Re:[nysbirds-l] [South Fork Bird Report] Raven in Montauk, Cattle Egret nr Mecox and a very early Dovekie off Georgica
Dear NY Birders, While my son was warming up for his soccer match, I had a half an hour to spend at Mecox Inlet (eastern Suffolk Co.). Here's what I found 1 ad Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 first-year BLACK-HEADED GULL 4 American Pipits 1 SHORT-EARED OWL I wish every half hour of birding could be that productive. Hugh On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 6:29 PM, Angus Wilson wrote: > My apologies for the lack of timely updates; I've been totally snowed under > with work. Here is a rather poorly digested summary of recent reports. > > On Saturday (Oct 23) Derek Rogers saw and photographed a *COMMON RAVEN*eating > berries on a Virginia creeper near the Nature Conservancy’s Fite > House facility off South Davis Drive/Avenue in Montauk. This is off South > Delrey Road on the western side of town. The bird's massive size prompted > thoughts of 'vulture' rather than 'crow' and it lacked some feathers on the > head and nape, accentuating its vulturine appearance. Unfortunately the > raven did not linger and flew west towards the former Montauk Dump and > Hither Hills. There have been no re-sightings but who knows, it might still > be in the general area. Please let us know if you see it. > > Is this the first documented record from the South Fork? There are only a > handful of records for Suffolk County as a whole. In the East, Common Raven > is a bird of mountains and other wild areas, but over the past few years > they have staged an unexpected expansion into the Greater New York > metropolitan area. Following a series of sightings from State Island in the > mid-2000s, several birds set up shop in Queens and Nassau Counties. Reports > have also come from the Bronx. This spring a pair nested in Kew Gardens > producing two, possibly three young. Wandering birds are also on the > increase with reports this month from Jamaica Bay, Jones Beach and Central > Park (apparently the 1st record). So maybe Derek's bird is a herald of > things to come. > > Speaking of dark birds, Beth and Bob Wilson found a *RUSTY BLACKBIRD* on > feeding with a Brown-headed Cowbird along the edge of Dune Road near Scott > Cameron Beach. That same day, Vicki Bustamante found 8 *SNOW GEESE* in a > field across from LIPA* in Watermill. Jorn Ake noted three jaegers (likely > Parasitics) working the Laughing Gulls off the beach in Napeague State Park > and also noted a couple of RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS riding thermals over Camp > Hero. > > At Mecox Inlet, John Shemilt found a BLACK-HEADED GULL and an interesting > sandpiper with features suggestive of a Dunlin x White-rumped Sandpiper > hybrid. These oddities have been showing up in NY and other states with > increasing frequency, perhaps reflecting distributional changes on the > arctic breeding grounds.* A *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL* was on the flat the > day before (22 Oct). > > On Sunday (24 Oct) Vicki Bustamante spotted a *PARASITIC JAEGER* off > Montauk Point and then on Monday (25 Oct), noticed 35-40 *GREEN-WINGED > TEAL* in the 'Napeague bog', the wet area at the old and new highway > split. They disappeared in the next days but a pair of *BLUE-WINGED TEAL*were > on Big Reed Pond. > > On Thursday (28 Oct) John Turner spotted an adult male *HARLEQUIN DUCK* at > the seal haulout site on the north side of Montauk State Park. Just out of > area, another male was sighted by Peter Murphy at Moriches Inlet in > Westhampton Dunes. > > Today (29 Oct) Sandy Hunter found a *CATTLE EGRET* at the Mecox Dairy farm > in Bridgehampton. This small herd of Jersey cows are a magnet for Cattle > Egrets but it has been a while since the last sightings there. You can view > the cows from the side of Mecox Road or by looking back from Horsemill Lane. > There has been a rash of Cattle Egret sightings in the region with three > together in Brooklyn and a flock of seventeen flying together down Cayuga > Lake near Ithaca. A number of others are scattered across the northeast from > Ontario to New Hampshire. > > Many people have noted good numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers, kinglets and > sparrows over the past couple of weeks. Attractive *WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS > * have been particularly abundant, with the prize going to Vicki who > logged around seventy five (yes, 75!) on 19 Oct spread over several sites > between Hither Hills SP and Montauk Point. A *WILSON'S SNIPE* near the > Lighthouse at Montauk was also notable. > > On that same day (19 Oct), Bruce Horwith was down at Georgica and noticed a > *DOVEKIE* floating about 100 feet off the beach. This is certainly the > first I've heard of this year, and to be so close to shore in the absence of > a big storm suggests it might be a sick bird. It might be worth checking > with local wildlife rehab people in case it ended up in care but in general > these tiny alcids are more likely to get 'recycled' by Great Black-backed > Gulls. > > This is a good time to start looking at goose flocks with migrants coming > in from the far north. There is currently a Barnacle Goose in
Re:[nysbirds-l] [South Fork Bird Report] Raven in Montauk, Cattle Egret nr Mecox and a very early Dovekie off Georgica
Dear NY Birders, While my son was warming up for his soccer match, I had a half an hour to spend at Mecox Inlet (eastern Suffolk Co.). Here's what I found 1 ad Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 first-year BLACK-HEADED GULL 4 American Pipits 1 SHORT-EARED OWL I wish every half hour of birding could be that productive. Hugh On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 6:29 PM, Angus Wilson oceanwander...@gmail.comwrote: My apologies for the lack of timely updates; I've been totally snowed under with work. Here is a rather poorly digested summary of recent reports. On Saturday (Oct 23) Derek Rogers saw and photographed a *COMMON RAVEN*eating berries on a Virginia creeper near the Nature Conservancy’s Fite House facility off South Davis Drive/Avenue in Montauk. This is off South Delrey Road on the western side of town. The bird's massive size prompted thoughts of 'vulture' rather than 'crow' and it lacked some feathers on the head and nape, accentuating its vulturine appearance. Unfortunately the raven did not linger and flew west towards the former Montauk Dump and Hither Hills. There have been no re-sightings but who knows, it might still be in the general area. Please let us know if you see it. Is this the first documented record from the South Fork? There are only a handful of records for Suffolk County as a whole. In the East, Common Raven is a bird of mountains and other wild areas, but over the past few years they have staged an unexpected expansion into the Greater New York metropolitan area. Following a series of sightings from State Island in the mid-2000s, several birds set up shop in Queens and Nassau Counties. Reports have also come from the Bronx. This spring a pair nested in Kew Gardens producing two, possibly three young. Wandering birds are also on the increase with reports this month from Jamaica Bay, Jones Beach and Central Park (apparently the 1st record). So maybe Derek's bird is a herald of things to come. Speaking of dark birds, Beth and Bob Wilson found a *RUSTY BLACKBIRD* on feeding with a Brown-headed Cowbird along the edge of Dune Road near Scott Cameron Beach. That same day, Vicki Bustamante found 8 *SNOW GEESE* in a field across from LIPA* in Watermill. Jorn Ake noted three jaegers (likely Parasitics) working the Laughing Gulls off the beach in Napeague State Park and also noted a couple of RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS riding thermals over Camp Hero. At Mecox Inlet, John Shemilt found a BLACK-HEADED GULL and an interesting sandpiper with features suggestive of a Dunlin x White-rumped Sandpiper hybrid. These oddities have been showing up in NY and other states with increasing frequency, perhaps reflecting distributional changes on the arctic breeding grounds.* A *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL* was on the flat the day before (22 Oct). On Sunday (24 Oct) Vicki Bustamante spotted a *PARASITIC JAEGER* off Montauk Point and then on Monday (25 Oct), noticed 35-40 *GREEN-WINGED TEAL* in the 'Napeague bog', the wet area at the old and new highway split. They disappeared in the next days but a pair of *BLUE-WINGED TEAL*were on Big Reed Pond. On Thursday (28 Oct) John Turner spotted an adult male *HARLEQUIN DUCK* at the seal haulout site on the north side of Montauk State Park. Just out of area, another male was sighted by Peter Murphy at Moriches Inlet in Westhampton Dunes. Today (29 Oct) Sandy Hunter found a *CATTLE EGRET* at the Mecox Dairy farm in Bridgehampton. This small herd of Jersey cows are a magnet for Cattle Egrets but it has been a while since the last sightings there. You can view the cows from the side of Mecox Road or by looking back from Horsemill Lane. There has been a rash of Cattle Egret sightings in the region with three together in Brooklyn and a flock of seventeen flying together down Cayuga Lake near Ithaca. A number of others are scattered across the northeast from Ontario to New Hampshire. Many people have noted good numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers, kinglets and sparrows over the past couple of weeks. Attractive *WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS * have been particularly abundant, with the prize going to Vicki who logged around seventy five (yes, 75!) on 19 Oct spread over several sites between Hither Hills SP and Montauk Point. A *WILSON'S SNIPE* near the Lighthouse at Montauk was also notable. On that same day (19 Oct), Bruce Horwith was down at Georgica and noticed a *DOVEKIE* floating about 100 feet off the beach. This is certainly the first I've heard of this year, and to be so close to shore in the absence of a big storm suggests it might be a sick bird. It might be worth checking with local wildlife rehab people in case it ended up in care but in general these tiny alcids are more likely to get 'recycled' by Great Black-backed Gulls. This is a good time to start looking at goose flocks with migrants coming in from the far north. There is currently a Barnacle Goose in Massachusetts and a one-day wonder visited Belmont State
