Spurred on by yesterday's intriguing post to this listserve, and just before heading out to roam the Riverhead/Northville road & field complex while trying for "The Immaculate Connection", I decided to check the computer one last time for a possible update on the "white-bird !. No on that, but yes on a bird (Pink-footed Goose) I've managed to miss at least a dozen times this winter...and only ~ a 5 minute drive away...thank you Mike Yuan & Bob Washburn ! Things started well as I left the condo property, finding 6 Turkey Vultures circling over the McGann-Mercy H.S. grounds, which is right across the street from us.. My next bit of good fortune was, upon arriving at the goose site, finding Seth Ausubel & Mary Normandia already there, with the Pink-footed in their scopes ! Seth then discovered a 2nd post re: the goose leaving this location earlier, and coming down ~ a mile up the road, due north. It was decided that I would check out that location and call back my findings. After awhile, I did find a Pink-footed Goose, but when I called, was told their bird had taken off, heading north & west. Seth & Mary then came up to my location, but by then, we could not re-locate my bird. Since I didn't see/know when this bird landed, the possibility of a 2nd Pink-footed became moot. A Mute Swan, out in this field, was quite an unusual sight - I can't remember when I've last seen this species (rather than a Tundra) in this type habitat. After Seth & Mary took off, a hunting, female N. Harrier put in an appearance.
I also had a male N. Harrier cross Roanoke Ave n/o there, and at Iron Pier Beach, Jamesport, again saw the adult Iceland Gull, with the dark gray wing-tips. Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
