A pleasant hike at Sunken Meadow State Park yesterday(4-24-10) from
7:45am-11:00am got me my FOS Yellow warbler and Common Yellowthroat; the former
was singing at the edge of the forest and marsh along the Inner Marsh trail at
the western end of the park. Calling from the phragmites in the marsh were 2
Common Yellowthroats. The only other warbler species seen included 74
Yellow-rumped warblers and 14 Palm warblers. Down at the cove near the
footbridge(Field 3), 3Northern Shovelers, 3 Green-winged Teal, and 2 Ruddy
ducks were the only transient waterfowl besides the resident Gadwall, American
Black ducks, and Mallards.
A quick look on the LI Sound produced 3 Common Loons, 2 Horned Grebes, 36
Brant, and 11 Red-breasted Mergansers. The passerines observed were high in
numbers but not in diversity. The majority of migrant songbirds consisted of
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, Hermit thrush, and the four warbler
species named above. The breeding birds are establishing terroritory
and were quite easy to find: 6 Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, and 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, two pairs which are most likely to nest. Foraging at
the terminus of the Nissequogue River a ways East of Field 3 were 7 Great
Egrets, 11 Snowy Egrets, Greater Yellowlegs, and from another observer, a
Spotted sandpiper. 2 Savannah sparrows were feeding on the shoulder of the
park road, only noticed after they started singing.
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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