Island Beach State Park- Red-necked Phalaropes 5/31
Yesterday (5/30) I went back to my favorite place, Island Beach State Park, to see what a couple of consecutive days of stiff northeast winds might have pushed in from offshore. Last week I got my first Sooty Shearwaters of the season for the park. Yesterday I was hoping the winds would bring in my first-of-the-year Great or Cory’s Shearwaters or Wilson’s Storm-petrels for the park. I did not find any of my target birds, but I did tally 21 sooty shearwaters during my five mile sea watch drive along the beach. Today (5/31) the wind was still out of the northeast, but died down a bit. I gave the sea watch drive another try. Starting at the inlet I took my time driving north to area A7. There still were some swells out on the water, but not as big as the day before and that would make it easier to spot storm-petrels; or so I thought. I was getting closer to the end of my drive and I had no storm-petrels and only two s...