tjo@siemens.UUCP (Tom Ostrand) (08/21/84)
If you are close to New York, I recommend a visit to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gateway National Recreation Area. Last Sunday (Aug 19), it was jammed with all sorts of interesting shore birds, and very unjammed with people. In about a one hour walk around the fresh water pond on the west side of Cross Bay Blvd, I encountered: Louisiana herons, little blue herons, many snowy egrets, American egrets, more glossy ibis than I've ever seen before, cormorants, American oystercatchers, common galinules, and various sandpipers. There were thousands of ducks, many swallows, gulls, house finches and goldfinches, rufous-sided towhees, and possibly some fall warblers (but I didn't have the time and patience to try to identify any of them). I also am about 95% certain that I saw a Wilson's plover, which would be quite unusual. The best part of all this is that it's easily accessible, very uncrowded, and a very pleasant area to walk around in. To reach it, take the Belt Parkway to Cross Bay Blvd, and go south towards Far Rockaway. The entrance is on the right, about half a mile before the Cross Bay Bridge.