Sunday, while we were at Brigantine, not finding the reported RUFF there, another one was reported at our old stomping grounds, the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. A year ago we would have scooted out there in no time. Now we had to wait a week and hope the bird stuck around. Actually, 2 birds. Ruffs have variable plumage and the first one was "white-headed" while the 2nd one, reported mid-week, was "rufous."
Temperatures were predicted to reach 100 today both here and in NY, so we arose at 5:30 AM and were on the road by 6, making it to the parking lot by the North Channel Bridge at around 8:15--we only got stuck in traffic on the Belt for a few minutes. We broke out our muck boots, which we haven't used in a couple of years and started the trudge down Cross Bay Boulevard to the gravel road that leads to the pathway that leads to the oozing mud of the East Pond. We met a couple of birders coming back and they reported that neither Ruff had been seen this morning. I didn't have great expectations.
Surprisingly, there were not many birders there. We set up the scope on Sanderling Point, not wishing to wade through the sucking mud of the aptly named Mud Cove (also know as Dead Man's Cove) if we didn't have to. We scanned the flocks of shorebirds--mostly Short-billed Dowitchers and yellowlegs with some gulls and terns and a lot of Mute Swans in the background. I thought I had one candidate but suddenly all the birds flushed and I lost it. When they resettled, Shari found the Ruff. This bird was pretty obvious, but we called over a couple of other birders on the point to get a confirmation and they agreed--we had the Ruff in the scope. This bird, I believe, was the white-headed one, though I saw reports that the rufous had been found. With the light and the distance, the color of the head was hard to make out, but not the profile, nor the remnants of the eponymous ruff on its breast, nor the posture, nor its pugnacious behavior toward the yellowlegs around it, which explains its Latin name, Philomachus pugnax. With its small head, relatively short bill, and the protruding feathers on its breast, it looked like a miniature turkey. It was too far away to take any decent photos of it.
Now that we'd seen it, did we want to get closer? Memories of helping up out of the mud flailing birders, memories of flailing in the mud ourselves, plus the heat and humidity starting to reach the oppressive setting on the discomfort dial mitigated against it.
I thought that the viewing area by The Raunt in the middle of the pond might give us another view without having to slog our way south, so we walked back and drove to the main parking lot across the street from the trail's entrance. We found some new birds for the day, mostly ducks (with about 20 adorable Mallard ducklings) plus some sandpipers and identifiable terns (Forster's) but the shorebird flocks were just a bit too far to distinguish any oddball standing out.
By 10:45 we were back on the road, going back to Jersey, very satisfied with this great lifer. When I counted up all our species for the day I started to say to Shari that it was impressive how many birds we had "without breaking a sweat," until I looked down on my drenched t-shirt.
35 species found while hunting for one:
Canada Goose 100
Mute Swan 150
American Black Duck 50
Mallard 70 Many males in basic plumage.
Double-crested Cormorant 15
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 10
Black-crowned Night-Heron 6
Glossy Ibis 1 f/o parking lot
American Oystercatcher 2
Greater Yellowlegs 40
Lesser Yellowlegs 30
Semipalmated Sandpiper 7
RUFF 1
Short-billed Dowitcher 200
Laughing Gull 20
Herring Gull 25
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Forster's Tern 20
Black Skimmer 1
Rock Pigeon 1 parking lot
American Crow 5
Tree Swallow 4
Barn Swallow 3
Tufted Titmouse 1 Heard
Carolina Wren 1 Heard
Marsh Wren 1 Heard
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1 parking lot
Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard
Yellow Warbler 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
American Goldfinch 1
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