Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a fantastic place not only to find birds, but also because of its geographical and historical properties. It is a somewhat small peninsula extending northward into the Lower New York Bay. This unique location is why it has been used for forts, lighthouses, and even a Coast Guard Station. It’s history is obvious as you can see several large concrete buildings such as pillboxes and bunkers left over from the days of the forts. It’s location also serves as a hotspot for migrating birds in the Spring and Fall. This past weekend was my first time to the Hook, and I certainly received a warm welcome. I ended up with 3 life birds on the day, including this beautiful Stilt Sandpiper:
I started the morning off fairly early at around 7:30am and within 30 seconds of stepping outside of my vehicle I had some beautiful looks at a Peregrine Falcon flying fairly low overhead. I then proceeded to investigate the dunes and North Pond, then made my way out towards the shore at the north end. I was greeted with a pair of American Oystercatchers who seemed to be teasing me. My first attempt at approaching them was terribly unsuccessful. I didn’t get within 200 feet before they flew. This demonstrated to me how rusty I was since I hadn’t been seriously birding in months. I should have been able to read the signs that they were giving me (high posture, head movement, etc.) that I was approaching too quickly and not low enough. I hate flushing birds simply because I was trying to approach closer and I am usually more careful than that. Lesson learned. I tried to relocate the Oystercatchers for 15 minutes or so, then gave up.
There wasn’t a lot in terms of variety on the shore that I could see through the thick fog, so I started making my way back inland to where the fog wasn’t as thick. Just as I was probably 50 feet inland from the shore, I heard the “wheeps” behind me. I turned around and there they were, closer than before. I pulled out my 600mm, set up and got low. I let them feel a little bit of comfort then slowly moved closer. They were much more relaxed this time and carrying on with normal feeding behavior. Here is a shot from the series:
After about 50 frames of the Oystercatchers and 20 minutes with them, a fisherman with a Point and Shoot came walking up near them to try to get a “shot.” Needless to say, they flew, just like my first attempt. Feeling accomplished with the series I got of the Oystercatchers I headed back away from the shore to a flooded lot by my vehicle. This location had a Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, the previous Stilt Sandpiper, two Killdeer, and a Wilson’s Snipe. Here is a shot of the Lesser Yellowlegs:
Having my fill of shorebirds for the morning, I decided to check out some other locations on the peninsula. Further south is a location which I believe is called the “Faux Hook”. It turned out to be a nice spot and I found a beautiful singing Song Sparrow and a set of Great Egrets hunting.
Before calling it a day, I decided to head back to the shore one last time and was rewarded with hundreds of Northern Gannets, which actually was the third life bird on the day for me. It was great watching these birds smash into the water in pursuit of fish.
Overall, Sandy Hook turned out to be a phenomenal birding location and I plan on spending a lot of time there in the coming months. In my opinion, it ranks right up there with Jamaica Bay in my experiences so far. The target bird for my next trip down to the Hook is definitely the Piping Plover – another life bird if I can find one.