July 4th in NYC: Part 1

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I flew up to NYC on Thursday for a day's work on Friday. I had arranged my return flight for Saturday evening in order to squeeze in a couple of hours of birding at Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge.

So at 6:30 a.m. on July 4th, I was riding the subway from my hotel in Manhattan out to the refuge. It was a very slow journey, partly because of the holiday and partly because I took a wrong train somewhere in the depths of Brooklyn. In the end, I didn't reach the wildlife refuge until well after 8:00, leaving me only just over 2 hours for my visit.

I started with a walk down to Big John's Pond. Although this is supposed to be a hotspot, all I saw there were two Wood Ducks and a Juvenile Black-crowned Heron. The East Pond was more productive, with dozens of Mute Swans as well as numerous ducks, gulls and Double-crested Cormorants. Unfortunately, most of the birds were too far away to ID without a scope. However, I did get to watch a Black Skimmer as it repeatedly circled and fished the water in front of me.

It's truly amazing how Skimmers can fly for long stretches with their oversized bottom bill just cleaving through the top inch of the water.

After a friendly Russian immigrant birder assured me that I would see more birds on the other section of the refuge, I crossed the road and headed for the West Pond. The terrain here was much more open and there were good views of Manhattan across the bay.

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I was pleasantly surprised to see that the refuge was rich in wildflowers and that these were attracting Monarch butterflies.
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I was amused to see a honeybee literally rolling around and around inside one flower until it was absolutely covered in pollen.

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There were plenty of birds, too. Glossy Ibis, Great Egrets, Mute Swans and Laughing Gulls streamed by overhead, while the edge of the bay was busy with Common Terns and Canada Geese. Again, though, most of the birds were far in the distance. Was it going to be one of those frustrating days when you see lots of birds but few of them come close enough to ID or photograph?

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I needn't have worried. After a hundred yards, the path was lined with Song Sparrows, which seemed unconcerned by the presence of human visitors.

A solitary out-of-season Cedar Waxwing allowed me a brief glimpse.

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The air was full of another birdsong and one that I couldn't immediately recognize. Then I spotted one of the singers and realized I was hearing Gray Catbirds. I've seen Catbirds in Texas, of course, but here they were present in really astounding numbers. And they were bold enough to let me take recognizable photos, something I've never managed to do in six years in Texas!

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Next came one of the highlights of the trip: an Osprey nest. Two adults were clearly visible.

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Then I noticed there were at least two young still in the nest and just visible on each side of the adults.

I love watching Ospreys hovering while they hunt for fish and, a few minutes later, I was treated to a display by one of the adults.

I could have kept watching the Ospreys for ages but time was running short. I had only about an hour left to complete the 2-mile loop around the pond if I was to get back to Manhattan for a noon lunch with friends.