After striking out on the previously reported PACIFIC LOON in both Hart's Cove in Moriches and then Seatuck Cove in Eastport, I found the bird in Tuthill Cove (alternately called West Cove) off the end of Atlantic Avenue. It was 250-300+ yards off shore, so a scope was a necessity. During the 45-50 minutes I observed the bird it was seen in close proximity to a Common Loon a few times, providing nice comparisons of size and structure. When the late afternoon light caught the bird just right, a dusky "chinstrap" could be discerned. When I first spotted it, it was in the process of swallowing what appeared to be an eel.
This morning I tried but failed to find the Painted Bunting (PABU) at Alley Pond. But I was rewarded for the effort with a couple quick looks at the VIRGINIA'S WARBLER (VIWA) near Little Alley Pond. This was before Ed Bescher's closer, more prolonged looks, which he related to me when we ran into each other later. I'd found the COMMON YELLOWTHROAT reportedly seen in proximity to the PABU at its last known location, so I figured it was worth it to stay in the area for a while, in case the Bunting had relocated too. I circled the pond and it was the hub of the most bird activity I'd seen to that point, with numerous White-throated Sparrows and a few FOX SPARROWS. But no PABU, so I started up the path heading northwest from the pond. That's when I heard a very distinctive chip note from a thicket on my left, (just past a clump of Hercules Club) and a split second later the VIWA shot out, crossing the path less than 10 feet in front of me. It stopped to perch for ~5 seconds atop a small tree 25-30 ft. within the fenced off restoration area adjacent to the pond. It then flew toward the pond where I lost sight of it. If I'd made a greater effort to find it, I might have gotten the kind of looks that Ed did. Other fairly abundant birds seen elsewhere in the park included Hermit Thrush and Am. Goldfinch. -- 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/ --
