Today I birded several of our current hot spots in the county. The Black-bellied Plover continues, now in it's fourth day. The two Pectoral Sandpipers continue as well, all at Morningside Park. Three Lesser Yellowlegs were a good find as well. Most of the birds, which seemed to peak yesterday at about 140 shore birds had departed. There were only about 60 birds today. The Bashakill had the usual Virginia Rail family, many Common Moorhens and the usual Pied-billed Grebes. A few hawks included Red-shouldered, Red-tailed and Broad-winged. The bird of the day however was a most unexpected ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER !!!! This afternoon, as friends and I gathered at our lake front dock, I was on the phone with Arlene Borko when a mixed species flock descended upon the Elderberry Bushes only forty feet from the dock. I hung up the phone an began to scan the flock when to my surprise, an Orange-crowned Warbler popped out on the end of a branch. I couldn't believe my eyes. The bird continued to pick berries for at least ten minutes, and I was able to go right over to the bush and watch the bird within only feet. I have no explanation as to why this bird would be here, now, but it was. Of course my Friends, all non-birders could not understand my excitement, but this was indeed a great find. John Haas
PS I am very familiar with OCWA. I see them every year, in many spots throughout the western US. I last observed many on my Alaskan trip in July. -- 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/ --
