[nysbirds-l] 2 unusual sightings
Spurred on by Derrick Rogers' Brown Booby (BRBO) reports, I got on my horse, and took part in the undesirable motor trip from Riverhead to Montauk during the "construction/service vehicle convoy" that dominates the road between 0600 & 1000 on any given work day ! Not finding the BRBO at the Star Island Dr. location, I decided to try for the bird from the south end of Lake Montauk, where I did get my first sighting of it...but it wasn't down there. While working north, as I checked out the entire lake, I found it now perched on top of the sailboat, I had checked from S.I.D., which was birdless 15 minutes earlier. This behavior of leaving and then returning to the ship's mast was repeated at least 5 times during the ~ 2 hours I spent viewing the booby.* Back at the S.I.D. location, and after seeing a juvenile Bald Eagle being harassed by some crows, I was joined by Bob Wilson, a birder from Sag Harbor, who, after getting the bird, suggested we try for a better spot along West Lake Dr., which would be closer, and have better lighting. When I caught up with him, he had found one ! Even though he was standing on the shoulder of the road, he was looking down the driveway of house # 278, straight out to where the sailboat (Maui) was anchored, and enjoying great views ! After Bob left, Gary Strauss arrived and had the same good fortune. Next, for me, was "The Point", where I experienced my 2nd unusual sighting of the day. Upon arrival, I found 6 Herring Gulls, 2 A.Crows and 1 N.Mockingbird in the parking lot. As I was setting my scope up at the rear of the restaurant, it dawned on me there wasn't any birds around. For the first time that I can remember, I did not see or hear a single bird on the land, sea or in the sky from that specific spot...and I did make a slow, and thorough, 2nd pass ! To put this in perspective, It is fairly accurate to say I've been birding this spot at least 2-3 times a year, since 1976. Could the prolonged rough seas, due to the series of hurricanes, be the reason ? On the way home I stopped at both Sag Pond and Mecox Bay, and found nothing unusual, with the number of our 4 common gulls down. On the up side, at both beaches the number of Monarch Butterflies moving to the west was inspiring...maybe they are recovering ! Cheers, Bob * My thanks to Ed Becher and Brendan Fogarty for their help in getting the word out ! -- 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
[nysbirds-l] 2 unusual sightings
Spurred on by Derrick Rogers' Brown Booby (BRBO) reports, I got on my horse, and took part in the undesirable motor trip from Riverhead to Montauk during the "construction/service vehicle convoy" that dominates the road between 0600 & 1000 on any given work day ! Not finding the BRBO at the Star Island Dr. location, I decided to try for the bird from the south end of Lake Montauk, where I did get my first sighting of it...but it wasn't down there. While working north, as I checked out the entire lake, I found it now perched on top of the sailboat, I had checked from S.I.D., which was birdless 15 minutes earlier. This behavior of leaving and then returning to the ship's mast was repeated at least 5 times during the ~ 2 hours I spent viewing the booby.* Back at the S.I.D. location, and after seeing a juvenile Bald Eagle being harassed by some crows, I was joined by Bob Wilson, a birder from Sag Harbor, who, after getting the bird, suggested we try for a better spot along West Lake Dr., which would be closer, and have better lighting. When I caught up with him, he had found one ! Even though he was standing on the shoulder of the road, he was looking down the driveway of house # 278, straight out to where the sailboat (Maui) was anchored, and enjoying great views ! After Bob left, Gary Strauss arrived and had the same good fortune. Next, for me, was "The Point", where I experienced my 2nd unusual sighting of the day. Upon arrival, I found 6 Herring Gulls, 2 A.Crows and 1 N.Mockingbird in the parking lot. As I was setting my scope up at the rear of the restaurant, it dawned on me there wasn't any birds around. For the first time that I can remember, I did not see or hear a single bird on the land, sea or in the sky from that specific spot...and I did make a slow, and thorough, 2nd pass ! To put this in perspective, It is fairly accurate to say I've been birding this spot at least 2-3 times a year, since 1976. Could the prolonged rough seas, due to the series of hurricanes, be the reason ? On the way home I stopped at both Sag Pond and Mecox Bay, and found nothing unusual, with the number of our 4 common gulls down. On the up side, at both beaches the number of Monarch Butterflies moving to the west was inspiring...maybe they are recovering ! Cheers, Bob * My thanks to Ed Becher and Brendan Fogarty for their help in getting the word out ! -- 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
