I've known strong cold fronts in January to trigger movements of hawks, Common Grackles, and winter finches. I can't say I've noticed it for run of the mill passerines. But maybe there is a point in time when half hardies give up on that. Considering how few passerines I've been seeing at Jones Beach West End (not that I've tried so hard) and hearing other reports of sparse activity, the amount of activity in the median strip today surprised me. A flock of House Finches was most conspicuous, and that led me to American Goldfinch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and several Dark-eyed Juncos (I'm assuming they haven't all been there). Even Song Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers seemed more evident, for example some along the hedgerow by the Coast Guard station being reminiscent of a migration scene.
I could be all wrong, but if I'm not, it poses an interesting thought. When something like a Grace's Warbler is found on a CBC, it's assumed it's been there since the end of normal migration waiting for someone to look in the right place. Well, you can see where I'm going with this. It might have been interesting to see if there was a visible early morning flight, but I wasted that time on an obligatory and predictably futile Gyrfalcon search. Well, not a total waste. At Wantaugh Park, where a past Gyrfalcon wandered to, I came across a Harbor Seal frolicking in the marina and affording close up shots rarely possible in their usual spots. Freaky, actually, looking into its nostrils. Not much to see there, but if you're so inclined it's at http://www.stevewalternature.com/ Steve Walter Bayside, NY -- 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/ --
