Remnants of yesterday's coastal flight were still evident during a brief visit to Robert Moses SP this morning.
Most interesting to me were large numbers of passage-migrant Common Yellowthroats bouncing westward and getting up into the pines and other settings neglected by the local breeders. In retrospect, I probably only saw about seven undoubted migrant yellowthroats during a twenty minute walk (during which I probably saw or heard a comparable number of local breeders), but given the mechanics of bird detection on the barrier-beach, there must have been hundreds of migrant yellowthroats navigating the puckerbrush today (our single-day max at the nearby Fire Island Lighthouse was 99 banded on 22 May 1999). Given that the species has been back for about a month and is an abundant and ubiquitous breeder across the state, this kind of flight probably wouldn't be discernible in most settings. I wonder whether even a tool as powerful as eBird is likely to detect a major flight of this kind--or the counter-intuitive fact that Common Yellowthroat migration in southeastern NYS peaks as late as the fourth week of May? Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of Steve Walter [[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 7:46 PM To: NYSBirds Subject: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out There was a bit of a fall out this morning at Jones Beach West End. Not overwhelming, but you didn’t have to look hard for the next bird. Most notable were Hooded, Wilson's, Tennessee, and Blackburnian Warblers. Most numerous were Blackpoll, Magnolia, and Parula. I only noticed this when reviewing pictures. One of the Parulas was missing an eye. It's made it a long way like that. Also seen were a few diurnal migrants such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and Bobolink. It's reassuring to find that a warm front - fog combo can still produce on the beach in spring. Considering the above, the Queens parks were disappointing in the afternoon (although a very early morning check of Alley convinced me that there was worthwhile migrant activity overnight). The saving grace at the Forest Park waterhole was an incredibly accommodating Black-billed Cuckoo. It made three visits over a two hour period, affording low, close, and open looks. Steve Walter Bayside, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- ________________________________ Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only as of July 1, 2011<http://www.csi.cuny.edu/tobaccofree> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
