RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-05-15 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
This note is actually about "other stuff" again--specifically spring movements 
of Barn and other swallows on Long Island. Since Steve Walter and I last 
digressed to this topic a few weeks ago, I've noticed very few reports 
concerning visible migration of landbirds, two exceptions being reports from 
Michael McBrien and Angus Wilson of small numbers of Barn Swallows moving west 
to east at Patchogue and Amagansett.

On this past Sunday, 12 May, Patricia Lindsay and I observed a moderately paced 
but apparently long-sustained Barn Swallow flight. The tempo and mode of the 
flight was similar at Mecox Bay in the morning (when the morning was still gray 
and greasy) and at Shinnecock Inlet in the afternoon (after the front had 
cleared and the westerly wind had whipped up): in both cases, birds were moving 
determinedly from east to west, as seems to be the case for most moderate to 
large spring movements on the outer coast of Long Island. It seems very likely 
that Barn Swallows were moving at a rate of about one bird per two minutes over 
a period of more than eight hours.

We only stayed at Mecox for 20 minutes (ending 8:00 am) during which we tallied 
8 migrating Barn Swallows. Their behavior was quite striking, and any lingering 
doubts that they might have been local residents cycling around in some fashion 
were further allayed by the presence among them of a Cliff Swallow moving 
westward in just the same fashion. (Some readers of this list will recall the 
Cliff Swallow that Rich Guthrie called out on the beach at Mecox on 29 May 
2004, because it was arguably the fourth most memorable bird there during a 
very memorable Memorial Day weekend--and because a lot of people were standing 
with him on the beach, contemplating the aftermath of Ken and Sue Fuestel's 
Bar-tailed Godwit. Sadly, my notes do not record for certain which way that 
swallow was moving (though I think it was east to west), nor how many Barn 
Swallows we saw.

Pat and I were at Shinnecock Inlet 1:35-3:50 on Sunday, during which we counted 
61 Barn Swallows crossing the Inlet and continuing westward, again with one 
Cliff Swallow among them. (We undoubtedly missed many because  we witnessed a 
shipwreck and spent a lot of time speaking with the Coast Guard and the police.)

I offer these observations because there is obviously still a lot for us to 
learn about even our most common species. For instance, are Barn Swallow 
movements on the barrier beach possibly different from those on the "mainland" 
shores of LI's bays (as at Patchogue), or on the easternmost "mainland" of the 
island (as at Amagansett)?

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore




From: Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 8:36 AM
To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

>In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the central 
>ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is almost 
>invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve rare 
>occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking easterly 
>headwinds during poor weather).
Shai Mitra


From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

> Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold 
> triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).



Washington 
Monthly<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php>
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of "America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges"

--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-05-15 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
This note is actually about other stuff again--specifically spring movements 
of Barn and other swallows on Long Island. Since Steve Walter and I last 
digressed to this topic a few weeks ago, I've noticed very few reports 
concerning visible migration of landbirds, two exceptions being reports from 
Michael McBrien and Angus Wilson of small numbers of Barn Swallows moving west 
to east at Patchogue and Amagansett.

On this past Sunday, 12 May, Patricia Lindsay and I observed a moderately paced 
but apparently long-sustained Barn Swallow flight. The tempo and mode of the 
flight was similar at Mecox Bay in the morning (when the morning was still gray 
and greasy) and at Shinnecock Inlet in the afternoon (after the front had 
cleared and the westerly wind had whipped up): in both cases, birds were moving 
determinedly from east to west, as seems to be the case for most moderate to 
large spring movements on the outer coast of Long Island. It seems very likely 
that Barn Swallows were moving at a rate of about one bird per two minutes over 
a period of more than eight hours.

We only stayed at Mecox for 20 minutes (ending 8:00 am) during which we tallied 
8 migrating Barn Swallows. Their behavior was quite striking, and any lingering 
doubts that they might have been local residents cycling around in some fashion 
were further allayed by the presence among them of a Cliff Swallow moving 
westward in just the same fashion. (Some readers of this list will recall the 
Cliff Swallow that Rich Guthrie called out on the beach at Mecox on 29 May 
2004, because it was arguably the fourth most memorable bird there during a 
very memorable Memorial Day weekend--and because a lot of people were standing 
with him on the beach, contemplating the aftermath of Ken and Sue Fuestel's 
Bar-tailed Godwit. Sadly, my notes do not record for certain which way that 
swallow was moving (though I think it was east to west), nor how many Barn 
Swallows we saw.

Pat and I were at Shinnecock Inlet 1:35-3:50 on Sunday, during which we counted 
61 Barn Swallows crossing the Inlet and continuing westward, again with one 
Cliff Swallow among them. (We undoubtedly missed many because  we witnessed a 
shipwreck and spent a lot of time speaking with the Coast Guard and the police.)

I offer these observations because there is obviously still a lot for us to 
learn about even our most common species. For instance, are Barn Swallow 
movements on the barrier beach possibly different from those on the mainland 
shores of LI's bays (as at Patchogue), or on the easternmost mainland of the 
island (as at Amagansett)?

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore




From: Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 8:36 AM
To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the central 
ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is almost 
invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve rare 
occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking easterly 
headwinds during poor weather).
Shai Mitra


From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold 
 triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).



Washington 
Monthlyhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges

--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Steve Walter 
And now for a reply that actually speaks to the subject line - the HOODED
WARBLER is still at Oakland Lake, left of (or south) of the Springfield
Blvd. staircase. It's usually back toward the hillside, but did come close
enough to the trail to be photographed on one occasion today.

 

Steve

 

From: bounce-83952400-8873...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83952400-8873...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 10:44 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

As Steve notes, spring 1996 was something to behold and to remember! That
year there were no fewer than three instances of the kind he describes--30
April, 11 May, and 19 May--all foggy dawns after favorable nights for
movement to our southwest. Some springs lack even one such event, and I've
never again seen one quite like 19 May 96.  

 

For those who over-use the word 'fallout' to describe locally heavy generic
spring migration, those mornings offer a lesson in diction: Neotropical
migrant landbirds swirled like snowflakes in the foggy beams of the Fire
Island lighthouse before dawn, dropped into the puckerbrush, then swept
along the barrier beaches in astonishing numbers. On the 19th, these
migrants entered the banding station's nets mostly on the west sides
(indicating eastward movement) until about 7:00 am, whereupon the trend
shifted almost completely to strikes on the east sides. It was surreal:
Myrtle and Magnolia predominated among a nearly full suite of warblers;
scores of Ovenbirds rustled like leaves on the ground; I saw more
Philadelphia Vireos in two or three mornings than in all other spring
mornings on LI since.

 

My interpretation of what happened was that flocks of migrants departed
northward under favorable conditions from points south on the prior
evenings, were drifted out over the New York Bight by a westerly component
to their tail-winds, then ran into fog around dawn. This coincided with
their approach to Long Island's outer coast, and they literally fell out of
the sky at this first opportunity to gain land. Under this view, their
westward movement was one of reorientation--an attempt to regain their
intended longitude, possibly the Hudson River Valley.

 

Like Steve, I remember flocks of supposedly diurnal migrants streaming
westward on these mornings. I suppose the question remains, did these
originate from the south and arrive by night with the nocturnal migrants, or
were they already here or to our north, and did they then react to the local
weather by heading south?

 

Shai Mitra

Bay Shore

 

 

  _  

From: bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu
[bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 9:40 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

>I was introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember
correctly). Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of
insectivores in the north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from
the Rockaways (and others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple
swallow species, Chimney Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds.

 

 

 

  _  


 
<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/am
ericas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php> Washington Monthly magazine ranks
the College of Staten Island as one of "America's Best-Bang-for-the-Buck
Colleges" 

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
As Steve notes, spring 1996 was something to behold and to remember! That year 
there were no fewer than three instances of the kind he describes--30 April, 11 
May, and 19 May--all foggy dawns after favorable nights for movement to our 
southwest. Some springs lack even one such event, and I've never again seen one 
quite like 19 May 96.

For those who over-use the word 'fallout' to describe locally heavy generic 
spring migration, those mornings offer a lesson in diction: Neotropical migrant 
landbirds swirled like snowflakes in the foggy beams of the Fire Island 
lighthouse before dawn, dropped into the puckerbrush, then swept along the 
barrier beaches in astonishing numbers. On the 19th, these migrants entered the 
banding station's nets mostly on the west sides (indicating eastward movement) 
until about 7:00 am, whereupon the trend shifted almost completely to strikes 
on the east sides. It was surreal: Myrtle and Magnolia predominated among a 
nearly full suite of warblers; scores of Ovenbirds rustled like leaves on the 
ground; I saw more Philadelphia Vireos in two or three mornings than in all 
other spring mornings on LI since.

My interpretation of what happened was that flocks of migrants departed 
northward under favorable conditions from points south on the prior evenings, 
were drifted out over the New York Bight by a westerly component to their 
tail-winds, then ran into fog around dawn. This coincided with their approach 
to Long Island's outer coast, and they literally fell out of the sky at this 
first opportunity to gain land. Under this view, their westward movement was 
one of reorientation--an attempt to regain their intended longitude, possibly 
the Hudson River Valley.

Like Steve, I remember flocks of supposedly diurnal migrants streaming westward 
on these mornings. I suppose the question remains, did these originate from the 
south and arrive by night with the nocturnal migrants, or were they already 
here or to our north, and did they then react to the local weather by heading 
south?

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore



From: bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 9:40 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

>I was introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember correctly). 
>Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of insectivores in the 
>north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from the Rockaways (and 
>others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple swallow species, Chimney 
>Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds.





Washington 
Monthly<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php>
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of "America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges"

--

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http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Steve Walter 
It's true of any land bird migrating through Long Island that you're going
to see the westward movement. Most birds are attempting to head
northeastward in spring and land birds, well, they have land to fly over
once on the island. So the migration is going to be on a broad front and not
very noticeable, except in isolated situations. Back in the 1990's. I
experimented with spring hawk watching at Fort Tilden. Hawks that migrated
through the spring concentrating effect of the New Jersey coastline / Sandy
Hook (and were not afraid of water crossings (such Ospreys, Harriers,
falcons)) could be seen coming across and continuing in a northeast heading.
Even at this point, they could be seen fanning out. So birds crossing a mile
to the east or west would not be detectable, limiting the overall observable
numbers. I almost never saw anything head east along the coast, so that's
not going to leave much of a visible migration at places such as Jones
Beach. 

 

Of course, birds wanting to head south are going to run into the coast,
avoid a long water crossing, and be concentrated and quite visible as they
follow the coast westward. That's what we see in the fall. If this effect is
seen in the spring, does it necessarily mean the birds are looking to go
back south? I don't know, but I am pretty sure this effect directly
correlates with strong cold fronts and unseasonable cold outbreaks. I was
introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember correctly).
Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of insectivores in the
north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from the Rockaways (and
others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple swallow species,
Chimney Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds. 

 

 

Steve Walter 

 

From: bounce-83942372-8873...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83942372-8873...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 8:36 AM
To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the
central ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is
almost invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve
rare occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking
easterly headwinds during poor weather). This may seem odd, especially for
an allegedly diurnal migrant, but the general pattern holds true for visible
mass movements (whether construed as genuine migration or reorientation) of
almost all landbird species along this coast during spring. Spring migration
for Barns Swallows is also surprisingly late here, peaking in mid May and
continuing through the end of the month. Here are a few selected records to
illustrate these points: 

 

23 Apr 07 Fire Island 35 e to w

2 May 10 Moriches-Shinnecock Inlets 176 e to w

10 May 09 Shinnecock Inlet 197 e to w

12 May 05 Fire Island 1,000 e to w

15 May 10 Fire Island 400 e to w

31 May 09 Fire Island 22 e to w

 

Bull (1964) lists a high spring count of of 250 at Long Beach on 30 May 1917
but doesn't state the direction of movement.

 

Shai Mitra

 

  _  

From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

> Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a
cold triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).

 

  _  


 
<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/am
ericas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php> Washington Monthly magazine ranks
the College of Staten Island as one of "America's Best-Bang-for-the-Buck
Colleges" 

--

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 <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

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<http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> 

 <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds

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Please submit your observations to  <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird!

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the central 
ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is almost 
invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve rare 
occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking easterly 
headwinds during poor weather). This may seem odd, especially for an allegedly 
diurnal migrant, but the general pattern holds true for visible mass movements 
(whether construed as genuine migration or reorientation) of almost all 
landbird species along this coast during spring. Spring migration for Barns 
Swallows is also surprisingly late here, peaking in mid May and continuing 
through the end of the month. Here are a few selected records to illustrate 
these points:

23 Apr 07 Fire Island 35 e to w
2 May 10 Moriches-Shinnecock Inlets 176 e to w
10 May 09 Shinnecock Inlet 197 e to w
12 May 05 Fire Island 1,000 e to w
15 May 10 Fire Island 400 e to w
31 May 09 Fire Island 22 e to w

Bull (1964) lists a high spring count of of 250 at Long Beach on 30 May 1917 
but doesn't state the direction of movement.

Shai Mitra


From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

> Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold 
> triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).



Washington 
Monthly
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of "America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges"

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
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ARCHIVES:
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3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the central 
ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is almost 
invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve rare 
occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking easterly 
headwinds during poor weather). This may seem odd, especially for an allegedly 
diurnal migrant, but the general pattern holds true for visible mass movements 
(whether construed as genuine migration or reorientation) of almost all 
landbird species along this coast during spring. Spring migration for Barns 
Swallows is also surprisingly late here, peaking in mid May and continuing 
through the end of the month. Here are a few selected records to illustrate 
these points:

23 Apr 07 Fire Island 35 e to w
2 May 10 Moriches-Shinnecock Inlets 176 e to w
10 May 09 Shinnecock Inlet 197 e to w
12 May 05 Fire Island 1,000 e to w
15 May 10 Fire Island 400 e to w
31 May 09 Fire Island 22 e to w

Bull (1964) lists a high spring count of of 250 at Long Beach on 30 May 1917 
but doesn't state the direction of movement.

Shai Mitra


From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold 
 triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).



Washington 
Monthlyhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges

--

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http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
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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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Steve Walter 
It's true of any land bird migrating through Long Island that you're going
to see the westward movement. Most birds are attempting to head
northeastward in spring and land birds, well, they have land to fly over
once on the island. So the migration is going to be on a broad front and not
very noticeable, except in isolated situations. Back in the 1990's. I
experimented with spring hawk watching at Fort Tilden. Hawks that migrated
through the spring concentrating effect of the New Jersey coastline / Sandy
Hook (and were not afraid of water crossings (such Ospreys, Harriers,
falcons)) could be seen coming across and continuing in a northeast heading.
Even at this point, they could be seen fanning out. So birds crossing a mile
to the east or west would not be detectable, limiting the overall observable
numbers. I almost never saw anything head east along the coast, so that's
not going to leave much of a visible migration at places such as Jones
Beach. 

 

Of course, birds wanting to head south are going to run into the coast,
avoid a long water crossing, and be concentrated and quite visible as they
follow the coast westward. That's what we see in the fall. If this effect is
seen in the spring, does it necessarily mean the birds are looking to go
back south? I don't know, but I am pretty sure this effect directly
correlates with strong cold fronts and unseasonable cold outbreaks. I was
introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember correctly).
Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of insectivores in the
north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from the Rockaways (and
others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple swallow species,
Chimney Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds. 

 

 

Steve Walter 

 

From: bounce-83942372-8873...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83942372-8873...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 8:36 AM
To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

In my experience, visible spring migration of Barn Swallows along the
central ocean coast of Long Island (Jones Inlet to Shinnecock Inlet) is
almost invariably from east to west (the only exceptions seem to involve
rare occasions when very small numbers of birds are observed bucking
easterly headwinds during poor weather). This may seem odd, especially for
an allegedly diurnal migrant, but the general pattern holds true for visible
mass movements (whether construed as genuine migration or reorientation) of
almost all landbird species along this coast during spring. Spring migration
for Barns Swallows is also surprisingly late here, peaking in mid May and
continuing through the end of the month. Here are a few selected records to
illustrate these points: 

 

23 Apr 07 Fire Island 35 e to w

2 May 10 Moriches-Shinnecock Inlets 176 e to w

10 May 09 Shinnecock Inlet 197 e to w

12 May 05 Fire Island 1,000 e to w

15 May 10 Fire Island 400 e to w

31 May 09 Fire Island 22 e to w

 

Bull (1964) lists a high spring count of of 250 at Long Beach on 30 May 1917
but doesn't state the direction of movement.

 

Shai Mitra

 

  _  

From: bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu
[bounce-83899896-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 Of interest was a modest westward movement of Barn Swallows, perhaps a
cold triggered reverse migration (as has been observed before).

 

  _  


 
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/am
ericas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php Washington Monthly magazine ranks
the College of Staten Island as one of America's Best-Bang-for-the-Buck
Colleges 

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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
As Steve notes, spring 1996 was something to behold and to remember! That year 
there were no fewer than three instances of the kind he describes--30 April, 11 
May, and 19 May--all foggy dawns after favorable nights for movement to our 
southwest. Some springs lack even one such event, and I've never again seen one 
quite like 19 May 96.

For those who over-use the word 'fallout' to describe locally heavy generic 
spring migration, those mornings offer a lesson in diction: Neotropical migrant 
landbirds swirled like snowflakes in the foggy beams of the Fire Island 
lighthouse before dawn, dropped into the puckerbrush, then swept along the 
barrier beaches in astonishing numbers. On the 19th, these migrants entered the 
banding station's nets mostly on the west sides (indicating eastward movement) 
until about 7:00 am, whereupon the trend shifted almost completely to strikes 
on the east sides. It was surreal: Myrtle and Magnolia predominated among a 
nearly full suite of warblers; scores of Ovenbirds rustled like leaves on the 
ground; I saw more Philadelphia Vireos in two or three mornings than in all 
other spring mornings on LI since.

My interpretation of what happened was that flocks of migrants departed 
northward under favorable conditions from points south on the prior evenings, 
were drifted out over the New York Bight by a westerly component to their 
tail-winds, then ran into fog around dawn. This coincided with their approach 
to Long Island's outer coast, and they literally fell out of the sky at this 
first opportunity to gain land. Under this view, their westward movement was 
one of reorientation--an attempt to regain their intended longitude, possibly 
the Hudson River Valley.

Like Steve, I remember flocks of supposedly diurnal migrants streaming westward 
on these mornings. I suppose the question remains, did these originate from the 
south and arrive by night with the nocturnal migrants, or were they already 
here or to our north, and did they then react to the local weather by heading 
south?

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore



From: bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter 
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 9:40 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

I was introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember correctly). 
Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of insectivores in the 
north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from the Rockaways (and 
others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple swallow species, Chimney 
Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds.





Washington 
Monthlyhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php
 magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of America's 
Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges

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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-22 Thread Steve Walter 
And now for a reply that actually speaks to the subject line - the HOODED
WARBLER is still at Oakland Lake, left of (or south) of the Springfield
Blvd. staircase. It's usually back toward the hillside, but did come close
enough to the trail to be photographed on one occasion today.

 

Steve

 

From: bounce-83952400-8873...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83952400-8873...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 10:44 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

As Steve notes, spring 1996 was something to behold and to remember! That
year there were no fewer than three instances of the kind he describes--30
April, 11 May, and 19 May--all foggy dawns after favorable nights for
movement to our southwest. Some springs lack even one such event, and I've
never again seen one quite like 19 May 96.  

 

For those who over-use the word 'fallout' to describe locally heavy generic
spring migration, those mornings offer a lesson in diction: Neotropical
migrant landbirds swirled like snowflakes in the foggy beams of the Fire
Island lighthouse before dawn, dropped into the puckerbrush, then swept
along the barrier beaches in astonishing numbers. On the 19th, these
migrants entered the banding station's nets mostly on the west sides
(indicating eastward movement) until about 7:00 am, whereupon the trend
shifted almost completely to strikes on the east sides. It was surreal:
Myrtle and Magnolia predominated among a nearly full suite of warblers;
scores of Ovenbirds rustled like leaves on the ground; I saw more
Philadelphia Vireos in two or three mornings than in all other spring
mornings on LI since.

 

My interpretation of what happened was that flocks of migrants departed
northward under favorable conditions from points south on the prior
evenings, were drifted out over the New York Bight by a westerly component
to their tail-winds, then ran into fog around dawn. This coincided with
their approach to Long Island's outer coast, and they literally fell out of
the sky at this first opportunity to gain land. Under this view, their
westward movement was one of reorientation--an attempt to regain their
intended longitude, possibly the Hudson River Valley.

 

Like Steve, I remember flocks of supposedly diurnal migrants streaming
westward on these mornings. I suppose the question remains, did these
originate from the south and arrive by night with the nocturnal migrants, or
were they already here or to our north, and did they then react to the local
weather by heading south?

 

Shai Mitra

Bay Shore

 

 

  _  

From: bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu
[bounce-83949362-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter
[swalte...@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 9:40 AM
To: 'NYSBIRDS'
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

I was introduced to this phenomenon on May 12, 1996 (if I remember
correctly). Being later in the season, there was a larger pool of
insectivores in the north. There was a dramatic flight that I observed from
the Rockaways (and others did from Jones Beach) which included multiple
swallow species, Chimney Swifts, and Eastern Kingbirds.

 

 

 

  _  


 
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/am
ericas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php Washington Monthly magazine ranks
the College of Staten Island as one of America's Best-Bang-for-the-Buck
Colleges 

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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-21 Thread Ian Resnick 
The Hooded was seen consistently in the vicinity of the Springfield Blvd.
stairs (west end of the lake). It sang a little on Saturday morning, and by
this afternoon was singing more.

In addition, the Redstart was active around a wet area to the east of the
stairs from 46th Avenue all weekend. Also present were numerous
Yellow-rumpeds, a few Palm Warblers and a single very dull Pine Warbler. The
Lesser Scaup also remain.

 

Ian Resnick

Bayside, NY

 

From: bounce-83899896-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83899896-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Steve Walter
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

I was informed through personal communication (from someone not on the list)
that the HOODED WARBLER was seen both days of the weekend around the
Springfield Blvd. staircase at Oakland Lake, Queens. I still haven't seen
it. Have to get out of the neighborhood on weekends. So this is my report
for April 21:

Point Lookout: I'm not sure at what point this becomes a late date of
significance, but there's still one female HARLEQUIN DUCK. She flew in from
the ocean and climbed up on the westernmost jetty while I was on it. She
took off after a while when -- I kid you not -- a Gray Seal poked its head
up right next to the rock she was standing on. These were just part of a
lively and entertaining morning on and around the jetty, including breeding
plumaged COMMON LOON and LONG-TAILED DUCK, several PURPLE SANDPIPERS,
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS picking at mussels 25 feet from where I was sitting,
and a frenzy of FORSTER'S TERNS. Of interest was a modest westward movement
of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold triggered reverse migration (as has been
observed before).

Jones Beach West End: I just took a quick spin through and from my car saw a
BROWN THRASHER and an EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

Captree: The RED-NECKED GREBE is still there and now has some color on the
breast (picture on the recent work page of my web site). I don't know what
its biggest problem is, but I noticed that it was using only its right foot
for paddling. Three weeks ago, I did see it dive a few times. It must be
getting food some time. It's now been around for two months and never looked
well, but it's surviving.

Timber Point: I thought I saw them both across the wide channel in the early
afternoon, with the darker RUFF certainly being more conspicuous. He later
(about 3:00) came into the near pool across the narrow channel (alone), and
I was able to get a couple of decent pictures, one of which I have posted at
 http://www.stevewalternature.com/ . In
the pool to the left of that one, there was a brief appearance by a PECTORAL
SANDPIPER.

Steve Walter

Bayside, NY

 

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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

2013-04-21 Thread Ian Resnick 
The Hooded was seen consistently in the vicinity of the Springfield Blvd.
stairs (west end of the lake). It sang a little on Saturday morning, and by
this afternoon was singing more.

In addition, the Redstart was active around a wet area to the east of the
stairs from 46th Avenue all weekend. Also present were numerous
Yellow-rumpeds, a few Palm Warblers and a single very dull Pine Warbler. The
Lesser Scaup also remain.

 

Ian Resnick

Bayside, NY

 

From: bounce-83899896-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-83899896-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Steve Walter
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:47 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded W. at Oakland Lake and other stuff

 

I was informed through personal communication (from someone not on the list)
that the HOODED WARBLER was seen both days of the weekend around the
Springfield Blvd. staircase at Oakland Lake, Queens. I still haven't seen
it. Have to get out of the neighborhood on weekends. So this is my report
for April 21:

Point Lookout: I'm not sure at what point this becomes a late date of
significance, but there's still one female HARLEQUIN DUCK. She flew in from
the ocean and climbed up on the westernmost jetty while I was on it. She
took off after a while when -- I kid you not -- a Gray Seal poked its head
up right next to the rock she was standing on. These were just part of a
lively and entertaining morning on and around the jetty, including breeding
plumaged COMMON LOON and LONG-TAILED DUCK, several PURPLE SANDPIPERS,
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS picking at mussels 25 feet from where I was sitting,
and a frenzy of FORSTER'S TERNS. Of interest was a modest westward movement
of Barn Swallows, perhaps a cold triggered reverse migration (as has been
observed before).

Jones Beach West End: I just took a quick spin through and from my car saw a
BROWN THRASHER and an EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

Captree: The RED-NECKED GREBE is still there and now has some color on the
breast (picture on the recent work page of my web site). I don't know what
its biggest problem is, but I noticed that it was using only its right foot
for paddling. Three weeks ago, I did see it dive a few times. It must be
getting food some time. It's now been around for two months and never looked
well, but it's surviving.

Timber Point: I thought I saw them both across the wide channel in the early
afternoon, with the darker RUFF certainly being more conspicuous. He later
(about 3:00) came into the near pool across the narrow channel (alone), and
I was able to get a couple of decent pictures, one of which I have posted at
http://www.stevewalternature.com/ http://www.stevewalternature.com/ . In
the pool to the left of that one, there was a brief appearance by a PECTORAL
SANDPIPER.

Steve Walter

Bayside, NY

 

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