Addendum:
Several locally rare breeding species were recorded, including a pair of
Roseate Terns (both unbanded, as is generally true of the birds we see in
southwestern Suffolk, which are suspected to be connected demographically to
the old Cedar Beach colony), the now venerable Yellow-throated Warbler(s) along
the lower Connetquot River, and several species in the Farmingdale
“grasslands.” It has been many years since Horned Larks have nested on our
portion of the barrier beach, but a few persist in fragments of habitat on the
mainland, and one was detected this year, along with one Grasshopper and six
Savannah Sparrows. All of these species are at least scarce and local more
generally on Long Island, so their rarity is easy to perceive. In contrast,
many generally common and widespread species are concerningly rare within our
circle: Whip-poor-will (1), Wood Thrush (1, just the fourth record in nine
years), Field Sparrow (2), Black-and-white Warbler (2), Prairie Warbler (1),
and Scarlet Tanager (0).
From: bounce-127458170-11143...@list.cornell.edu
on behalf of Patricia Lindsay
Sent: Monday, June 5, 2023 5:05 PM
To: NYS Birds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Captree June Count, 3 June 2023
* This email originates from a sender outside of CUNY. Verify the sender before
replying or clicking on links and attachments. *
On Saturday 3 Jun 2023, thirty-one observers conducted the Captree June Count
in southwestern Suffolk County, LI. It was the first cloudy day in many days,
but without rain. A north-northeast breeze contributed to productive
seawatching without unduly impeding the detection of marshbirds and landbirds.
The early date of this year’s count fortuitously coincided with a definite
flight of Neotropical migrant passerines, and the resulting total of 142
species easily bested the previous record of 138 (2021) and greatly exceeded
the nine-year average of 129.
Five new species and one new supra-specific taxon were added to the cumulative
list of the “modern era,” 2015-present: Eurasian Collared-Dove, Lesser
Yellowlegs (5), Red-necked Phalarope (377), Least Flycatcher, and Magnolia
Warbler (4). The flight of Red-necked Phalaropes observed from Robert Moses
State Park on 3 Jun followed several days of much higher than usual occurrence
along Long Island’s ocean shore and was an astonishing highlight for those who
witnessed it.
Among 26 new maxima, the most notable were 30 Wood Duck, 17 Black Duck, 33 Wild
Turkey, 83 Chimney Swifts (perhaps reflecting at least in part a late push of
migrants, as swifts and several species of swallows have been seen migrating
along the outer beaches 2-4 Jun), 129 Black Skimmer (observed within the newly
expanding Common Tern colony at Democrat Point, where it is hoped they will
nest), 275 Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, 461 Common Grackle, 14 Blackpoll Warbler, and
15 American Redstart. Both of the possible explanations for the high count of
the last species are likely not obvious to most observers and deserve some
explanation. One possibility is that this species is following the examples of
Warbling Vireo and Northern Rough-winged Swallow in expanding its breeding
distribution into the coastal plain of south-central Long Island, where all
three were previously (and somewhat inexplicably) absent or nearly absent as
breeders. The second is that the total reflects mostly migrants, as American
Redstart occurs in the latest spring flights on Long Island, along with more
familiar late passage-migrants like several recorded on this year’s CJC (e.g.,
Least and Acadian flycatchers, Magnolia and Blackpoll Warblers)--but also like
several other common breeding species whose late-migrating populations are less
obvious and familiar (e.g., Red-eyed Vireo and Common Yellowthroat).
One late migrant species that was decidedly not augmented much by birds in
passage was Eastern Wood-Pewee, which was among nine regularly recorded species
tallied at a new minimum for the modern period of the count. Others in this
category that deserve watching include Clapper Rail, Downy Woodpecker,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Thrasher (completely absent from the mainland and
represented by just four individuals on the barrier beaches), Eastern Towhee,
Baltimore Oriole, and Prairie Warbler. All of these were among the 18 species
whose totals were 70% or less than their nine-year averages. Others in this
category included Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Whip-poor-will, Field Sparrow,
Brown-headed Cowbird, and Indigo Bunting. The similarity in the habitats
favored by many of these species makes their coincident low abundances
concerning.
No fewer than 19 regularly occurring species were tallied at 150% or more of
their nine-year averages. Besides the new maxima noted above, it is worth
drawing attention to 46 Common Loon (still migrating heavily along the ocean
shore), 583 Common Tern, 113 Forster’s Tern, and 116 Purple