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| PONQUOGUE BRIDGE TO TIANA DUNE ROAD |
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| A short distance beyond the bridge, there is a small bay pullout where Boat-tailed Grackles can often be observed. There are also relatively close views of Gull Island from a different angle and late in the breeding season it is often possible to see egrets and night herons roosting on the bushes at the top of the island. A Boat-tailed Grackle colony also appears to be established on this island. |
| BIRDING THE SOUTH FORK WITH ERIC SALZMAN |
| The stretch of Dune Road from Ponquogue to Quogue, much of it undeveloped, is the best local area for Snowy and Short-eared Owls in the winter and for Willow Flycatcher and Horned Lark in the spring. All of the open dunes and marsh vegetation plays host to a large movement of Tree Swallows in September that can often be numbered in the thousands or, at times, even tens of thousands. There is usually a small sampling of other species and Cave Swallow is always a possibility. This is also on the flyway for a major coastal hawk migration that peaks in late September or early October. Although somewhat diminished in recent years (largely because of the precipitous drop in breeding American Kestrels in the Eastern U.S.) it is still possible to find falcons (kestrels, merlins, peregrines) looping along the dunes or chasing shore birds over the marshes. Osprey, Red-tailed Hawks and the two smaller accipiters are also participants, with Gyrfalcon as a very rare migrant (Turkey Vulture and, rarely, Black Vulture occur mostly in the spring). Northern Shrikes can occasionally be found perched on a wire in the colder months. |
| The 19th century site of Shinnecock Inlet was here and, as a result, this stretch has the best marsh and marsh island system on the bay. There is an old bayman’s pullout about two thirds of the way between Ponquogue and Tiana Beach. This hard-to-find sand road on the right is generally navigable with an ordinary two-wheel drive. Park well off Dune Road (where the road widens just before it turns to mud) and walk the short distance into the marsh. During the spring and summer, this is optimal territory for breeding Seaside and Saltmarsh Sharptailed Sparrows (both of which are easy to find here) as well as Boat-tailed Grackle, Willet and more familiar birds like Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird and Song Sparrow. The marsh islands (called “Lane’s Island” on most maps but more properly two or three islands) has nesting terns (Common and Roseate) as well as a small population of Black Skimmers. Glossy Ibis often feed here along with several of the egrets and herons (Great Blue Heron, although it does not nest, can be also be found here most of the year). |
| The next public ocean facility, Tiana Beach, provides another spot for ocean viewing but its facilities have been damaged by winter storms and are not open at present. The bay waters directly opposite have been good for wintering water birds (notably Goldeneyes and grebes) and the little bay shore area on the northeast margin has horseshoe crabs and shorebirds in season. However, the bayside parking lot is undergoing substantial work and is not currently accessible. |
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