The 3rd annual Northport Winter Bird Count was held on Saturday, January 26th. The count area covers the North Shore of Suffolk County (Long Island) from Huntington to Fort Salonga, south to Melville and Deer Park. Despite taking place two weeks later than the prior two counts, 18 diligent observers recorded 97 species - the highest total in the count's history! On Martin Luther King day, just five days before the count, temperatures hit the lowest levels of the season and left most ponds and extensive portions of the local harbors and bays frozen. However, extensive rain and temperatures in the mid-50s on Thursday allowed much of the ice to retreat for count day, with the prior week's frigid weather conditions giving way to a very pleasant day for birding.
Highlights included the continuing BARROW'S GOLDENEYE at Crab Meadow Beach; EURASIAN WIGEON and COMMON EIDER at Makamah Beach; CACKLING GOOSE at Tung Ting Pond; six NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS in Huntington, Northport, and Eatons Neck; VIRGINIA RAIL and GREAT EGRET at Makamah Preserve; TURKEY VULTURE at the Manor Plains Preserve; WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW at Berkeley-Jackson County Park; PINE SISKINS at Fleet's Cove, the Manor Plains Preserve, and Henry Ingraham Preserve; twenty-four RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at Henry Ingraham Preserve; and ICELAND GULLS at Crab Meadow and the Eatons Neck Coast Guard Station. The number of continuing half-hardy species was also notable considering the late date and low temperatures with 8 Hermit Thrushes, 9 Gray Catbirds, 10 Swamp Sparrows, 18 Purple Finches, and 24 Winter Wrens recorded. Other high counts include 7 Common Ravens, 1256 Long-tailed Ducks, 495 Common Goldeneye, and 41 Red-tailed Hawks. Thank you to all who participated, and we hope to see you next year! Brent Bomkamp and Taylor Sturm -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
