About 45 min ago, we had a group of 5 COMMON NIGHTHAWKs appear over our neighborhood (W Meadow Dr Lansing). I first saw only 4 as I had just turned around from spotting some Cedar Waxwing flyovers, so only got the new group disappearing behind trees, but a good enough view of the white wing mark on two of them to be sure. I've been out for the last two weeks every nice evening waiting/hoping for these guys to reappear as they have the last few Augusts, so was most gratified to have them appear tonight!
I waited for a bit, then walked from more enclosed backyard to street view where we picked them up again, wheeling about our and adjacent yards for a few turns. As in my extended observation of a couple years ago, they were again (annoyingly) silent, but still graceful to watch. Another turn around the yard and woods, trying to stay one jump ahead of the black flies (didn't work: I'm a pincushion now) turned up a juvenile BALTIMORE ORIOLE working high branches: I also saw an adult BAOR in wild grapes around 430pm here. I had heard two oriole phrases sung in the much diminished dawn chorus a few days ago, so it was nice to see these guys probably for almost the last time this season. Then just as I was headed in, a glimpse of a flycatcher sallying from a high bare box elder. I thought, ah, that's the Eastern Wood-Pewee I watched on Sunday afternoon, but, like a good birder, never assume anything, so I got the glasses on it and lo and behold, it was my first yard OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER ! Yes! after many years of swing and a miss on Phoebes, this was no doubt OSFL. Especially after the Friday confirmed view of another at SSW, this was no doubt in my mind a more juvenile version of same. The flanks were grayer, but showed slight streaks; the belly and center breast and throat were quite white and clean. Tail relatively short and no wagging. When it dipped it's head, I could see the much darker cap. I got a bunch of pictures from almost directly below and the bird was so obliging at returning to the same perch after multiple sallies that I ran and got the scope and had even better looks. I was amused to stand back and see the scope was nearly vertical but there was just no way to get another viewpoint on this tree, as adjacent trees were just too bushy. ChrisP ______________________ Chris Pelkie Research Analyst Bioacoustics Research Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
