Lying at the eastern tip of Long Island's south fork, Montauk caters to hoards of vacationers in the summer months, and hides enclaves of the rich and famous trying to escape the Hamptons. During the winter months, though, you can still find the old Montauk, a sleepy fishing village surrounded by miles of scenic beaches, horses, and great birding spots. Last Saturday I birded the Montauk circuit, hoping to find a couple of local rarities that had been reported a week before, a Thick-billed Murre and a Barrow's Goldeneye. It turned out to be a rather brisk day, topping out at 18 degrees with a steady 20 mph wind.
After an unsuccessful check for the murre and goldeneye at Lake Montauk, which is actually not a lake, but opens to Long Island Sound at it's north end, I headed east to the point. The high winds produced a heavy chop on the water, making it difficult to pick out birds on the ocean. Even in the more sheltered bays and sound whitecaps had me playing hide and seek with the loons, grebes and eiders hiding in the troughs.
Montauk Light
The area's best known landmark is the lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington and completed in 1796. From the patio of a nearby snack bar, I was able to setup and scope the ocean, finding rafts of all three scoter species and several thousand Common Eiders. A few Black-legged Kittiwakes cut in and out of the waves, along with the more numerous Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. From this vantage point, the shoreline of Connecticut and Rhode Island are visible just to the north, while the bluffs of Block Island can be seen directly to the east.
Block Island Sound
Checking some of the wooded areas just west of the point, I managed to find a couple of "half-hardies"- landbirds who make the sometimes fatal decision to linger into winter when most of their brethren have moved south.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Montauk, LI, NY
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Montauk, LI, NY
This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker spent some time working on the sunny side of the tree and managed to get some sap flowing, but he sure didn't look like he was enjoying life! Over at Hither Hills, I watched another half hardy- a towhee. He tried to forage, but never seemed to gain a foothold as the wind pushed him from bush to bush.
Most of our Fox Sparrows leave before mid winter, but they certainly seem pretty well adapted to frigid days, and I don't think they actually qualify as half hardies.
Fox Sparrow, Third House, Montauk, LI, NY
At the other extreme, this Tree Sparrow finds our winter to be right up his alley! They normally show up in November, and by the end of March they can't stand the heat and retreat to the far north.
Tree Sparrow Montauk, LI, NY
Ground birds like Fox Spaarrows tend stay close to the brush line and follow the shadows cast by the nearby vegetation. Opportunistic hunters from hawks to Red Foxes abound.
Red Fox hunting the brushy edges.
Continuing west from the point, I checked a couple of horse ranches. The fields, when not covered in snow, are good places to check for rare geese, with Barnacle, White-fronted and Pink-footed all recorded with increasing regularity. Earlier in the year, good shorebirds sometimes turn up. A few years ago 2 Northern Lapwings spent some time here. These open areas are also home to the first cattle drives in North America. Cattlemen from the Hamptons used to drive the herds here for summer grazing, back in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Horse Ranch at Montauk Downs
Equus sp.? at Rita's Stables, Montauk, LI, NY
Before making the turn for home I decided to have another look at Lake Montauk. The north end of the lake, actually a harbor, opens through two jetties into the Long Island Sound. On some days its possible to walk out to the end of the jetties, even in winter. This was not one of those days!
West Lake Drive jetty marker Montauk, LI, NY
The road out to the eastern jetty passes a small pond, Little Reed Pond, which often holds a heron or some waterfowl. I've seen Short-eared Owl here roosting in the (little) reeds. Today, though a Hooded Merganser was the prize.
Hooded Merganser, Little Reed Pond, Montauk, LI, NY
The road ends at Gin Beach, named either for it's role in rum-running or for an old English word for cattle pasture, depending on who's telling the story. Here a couple of Iceland Gulls battled the winds along with their less interesting cousins.
Iceland Gull (top) and Herring Gull (bottom) Montauk, LI, NY
The West Lake jetty marker looks like it may succumb to the winds and waves.
Jetty Marker, Lake Montauk
One last check for the murre and the goldeneye comes up empty, but I really can't be disappointed. I think I enjoyed the day almost as much as these Common Eider.
Common Eiders, Lake Montauk
Common Eider, Lake Montauk