This weekend’s adventure to the North Fork of Long Island started at the Newark Airport. We hit some traffic on the George Washington Bridge through NYC, but things went pretty smoothly across Long Island.

We stopped at Belmont State Park for our first target bird the Barnacle Goose. This goose has been reported on and off since the beginning of December. So many Canada Geese and the cloudy conditions made finding this bird very challenging, to say the least. We had no luck on the Barnacle Goose but we did pick up a New York life bird the Gadwall, as well as Mute Swans, Mallards, and Downy Woodpeckers.

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Orient Beach – North Fork

We were watching the weather and knew Saturday would be wet by noon so we got an early start. It was 42 degrees with winds gusting at 20 – 30 miles per hour, conditions which are a little tough on Floridians. We set out for some car birding at Orient Beach Park, the furthest point east on the North Fork. We braved the weather to walk out to the surf and observed a variety of sea birds including 100 Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, three scoter species, and Common Eider. On the way back a group of about 20 Snow Buntings flew into the dunes about fifty feet from us which is a major highlight. There is also a very classic lighthouse just offshore from Orient Point.

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Next stop the was a quick trip to 67 Steps where we found two Mutes Swans riding the surf. Inlet Pond County Park was next on the list. This is an Audubon park with nice woodland birds and feeders near the entrance. The rain came while we were there, but that did not bother us much and we saw all the usual birds on the feeders. The wooded trails take you out to the seashore and salt ponds. Along the way, we picked up Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch, and Northern Cardinal.

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Greenport, Long Island

Back in town, we had a great sandwich at Sterlington Deli, then spent a little time birding at Southold Town Beach. The best birds were 10 Common Goldeneyes and a Great Black-backed Gull. Next, we visited the Linz Winery, one of the many up and coming wineries found on the north shore. Very nice wines, both red and white were served by the knowledgable tasting host. After a well-deserved nap, we headed back out to Orient Point under extreme weather conditions just to see if we missed anything earlier. Oysters for sale in a cooler on the side of the road on the way back, teased us because we had no knife to open them. Problem solved at the Bait & Tackle House in Greenport where they really discount the cost of oysters by the dozen if you can shuck them yourself.

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Sunday morning included a stop at Goldsmith Beach where we added Hooded Merganser and Nothern Mockingbird. We decided to stop again at Belmont State Park for the Barnacle Goose which was last seen on Friday. A guy with a scope gave us hope but it wasn’t meant to be. No lifer on this trip.

Point Lookout

Point Lookout is one of those eBird hotspots not to be missed. Starting at Nickerson Beach Park we walked a mile to Jones Inlet passing jetties and a slew of great birds. There were Horned Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Brants and NY life bird Harlequin Duck all feeding around the jetties. Mingling on the rocks were a variety of shorebirds including Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling and Dunlin. No luck on the Razorbills we hoped for, but many great birds.

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The final stop on the way to Newark airport was at Fort Wadsworth which has great views of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. We found our target bird Great Cormorant down the beach sitting on the pilings of a long lost pier.

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Trip Birds: 49   Year Birds: 39 NY Life Birds: 2 Life Birds: 0

Next Up: Myakka State Park