The Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival
08/15/2009
The Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival, August 9, 2009
Photo by Wayne Mones
Although our livelihoods are not dependent on the seasons, many among us city dwellers measure our lives by natural events. By the migration of birds, by flights of butterflies, by dragonflies, by the emergence of trout stream insects, and by the arrival, departure, and return of shorebirds. I got hooked on shorebirds in the early 1980s when you could still see 50,000 Red knots gorging on horseshoe crab eggs on the Delaware Bay. I love them because of their mystique as super-long-distance fliers. Because their lives depend on the right timing of migration, mating, fledging, and return migration. And because they are so damned hard to identify -- even after all these years. Peeps are hard to sort out even in breeding plumage. On the return trip you have to work through worn plumage, transitional plumages, and fresh juveniles.
Although only three years old the Shorebird Festival organized by New York City Audubon and the American Littoral Society has become one of the measures of my life. I was especially eager this year because July was, literally, a washout. The wettest July on record had completely washed out our butterfly season, and I couldn’t wait to have something to look at.
The event is held at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge each year and attracts some of the best birders in the region to act as guides and lecturers, including Tom Burke, Kevin Karlson, Lloyd Spitalnik, and Don Riepe. As in past years the day began in the field where we had many fewer birds than in previous years for reasons that nobody can explain. They were mostly Semi-palmated sandpipers, a few Western sandpipers, Semi-palmated plovers, White-rumped sandpipers, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, and Short-billed dowitchers. The 130 participants divided into four groups all of whom joyfully peppered our guides with questions about the finer points of field identification. We then convened in the auditorium for slide shows and lectures by Lloyd Spitalnik and Kevin Karlson. Kevin and Lloyd went through enough details of structure, shape, size, and plumage to make anyone’s head spin. I have listened to these great teachers a number of times. I go back for more because a few more points stick in my memory each time. This is birding at its best.
Shorebirds are fun, partly because they are so baffling. Learning them takes many hours in the field, many more with your nose in a book, and lots of embarrassing mis-identifications. Fortunately there is help. Lovers of shorebirds have recently been blessed by the publication of three specialty field guides which flatten the learning curve.
The Shorebird Guide (Michael O’Brien, Richard Crossley, and Kevin Karlson, published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006) is a desert island field guide. It is, for me, the model of what a specialty guide should be.
The core of the book is in the first half which includes copious photographs of birds in all seasons, and plumages. The photos include individual birds in a variety of standing and flight postures. The authors have also included many photos of birds in mixed flocks to point out size and structural differences in similar appearing species and to challenge you to sort them out. Each species account begins with a bullet point summary describing size, structure, behavior, and status, which forms a short-hand “birding by impression” account which is more helpful than many more detailed texts. The second half includes the longer, more detailed species accounts that we are accustomed to seeing in specialty guides. I would love to see the guide split into two volumes, separating the detailed species accounts from the photos, to make it easier to carry the plates in the field.
The second must-have shorebird guide is Dennis Paulson’s Shorebirds of North America, (Princeton University Press, 2005).
The core of Paulson’s guide is the excellent photographs illustrating the birds in most of their plumages,and the excellent text. Paulson takes the more traditional approach of identifying birds primarily by field marks, size and plumage. In comparison, O’Brien, Crossley, and Karlson advocate an approach which relies more on shape, size, and behavior – what Kevin Karlson refers to as “birding by impression.” In my experience, really good birders will often tell you that they rely on impression or field marks, but they really use both approaches.
The latest offering is Richard Chandler’s Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia (Princeton University Press, 2009)
Like the two guides mentioned above, Chandler’s book incorporates outstanding photographs of each species in most of their plumages. Like Paulson, his text is quite detailed and scientific which I find useful at home, but less useful in the field than O’Brien, Crossley, and Karlson’s bullet point approach. This is not to dismiss this excellent field guide, for this book is invaluable and extremely useful in the field.
These three field guides will make you a better birder. Don’t ask me which one to buy because, if you love shorebirds, you need all three. These guides are the vanguard of a revolution in thinking about field guides. Each takes a different approach. Each is extremely useful. In the 1980s when the first field guides to incorporate photographs rather than illustrations were published, many experienced birders dismissed them because the quality of the photographs was not as useful for field identification as the illustrations used in Peterson, the Golden Guide, and The National Geographic Guide. What these three guides prove is that photographs can be extremely useful if publishers allow field guide authors enough control of the project and enough time to sift through tens of thousands of photos and select the right ones rather than rushing into print to meet a publication schedule.
If you, gentle reader, are reading this in August I hope you are doing so at night or while you are at work for this is the time to be in the field.
I can understand the joy and
I can understand the joy and the expectation that you have to see these birds and especially since they are so difficult to see and identify can understand the joy you feel when you actually spot them. Anyhow I am reminded of the random kingfishers and owls I have rescued in my grandmother’s place. I am also thinking of this little baby owl who I love to believe used to wait for me to get back home in the days when I was working. Bird encounters and pleasant memories.macaws
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This is a interesting line
This is a interesting line of content, very nice article.
Thanks for sharing this post, good way of bring this subject to discussion.
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Anyhow I am reminded of the
Anyhow I am reminded of the random kingfishers and owls I have rescued in my grandmother’s place. I am also thinking of this little baby owl who I love to believe used to wait for me to get back home in the days when I was working. bmw f650cs manual
"Fortunately there is help.
"Fortunately there is help. Lovers of shorebirds have recently been blessed by the publication of three specialty field guides which flatten the learning curve." I would like read these books before my journey to Jamaica for this grand festival. Thanks for the nice information.
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I wish I had more free time
I wish I had more free time to dedicate to something like bird watching. It sounds so peaceful. Not much interesting to see here in Los Angeles though. The only "exotic birds" around here are women from the UK wearing designer jeans. Haha.
I love bird watching, and
I love bird watching, and it's really a great past time after I've finished in my main profession house cleaning in San Diego
Looks like an awesome
Looks like an awesome festival. Would be great to check out Jamaica Bay sometime. Thanks for the info! payday loan
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Great review of these bird
Great review of these bird guides. What I find most frustrating is watching and reading my guides at the same time. I wish there was a method to have the info digitally appear on a pair of glasses so it appear in front of my vision. That way my hands are free and the info is in the same field of vision.Best Family Fun Kids Activities Santa Cruz
Thats a good idea, saves us
Thats a good idea, saves us the trouble in having to juggle to ativities at once! I'll buy those bird guide glasses if they are in the market :)
I want to go birdwatching to
I want to go birdwatching to Jamaica ! Great book by the way.
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I think we humans are really DESTROYING the environment
what a great site, i love
what a great site, i love jamaica bay!
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I heard quite a lot about
I heard quite a lot about the festival. It would really be a pleasure to attend the next one......If I'm not so busy though!
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I think this festival is so
I think this festival is so amazing to go to. The people set it up so good. It is so great to see butterflies and the birds every year like this. This is something i do miss at all. There is nothing better. Odyssey DJ Cases
This is a good post. This
This is a good post. This post give truly quality information.I’m definitely going to look into it.I love Jamaica beach and women lol .Keep up the good works.
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Hi, its really nice post,
Hi, its really nice post, i'll bookmark this
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This guide looks great.
This guide looks great. Being a big fan of shorebirds, this really looks like a must-have!
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Wow I could really use a
Wow I could really use a Jamaican holiday/festival right now - good article. BTW why are pictures now loading correctly for me?
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Hi thanks for a great site
Hi thanks for a great site with all the info. I love long posts like these where you see people putting in the work - thank you
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I admire the valuable
I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often. I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else! Outdoor Light Fixtures upholstered dining chairs heated mattress pad
I fully intend to have
I fully intend to have enough vacation time saved to attend one of these years! It was about 6 years back I first heard about it!
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I fully intend to have
I fully intend to have enough vacation time saved to attend one of these years! It was about 6 years back I first heard about it! Myegy
I admire the valuable
I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often. I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!
"I heard quite a lot about
"I heard quite a lot about the festival. It would really be a pleasure to attend the next one......If I'm not so busy though!"
I agree with you, but "money" is in the way. So I guess it would be some other year.
As an avid birder in Florida
As an avid birder in Florida I am wanting to take a trip to the Jamaica Bay Shore Bird Festival. Up here one of my favorite birding spots is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville Florida. I have spent many enjoyable day there.
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I love festivals everyone
I love festivals everyone have good memories linked to those events. cb traffic warrior
Each of these festival may
Each of these festival may be called a miracle in light of our man-caused world. Cash Loan Network
I would love to go there
I would love to go there someday, I live in the Netherlands where you also have a lot of shorebirds. Especially on the Waddeneilanden a group of small islands with slowly moving sandbanks with a lot of food for the birds in them.
But on the shorebird festival you can see such other species then in the Netherlands. I bet you can take some wonderful pictures there.
seem like a really cool
seem like a really cool festival, would love to go to it sometime
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I wish i could have your
I wish i could have your patience to watch birds as you do. My knowledge comes from watching the birds flocking on the tree under my balcony :) accesorii nunta usi de garaj
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Thanks for the article
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Environment is getting worse, so bad.
Wow thats very nice event i
Wow thats very nice event i love birds!
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Hi, count me in! I love
Hi, count me in! I love Jamaica.
Looks like this festival is going to rox...
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I'm a big fan of Paulson's
I'm a big fan of Paulson's photographs. didn't read his guide but I will do someday.
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Kevin and Lloyd went through
Kevin and Lloyd went through enough details of structure, shape, size, and plumage to make anyone’s head spin.
It really looks like a great
It really looks like a great festival, I would really like to go there next time
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Yeah, everyone is going on
Yeah, everyone is going on and on about the festival. I had a friend who attended. Has so many nice things to say about it. Nice place.
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These three field guides
These three field guides will make you a better birder. Don’t ask me which one to buy because, if you love shorebirds, you need all three. These guides are the vanguard of a revolution in thinking about field guides. Each takes a different approach. Each is extremely useful.
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those field guides are
those field guides are indeed an invaluable help.
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Thanks for bringing this
Thanks for bringing this matter to the forefront,
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I've been to the festival
I've been to the festival before. Although it's really cool and you see a TON of birds, it is also usually really crowded. Try to get there early in the day to have the best experience. One of the best birds I saw there personally was a toucan, I couldn't believe how long their beaks are. text to screen
As many rare animals are in
As many rare animals are in danger today, i would like to thank you for highlighting this, raising awareness is the only way forward right now.
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This festival sounds really
This festival sounds really good.
I would to attend one day.
I just love nature maybe that is why I own a dingo.