On Saturday 9/13 I led a fall migration bird walk at the Hallockville Farm
ending up at the new Hallock State Park (working title). The highlight of the
walk were the thousands of immature and adult tree swallows, joined by a few
bank and barn swallows, hawking over the fields at the farm and the adjoining
fields. We commented on their agility and how remarkable their coordination
and vision must be, because despite the high numbers of birds flitting to and
fro low over the goldenrod fields, there were no collisions or close calls. I
think there would have been a very different result if these were human beings
driving around in cars!!
We also had two immature turkey vultures in the field, perhaps one of the birds
that Bob Adamo reported.
The woods were remarkably quiet. No warblers, thrushes, or vireos. Just a few
robins, more catbirds, a lone towhee, house wren, a carolina wren, a few
chickadees and titmice, a r.b. woodpecker, a pair of downy woodpeckers. Three
d.c. cormorants were "periscoping" in the pond. While at the high bluff
overlooking LI Sound and the Northville Terminal Facility a lone osprey was
taking advantage of the bluff's deflecting current as it glided past us. A
lone basic-plumage turnstone flew along the beach below us.
The highlight in the woods section of the walk was a beautiful, vibrantly
colored male box turtle.
The NYS Office of Parks and Recreation is in the process of developing a
management plan for Long Island's newest state park which is tentatively being
called Hallock State Park. Plans call for an access road and an educational
center.
John Turner
--
NYSbirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES
Temporary archive:
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html
Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
--
