The yellowthroats and Ovenbirds were surely regular migrants heading north (the date for my Ovenbird max at Fire Island was as late as 19 May). For abundant passerine migrants, I doubt that floaters contribute significantly to maximum counts.
Many common migrants max out much later than people suspect (Red-eyed Vireo and American Redstart are good examples of birds that probably haven't peaked yet this year). Even your Hooded Warbler yesterday was only slightly tardy for arrival in southern New England. At my old study site in Rhode Island's Great Swamp, which is about as far northeast as Hooded Warblers breed at high densities, the number of males on territory tended not to max out until around 20-25 May. Part of the reason that these very heavy late spring movements are under-detected is probably that birders tend to under-count common species, particularly those that also breed locally. Another reason seems to be that the pace of spring migration accelerates as the season advances, so individual birds might be making longer flights and/or briefer stopovers in our migrant traps now, as compared to late April/early May. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ From: bounce-32274422-3714...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-32274422-3714...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter [swalte...@verizon.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 2:53 PM To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out In the past, I've heard the term "floater" used. This applies to maybe first year individuals or others that, for whatever reason, have not yet established a territory. This would likely apply to many species. One of the things in Alley that tipped me off that birds had moved was the number of Ovenbirds I heard singing. This is an early migrant and the Queens parks had emptied out on them prior to yesterday. A couple of Baltimore Orioles were among the birds at Jones Beach. They arrive early, for the most part, and I don't believe nest on the beach. And of course, Hooded Warbler is not something to be expected to still be in migration (and this was a male). The floater phenomenon might be especially evident in generally southern breeders (because they are the first to complete their migrations). As an example, I remember a Swainson's Warbler years ago that appeared at Forest Park right about this time. This could explain the later moving Common Yellowthroats -- or they could be the northernmost breeders just timing their migration appropriately. Steve Walter From: Shaibal Mitra<mailto:shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 1:36 PM To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)<mailto:NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)> Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out 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: bounce-32011424-11143...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-32011424-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter [swalte...@verizon.net] 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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: 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/>! -- -- 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
