Following one of the dullest periods of birding in the county that I can remember, Birding came to life the last week or so. The Bashakill is alive with birds following one of the best breeding seasons the marsh birds have had in years. As many as sixteen Common Moorhens, including ten grown chicks can be viewed on Haven Road in the morning. This is just one location, and many of these birds breed throughout the Bash. A Pied-billed Grebe can be seen feeding near the bridge with a Belted Kingfisher keeping it company feeding on thousands of fish fingerlings. This morning the pair of Virginia Rails which have been seen there regularly brought out four half grown chicks which I actually got to photograph. Just the other day, a Peregrine Falcon was attacking the hords of swallows gathered on the power lines. Scott Baldinger, Arlene Borko, Lance Verderame and I birded Morningside Park this evening, a breeding plumaged Black-bellied Plover was a highlight. Here is a list of birds from the Apollo Plaza and Morningside the last several days. Most were present today.
Great Egret Great Blue Heron Green Heron Black-bellied Plover - 1 Killdeer - 30+ Semi-palmated Plover - 3 Least Sandpiper -25+ Semi-palmated Sandpiper - 5 Spotted Sandpiper - 2 Solitary Sandpiper - 3 Pectoral Sandpiper - 2 Baird's Sandpiper - 1 Greater Yellowlegs - 2 Lesser Yellowlegs - 7 Nice to have some bird activity! John Haas -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
