As the day began to clear I decided to go to Sunken Meadow SP to check on the status of the annual Spring alewife run and to see what was moving about regarding birds. I began by the spillway in the eastern end of the State Park and had great close-up views of both Snowy and American egrets (easily able to see the small green breeding patch in front of the eye the larger egret gains this time of year). Two Greater Yellowlegs flew toward me from the cove, landing on the muddy shore a little north of the spillway. A lone female Hooded Merganser preened in the cove. A Green Heron was perched in the top of a sumac growing on the bank of the pond from which the spillway water flows. Several Yellow Warblers called from around the pond (it appears they've established linear territories around the edge of the pond).
I walked up into the wooded picnic area and saw an amazing number of Yellow-rumped Warblers singing and actively foraging. There had to be several dozen birds flitting about in the oaks in the half an hour I watched, a few involved in some pretty intense chasing throughout the canopy. Also had four Black-and-White Warblers (two male, two female). While reflecting very low diversity, I haven't seen this much overall warbler activity in one area in many years. An Ovenbird called from the woodland adjacent to the picnic area. A singing Warbling Vireo was easily observed adjacent to the bridge that crosses the pond and four Black-crowned Night-Herons were perched on branches overhanging the water of the pond. >From Sunken Meadow I drove to Gilgo Beach to look for the Blue Grosbeaks and >Indigo Buntings reported there. Saw one of the grosbeaks next to the >maintenance building and three buntings feeding in the grass adjacent to the >basketball court. Also saw another road-killed bunting on the Ocean Parkway. >At Gilgo there were 42 Forster's Terns calling actively and flying around >landing on the dock and pilings with a lot of courtship displays and was >surprised to see several terns copulate. A small flock of basic plumage >Black-bellied Plovers flew by as I was watching the terns. John Turner -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
