Jamaica Bay, East Pond - 18th September

My first birding day for a while, so I headed to Jamaica Bay to see if any waders were still about.

First bird up was a Caspian Tern, a bird that has eluded me in New York for a surprisingly long time. A pair of Merlin spent the morning hunting over The Raunt, so nothing hung around for long, but a pair of juvenile Dunlin were very nice. Also present were several Greater Yellowlegs, some Short-billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers.

These two juvenile Dunlin are moulting into winter plumage, but have not yet acquired a black belly

Caspian Tern