I spent from 6:30 to 10:30 AM this morning at the hawkwatch platform at Fort Tilden. Passerine migration was impressive, with over 42,000 Red-winged Blackbirds and 16,000 Common Grackles going past (generally counted by tens but larger flocks by 100s or even 1000s). It was interesting that as the morning went on the blackbirds became less of the flight, proportionately, than the grackles. In those numbers were several "super flocks"of 5,000-plus birds that were flying very high and heading NNW, seemingly looking to get back to the mainland from the barrier beaches. One blackbird that went past had white primaries that initially got me excited and thinking about Yellow-headed Blackbird but it was just an aberrant Red-winged Blackbird.
Other birds observed include 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 491 Cedar Waxwings, 5 American Pipits, 10 Purple Finch, 6 Pine Siskins, a single Snow Bunting, 17 Rusty Blackbirds (probably undercounted), and 9 Eastern Bluebirds. Also, a perched Bald Eagle eating a fish for most of the morning. There did not seem to be too much moving on the ocean but I was pretty focused As Andrew noted at Breezy Point, the flight was still going strong into the late morning. Wish I could have stayed all day... eBird list below. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25748062 Good Birding, Corey Finger -- 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/ --
