JBWR 8/1: Pelican!

There have been a number of rare for area birds reported out at Jamaica Bay recently, the two most prominent being a Black-bellied Whistling Duck and an American White Pelican. BBWD's have been popping up all over the place lately--5 in PA, then probably the same 5 in upstate NY, 3 down in Cape May, another couple reported at Brigantine--so this bird wasn't totally amazing but certainly unlikely. Especially since the West Pond where it was seen yesterday is brackish and they're freshwater birds.

For us it wasn't a life bird. When we were in Texas a couple of years ago, we hired a guide for a 1/2 day to take us to the local hot spots. He asked us for our target birds and BBWD was on top of the list. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks? No problem. We got in the car at our hotel; Shari was driving he was navigating. "Make a right at the corner, then a left. Stop. Look in that guy's backyard." 4 or 5 of the ducks were two blocks from where we staying.

And a good thing we didn't really need the bird because after getting up pretty early and driving out to Queens, it wasn't there. We hung around or an hour and a half, ticking off some our favorite big-nosed birds like American Oystercatcher and Black Skimmer, but the bird never showed. Perhaps a one-day wonder.

Speaking of  big-nosed birds, the other bird I really wanted to see was the pelican, which has been hanging out at the East Pond for at least a week. However, neither of us really felt like putting on our waders and walking along the seemingly endless gravel road out to the entrance to the northern part of the pond and then wading calf-deep in muck and ooze just to see a pelican. I knew that it was being reported south of one of the pond's islands, so I suspected we'd be able to espy it from "The Raunt" which is in the middle of the pond. The trail that takes you out to that viewing area is firm and not too long.

There were at least a hundred swans on the pond and I despaired of picking out a pelican when Shari disappeared into the reeds, calling me a few minutes later. From here different vantage point she'd spotted the pelican and we able to scope it in all its goofy glory. Too far away to photograph, but very clear in the scope.

American White Pelican became my 200th bird of the year.
The full lists:
West Pond
Number of species:     33
Canada Goose     50
Mute Swan     7
Gadwall     2
American Black Duck     4
Mallard     100
Double-crested Cormorant     25
Great Egret     1
Snowy Egret     1
Little Blue Heron     1
Black-crowned Night-Heron     2
Glossy Ibis     3
Osprey     7
Clapper Rail     1
Killdeer     1
American Oystercatcher     2
Lesser Yellowlegs     2
Semipalmated Sandpiper     10
Laughing Gull     20
Herring Gull     3
Least Tern     1
Forster's Tern     10
Black Skimmer     4
Rock Pigeon     25
Willow Flycatcher     1
American Crow     2
crow sp.     4
Tree Swallow     5
Barn Swallow     1
Northern Mockingbird     4
European Starling     5
Yellow Warbler     3
Song Sparrow     1
Northern Cardinal     2
Common Grackle     2
East Pond
Number of species:     21
Canada Goose     20
Mute Swan     100
Mallard     200
American White Pelican     1
Double-crested Cormorant     5
Little Blue Heron     1
Glossy Ibis     2
Spotted Sandpiper     2
Greater Yellowlegs     1
Lesser Yellowlegs     2
Semipalmated Sandpiper     10
Short-billed Dowitcher     2
Laughing Gull     10
Herring Gull     2
Least Tern     1
Forster's Tern     10
Empidonax sp.     1
Great Crested Flycatcher     1
Gray Catbird     5
Yellow Warbler     3
Eastern Towhee     1
Northern Cardinal     2