It was a real mixed bag at the Bashakill today. We have had three days of torrential rains at the worst possible time. Common Moorhen eggs should have been hatching in the next couple of days. When I arrived at the Bashakill around 9 am I found Haven road under a foot of water. This means the water level is three to four feet above flood stage. We were poised to have one of the best marsh bird breeding seasons in years. I found six pairs (12 birds) of Common Moorhen from Haven Road. All had lost their nests and some were still frantically trying to salvage nests underwater. One pair continued to add vegetation to the nest oblivious to the fact that their eggs were gone. I then kayaked the channel from the main boat launch on South Road. I found another four pairs (8 birds) that had lost their nests. I also heard an additional five birds that I could not see. At the south end of the channel, I found four birds that were all very far apart, not acting unusual nor being frantic in any way. This area is shallower than the rest of the Bash and the vegetation grows higher out of the water. I suspect these birds nests may have been safe. That was a total of 28 COMH today. As I completed the circuit of the channel, I saw a Least Bittern fly out of a bush and land in some vegetation. Just as I located the bird, an adult Least Bittern joined it. I first thought the bird was a female, but as I studied and photographed it, it became pretty clear it was a juvenile. I had to check my books and the internet with my photos when I got home, and it was indeed a juvenile Least Bittern. This is the first time that a juvenile has been found in the county and breeding confirmed. I know that we have at least 3 pairs of LB this year, so this is a great find, especially since a first nesting could have been lost to the floods. As I left the area, I heard a Pied-billed Grebe calling. Lastly, when I first arrived this morning I found a winter plumage BLACK TERN off Haven Road. The bird remained then entire day, allowing for Arlene Borko, Scott Baldinger and finally this afternoon, Lance Verderame to get to see it. The situation is very sad for the Moorhens, but it is only June 24th and they have time to nest again this year. Hopefully these rains will stop before they have eggs again. I put some pics of the two Least Bitterns on my blog today. If anyone is interested in seeing them go to http://bashakillbirder.wordpress.com John Haas
PS. no Sora, Virginia Rails, American Bittern nor American Coot were seen today. -- 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/ --
