Boat-tailed Grackles have been found near Island Park fairly regularly in early January on recent Southern Nassau County CBCs, both on the marshes fringing the bayside of the barrier beach, and in utterly nondescript sites (ecologically) along the heavily urbanized mainland shores of the bays. Ditto for other LI south shore CBCs, like Brooklyn, Queens, Captree (to a much lesser extent than the others), and Quogue-Water Mill.
Having said this, they are very seldom encountered by birders engaged in ordinary birding during the winter, suggesting that a) many of our breeders leave the island; b) the wintering birds clump up in places that birders don't ordinarily visit (like Fish Crows); or some combination of both. My personal experience is that Boat-tails often become conspicuous again in their breeding areas (e.g., around Shinnecock Inlet) around the beginning of March. I've always thought of this as being akin to the return in spring of Fish Crows to the barrier beach, from their winter hangouts around strip mall dumpsters, rather than evidence of long distance migration (i.e., from beyond LI). Supporting the view that Boat-tailed Grackles do not generally undertake long-distance movements to and from LI is the extreme scarcity of records from coastal migrant traps where the species doesn't actually breed. I've only recorded the species a handful of times ever at the western end of Fire Island, which is just across the inlet from a breeding site at Captree. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ From: bounce-8268464-11143...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-8268464-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Richard A Cartwright [rac...@usgs.gov] Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 7:39 AM To: NYSBirds-L@cornell.edu Subject: [nysbirds-l] Boat-tailed grackles;Island Park Yesterday there were 4 boat-tailed grackles loitering around (and making a raucous) at Masone Beach on Island Park. First time I've seen them this year. Does anyone know if they winter here? Dick Cartwright Hydrologist U.S. Geological Survey NY Coram Water Science Center 2045 Route 112, Bldg 4 Coram, NY 11727 631-736-0783 ext. 105 ________________________________ Think green before you print this email. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
