DVOC Main Page > Field Trips > Field Trip Report
DVOC Field Trip Report
by Chris
Walters
January 14,15,16, 2006
Montauk, NY
Click here for pictures by Erica Brendel
The 2006 Montauk Trip was memorable for its fierce Sunday weather as a powerful cold front brought steady 30 mph winds, 50 mph gusts and horizontal snow showers across the region. DVOC’s 11 troops soldiered on notwithstanding, tallying 86 species on the trip, as Saturday’s soaking rains never came and Monday’s 15 mph winds seemed tame.
Our first stop (Brooklyn College) yielded 6 Monk Parakeets and a watchful perched Peregrine Falcon. After Marina Park and Floyd Bennett Field padded the list, Eisenhower Park produced great looks at a Greater White-fronted Goose and a pair of Wood Ducks. Wantagh Park failed to display the previously-reported Black Brant, but the consolation prize was satisfying: an adult Cooper’s Hawk calmly perched at just 75 yards. Since lunch at a strip mall “happened” to be right next to a productive pond on Merrick Road nearby, we couldn’t help but add to a waterfowl list that totaled 23 duck species by trip’s end.
At Jones Beach after lunch, Glaucous Gull, Oystercatchers,
80 Snow Buntings and three surprising Tree Swallows kept us busy before the
long ride to our ferry and lodgings on remote Shelter Island.
The snow came overnight, and Sunday we awakened to a winter wonderland with
the blizzard at full roar. But we had a trump card: a home-cooked breakfast.
Thanks, Lydia! Then, off to Montauk Point we went, where we set up scopes at
the only viable place: next to the concession building where the howling winds
were somewhat blocked. Here through the snowflakes we worked over the thousands
of massed scoters and hundreds of eiders before us. In all, six to eight Razorbills,
several Gannets, dozens of Common Eider and all three scoters were enjoyed.
We then worked west, picking up an adult Red-shouldered Hawk, the first of an
amazing 8 Catbirds, and an increasing variety of ducks at jetties and multiple
ponds before dark.
Monday we enjoyed another Lydia Reichner breakfast, cleaned up our rented private house, and hit the ferry for the trek to our morning stops. Shorts Pond produced Cackling Goose (but seen by just two of us), we missed the previously-reported Dickcissel, and Shinnecock Inlet’s highlight was a new (for us) lunch spot. We then had fine looks at American Bittern, Greater Yellowlegs and Boat-tailed Grackles on Shinnecock’s Dune Road, followed by 13 beautiful Redheads and a wave of other waterfowl at Eastport Pond and Swan Lake. Participants were Erica Brendel and Chris Walters (co-leaders), Lydia Reichner (head chef), Club Secretary Frank Windfelder, Steve Kacir, Edie Parnum, Debbie Beer, Rob Hynson, Nancy Cooke, Steve Liebhaber, and Fran Hovey.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Brooklyn College, Marina Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Eisenhower Park, Wantagh Park, pond on Route 27, Jones Beach and Pt. Lookout.
Day 2: Shelter Island, Montauk Pt., Camp Hero SP, Montauk Inlet, Tuthill’s Pond, Culloden Pt., Napeague Harbor, Agawam Lake, Cooper’s Neck Pond, Halsey Neck Pond.
Day 3: Shorts Pond, David’s Lane Trail, Hook Pond,
Shinnecock Inlet, Dune Rd., Eastport Pond, Swan Lake.
| BIRDS | |
| Common Loon | seen daily (many sought shelter around Star Island, Montauk) |
| Red-throated Loon | a few seen daily |
| Pied-b’d Grebe | 1 on pond off Merrick Rd., Wantagh |
| Horned Grebe | 1 or 2 seen daily |
| No. Gannett | several off Montauk Point |
| Double-crested Cormorant | several at Marina Park (Brooklyn) |
| Great Cormorant | 2 at Floyd Bennett Field, 1 at Shinnecock |
| Great Blue Heron | several around ponds |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | 1 immature at Eastport Pond |
| Am. Bittern | 1 along Dune Rd. W. of Shinnecock |
| Mute Swan | 1 found on several ponds |
| Canada Goose | 1 common seen daily |
| Cackling Goose | 1 at Shorts Pond seen by Kacir & Walters |
| Snow Goose | 50 at Shorts Pond |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | 1 at Eisenhower Park |
| Brant | common seen daily |
| Wood Duck | two at Eisenhower Park |
| Am. Wigeon | up to 20 on two days |
| Gadwall | many on Swan Lake and some elsewhere |
| Mallard | common seen daily |
| Black Duck | most at Shinnecock Bay |
| No. Pintail | three at Swan Lake |
| No. Shoveller | a few at Eisenhower Park and the Southampton ponds |
| Canvasback | up to 25 at Eastport Pond |
| Redhead | at least 13 at Eastport Pond |
| Ring-necked Duck | small numbers at multiple spots |
| Greater Scaup | most found at Marina Park |
| Lesser Scaup | common on the Southampton Ponds |
| Common Eider | hundreds off Montauk Point |
| Long-tailed Duck | common from Shelter Island ferry |
| Black Scoter | thousands off Montauk Point |
| Surf Scoter | most numerous scoter at Montauk Point |
| White-winged Scoter | 10 off Montauk Point |
| Common Goldeneye | one drake at Shinnecock Bay |
| Bufflehead | a few seen each day |
| Hooded Merganser | up to 15 at Swan Lake, Eastport Pond, and pond off Merrick Rd. Wantagh |
| Red-breasted Merganser | common at Montauk inlet and other coastal spots |
| Common Merganser | several at Hook Pond |
| Ruddy Duck | up to 10 at Marina and Eisenhower Parks |
| No. Harrier | one at Jones Beach |
| Cooper’s Hawk | beautiful perched views of adult – Wantagh park |
| Red-t’d Hawk | 2 at Loop Causeway to Pt. Lookout |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 adult at Horsefarm at Hither Hills |
| Peregrine Falcon | Brooklyn College |
| Coot | ponds throughout |
| Oystercatcher | several seen from Jones Beach Coast Guard Station |
| Black-bellied Plover | several seen from Jones Beach Coast Guard Station |
| Greater Yellowlegs | one lonely individual along Dune Rd., Shinnecock |
| Sanderling | many seen from Jones Beach bayside; l at Shinnecock |
| Dunlin | several at Shinnecock area |
| Ring-billed Gull | common seen daily |
| Herring Gull | common seen daily |
| Great Black Backed Gull | common seen daily |
| Glaucous Gull | 1 from Jones Beach Coast Guard Station |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | 20/25 at Montauk Pt. |
| Razorbill | 6 to 8 at Montauk Pt.; 1 off Shinnecock Inlet |
| Rock Pigeon | common seen daily |
| Mourning Dove | small numbers seen daily |
| Monk Parakeet | nesting at Brooklyn College |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 heard at Wantagh park |
| Downy Woodpecker | a few seen daily |
| Flicker | 1 seen along road near Sag Harbor |
| Horned Lark | 1 flushed from road at Napeague Harbor |
| Tree Swallow | three perched at Jones Beach |
| Carolina Wren | David Lane, Easthampton |
| Gray Catbird | unusually high total of 8 seen |
| Mockingbird | 1 seen daily |
| Hermit Thrush | David Lane, Easthampton |
| Am. Robin | David Lane, Easthampton |
| Black-capped Chickadee | seen daily in small numbers |
| Tufted Titmouse | seen daily in small numbers |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 2 at Marina Park, Brooklyn |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | off Rt. 27 in Water Mill |
| Blue Jay | a few seen daily |
| Am. Crow | uncommon but seen daily |
| Starling | common seen daily |
| House Sparrow | common seen daily |
| House Finch | 2 seen at Wantagh Park |
| Am. Goldfinch | flock of 20 at Floyd Bennett Field |
| Savannah Sparrow | 1 at Wantagh Park |
| Song Sparrow | a few seen daily |
| White-throated Sparrow | a few seen daily |
| No. Junco | a few seen on two days |
| Snow Bunting | 80 in 2 flocks at Jones Beach |
| No. Cardinal | several seen daily |
| Boat-t’d Grackle | 2 along Dune Rd., Shinnecock |