When Tom and I started this blog site, we wanted to showcase one of the most exciting birding opportunities: coastal birds. Not only would this site be about birds, but also to encompass the whole birding experience. The weather, sea conditions and the splendor of the beauty of the unspoiled and natural habitat of many of the great birding areas, all augmenting the birding experience. Just as an artist creates perfect harmony in their paintings, this dynamic is created by the artist’s vision; by the interaction between the subject and its habitat.
GREY-HOODED GULL AT CONEY ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY:
Last week a very rare tropical gull species, the Grey-headed/hooded Gull (Larus cirrocephalus) was sighted at a very unusual location; on the beach of Coney Island, in New York City. Everyone around the country was “buzzing” about this bird, especially since there had been only one previous recorded sighting of this bird species in North America (http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/NAB/v053n03/p00337-p00339.pdf). Watching all the internet “birding lists” this was indeed a “super-bird”. Daily reports of sightings were being posted vigorously and this bird became an overnight “star” (The New York Birding List), including an article in the New York Times (Gray-Hooded Gull, Rare Bird in U.S., Is Apparently on Coney Island - NYTimes.com). Plus an informative posting at this gull site.... Anything Larus: The Coney Island Gray-hooded Gull including a map of this species normal breeding ranges and wintering limits taken from "Gulls of North America, Europe and Asia" by Olsen and Larsson, 2003... Link to the range map at the "Anything Larus" site ...
I kept vacillating in my mind, “should I go” to see this bird? Honestly, I am a bit intimidated by cities, having grown up in a rural environment; I tend to avoid crowds. But this is a really special bird, probably the only one I will ever see in the northeast, maybe I should think about it! I read Nick Bonomo’s blog; “Shorebirder” and I believe he was one of the first birders from CT to make the trip to Brooklyn. His blog was excellent, giving a full accounting of the bird (Shorebirder: GRAY-HOODED GULL - Coney Island, NY). To me, I looked at this bird as a very special species. Besides being rare and quite unique as a gull (so different than our species), the bird was gorgeous! I am fascinated by “hooded gulls” especially the Laughing and Bonapartes Gulls, but especially their “rarer” cousins; Black-headed and Little Gulls (see our blog in the June archives). But this gull was very special with its shaded grey “hood”, straw colored eye, red/magenta bill and legs, unique wing markings, streamlined anatomy, and delicate shape. I want to carve this bird and give it a home on my mantle (watch for this blog in a week or so).
Tom and I were planning on a trip to Rhode Island on Tuesday for a day of shorebirding in some beautiful pristine natural habitat. As we made plans, Tom questioned that maybe we should go see this gull instead, especially since his friend Paul Buckley had raised this point the night before. I agreed we could go shorebirding next week. Being that Tom was originally from NYC, I left the driving to his very capable hands. Having decided that, we met early Tuesday morning, and we were soon heading southwest on the Merritt Parkway.
The plan was simple: to AVOID TRAFFIC, arrive early, and hopefully the gull would be there early (as it had been several days last week, but not recently)! Like a dream, we didn’t hit any traffic; not at all! We met in Meriden at 5:00 am and our quest began. Tom had plotted the destination on his GPS and we arrived at Coney Island about nine minutes after his GPS predicted--amazing!! As we pulled up to the parking area around 7:20am the computerized voice of the GPS confidently said, "Arriving at Gray-hooded Gull!!" When Tom parked his car in the parking lot (at GPS setting of 2802 West 12th Street, New York, NY 11224) we paid $10 for the day (a true bargain) we were just two blocks north of the entrance to the boardwalk. When we unpacked the car of our gear: binoculars, scopes, cameras, etc., I stood there for a moment to take it all in.
I was standing on a street in NYC, looking towards the distant boardwalk and ocean (two blocks away) where this incredibly rare “super-bird” might be there waiting for us. Being only my second trip to NYC (my first being last summer's visit to the Bronx Zoo), it was all a bit surreal to me. Painting a picture: in the foreground was the subway hub with the two overhead tracks crossing this old street framing this picture. As you looked down the road you could see a busy city street bisecting the distant amusement area with colorful tents, banners and the Ferris wheel completeing the image perfectly positioned in the “rule of thirds” placement typical of an artists design fundamental. I found this fascinating!
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Looking south towards the boardwalk from the parking lot on W 12th Street...
We walked the two blocks south to the ocean-front boardwalk. It was obvious that we found the correct spot when we saw many birders already there on the boardwalk (since 6am) scanning the area through binoculars and scopes. We arrived at the boardwalk at 7:27am and we found a suitable location on the boardwalk along the railings near a few other birders. The gull hadn’t been seen yet at that point in time. On the beach were mostly Laughing Gulls, a few Herring and Ring-billed Gulls and a single immature Lesser Black-backed Gull. A few Common Terns were perched on the outer jetties and flying along the beach.
The location where the gull had been seen... this map (and most images in this post) can be double-clicked, enlarged, and stretched...
As we unloaded our gear, I grabbed my camera first, put it around my neck, turned it on, checked the settings, and in what seemed like a perfectly timed and choreographed event, someone shouted “Here it is-- it’s flying in from the east”. Instinctively, I aimed my camera and immediately found the bird; it was flying in from the left, out over the beach about fifty yards out. I took a short burst of shots before the bird settled on the beach. The gull arrived exactly three minutes after we arrived! What incredible good luck!! Some days you can not find the target bird no matter how hard you try, and other days Lady Luck is your best friend!
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My first shot of this gull flying in from the east... only three minutes after we arrived at the beach!
This was a wonderful moment... this bird was stunning. The gull sat there for awhile at this distance, and I took many shots of this bird. But I wished it was closer. I eventually joined a few other photographers on the beach, and the gull cooperated nicely. It walked around the beach all morning, offering incredible views, and often approached me quite close (within a few feet), possibly looking for a handout? It was often too close for my lens. There isn’t much of a story to tell-- the bird stayed all morning, walking and flying around once in a while. This bird was relatively tame (as were all the gulls on that beach), and with the exception of two mild altercations with other gulls, was quite "at home". During this time many local New Yorkers walked by, asked about the bird, and were genuinely friendly and courteous, disproving whatever myths/generalizations some people might have about the residents of this great cosmopolitan city.
I believe the best way to express how rare, stunning and exceptional this gull is, is to demonstrate this with a few of the images I took. Since there have been many images posted of this bird, I also want to show you images that are a bit different and from a different perspective. An incredible bird! Enjoy!!
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It seemed to like the company of Laughing Gulls- “got a bit of an itch”...
“This is my spot” ...a slight suggestion to move from this Ring-billed Gull...
Laughing Gull giving a little suggestion to move as well...
Flying around the beach. Notice the spectacular wing markings...
Here are a few portrait shots; hopefully these postures and poses will highlight how beautiful this bird is.
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Long perspective--notice the Laughing Gull shape...
Walking...
Reaching. The gull approached me and when I took this image, the bird was only six feet away...
Spectacular profile...
Doing the “Samba”...
Beautiful head profile. The straw-colored eye is beautifully surrounded with a red eye ring, white “spectacle” and soft grey hood with darker collar...
What started out as a yawn....
…….turned into a call. Notice how deep red the color of its gape is!...
Kinda’ curious?...
Very contented...
Throughout the morning there were anywhere from thirty-five to fifty birders present, coming from everywhere: CT, Mass, Maine, R I, Virginia, N C, upstate NY, and even California, Washington state and Colorado. In talking with many of the birders, the common question between everyone was “how the bird got here”. The two most logical assumptions that I thought of would be a “stow-away” on a freighter or tanker coming from South America, or maybe it joined up with a flock of migrating Laughing Gulls, seeing that this bird has been keeping company with them. Whatever the reason for this bird being here, one thing is for certain, it is here and many of us got the great opportunity to enjoy it!
Tom and I spent three hours and enjoyed this bird as much as physically possible. I think I can speak for Tom, when I say that we were blessed to see this spectacular bird. By 10:30 am, it was getting hotter, and it was time to say good-bye to some new friends, most notably being this exquisite tropical gull; the Grey-hooded Gull and to this quite unique location. As we left the famous Coney Island boardwalk, I glanced back for one last look. Most of the gulls including the Grey-hooded had moved to a new location; near the plastic palm tree on the beach. This palm tree is a sprinkler which was turned off at the time. According to many of the birders that have been there a few days, the gulls wait for the sprinkler to be turned on, giving them a shower and a drink of fresh water.
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Tom (right) saying good-bye to some new friends (including four birders from Delaware). The gull is visible through the area between the legs of the tripod...
Tom walking on the famous Coney Island boardwalk...
Keith relaxing on the famous boardwalk, with the gull on the sand at the far left side of the picture...
Keith smiling as he leaves the famous boardwalk....having seen and photographed the mega-rare gull....
If you want driving/parking directions for this rare gull please click on this link...
and if you use a GPS to find the bird's location (actually the parking lot near the bird) in Coney Island, please use the exact zipcode 11224 in this address (since New York City has several 12th Streets)....... 2802 W 12th St, New York, NY 11224
If you can not go early enough (or late enough) to avoid the weekday rush hour traffic, then you might want to consider taking a subway (probably without taking your scope/tripod), as recommended by this posting... The New York Birding List but based on our experience, the 5am-7am time slot is best for driving, with little traffic to contend with in both CT and NYC during those two hours.JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE:
Since we were in the Brooklyn/Queens area, and we had originally planned on shorebirding, Tom suggested a short trip to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (JBWR) which was only a 20-minute drive to the East of the gull. We also had to plan our time to also avoid the heavy afternoon traffic that could be waiting for us heading home. When we reached the Jamaica Bay Visitors Center we heard of two species there worth searching for: one Hudsonian Godwit and two Stilt Sandpipers. But my main interest was trying to get a few decent images of Short-billed Dowitchers; a bird that I just have never been able to photograph well. Being near peak migration for this species, I thought that should be OK.
Here is a map of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, showing the primary area usually birded in the red oval, with the West Pond on the "left" side of the road, and the East Pond on the "right" side of the road (you can double-click on this map and expand/stretch it considerably)...
Here is a more detailed map of the JBWR.... http://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/upload/RefugeMap5.pdf
and here is more info from the Brooklyn Bird Club... Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge including directions to JBWR... BY CAR: Belt Parkway to exit 17 (Crossbay Boulevard), go south, over North Channel Bridge and continue south 1.5 miles to the (second?) traffic light, which is at the entrance to the refuge parking lot on the right/west.
To summarize the JBWR visit; plenty of birds and HOT!! After hearing from other birders that the Hudsonian Godwit was being seen in the East Pond, we ventured there first, joining up with a few other birders we had met earlier at Coney Island. In the East Pond were Double-crested Cormorants, Black Ducks and eclipse Mallards, a few Blue-winged Teal, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Common, Least and Forster’s Terns, Laughing, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls, flocks of Semi-palmated and Least Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Willets, Short-billed Dowitchers (too far and unfortunately back-lit for images) and a single Hudsonian Godwit, wading in several inches of water, on the far eastern side of the East Pond (requiring we use scopes, and out of camera range). Walking along the trail both to and from the lookout of East Pond were Robins, Catbirds, Yellow Warblers, a single Redstart and hundreds of Cicadas. The hot temperatures and the non-stop loud scratching calls of the cicadas made it feel exactly like being in a tropical rain forest!
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A pair of Cicada...
A single Cicada only a few feet over my head...
Heading back across the highway to the Information Center, the other birders headed out for a Nathan's hot dog, while Tom and I wandered down the path to the West Pond in hopes of finding the two Stilt Sandpipers that were seen that morning.
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Did I mention that it was hot!!...hot enough to have cactus growing at Jamaica Bay...
From all the lookout clearings along the trail of the southern side of West Pond we never found the Stilt Sandpipers, but what we did find was large flocks of shorebirds: Semi-palmated and Least Sandpipers, including a single White-rumped, Willets, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Semi-palmated Plover, and Short-billed Dowitchers (finally got a few good images). Also were a few Black Ducks, eclipse Mallards, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, a few Blue-winged Teal, Great and Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis and a single Tri-colored Heron. Gulls included: Laughing, Herring and Ring-billed and Common, Least and Forster’s Terns both adults and fledglings, a possible Gull-billed Tern, Tree Swallows, assorted Sparrows and a few Fish Crows.
Here are a few images from West Pond:
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Flock of Semi-palmated Sandpipers with a Least and Forster’s Tern...
Short-billed Dowitchers...
Short-billed Dowitchers landing with eclipse Mallards...
Short-billed Dowitchers...
Fresh juvenile Forster’s Tern...
“Ready to plunge” fresh juvenile Forster’s Tern...
After a much needed replenishment of cold water, it was time to head home. We left around 1:30 pm and made it all the way home without any traffic issues.
By the way, one of the most satisfying things of the whole day was meeting an 8-year old boy Ryan and his mother at Jamaica Bay. Ryan showed an intense love of birds and was very knowledgeable. Good for you Ryan, and your supportive parents, and keep it up. It is very very heartening to see a young generation of people who love Nature, and will take good care of the planet going forward!!
My reflections on the day: New York City can be an amazing place for birding!! Even with the unique heavily-populated location that this bird chose to appear, it was a great experience. The bird was breathtaking, and if I never see another Grey-hooded Gull, this bird made a very profound impression on me, one that will be long lasting!
Thanks Tom!! And thanks Paul!!
Keith Mueller Killingworth CT
