Jones Beach State Park

Welcome back everyone, today I have a very exciting park to discuss with you all, a place every Long Islander knows, Jones Beach State Park! This article has been a long time coming but, as many of you know, Jones Beach is HUGE and required a few trips before I felt I had enough to give a fair review. My first visit was with Steven and my mother in law back in March for a Seal Watching trip given by the nature center at the park. We were lucky enough to spot quite a few seals but, admittedly, my focus was more on the birds. what can I say? I can’t help myself.

We were led to a secluded area of beach at Field 10. Great Black Backed Gulls floated about the surf between bobbing seal heads, warming in the sun on such a cold morning. Off in the distance, a gathering of Mergansers rode the waves, Common Mergansers and Red-breasted Mergansers alike. As I strained to get closer for a better view (jagged rocks standing in the way of doing so) I noticed a few other birds peppered amidst the party, Common Loons! Though not the first time spotting them in the wild it was my first Long Island sighting. A flock of ducks streaked across the sky, silhouetted by the strong sun. Only later, after some help from my friends on Whatbird.com could I identify them as Blue-Winged Teal.  After about an hour and a half, with red noses and numb fingers, I hesitantly agreed to head back to the car with the others. Along our walk back a large gathering of Atlantic Brants foraged along the shore.

A set of long piers jetted out across the water back at the parking lot. Rushing to get in one more look around before we called it a day I walked out to explore. Boy, was I glad I had! On the cross beams supporting the opposite dock a lone Ruddy Turnstone sought shelter from the crashing waves and a single beautiful Lesser Scaup bobbed along the wake at the foot of the pier. A stunning Great Black-backed gull rested on the handrail, unphased by my presence allowing for great, up-close shots!

My next visit was only just last week, where I decided I now had Plenty to share with you all! My first stop was the boardwalk outside of the Nature Center. This is a great spot to go looking for raptors as there is so much flat land with plenty of brush to support prey. The boardwalk is very much geared towards birders (there is even a bird sightings log kept inside the nature center- though it is not very helpful. lots of “Ivory-billed Woodpecker sightings” but an occasional true entry.) the boardwalk is a large loop pointing out different habitats and things to look for on large informational signs as well as tips for spotting and identifying different species.

My first sightings were those you would typically expect to jump out easily, Song Sparrows in some brush, House Sparrows rooting about the paved area by the nature center entrance, Rock Pigeons cooing atop the building and Northern Mockingbirds just about everywhere! Honestly, the most concentrated amount of Northern Mockingbirds I have ever experienced, they were everywhere, calls sounding out all around me from every direction. A few pairs of Mourning Doves hid within the tangles of grasses along the sand and an enormous American Crow landed in the distance searching for a meal. Expecting an Osprey I raised my lens to the sky at the appearance of a large bird streaking by overhead, later I would find this to be a Black-crowned Night-heron.  Making my way around the last leg of the loop I stepped out onto a sandy path leading down to the shorefront. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another large bird flying over the boardwalk where I just had been! A breathtaking Northern Harrier swooped and glided, circling over the land repeatedly in search of prey along the ground. I stood still as a statue, trying to take as many shots as I could as the raptor searched all around me. At my feet, dozens of small Fowler’s Toads hopped back and forth across the path.

Once I reached the beach the view was spectacular and completely isolated, making for some great sights! Dozens of Sanderlings raced about like children in the waves, chasing them out to sea and running frantically away as the waves crashed back up onto the beach. I sat in the sand, snapping pictures and becoming lost in the back and forth as the scurried about, the occasional addition coming and going. Beside me, a large herring gull along with a few Ring-billed gulls watched on at my rest, presumably wondering if I had brought them a snack.

After a short stay on the sand I made my way back to the path, being careful to explore the restricted Piping Plover nesting area from a safe distance, but coming up empty. Once again Northern Mockingbirds flashed there bright white wing spots as they raced around from shrub to grass to sand and back again. Gatherings of Tree Swallows raced overhead in small quick spirts, some staying to dance around the sky but most continuing on their way. As I grew closer to the end of the trail I decided to try the boardwalk one last time before moving on again. Overhead a large Osprey flew by proudly, a freshly caught fish tight in its talons. Again, Song sparrows sang from the brush and Mourning Doves cooed from the sand and one by one Osprey steaked above with their various catches, seeing 7 in total before I left the area! A lone Laughing gull flew by on his way to the shore and a large V of Double-crested Cormorants flew by across the horizon. Back on the Boardwalk, an ephemeral pool sparkled off in the distance behind some tall grass, I could hardly believe I had missed it the first time around. Sadly there was nothing in it I could see beside a group of Canada Geese. An Eastern Towhee was the last sighting before heading off to the parking lot, eager to visit my next spot before calling it a day. Before I could reach my car a beautifully colored Rock Pigeon caught my attention, searching the cracks and crevices of the parking lot and eventually following alongside me to my car.

My last stop was certainly not my last! This spot has been special to me long before I ever became a birder, and even more so after. Zachs Bay is a section of muddy beach beside the Jones Beach theater and is a treasure trove for birding year round! Weekday mornings this area is always deserted, in fact, unless there is a concert set to go on, this spot is always deserted. With that being said, every time I have ever come here I have always been able to find things that you just would never spot in the more occupied areas of shoreline on Long Island. Also, the muddy sand is a great source of crustaceans, fish, and insects which draws in birds and animals like magnets. The familiar “low tide” smell that I have come to know so well greeted me in the parking lot before I ever even stepped out onto the beach. The very first bird sighting was while my feet were still on the pavement. A Short-billed Dowitcher (a Life bird for me!) hunted the shoreline, alighting to the sky as soon as he spotted me allowing me only one quick photo. A distinctly easy bird to ID in the field, an American Oystercatcher was the next to be seen, strolling back and forth up the waterline hunting his next meal. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream shot out through the air so loud my heart jumped into my throat and I spun around to find its source. To my surprise, the scream was actually coming from a very distressed Herring Gull! It seams the gull had caught himself a tasty Blue-clawed Crab, but the crab had had a different idea and was not going down without a fight. The angry crab hung from the gulls face as it raced about the shore trying to shake it free, screaming a call louder than any I had ever heard, eventually shaking it free and digging in for lunch. Amazingly, the next bird to appear was also a Life bird for me! You could imagine my excitement as a Black skimmer descended from the sky to do what it does best and skim the surface of the bay foraging for fish. Double-crested Cormorants posed atop a series of Pilings jutting from the water, along with a dozen or so adorning the sore along the opposite side of the bay.

Further down the beach, a beautiful white Great Egret stood amoungst the tall grasses across the bay. Further along, a  former consession stand sits delapodated at the end of the beach. Now off limits to the public, the building sits upon a blanket of large broken slabs of concrete and thousands of sun-bleached seashells. Walking up as far as I could before the barrier, the sand came to a sudden stop and the concrete and water met, putting a dead end to my hike. In the last few feet of sand and shallow puddles, a few Semipalmated Plovers hunted the wet sand alongside a small group of Killdeer and Sanderlings. The walk back to the parking lot was filled with the same residents I had viewed on the way there, the Black Skimmer and American Oystercatcher continuing their hunts. A lone Common Tern sat cozily on the sand, ruffling his feathers and grooming in the sun.

Jones Beach is an amazing example of what makes Long Island so special. If I were to go back thirty more times I still would not be able to show you all there is too see and all the birds that call this home (or at least visit). There is a $10 fee for parking, free if you are close enough to go without a car. Remember, your Empire Pass is accepted (and sold here if you do not have one). Parking/Entrance is free off season. If you have not been here yet, you need to go. Though I prefer Suffolk County beaches for swimming there is no touching Jones Beach when it comes to wildlife and exploring! Be sure to keep you eyes peeled along Ocean Parkway for the raptors always flying overhead across the road and the families of White-tailed Deer and Foxes mozying about the grassy shoulders. I will absolutely be doing follow-up revisit articles about this amazing spot of the island because there is no such thing as having seen all there is too see here. Any time of year is a good time to enjoy this State Park, and each season brings new things to see! Until next time my friends, Happy Birding!

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