Went to the Hawthorn Orchard early this morning and didn't expect much, given the cool temps and blustery winds from the SE. As it turns out, things picked up by about the time I needed to leave, probably as a result of the sun coming out.
The first highlight was hearing and then observing two MERLINS copulating in a spruce treetop across Mitchell Street, as visible from the Northeast corner of the Hawthorn Orchard. I'm guessing they will be nesting somewhere over in the East Hill Cemetery. Then came my final highlight. As I was getting ready to head out, I met two undergrad students, Eric and Taylor (apologies for misspellings), who tipped me off to a male BAY-BREASTED WARBLER which they had seen minutes earlier in the Northeast corner. Fortunately, I came across the male BAY-BREASTED WARBLER silently foraging in a hawthorn tree right near the muddy Northeast Corner entrance. As I was observing this bird, I kept hearing high frequency, short, thin "seet" flight notes, but couldn't quite localize where they were coming from. Finally, I honed in on their source, up in the top of the tallest Maple tree immediately adjacent to the Northeast corner. I got onto a warbler which turned out to be a nice male CAPE MAY WARBLER. Then, I saw movement of another bird, and another bird, and another bird, and another bird, and finally another bird. They were ALL CAPE MAY WARBLERS foraging in the treetop of this maple and giving constant contact flight notes. In total, five males and one female. Then, as soon as I got on them, they rapidly flew down into the sunlit hedgerow of hawthorns adjacent to the one the Bay-breasted Warbler was in and began probing leaves and gorging themselves on extricated Tortricidae larvae (Tortrix or Leafroller Moths). This flock was feverishly moving around the hawthorn edges and were soon joined by both male and female MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, two male TENNESSEE WARBLERS and two AMERICAN REDSTARTS. I eventually moved myself around to the outside of the hedgerow to get better views of the Cape May Warblers, but by the time I had gotten to a location where the sun was to my back, the only Cape May Warbler remaining was a female. I suspect the rest of the males must have either moved along down the hedgerow or took flight and headed into the Hawthorn Orchard. On my way out, I ran into Stuart Krasnoff and Bob McGuire who were just arriving. Hopefully, they will have similar success to report from today. Overnight last night, following the thunderstorm-associated rain showers, the dominant canopy hawthorn flowers have resultantly totally popped open. If this small flock of Cape May Warblers is any indication, along with the arrival of at least four male Tennessee Warblers, and the Bay-breasted Warbler, this may be the beginning of full forage use of the Hawthorn Orchard by neotropical migrants this spring. Keep an eye out over the coming days, the potential is now there. Thank you to Eric and Taylor for the Bay-breasted Warbler tip. Had I not stopped to look for that bird, I almost certainly would have missed those Cape May Warblers! Good birding! Sincerely, Chris T-H Hawthorn Orchard, Tompkins, US-NY May 14, 2014 7:25 AM - 8:52 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.5 mile(s) Comments: Really nice showing of Cape May Warblers in NE corner, later in AM walk. Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.7.1 32 species (+1 other taxa) Osprey 1 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Merlin 2 Heard calling, observed copulating in top of spruce tree across Mitchell Street in East Hill Cemetery. Least Flycatcher 2 Blue Jay 4 Barn Swallow 1 Black-capped Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 American Robin 1 Gray Catbird 8 Northern Mockingbird 1 Blue-winged Warbler 1 Heard singing, North ravine Tennessee Warbler 4 Singing NW corner, NE corner, 3 males at one time in NE corner Nashville Warbler 2 Singing NE corner Common Yellowthroat 5 American Redstart 5 North ravine and NE corner Cape May Warbler 6 1 female, at least 5 males; 4 in one binocular view at one point. In tall maple tree at NE corner, then descended into Hawthorn hedgerow just East of NE corner. Lots of short, thin flight notes. Rapidly moving flock. Magnolia Warbler 11 Mostly in North ravine and NE corner Bay-breasted Warbler 1 Silently foraging male in corner hawthorn, NE corner. Thanks to tip from Eric and Taylor! Yellow Warbler 2 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 NE corner Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Singing, maples, East of NE corner warbler sp. 5 Flyovers Chipping Sparrow 2 White-throated Sparrow 2 Northern Cardinal 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Indigo Bunting 1 NE corner Eastern Meadowlark 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18383961 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
