Hi Birders, Had a nice early afternoon walk around the PLT’s Peconic Bluffs Preserve.
Right away I had a Coopers Hawk flying overhead making it’s cak, cak, cak call. I watched as it landed in the tall pines and as I approached Autumn Pond it flew off. I used the Audubon App to make the same call of the Coop. I watched as it flew off to another area. I have been convinced there has been a Coop around here causing a decline of starlings and blackbirds at my feeders. While observing the Hooded Mergansers and one female Pintail in Autumn Pond I heard the Cak noise again real loud. I turned around and the Coop was in the tree behind me about 10 yards away. We looked at each other and I guess the Coop realized I was not a rival and just flew off. They may be breeding around here so I will not be using the smart phone again during mating season. The birds need all the strength they can get this time of year so using a smart phone to call them in for you to see is not ethical birding. Wait for high summer for those smart phone bird-calls. Seen overhead again today and seen landing deep in the woods where I could not - would not - go, were the pair of Red-tailed Hawks. They were the pair I saw in courtship display a few days ago over Autumn Pond. I am sure they are setting up a nest around here. While at Autumn Pond I saw my first of this season Osprey pass over and check out Goldsmith’s Inlet. Also seen were our two Belted Kingfishers going back and forth from Autumn Pond to Goldsmith’s Inlet. Their unique electric-like chattering a marvel to hear in the natural world around us. It must be spring. Walking back home I heard the emphatic calls of our local woodpeckers claiming territory for the nesting season. The unique courtship call of the N Flicker was quite noticeable. The Red-bellies, Downy’s and Hairy’s are all so lovely as well. All our over-wintering birds are now taking advantage of their winter hardship and pairing up, claiming breeding territory and tree cavities for many. This is a great advantage to many species that do not not migrate. They get the jump on the spring migrants. For me the exceptions are the birds we feed in the winter but go north in the summer, such as the White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Glad to give them fuel for their journey north. Love them all. What’s really cool is to travel in northern New England in Summer and hear the unique song of the DE Junco in it’s breeding territory. Then wondering, 'hey that might the bird I fed last winter'. Well worth the cost at Agway ! LOL I still have Red-breasted Nuthatches coming around. Some are now coming close to the house and after the entire winter they have now discovered my suet feeders so now I get close up looks of them from indoors. That is all good as I enjoy hearing their the sound of their little toy horn. Not much different from that of the White-breasted, but you instantly notice it. Happy Spring Birding to all. Thanks to the Peconic Land Trust for preserving these woods. rk -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
