Montauk, NY

Initially disappointed to find that the boreal owl had vanished from its Central Park perch, nine Montauk Long Island trip participants spent the rest of the January 15-17 weekend scrambling and rallying, finally compiling a list of 89 species. Best birds were Harris' Sparrow, Snowy Owl, Barrow's Goldeneye (male), Razorbills, Cackling Goose, Red-headed Woodpecker, Eurasian Widgeon, American Bittern, Harlequin Duck, Iceland Gull (adult, likely of Kumlien's race), red-phased Screech Owl, and Lesser Black-backed Gull. 25 duck species (plus an uncountable Mandarin Duck) were seen. In addition, the group consumed two bountiful home-cooked breakfasts and a Italian dinner repast at the private home we rented on Shelter Island, courtesy of chef Adrian Binns and food provider Al Kronschnabel (Al's first DVOC Montauk trip was back in 1956--you remember, Eisenhower was President).

The details follow. On Saturday the 15th we all had wonderful views of a juvenile Harris' Sparrow feeding on the ground at Baldwin Town Park. What a handsome plumage this juvenile had! We also had Razorbills (some fairly close) and two pairs of close-in Harlequin Ducks at Pt. Lookout on the Jones Beach Inlet, and we later caught up to the male Barrow's Goldeneye on Long Island's north shore. Peregrine and Merlin were also seen that afternoon. Before dawn Sunday we taped in a red-phased Screech Owl, and photographed it as a Great Horned Owl sounded off in the background. It was then off to the ferry to the mainland for Red-Headed Woodpeckers (one adult, one juvenile) near Sag Harbor, before hitting Montauk's Fort Pond Bay for several Razorbills sitting there on the bay. From Montauk Point and its jetties many Common Eider and several Gannets stood out among all the scoters and Red-breasted mergansers.

That afternoon we coffee'd at Starbucks and lunched at Tully's Seafood before touring the Shinnecock Inlet and dunes. There Bob Horton, a "rookie" on his first Montauk trip, stunned the experts by picking out the Snowy Owl, while others had great looks at a sitting (later flying) adult Iceland Gull likely of Kumlien's race (even though it was all white in the primaries, it had no yellow eye). Further west we parked next to an American Bittern as it fed. Darkness arrived and back we went for beers and lasagna at Shelter Island. Snow started falling lightly at 10 pm, and by Monday morning we had maybe two inches, but the sun came out by 10 am and by that time we'd already scored other successes. These included Eurasian Wigeon and Cackling Goose on the Southampton ponds, and later Lesser Black-backed Gull on a brief revisit to Shinnecock Inlet.

Mystery bird of the trip was undoubtedly an unusual (for us) dark-plumaged Red-throated Loon at Pt. Lookout that some in NY were calling a Pacific Loon. But Adrian correctly said it was not, and other experts from other organizations later agreed. Participants were Erica Brendel and Chris Walters (co-leaders), Bob Krinsky of Manhattan (NY-based DVOCer), President Adrian Binns, former Field Trip Committee chairs Frank Windfelder and Al Kronschnabel, Edie Parnum, and "trip rookies" Debbie Beers and Bob Horton. Naturally, the rookies pulled the KP and kitchen clean-up duties, while the co-leaders "supervised".