Boat-tailed Grackles have been found near Island Park fairly regularly in early
January on recent Southern Nassau County CBCs, both on the marshes fringing the
bayside of the barrier beach, and in utterly nondescript sites (ecologically)
along the heavily urbanized mainland shores of the bays. Ditto for other LI
south shore CBCs, like Brooklyn, Queens, Captree (to a much lesser extent than
the others), and Quogue-Water Mill.
Having said this, they are very seldom encountered by birders engaged in
ordinary birding during the winter, suggesting that a) many of our breeders
leave the island; b) the wintering birds clump up in places that birders don't
ordinarily visit (like Fish Crows); or some combination of both.
My personal experience is that Boat-tails often become conspicuous again in
their breeding areas (e.g., around Shinnecock Inlet) around the beginning of
March. I've always thought of this as being akin to the return in spring of
Fish Crows to the barrier beach, from their winter hangouts around strip mall
dumpsters, rather than evidence of long distance migration (i.e., from beyond
LI). Supporting the view that Boat-tailed Grackles do not generally undertake
long-distance movements to and from LI is the extreme scarcity of records from
coastal migrant traps where the species doesn't actually breed. I've only
recorded the species a handful of times ever at the western end of Fire Island,
which is just across the inlet from a breeding site at Captree.
Shai Mitra
Bay Shore
From: bounce-8268464-11143...@list.cornell.edu
[bounce-8268464-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Richard A Cartwright
[rac...@usgs.gov]
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 7:39 AM
To: NYSBirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Boat-tailed grackles;Island Park
Yesterday there were 4 boat-tailed grackles loitering around (and making a
raucous) at Masone Beach on Island Park. First time I've seen them this year.
Does anyone know if they winter here?
Dick Cartwright
Hydrologist
U.S. Geological Survey
NY Coram Water Science Center
2045 Route 112, Bldg 4
Coram, NY 11727
631-736-0783 ext. 105
Think green before you print this email.
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