Great Bay Blvd 5/12--Red Knot, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Seaside Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow

Semipalmated Sandpiper

High tide or low tide, which is better for finding shorebirds? The argument for high tide is that it pushes the bird in closer. The argument for low tide is that there is more habitat for shorebirds on the uncovered, or shallow, mud flats. I've always thought that it depends on where you're talking about. At Jamaica Bay, on the east pond, I believe high tide was preferred because the pond was controlled to keep the water level low, and the birds had nowhere else to go. I believe it is the same at Bombay Hook and should be the case at Brig, but no one is ever happy with the water levels at Brig which is a whole 'nother can of worms.

But if you're talking about saltmarshes, like Great Bay Blvd, then I've always thought you don't want a high tide flooding the marsh. Shallow salt pans and mud flats were my preference. After today, I may have to rethink that theory. 

When I first saw the marsh through the alley of cedars on Great Bay, I thought, "Hoo boy, maybe I should have paid more attention to all those coastal flood warnings I've been getting on my phone." I was just hoping that when I got over the first bridge, I wouldn't find the road under water. Fortunately, aside from a puddle, it was dry. And when I pulled into the parking lot at the mitigation bulwark, there were shorebirds 10 feet from my car, big (Willet) and small (Least Sandpiper). High tide, as the theory predicts, had pushed them closer. 

This held all along the road, as I kept coming across single birds like Semipalmated Plover on the side of the road, and small, mixed flocks of shorebirds in the grass--Short-billed Dowitchers mainly, with Black-bellied Plovers and Dunlins, more Willets, and a few Greater Yellowlegs and Ruddy Turnstones scattered around. The turnstones surprised me as there were no stones for them to turn. 

Clapper Rail

The non-shorebird species I kept coming across was Clapper Rail, quite a few of them on the road and I even saw one fly which I don't recall ever observing. "Ungainly" is the word we're looking for to describe the flight. The marsh, of course, was full of egrets, but even some of those were standing on the side of the road. The two roosts north of both wooden bridges were full of Black-crowned Night-herons, though no yellow-crowns seemed to be with them. 

Black-crowned Night-herons

Yellow-crowned Night-heron was one of the species I had come down for. The others I was looking for I had more success with. At the bulwark, despite the wind roaring in my ears, I managed to hear and catch a glimpse of my first Seaside Sparrow of the year. High tide today was around 6 AM, so by the time I got down to the inlet the waters had probably receded about half-way. There was plenty of beach and mud flats, though the flats were either slick or under a couple of inches of water. As soon as I emerged from the pathway, I saw a nice flock of Red Knots to the left. They must of have known I wanted to see and photograph them because as soon as I took another step--I was a good 50 yards away--they up and flew off. I took it personally.

Red Knots

I decided to see if the flats to the right had more knots, since that's where I usually see them. On the beach, picking at the sand I came across my first Semipalmated Sandpiper. The flats toward the Rutgers facility didn't have much aside from more Dunlins and an oystercatcher. With my nose still out of joint because of the knots, I walked back east much farther than I normally go, sloshing through the mud until on a point I could see the flock of knots that dissed me and get a few pix. If I'm wearing gloves in May, you can be sure I want a good look at the birds I've come to see to make it worth my while. 

I got a bonus bird on those flats when in front of little clump of grass, I saw a Saltmarsh Sparrow. The high tide/low tide debate applies also to Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sparrows. Like any self-respecting Saltmarsh Sparrow, it flew away into a larger grassy area. I didn't take it personally. 

Dark-eyed Junco

I stopped a few times going back up the road. At the grove of trees south of the 2nd wooden bridge I saw two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, slightly unusual, and at 700 Great Bay Blvd (The Wind Monitoring Station), which is a great sparrow spot, I found my only rare bird of the day, a lingering Dark-eyed Junco of all things. 

My list: Pretty good day, considering I've had warmer days there in February.

37 species
Brant  70
Mallard  2
Mourning Dove  3
Clapper Rail  15
American Oystercatcher  2
Black-bellied Plover  20
Semipalmated Plover  9
Ruddy Turnstone  4
Red Knot  16
Dunlin  40
Least Sandpiper  5
Semipalmated Sandpiper  5
Short-billed Dowitcher  140
Greater Yellowlegs  4
Willet  20
Laughing Gull  6
Herring Gull  20
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Forster's Tern  6
Common Loon  3
Double-crested Cormorant  4
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  35
Snowy Egret  25
Tricolored Heron  5
Black-crowned Night-Heron  13
Osprey  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2     
Gray Catbird  1     Heard
Dark-eyed Junco  1     
White-throated Sparrow  1
Seaside Sparrow  1
Saltmarsh Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Boat-tailed Grackle  75
Common Yellowthroat  1

Great Egret on the side of the road