I found some interesting birds along Rockwell Road near the Newfield/Enfield town line late on Saturday morning.
* An adult BROAD-WINGED HAWK circling over the corner of Rockwell and Hines Roads upon my arrival at 10:15. * At least two, probably three, male HOODED WARBLERS in the Bock-Harvey Forest Preserve, singing often but seemingly not as loud as they did a month ago. I got nice views of one of these birds. I think I also saw a fourth Hooded Warbler flying to the ground under short dense undergrowth, maybe to a nest. * Two OVENBIRD families with recent fledglings in Bock-Harvey, plus several more males singing on territories. One short-tailed fledgling flew across the trail near Porter Hill Road, froze in place when I refound it, and eventually just sat down on the ground, hidden behind several layers of vegetation but still awash in sunlight. It was probably the first, and certainly the best view I’ve ever had of an Ovenbird at this stage of life, looking arguably more like a Veery in unstreaked tawny plumage with no head stripes or eye ring. One parent kept watch close by, but stopped chipping right before the baby stopped moving. My eBird checklist with photos of this Ovenbird is here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37772108. * A male PINE WARBLER continually singing a very fast trill at the corner of Rockwell and Hines at 12:40. I almost missed this bird because it’s been so long since I’ve heard a Pine Warbler singing so fast. But something about the sound made me stop and look, notice the pines here, and eventually confirm the bird’s identity by sight. Only as I drove away toward Route 327 did the song resolve into something slower and more typical, but I wonder whether that actually could have been because of the Doppler effect. * A BROWN THRASHER, bill full of food, pausing on a low branch of a roadside pine right in front of the Pine Warbler. I feel certain that this is the first time I’ve ever found these two species simultaneously in neighboring trees. * And to add to the unlikely juxtaposition, a CAROLINA WREN was churring at this corner too. Mark Chao -- 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/ --
