10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2017

But after a long weekend in Niagara Falls and Toronto with my extended family, which featured virtually no birding, I was more than willing to get out at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday morning (the 4th of July) to see what was out and about.

Jamaica 101

Jamaica Wildlife United States Breeders 101

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

Saturday morning, 30 August 2014, was a perfect time for shorebirding at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East Pond. … Trips Jamaica Bay Queens shorebirds' Wouldn’t you agree? By the way, all of the images in this post were digiscoped that morning. Where else can you get this many shots of shorebirds in one morning?

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Jamaica Bald Eagle Eagles South America 209

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

It is extremely unusual that we birders can still walk the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in November. … Trips Jamaica Bay November shorebirds' By now water levels should be high and the pond should be full as ducks, both dabbling and diving, are making their way south from cooler climes.

Jamaica 179

Jamaica Geese Ducks Canada 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2015

That place is the fabled home of shorebirds, both common and rare, the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. American Avocet on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East Pond. It being mid-August in New York City there is one place where I have to be as often as I can.

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Jamaica New York City Wildlife New York 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2011

Just like last year when I spent a goodly chunk of a Saturday at the end of May at Jamaica Bay I spent this past Saturday birding one of the premiere birding destinations of the northeastern United States, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Jamaica 162

Jamaica United States Birds Wildlife 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2012

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY, 3 August 2008 It was while watching flocks of shorebirds on Friday on Cape Cod (an adventure I will soon describe) that I first heard of a Red-necked Stint being found at Jamaica Bay. They both breed in Siberia, which is pretty far from Jamaica Bay. … a.

Jamaica 169

Jamaica 2008 New York Alaska 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2017

Fortunately for me, a kind birder pointed out a ruby-throat in the process of building a nest at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last week and the nest is relatively low and unobstructed.

Jamaica 100

Jamaica Wildlife New York City New York 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2023

This post is not a twitch, but it is much more fun to read if you first dwell upon the sentiments from the last picture of Corey’s post from East Pond, Jamaica Bay, 2015 It would be a bold birder that calls a Common Ringed Plover , Charadrius hiaticula where Semi-palmated Plover , C. semipalmatus is also an option.

Iceland 212

Iceland Stray Breeders Canada 212

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2021

Corey went out onto the East Pond at Jamaica Bay both mornings this weekend and saw bunches of great birds. This is about the time of year American Goldfinches look their sharpest, especially when artfully staged atop one of my purple coneflowers.

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Jamaica Birds Experience Experiments 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2021

Corey explored the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Saturday morning and Fort Tilden on Sunday morning. As serene as that sounds, seeing these birds now just reminds me that they’re on their way to warmer climes and won’t be back for many months.

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Jamaica Turkey Birds Wildlife 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2020

Mourning Warblers are never a guaranteed bird in Queens and seeing one at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was a real treat. Somehow, despite seeing both species of cuckoo that show up in New York, two dozen species of wood-warbler, and host of other birds, he managed to narrow it down.

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2020 Jamaica New York Birds 352

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2020

But his Best Bird of the Weekend was one he saw with his family on a visit to Jamaica Bay on Saturday evening. If you were wondering, the rabbit won this encounter. Corey enjoyed some good birding on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

2020 243

2020 Rabbits Jamaica Pelicans 243

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2020

Shorebird migration is in full swing and though Jamaica Bay’s East Pond is still full of water he saw some good birds on the beach. Corey spent most of Sunday driving to the Adirondacks for a week in the mountains, but he did get out birding in Queens on Saturday morning. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2020 263

2020 Jamaica New York Birds 263

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Corey went for a walk at Jamaica Bay with his family on Saturday evening, after the rain had stopped in New York City and went out again, alone, on Sunday morning before the rain picked back up. At least that’s where I added this species to my New York list.

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New York City Charlotte New York Jamaica 247

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

Last weekend a Sora was spotted at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and I had no time to go see it. Amazingly, the bird stuck, and after birding Fort Tilden early in the AM with Seth and Mary we three headed to Jamaica Bay’s East Pond to try to track down either of what had become two Soras being seen in the refuge.

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Jamaica Wildlife Birds 113

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

You are also probably aware that Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the best urban birding sites in the world, is on my regular list of spots that I like to stop by and visit. I have seen some absolutely amazing birds at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I can’t abide the thought of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge without a West Pond.

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Jamaica New York City United States Wildlife 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2020

Corey enjoyed a morning walk on Saturday with three friends at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where they spotted over fifty species between mosquitoes and biting flies. The best of them was a surprise Bobolink , which was a lifer for all three of Corey’s companions, and nice bird to see at anytime.

2020 164

2020 Pennsylvania Jamaica Birds 164

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Corey and his family, fresh off a victorious tour of Jamaica, will be expanding their circuit to the New York Capitol Region this weekend. Now that Ivy and I have broken the ice on owls this year, we’re eager to add a couple more, so Owl Woods might be in the cards. How about you? Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding?

2020 152

2020 Jamaica New York Owls 152

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

I also won’t be meeting Corey, who is spending some recreational time in Jamaica this weekend and beyond. I won’t even be in position to go after the coastal specialties we miss along the Great Lakes. Look for him in Cockpit Country! How about you? Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding?

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2020 Jamaica Birds 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2020

But the birds he most appreciated were the juvenile Least Sandpiper feeding at his feet on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. As an example of how close they were, the shot above is uncropped. Least Sandpiper is easily Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2020 171

2020 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2021

But, of course, it was Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge that paid off the most when Corey carefully scanned the margins of the West Pond and turned up a surprise American Bittern. Cheers to those Mourning Doves , who remain unflappable when the cold is unbearable.

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Jamaica Birds Wildlife Experience 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

New York City’s premiere wildlife refuge proved to be no refuge for Canada Geese on Monday morning as federal agents rounded up 711 geese – including goslings – and packed them up for a trip to upstate New York where they will be gassed and their meat will be provided to food banks.

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Geese New York City Jamaica Slaughter 141

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2021

At the time, I was just getting into birding and while I’d already been to Jamaica Bay a few times, spring migration was an entirely new phenomenon to me and I’d only seen one warbler species up to that point ( Yellow Warblers at Jamaica Bay, in fact, exactly a week before my Prospect Park trip).

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Jamaica New York Boston Peru 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

Corey got his Best Bird of the Weekend early this weekend as while he and his family were making their way home from a week-long vacation in Cape Cod on Friday a Black-throated Gray Warbler was found in Queens at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. His wonderful family agreed to drive straight there before going home and Corey got a new Queens bird!

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2020 Jamaica Birds Family 155

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2020

Corey got out looking for birds at Jamaica Bay on Sunday morning and is he ever glad he did! Alas, I didn’t locate any but found enjoyment in a prolonged standoff between mobbing Red-eyed Vireos and a Blue Jay who refused to take the hint.

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2020 ALA Jamaica New York 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Corey got into Jamaica midafternoon on Saturday and has spent most of the time since then on the beach. Expected birds on the water in the Caribbean is mostly what he’s seen but an Antillean Palm Swift , his lifer, on the ride from the airport is his Beat Bird of the Weekend.

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2020 United States Jamaica Birds 159

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2020

But he didn’t get a photo and he really appreciated an extremely confiding American Goldfinch at Jamaica Bay that sat nicely in perfect morning light for Corey and his digiscoping rig. Corey feels he should probably choose the only year bird he got this weekend, an Olive-sided Flycatcher , as his Best Bird of the Weekend. How about you?

2020 157

2020 Tennessee Jamaica Birds 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

Damage to New York included floods caused by the storm surge, power cuts and disruption to transport, including the loss of the railway line that crosses Jamaica Bay. Two years on, the train line has been repaired at last and I paid a visit to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

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New Jersey New York Jamaica Transported 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2015

Corey will be out and about in the NYC area this weekend; if you are too, you’d be crazy to miss the 10th Annual Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Seriously, Jamaica Bay has some of the best birding anywhere, and this is your chance to see ALL the shorebirds. How about you?

Jamaica 157

Jamaica 2015 Birds Wildlife 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh.

2019 119

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 119

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2014

Sunday morning was a perfect morning to get out on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. ” At Jamaica Bay in August the standard peep is the Semipalmated Sandpiper , which is present in the hundreds or even thousands. … Trips Jamaica Bay peeps shorebirds' Western Sandpipers sleep with one eye open.

Jamaica 179

Jamaica Rights Species Wildlife 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2018

Corey enjoyed shorebirds on the beach in the Rockaways, in the mud at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Wildlife, and on pavement at Floyd Bennett Field this weekend. But of all the shorebirds he saw he appreciated none so much as the Hudsonian Godwit he spotted on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay. How about you?

2018 100

2018 Jamaica Emotional Owls 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

So we tend to only get a couple of sightings a year, usually out at Fort Tilden where there are some wide open athletic fields or on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, especially when water levels are very low, which leaves enough shoreline for plants to grow. Year after year birds would be reported only for me to miss them.

Jamaica 198

Jamaica 2008 Killing Wildlife 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2012

On a recent walk around Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge I took the following picture. Here, let me zoom in for you… It’s a Gray Tree Frog , Hyla versicolor , a common species at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Why is it interesting? What if I give you a clue? Do you see it now? And do you know what it is?

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Jamaica Wildlife Species 155

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2011

That is until a recent Nikon’s BATV film trip to Jamaica revealed a unique avian femme fatale, the Crested Quail-dove -- also known colloquially as the mountain witch. A Crested Quail-dove by Biswarup Satpati Crested Quail-doves are found in limited habitat in the Blue Mountains and John Crow Mountains of eastern Jamaica.

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Hunting Jamaica Blackbirds Transported 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2011

“Jah Man (pronounced Jamon )&# is something you will hear often when visiting Jamaica. When our local driver asked me in Patois, an English-lexified creole language unique to Jamaica, if we would like to go and see Jamaican Owl , I had no idea what he was talking about. “Yu wan cu pan da patoo wid dem big eyes?

Owls 180

Owls Jamaica Cats Rights 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

Until Mute Swans took over Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, gallinules bred there. The undisputed highlight was only his third Common Gallinule in Queens, and first since 2011, a young bird at Baisley Pond Park, spotted by Corey’s buddy Seth while the two of them were birding together. Sadly, that was before Corey moved to Queens.

2019 166

2019 Breeders Jamaica Birds 166