[nysbirds-l] Woodcock & Meadowlark, FBF
Yesterday (Saturday) evening I led a Spring Equinox woodcock walk for NYC Audubon to Floyd Bennett Field. We arrived around 6pm, so didn't have too much time to look for birds before sunset at 7. In that time, we found some nice early migrants: a pair of Killdeer, numerous singing Red-winged Blackbirds, and my FOS Eastern Meadowlark. We were distracted when some young men driving their pickup truck a bit aggressively around the parking lot managed to flip it (not sure how). Luckily no one was hurt, but there were a lot of sirens and hubbub when the police, firemen, and ambulances came, and all stared at the truck laying there like a beetle on its back. They flipped it back over somehow. Shortly after sunset, the sky was darkening and the Woodcocks still hadn't appeared. I was a bit worried that perhaps the previous day's snow had dissuaded them from performing, but suddenly we heard a "beent!" And then another and another, and all at once we were surrounded by them. There must have been at least a dozen displaying, chasing one another, giving their territorial chatter. It was quite a show! As Andrew mentioned of his woodcock walk, they seemed to end early... All activity ceased within 45 minutes. But it was quite a frenzy for that short while. Happy spring, Gabriel Willow NYC Audubon -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Woodcock Meadowlark, FBF
Yesterday (Saturday) evening I led a Spring Equinox woodcock walk for NYC Audubon to Floyd Bennett Field. We arrived around 6pm, so didn't have too much time to look for birds before sunset at 7. In that time, we found some nice early migrants: a pair of Killdeer, numerous singing Red-winged Blackbirds, and my FOS Eastern Meadowlark. We were distracted when some young men driving their pickup truck a bit aggressively around the parking lot managed to flip it (not sure how). Luckily no one was hurt, but there were a lot of sirens and hubbub when the police, firemen, and ambulances came, and all stared at the truck laying there like a beetle on its back. They flipped it back over somehow. Shortly after sunset, the sky was darkening and the Woodcocks still hadn't appeared. I was a bit worried that perhaps the previous day's snow had dissuaded them from performing, but suddenly we heard a beent! And then another and another, and all at once we were surrounded by them. There must have been at least a dozen displaying, chasing one another, giving their territorial chatter. It was quite a show! As Andrew mentioned of his woodcock walk, they seemed to end early... All activity ceased within 45 minutes. But it was quite a frenzy for that short while. Happy spring, Gabriel Willow NYC Audubon -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
