Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (Sep 15, 2009): American Golden-Plovers

I once again visited Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, September 15 for bird photography focusing on shorebirds. Throughout my previous visits, there had been a few species which I wanted to capture, but had not been able. Although I had observed both the American Golden-Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper, I was not able to make successful images of these bird species, either due to distance, or in the case of the Pectoral Sandpiper, I only had one fleeting encounter. I had better luck this time.

During my visit I observed the following notable species:

• American Avocet (2)
• American Golden-Plover (2) - one adult; one juvenile
• Pectoral Sandpiper (2)
• Stilt Sandpiper (10)
• White-rumped Sandpiper (6)

Below are a few images from the day.

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) - molting adult (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) - molting adult sleeping (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) - juvenile (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) - juvenile (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) (East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)

Click on the photos above for more information, click on the species name to see all images of that species, or click here to see more images from Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

All images © Clarence Holmes