I did some birding at Sunken Meadow State Park today in Suffolk County.
A quick walk on the Inner Marsh trail at the Western end of the park produced
an Eastern Towhee, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2 Brown
Creepers, 12 Palm Warblers, 35 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 20+White-throated
Sparrows, Gray Catbird, and 3 Hermit Thrush. Only 5 Wood Ducks were in the
swamp along the trail. The marsh adjacent to the Park road held 19 Swamp
sparrows, and many were perched atop the phragmites singing. The only raptors
today included 5 Osprey and 4 Red-tailed Hawks.
In the field north of Parking Field 2, a foraging sparrow flock was composed of
8 Savannah sparrows, 1 Field sparrow, and a few White-throated sparrows. In
the dunes, located at the eastern end of the park, I found several Song
Sparrows bringing my sparrow species total to 6.
A scan on the Long Island Sound, east of Field 3, netted me 6 Common Loons, 1
Red-throated Loon, 2 Horned Grebes(all three species were in full breeding
plumage), 5 Northern Gannets, and 22Brant. I got my FOY Piping Plover down at
the tip of the beach. Wading in the tidal flats just east of Field 3 and in
the small cove left of the footbridge were 2 Great Blue Herons, 5 Great Egrets,
4 Snowy Egrets, 2 Black-crowned Night-Herons, and 1 Killdeer.
Vinny Pellegrino
picasaweb.com/vinnypelle
East Northport, NY
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've
imagined."
-Henry David Thoreau
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