[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/juvenile Gray Jays/Philadelphia Vireo/Ermine killing Red Squirrel & more

[Joan Collins]

As many have noted, migration was mostly late - the latest I've ever seen.
Year after year, the number of birds continues to decline.  My non-birder
husband keeps asking what is wrong - he comments that we are not hearing
many birds anymore.  The dawn chorus used to be deafening, but now it
doesn't even wake us.  On Whiteface there were noticeably less numbers of
vocalizing Bicknell's Thrushes on Sunday compared to last year at the same
time.  While these are personal observations, I am hearing the same worries
from other birders regarding declining numbers of birds.  Our human
population, nearing 8 billion, is taking a huge toll on the planet.

 

A few sightings from the past 3 weeks (minus the week we spent in Iowa for
our younger son's graduation!):

 

5/31/17 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Two Barred Owls hooted back and forth for a long time outside our home last
night - one right off our front porch.

 

5/30/17 Long Lake

 

Gray Jays - 7 (2 along Route 30, 2 by Little Tupper Lake, and 3 at Sabattis
Bog (the resident pair only raised one baby this year))

 

On a May 28, 2017 Dawn Tour up Whiteface Mountain with 4 people (2 from MA,
and 2 from PA) we found 67 species visiting both high and low elevation
boreal habitats (including Bloomingdale, Tupper Lake, and Long Lake).  Here
is our list:

 

Ring-necked Duck

Hooded Merganser - 7 babies in the road, and eventually, their mother!

Common Merganser - 1 female on the Saranac River

Ruffed Grouse

Rock Pigeon

Chimney Swift

Wilson's Snipe

Common Loon - on its nest in Tupper Lake

Turkey Vulture

Northern Goshawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Hairy Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - on Whiteface Mountain

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - nice view on Whiteface

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo - nice view!

Red-eyed Vireo

Gray Jay - 2 at Sabattis Bog

Blue Jay

American Crow

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Bicknell's Thrush - 3 different birds viewed (one photo on my Facebook page)
and many heard

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

European Starling

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Ovenbird

Black-and-white Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler - nice view on Whiteface

Blackburnian Warbler - nice view

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler - nice views on Whiteface

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler - nice view

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow - nice views of a singing bird!

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

 

We also observed many Snowshoe Hares.

 

On a May 27, 2017 half-day tour with 3 people (2 from Ogdensburg and 1 from
Canton) we found 45 species in Tupper Lake and the Spring Pond Bog Preserve
complex.  Here is our list:

 

Rock Pigeon

Chimney Swift

Turkey Vulture

Northern Goshawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Black-backed Woodpecker - male

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Gray Jay - 4 (family group with 2 adults and 2 young)

Blue Jay

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Mourning Warbler - nice views!

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager

 

We also observed Moose tracks.

 

May 26, 2017 Long Lake

 

Not a birding day, but I found the first-of-the-year juvenile Gray Jay at
Sabattis Bog!  It was very friendly!  (Photos on my Facebook page.)

 

5/18/17 Long Lake

 

*Red-eyed Vireo

*Mourning Warbler - the latest arrival date I've noted (along Sabattis
Circle Road)

 

We had severe weather hit that day around the dinner hour.  I spotted the
resident alpha male Wild Turkey hiding behind a huge tree stump outside our
kitchen window.  He was crouched down and occasionally his head would pop up
(like a whack-a-mole!).  Every time the thunder hit, he would gobble - it
was obviously disturbing him.  He is my "friend" so I tried talking to him
through the window.  This went on and on, but he suddenly came running out
and headed up the hill in our backyard toward an old lean-to.  He continued
to gobble as thunder crashed.  Just after he left, the 

[nysbirds-l] NYS eBird Hotspots: State, Counties & Locations Updated (Jun/'17)

[Ben Cacace]

Thanks to @Team_eBird for their dedication to keeping eBird.org running
smoothly and for the group of New York State hotspot moderators for their
time reviewing shared location suggestions.

The wiki page site was developed to access data on eBird.org and in places
it includes additional links to birding resources at the county and
location levels. If you have any suggestions for additional links please
[let me know] send them to me off list.

*Species totals* have been updated for all county pages. This includes the
total number of species with an equivalent color code highlighting the
county name based on colors used on eBird maps. The alphabetical list of
counties on the main page has been updated with total spp. #.

*Hotspot pages*: All location pages have been updated on the wiki. These
include 725 pages representing a total of 1,520 out of 5,654 hotspots
(26.9%). Updates involve # of species and color codings based on species #
along with updated 2017 periods on the bar chart tables displaying the
Current Month: Jun./2017, Prior Month: May/2017 and the current two month
period May-Jun./2017 along with the current year: 2017.

For the following counties there are individual 'dynamic' wiki pages for
the Top 10 locations at the top of the list of shared locations: Cayuga,
Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Orange, Oswego, Seneca, Tompkins, Kings (Brooklyn),
Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Westchester
and New York (Borough of Manhattan) Counties have all shared locations
linked to wikipages.

Counties with 'static' pages do not need to be maintained on a monthly
basis. These include pages for at least the Top 10 locations: Albany,
Bronx, Chautauqua, Delaware, Dutchess, Genesee, Hamilton, Jefferson,
Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Sullivan, Ulster & Wayne
with Putnam County currently having all shared locations linked to
wikipages.

An *alphabetical list* of all hotspots can be found on a single page. Links
exist for any hotspot with a wikipage. Clicking the county name to the
right of any hotspot will bring up the county page showing all hotspots for
the county. The link to the alphabetical list page is at the bottom of this
message. There is a link to this page at the top of the New York State page.

*Bar Charts (Species Lists)*: For all county and top 10 location pages
there's a table showing the months, seasons and several time frames for the
current year. Clicking any of these links will bring up a complete list of
species and other taxa with bar charts representing abundance. To see a
list of species for *all* periods click on the name above the months i.e.
'New York State (479 spp.)' or 'Genesee County (295 spp.)'.

*Maps of sightings*: After bringing up a bar chart list you'll see a MAP
button to the right of each species. Clicking this will produce a map of
the latest sightings. Red icons show sightings within the past 30 days.
Click on the icons to see a list of who reported each species and click on
'Checklist' to view their submission. Click on 'Explore Rich Media' in the
right sidebar to view locations with photos, audio or video. These also
exist for any multi-location page combining the hotspots associated with
the location i.e. Massapequa Preserve in Nassau County with its 2 locations.

*Printable Checklists*: a link has been created to produce an eBird
checklist (PDF format) for all hotspots on the wiki site. Additional
details are in this email sent to the list <
https://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/msg20153.html >.

*Tide Graphs* exist for New York County, Kings County (Brooklyn) and
Richmond County (Staten Island). There's a quick link to the tide graphs on
the "Go To >" line highlighted in blue for each location. If there are
multiple graphs on a page the left/right is generally north/south or
west/east. If you spot any issues please let me know off line.

Click '*Overview*' on any of the wiki pages to bring up a sortable list of
all species along with the latest checklists submitted and a list of the
Top eBirders. The default sort is for the latest additions to the State,
County or location.

Check out '*My Location Life List*', '*My County Life List*' and '*My State
Life List*' links on their respective pages.

For each location page click on '*Google Map Directions*' to bring up a
Google Map page. On Google Maps click 'Directions' then 'Transit' to plot a
public transportation route. By clicking 'More Options and Times' you can
refine your search. This also works with 'Driving' and 'Walking'.

* Home page: http://ebirding-nys.wikispaces.com/Birding+in+New+York
* Alphabetical list of hotspots:
http://ebirding-nys.wikispaces.com/AlphaHotspots

Enjoy!

-- 
Ben Cacace
Manhattan, NYC
Wiki for NYS eBird Hotspots

Facebook Discussion for NYS eBird Hotspots: Q & A


--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

Re: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach Black-necked Stilts (NO)

[Andrew Baksh]

I have been out here since this AM and have not seen any sign of the 
Black-necked Stilts (BNST). That does not mean they are not around since my 
focus was more on counting shorebirds instead of searching for the BNSTs.

On a side note, the Cattle Egret continued this AM at Cow Meadow Park.


Cheers,


"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of 
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick 
Douglass

風　Swift as the wind
林　Quiet as the forest
火　Conquer like the fire
山　Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu  The Art of War

> (__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (") 
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device! 

Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com

> On May 31, 2017, at 2:50 PM, Cindy Goldman  wrote:
> 
> Has anyone seen the black-necked stilts today? 
> From: bounce-121566706-77129...@list.cornell.edu 
>  on behalf of Ken Feustel 
> 
> Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 6:54:13 PM
> To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park 
> (Nassau Co.)
>  
> I spent some time this morning looking at shorebirds on a high tide in the 
> West End Marina. While walking back to the gazebo from the eastern spit I saw 
> Stan (a West End regular - sorry Stan, forgot your last name) talking to Tom 
> Burke and Gail Benson, the distant conversation being followed by a 
> remarkably quick movement of the participants toward their vehicles. Tom 
> stopped to tell me that Stan had just found two Black-necked Stilts (photos 
> taken) at the WE2 swale. We arrived at the swale approx. ten minutes after 
> Stan’s observation - no Stilts. Present, however was a young Peregrine Falcon 
> chasing anything with wings. A search of the ponds east of WE2 (ponds 
> flooded) and areas between the dunes with standing water was fruitless. Any 
> flooded pond or depression could hold these birds, so be on the lookout.
> 
> On a more positive note, and if anyone besides me has not already seen this 
> bird, the Yellow-throated Warbler continues at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, 
> where he was seen and heard this morning and early this afternoon. My 
> afternoon observation consisted of hearing the bird singing the moment I got 
> out of the car. The bird was singing from the top of a conifer near the 
> active Osprey nest (listen for the racket) on the east side of the main 
> entrance road. The bird moved frequently, working his way north along the 
> east side of the road toward the toll booth, finally crossing the road to the 
> west side.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Ken Feustel
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
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> --
> --
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> Surfbirds
> ABA
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Re: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park (Nassau Co.)

[Cindy Goldman]

Has anyone seen the black-necked stilts today?

From: bounce-121566706-77129...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Ken Feustel 

Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 6:54:13 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park 
(Nassau Co.)

I spent some time this morning looking at shorebirds on a high tide in the West 
End Marina. While walking back to the gazebo from the eastern spit I saw Stan 
(a West End regular - sorry Stan, forgot your last name) talking to Tom Burke 
and Gail Benson, the distant conversation being followed by a remarkably quick 
movement of the participants toward their vehicles. Tom stopped to tell me that 
Stan had just found two Black-necked Stilts (photos taken) at the WE2 swale. We 
arrived at the swale approx. ten minutes after Stan’s observation - no Stilts. 
Present, however was a young Peregrine Falcon chasing anything with wings. A 
search of the ponds east of WE2 (ponds flooded) and areas between the dunes 
with standing water was fruitless. Any flooded pond or depression could hold 
these birds, so be on the lookout.

On a more positive note, and if anyone besides me has not already seen this 
bird, the Yellow-throated Warbler continues at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, where 
he was seen and heard this morning and early this afternoon. My afternoon 
observation consisted of hearing the bird singing the moment I got out of the 
car. The bird was singing from the top of a conifer near the active Osprey nest 
(listen for the racket) on the east side of the main entrance road. The bird 
moved frequently, working his way north along the east side of the road toward 
the toll booth, finally crossing the road to the west side.

Cheers,

Ken Feustel
--
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[nysbirds-l] Chuck-wills-widow Warren County and access

[Richard Guthrie]

There may be more than one Chuck at West Mountain Ski Area outside of
Queensbury, Warren County.

Location: 43.2918891,-73.7302002. The site is relatively easy to access by
road from I-87 (The Northway), Exit 18.

Two groups of us were listening to one each (presumably); one from down by
the chair lift base, the other up the mountain road quite a distance away.

The first bird (by the base) started singing at about 8:20 PM from a
wood-edge across the way from the road. It (presumably) flew in closer and
sang repeatedly from nearby.

The second bird was singing up the road next to the car where the other
group of observers was stationed.

Later (8:40 PM), the lower bird (the first one) flew back across the ski
slope base to the woods where it had first been heard.

At the same time, the second (?) bird continued to sing next to the upper
group's car.

Will and I went up to the upper site and found that bird actively singing
and feeding (perched on and launching from a large rock just off a
driveway).

Meanwhile, there was a plethora of Whip-poor-wills singing from various
places up and down the slopes and roadway.

One has to wonder if there may actually be more Chuck-will-widows in and
around West Mountain. Last year, one was found on private property (limited
access) 1/4 mile from the current site. Is there an enclave of Chucks in
Warren County? And, are these (?) birds the progeny of a colony that has
been in the area for any period of time prior to discovery?

I spoke with the ski slope owner who stated that birders are welcome to go
onto the ski slope trails and lift area anytime. The roadside chains are up
to keep ATVs out. I would suggest that if done so, that access to the base
areas and slopes be limited to daytime hours, not at dusk while the
Chuck-wills-widow (s) and Whip-poor-wills are active. He is also open to
bird friendly improvement suggestions to the site (bluebird nest boxes,
etc). Just park off the road and don't block the maintenance vehicle access
lanes.

I would like to see an organized observer stake out (including last year's
limited access private property site) to try to pin down the number of
caprimugs in the area.

Game on?

-- 
Richard Guthrie



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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point Black Skimmer continuing

[Anne Swaim]

For those interested in this unusually-located Black Skimmer: present again 
this morning on rock bar within Croton River inlet alongside Croton Harmon RR 
Station parking. Joined by two semi-palmated plovers this morning. 

Anne Swaim
Saw Mill River Audubon 
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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point (Westchester) Caspian Tern

[Gail Benson]

Tom Burke and I stopped in at the Croton Point Railroad station. No Black
Skimmer as had been reported earlier but there is (still) a Caspian Tern
flying about.

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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point Black Skimmer reappeared (Westchester)

[Gail Benson]

Nice for Westchester, the Black Skimmer reappeared (and the Caspian Tern,
as just reported, was present too.  This is at the Croton Point RR station.

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[nysbirds-l] Chuck-wills-widow Warren County and access

[Richard Guthrie]

There may be more than one Chuck at West Mountain Ski Area outside of
Queensbury, Warren County.

Location: 43.2918891,-73.7302002. The site is relatively easy to access by
road from I-87 (The Northway), Exit 18.

Two groups of us were listening to one each (presumably); one from down by
the chair lift base, the other up the mountain road quite a distance away.

The first bird (by the base) started singing at about 8:20 PM from a
wood-edge across the way from the road. It (presumably) flew in closer and
sang repeatedly from nearby.

The second bird was singing up the road next to the car where the other
group of observers was stationed.

Later (8:40 PM), the lower bird (the first one) flew back across the ski
slope base to the woods where it had first been heard.

At the same time, the second (?) bird continued to sing next to the upper
group's car.

Will and I went up to the upper site and found that bird actively singing
and feeding (perched on and launching from a large rock just off a
driveway).

Meanwhile, there was a plethora of Whip-poor-wills singing from various
places up and down the slopes and roadway.

One has to wonder if there may actually be more Chuck-will-widows in and
around West Mountain. Last year, one was found on private property (limited
access) 1/4 mile from the current site. Is there an enclave of Chucks in
Warren County? And, are these (?) birds the progeny of a colony that has
been in the area for any period of time prior to discovery?

I spoke with the ski slope owner who stated that birders are welcome to go
onto the ski slope trails and lift area anytime. The roadside chains are up
to keep ATVs out. I would suggest that if done so, that access to the base
areas and slopes be limited to daytime hours, not at dusk while the
Chuck-wills-widow (s) and Whip-poor-wills are active. He is also open to
bird friendly improvement suggestions to the site (bluebird nest boxes,
etc). Just park off the road and don't block the maintenance vehicle access
lanes.

I would like to see an organized observer stake out (including last year's
limited access private property site) to try to pin down the number of
caprimugs in the area.

Game on?

-- 
Richard Guthrie



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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point Black Skimmer continuing

[Anne Swaim]

For those interested in this unusually-located Black Skimmer: present again 
this morning on rock bar within Croton River inlet alongside Croton Harmon RR 
Station parking. Joined by two semi-palmated plovers this morning. 

Anne Swaim
Saw Mill River Audubon 
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[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/juvenile Gray Jays/Philadelphia Vireo/Ermine killing Red Squirrel & more

[Joan Collins]

As many have noted, migration was mostly late - the latest I've ever seen.
Year after year, the number of birds continues to decline.  My non-birder
husband keeps asking what is wrong - he comments that we are not hearing
many birds anymore.  The dawn chorus used to be deafening, but now it
doesn't even wake us.  On Whiteface there were noticeably less numbers of
vocalizing Bicknell's Thrushes on Sunday compared to last year at the same
time.  While these are personal observations, I am hearing the same worries
from other birders regarding declining numbers of birds.  Our human
population, nearing 8 billion, is taking a huge toll on the planet.

 

A few sightings from the past 3 weeks (minus the week we spent in Iowa for
our younger son's graduation!):

 

5/31/17 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Two Barred Owls hooted back and forth for a long time outside our home last
night - one right off our front porch.

 

5/30/17 Long Lake

 

Gray Jays - 7 (2 along Route 30, 2 by Little Tupper Lake, and 3 at Sabattis
Bog (the resident pair only raised one baby this year))

 

On a May 28, 2017 Dawn Tour up Whiteface Mountain with 4 people (2 from MA,
and 2 from PA) we found 67 species visiting both high and low elevation
boreal habitats (including Bloomingdale, Tupper Lake, and Long Lake).  Here
is our list:

 

Ring-necked Duck

Hooded Merganser - 7 babies in the road, and eventually, their mother!

Common Merganser - 1 female on the Saranac River

Ruffed Grouse

Rock Pigeon

Chimney Swift

Wilson's Snipe

Common Loon - on its nest in Tupper Lake

Turkey Vulture

Northern Goshawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Hairy Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - on Whiteface Mountain

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - nice view on Whiteface

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo - nice view!

Red-eyed Vireo

Gray Jay - 2 at Sabattis Bog

Blue Jay

American Crow

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Bicknell's Thrush - 3 different birds viewed (one photo on my Facebook page)
and many heard

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

European Starling

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Ovenbird

Black-and-white Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler - nice view on Whiteface

Blackburnian Warbler - nice view

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler - nice views on Whiteface

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler - nice view

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow - nice views of a singing bird!

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

 

We also observed many Snowshoe Hares.

 

On a May 27, 2017 half-day tour with 3 people (2 from Ogdensburg and 1 from
Canton) we found 45 species in Tupper Lake and the Spring Pond Bog Preserve
complex.  Here is our list:

 

Rock Pigeon

Chimney Swift

Turkey Vulture

Northern Goshawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Black-backed Woodpecker - male

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Gray Jay - 4 (family group with 2 adults and 2 young)

Blue Jay

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Mourning Warbler - nice views!

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager

 

We also observed Moose tracks.

 

May 26, 2017 Long Lake

 

Not a birding day, but I found the first-of-the-year juvenile Gray Jay at
Sabattis Bog!  It was very friendly!  (Photos on my Facebook page.)

 

5/18/17 Long Lake

 

*Red-eyed Vireo

*Mourning Warbler - the latest arrival date I've noted (along Sabattis
Circle Road)

 

We had severe weather hit that day around the dinner hour.  I spotted the
resident alpha male Wild Turkey hiding behind a huge tree stump outside our
kitchen window.  He was crouched down and occasionally his head would pop up
(like a whack-a-mole!).  Every time the thunder hit, he would gobble - it
was obviously disturbing him.  He is my "friend" so I tried talking to him
through the window.  This went on and on, but he suddenly came running out
and headed up the hill in our backyard toward an old lean-to.  He continued
to gobble as thunder crashed.  Just after he left, the 

Re: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park (Nassau Co.)

[Cindy Goldman]

Has anyone seen the black-necked stilts today?

From: bounce-121566706-77129...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Ken Feustel 

Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 6:54:13 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park 
(Nassau Co.)

I spent some time this morning looking at shorebirds on a high tide in the West 
End Marina. While walking back to the gazebo from the eastern spit I saw Stan 
(a West End regular - sorry Stan, forgot your last name) talking to Tom Burke 
and Gail Benson, the distant conversation being followed by a remarkably quick 
movement of the participants toward their vehicles. Tom stopped to tell me that 
Stan had just found two Black-necked Stilts (photos taken) at the WE2 swale. We 
arrived at the swale approx. ten minutes after Stan’s observation - no Stilts. 
Present, however was a young Peregrine Falcon chasing anything with wings. A 
search of the ponds east of WE2 (ponds flooded) and areas between the dunes 
with standing water was fruitless. Any flooded pond or depression could hold 
these birds, so be on the lookout.

On a more positive note, and if anyone besides me has not already seen this 
bird, the Yellow-throated Warbler continues at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, where 
he was seen and heard this morning and early this afternoon. My afternoon 
observation consisted of hearing the bird singing the moment I got out of the 
car. The bird was singing from the top of a conifer near the active Osprey nest 
(listen for the racket) on the east side of the main entrance road. The bird 
moved frequently, working his way north along the east side of the road toward 
the toll booth, finally crossing the road to the west side.

Cheers,

Ken Feustel
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Re: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach Black-necked Stilts (NO)

[Andrew Baksh]

I have been out here since this AM and have not seen any sign of the 
Black-necked Stilts (BNST). That does not mean they are not around since my 
focus was more on counting shorebirds instead of searching for the BNSTs.

On a side note, the Cattle Egret continued this AM at Cow Meadow Park.


Cheers,


"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of 
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick 
Douglass

風　Swift as the wind
林　Quiet as the forest
火　Conquer like the fire
山　Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu  The Art of War

> (__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (") 
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device! 

Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com

> On May 31, 2017, at 2:50 PM, Cindy Goldman  wrote:
> 
> Has anyone seen the black-necked stilts today? 
> From: bounce-121566706-77129...@list.cornell.edu 
>  on behalf of Ken Feustel 
> 
> Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 6:54:13 PM
> To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Black-necked Stilts at West End, Jones Beach State Park 
> (Nassau Co.)
>  
> I spent some time this morning looking at shorebirds on a high tide in the 
> West End Marina. While walking back to the gazebo from the eastern spit I saw 
> Stan (a West End regular - sorry Stan, forgot your last name) talking to Tom 
> Burke and Gail Benson, the distant conversation being followed by a 
> remarkably quick movement of the participants toward their vehicles. Tom 
> stopped to tell me that Stan had just found two Black-necked Stilts (photos 
> taken) at the WE2 swale. We arrived at the swale approx. ten minutes after 
> Stan’s observation - no Stilts. Present, however was a young Peregrine Falcon 
> chasing anything with wings. A search of the ponds east of WE2 (ponds 
> flooded) and areas between the dunes with standing water was fruitless. Any 
> flooded pond or depression could hold these birds, so be on the lookout.
> 
> On a more positive note, and if anyone besides me has not already seen this 
> bird, the Yellow-throated Warbler continues at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, 
> where he was seen and heard this morning and early this afternoon. My 
> afternoon observation consisted of hearing the bird singing the moment I got 
> out of the car. The bird was singing from the top of a conifer near the 
> active Osprey nest (listen for the racket) on the east side of the main 
> entrance road. The bird moved frequently, working his way north along the 
> east side of the road toward the toll booth, finally crossing the road to the 
> west side.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Ken Feustel
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
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> Rules and Information
> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
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> Surfbirds
> ABA
> Please submit your observations to eBird!
> --
> --
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> Welcome and Basics
> Rules and Information
> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
> Archives:
> The Mail Archive
> Surfbirds
> ABA
> Please submit your observations to eBird!
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[nysbirds-l] NYS eBird Hotspots: State, Counties & Locations Updated (Jun/'17)

[Ben Cacace]

Thanks to @Team_eBird for their dedication to keeping eBird.org running
smoothly and for the group of New York State hotspot moderators for their
time reviewing shared location suggestions.

The wiki page site was developed to access data on eBird.org and in places
it includes additional links to birding resources at the county and
location levels. If you have any suggestions for additional links please
[let me know] send them to me off list.

*Species totals* have been updated for all county pages. This includes the
total number of species with an equivalent color code highlighting the
county name based on colors used on eBird maps. The alphabetical list of
counties on the main page has been updated with total spp. #.

*Hotspot pages*: All location pages have been updated on the wiki. These
include 725 pages representing a total of 1,520 out of 5,654 hotspots
(26.9%). Updates involve # of species and color codings based on species #
along with updated 2017 periods on the bar chart tables displaying the
Current Month: Jun./2017, Prior Month: May/2017 and the current two month
period May-Jun./2017 along with the current year: 2017.

For the following counties there are individual 'dynamic' wiki pages for
the Top 10 locations at the top of the list of shared locations: Cayuga,
Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Orange, Oswego, Seneca, Tompkins, Kings (Brooklyn),
Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Westchester
and New York (Borough of Manhattan) Counties have all shared locations
linked to wikipages.

Counties with 'static' pages do not need to be maintained on a monthly
basis. These include pages for at least the Top 10 locations: Albany,
Bronx, Chautauqua, Delaware, Dutchess, Genesee, Hamilton, Jefferson,
Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Sullivan, Ulster & Wayne
with Putnam County currently having all shared locations linked to
wikipages.

An *alphabetical list* of all hotspots can be found on a single page. Links
exist for any hotspot with a wikipage. Clicking the county name to the
right of any hotspot will bring up the county page showing all hotspots for
the county. The link to the alphabetical list page is at the bottom of this
message. There is a link to this page at the top of the New York State page.

*Bar Charts (Species Lists)*: For all county and top 10 location pages
there's a table showing the months, seasons and several time frames for the
current year. Clicking any of these links will bring up a complete list of
species and other taxa with bar charts representing abundance. To see a
list of species for *all* periods click on the name above the months i.e.
'New York State (479 spp.)' or 'Genesee County (295 spp.)'.

*Maps of sightings*: After bringing up a bar chart list you'll see a MAP
button to the right of each species. Clicking this will produce a map of
the latest sightings. Red icons show sightings within the past 30 days.
Click on the icons to see a list of who reported each species and click on
'Checklist' to view their submission. Click on 'Explore Rich Media' in the
right sidebar to view locations with photos, audio or video. These also
exist for any multi-location page combining the hotspots associated with
the location i.e. Massapequa Preserve in Nassau County with its 2 locations.

*Printable Checklists*: a link has been created to produce an eBird
checklist (PDF format) for all hotspots on the wiki site. Additional
details are in this email sent to the list <
https://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/msg20153.html >.

*Tide Graphs* exist for New York County, Kings County (Brooklyn) and
Richmond County (Staten Island). There's a quick link to the tide graphs on
the "Go To >" line highlighted in blue for each location. If there are
multiple graphs on a page the left/right is generally north/south or
west/east. If you spot any issues please let me know off line.

Click '*Overview*' on any of the wiki pages to bring up a sortable list of
all species along with the latest checklists submitted and a list of the
Top eBirders. The default sort is for the latest additions to the State,
County or location.

Check out '*My Location Life List*', '*My County Life List*' and '*My State
Life List*' links on their respective pages.

For each location page click on '*Google Map Directions*' to bring up a
Google Map page. On Google Maps click 'Directions' then 'Transit' to plot a
public transportation route. By clicking 'More Options and Times' you can
refine your search. This also works with 'Driving' and 'Walking'.

* Home page: http://ebirding-nys.wikispaces.com/Birding+in+New+York
* Alphabetical list of hotspots:
http://ebirding-nys.wikispaces.com/AlphaHotspots

Enjoy!

-- 
Ben Cacace
Manhattan, NYC
Wiki for NYS eBird Hotspots

Facebook Discussion for NYS eBird Hotspots: Q & A


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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point (Westchester) Caspian Tern

[Gail Benson]

Tom Burke and I stopped in at the Croton Point Railroad station. No Black
Skimmer as had been reported earlier but there is (still) a Caspian Tern
flying about.

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[nysbirds-l] Croton Point Black Skimmer reappeared (Westchester)

[Gail Benson]

Nice for Westchester, the Black Skimmer reappeared (and the Caspian Tern,
as just reported, was present too.  This is at the Croton Point RR station.

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