On Thursday, 9/27, I traveled down to Eric Salzman's "refuge like"
house/property on Weesuck Creek in East Quogue, Suffolk Co. Wednesday, Eric had
reported seeing both Philadelphia Vireo & Olive-sided Flycatcher, with the
vireo being a hold-over from Tuesday. We spent ~ 2 hours walking through the
woods and marsh that make up "his legacy", which his Mother & Father had bought
back in the 1940's.
We tried for the PHVI twice, once at the start of our tour through the east
most woods, and again at the end of the "loop" around the property...maybe I'll
get lucky and pick it up this weekend, while attending NYSOA's Annual Meeting,
in Owego. We found the OSFL in the west most woods, seen from the path that
separates the woods from the marsh. It was also on this trail that we kept
running into a lingering flock of ~ 50-60 A.Goldfinches, which were feeding on
the seeds of the abundant Pilewort Plant, aka Fireweed, or as Eric refers to
it..."Hurricane Weed" ! He makes the connection between the destruction caused
by Hurricane Irene, the prolific immergence of Pilewort in it's wake, and the
huge numbers of AMGO's feeding on it, as it would Thistle. When 2 Merlins flew
low overhead, once even closely crisscrossing, Eric wondered if they were there
trying to feed on the finch flock...hence, a late, small, positive aspect of
Hurricane Irene !
During the 2 hours we spent birding, we also saw: empidonax flycatcher sp? ;
Red-breasted Nuthatch and Brown Creeper, among other species.
Cheers,
Bob
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