One Birder's Day at Jamaica Bay

During the last week of August, I decided to try to visit Jamaica Bay. I went into the visitor's center and then went onto the East Pond Trail. At the start I saw a family group of kingbirds (new breeding species?) and an empidonax-type flycatcher. When I got to the pond I saw no sign of any shorebirds there, just some swans and a few Mallards and Black Ducks. I decided to try my luck at the west pond at the breach caused by Hurricane Sandy.

It was apparent that there were a lot more birds there. The breach entrance was lined with oystercatchers and a probable Willet was mixed in with them. Several small flocks of Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers were on the mudflats, along with a large flock of starlings that tried to mimic their feeding and flying formations there too. Also there were some terns and skimmers hanging out there as well. The highlight was a Little Blue Heron very far away on a distant mudflat. I also saw several Great Egrets there, and mockingbirds seemed to have took over the Osprey nest(I didn't see any Osprey that day). At the visitor's center I finished the day off with an Eastern Towhee in the center's birdbath. It was a good day

No bird list since all notable birds were previously mentioned besides an unidentified 'ground' warbler

P.S. I got bitten all over by the mosquitoes!