[nysbirds-l] Queens Ash-throated Flycatcher Photos 11/22/09
Hi All, Here are some not-so-great shots of the Ash-throated Flycatcher found by Rudy Badia. Thanks to metro birding briefs, quite a few got to see the bird. I'm sure people got way better shots than this, but I thought I'd put these out there. www.flickr.com/photos/richsoutbirding The bird seemed particularly fond of this lot (copy and paste into google): 40.667585°, -73.834211° But also here: 40.668286°, -73.835545° If you go, please be careful crossing the busy streets. Good Birding! Richard Aracil Bronx, NY _ Windows 7: I wanted simpler, now it's simpler. I'm a rock star. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?h=myidea?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_myidea:112009 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Osprey in Harriman
Today is the 2nd day now I have had an Osprey (imm) hanging around Lake Stahahe in Harriman State Park. Was not sure if this is unusual. Other birds on the Western Slopes including Hermit Thrush, Winter Wrens, and Bluebirds. J Vellozzi -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes/8 gull spp.; Ash-throated Fly. Queens County, & more; 11/22
Sunday, 22 November 2009 - Brooklyn's Floyd Bennet Field, Queens Rockaway peninsula, and the 'odd' site for a flycatcher: A CATTLE EGRET continued on at Floyd Bennett Field, off easternmost Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn. I didn't put in enough time to guage if many other birds were around there but the place seemed sort of quiet in general - this also true at the Rockaway peninsula (Queens Co.) outer beach sites, in terms of ordinary & expected land bird variety or numbers... - - - Which was made up for by the very high numbers of gulls swarming over fish-feeding frenzy - a run of Striped Bass, Bluefish, and other 'game' fish that are running after a big move of smaller "bait" fish, including at least 5 or 6 species according to some of the fisher- folks out there catching the big ones (they hope). I was out along the shore from Fort Tilden to Breezy & back to Riis Park in the period from about 10am until after 1pm, with other birders also around the same times and some having already left, or just arriving. (I also found a few spots to sit with nice shelter & relatively wind-free in the stretch along the Tilden shore road.) The gull flocks of which there were up to 6 or more in about 3 linear miles, were at times as close as 50-75 yards offshore but more often farther & some flocks, including large flocks, were as far as could be reasonably scoped even with good light. In looking at ALL of these, I estimated 10,000+ gulls in all, far less than 1/4 of that number at all close for good views, & even then not all the time in the ~ 3 hours I watched. The first gull flock, which was the one that (it seems) most birders, including me were mainly focused on was moving a bit in this time-frame - it was closer to the Tilden-Riis "border" then moved on towards the west end of Tilden (near the "fisherman's parking" lot) & later back to the east again. This particular flock seemed to average about 700 birds, virtually all gulls. There were loons in great numbers in the area as well but they could easily be counted separately, & it seemed there was very little seaduck movement, although a group of 8 COMMON EIDER did go by at about 10 a.m. towards Breezy Pt., where they re-settled. There were also rather few scoters, both white-winged & "dark-winged" in small groups of 5 to about 15 in that same time, most farther or much farther than the gulls worth studying or the loons that were easily seen in closer. Also seen were up to 10 Long-tailed Duck (in flight) & a few Red-breasted Merganser seen as well. The number of Atlantic Gannets were in the hundreds but many were quite distant, in my observations. There were also separate, distinct flocks of gulls (and some simply larid flocks: although I never saw any definite tern, there was a brief look at what appeared to be a Royal Tern moving thru at one point - but with the feeding at full frenzy I actually lost the red- billed larid, not to be seen again. A gull I did see well enough, all white-winged & size of Ring-billed, was moving in the direction of Breezy Pt. around 10:30 or so, & I was able to watch it well for 3 minutes or so, an ICELAND GULL, in what seemed 2nd-winter plumage, and certainly not only my first of the season but the first I've heard of locally on the shore here - even farther east, perhaps? An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was present off the "Silver Gull" cabanas, seen west towards the Breezy Point side, after noon. The BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were reasonably straightforward to ID, although in the first moments of seeing the swarming gulls I wasn't sure I would pick anything out, or at least not so quickly... but these smaller gulls did stand out nicely, with decent lighting in the late morning sun angle. I estimated at least 25, more likely 30+ kittiwakes in the 2 flocks that worked between Breezy & Riis (with one flock having as I noted as many as 700 birds, the other noticably fewer in most of the time observed) as well as up to 80+ Bonaparte's Gulls with these flocks or at least on the periphery... in addition, at one point, an interesting swarm of small gulls got going well west of Tilden, with up to 40 Bonaparte's & very few larger (Ring-billed) gulls in the swarm - that was part of what prompted me to try also going over to Breezy Point, & walk east & west from the access road there as well. The more "pure" flock of Bonaparte's did not hold together there however, & I walked the beach a while just to see what other vantage points offered. The best (closest views) seemed to stay with the flock out along Tilden, more or less. What took place well after noon would be interesting to hear, too which also brings up: WHY so many kittiwakes in particular, in THIS close?? Why NOW, this weekend? Some fish are coming in close but that is not that unusual, certainly far less so than the kittiwake
[nysbirds-l] Bad News 1= Good News 2
Yesterday, my Verizon cell phone broke. Today, after having it checked at the Riverhead store, I was directed to it's service location in Bridgehampton, about a 40 minute drive east. Once there, in just half that amount of time, the phone was replaced under warranty, and I was on my way. But, with an eye toward "getting more bang for my gas buck", instead of heading home, I turned toward the "old lapwing field", in hope of seeing the cattle egret, which was found there recently by Pat Lindsay. Although it wasn't windy, when I finally saw the bird, it was hunkered down right next to one of the fence posts in the cow pasture, located on the s/s of Mecox Rd., at the intersection of Halsey La.,Mecox/Water Mill, Suffolk Co. A Northern Lapwing visited this location from Jan.28, to Mar.25, 1995, being seen by a huge number of birders, many from out of state. My first view of this very special bird (on Jan.31) came through the scope of Jim Ash, who, as I came running up, just stepped aside, smiled, and pointed to its eye piece! I was at the "o/l/f" around 3:30 PM, for about 15 minutes, during which, the egret didn't move away from the post, even when I got out of the car to take its picture. With the distance between us being no more than 50', I came to wonder if it was injured? Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re:[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes, late Tennessee Warbler and Pipit at Pt. Lookout
Considering all the time it took me to write and edit it, you'd think I'd have remembered to actually include the name TENNESSEE WARBLER in the body of my last post and not just the subject line! -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Niagara River California Gull, Batavia WWTP- Surf Scoter, Red throated Loon
Nov. 21 - The California Gull was seen resting on the rocks below Devil's Hole on the New York side of the Niagara River between 4:15 and 4:30 PM. Nov. 22 - At the Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant there were: 446 Ruddy Ducks SURF SCOTER RED-THROATED LOON 225 Mallards 25 Northern Shovelers 21 Common Mergansers 25 Buffleheads 18 Hooded Mergansers 11 Am. Black Ducks 3,700 Canada Geese 3 Redheads 4 Ring-necked Ducks 6 Greater Scaups 4 Lesser Scaups 38 Gadwalls 25 Am. Wigeon Green-winged Teal 24 Snow Buntings Best Wishes for Great Birding, Bill Watson -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes, late Tennessee Warbler and Pipit at Pt. Lookout
After failing to connect with the Pink-footed Goose for a third time early this morning at Sunken Meadow State Park (also checking King's Park High School and Nissequogue S.P.) I headed to Point Lookout, hoping to partake of the Kittiwake parade. Thankfully I was successful at that, able to make positive IDs on at least 9 of the gulls. The first was a first-winter bird which flew a short distance into the inlet before reversing course. The second was an adult spotted ~250-300 yards offshore between the two western jetties. I followed the bird through my scope until it landed on the water among a small raft of 7-8 other kittiwakes. All eventually took off and flew farther offshore. Also seen inshore were 10-12 Common Eider, a few Red-throated Loons, and several Bonaparte's Gulls. 110-120 Sanderlings and 2 Dunlin were out on the easternmost jetty. A single Pipit flew overhead, heading east across the inlet. I next checked the dump area and the narrow wooded strip which borders the north end of the parking lot. Except for a Cooper's Hawk that made life interesting for a large flock of Starlings, things were generally quiet. That is until I came across a pocket of activity at the eastern end of the aforementioned wooded strip. Most of the birds there were House Sparrows, Juncos, and House Finches, but then a small, bright greenish bird caught my attention. At first glance I thought it was an Orange-crowned Warbler, but further observation revealed characters inconsistent with that ID. Most notable were the bird's intense coloration, an almost chartreuse green that was brightest on the uppertail coverts. I've never seen an O-c Warbler that colorful. But even more telling were the white undertail coverts and narrow but distinct wing bars. The bird's underparts also lacked the blurry streaks typical on OCWA, instead being unmarked with a pale yellow wash on the breast that extended down the flanks. According to Bull this would match the extreme late date for the species. I uploaded 2 frames from video I captured of the warbler to my Flickr page, located here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgluth_brb/ I finished my day afield at Jones Beach west end, where I walked the outer beach to the inlet. Offshore I saw another 5 Kittiwakes (4 first-winter, 1 adult), 12 Common Eider, 1 Laughing Gull and a fair number of Gannets. Also saw my first pinniped of the season, a Harbor Seal. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Pink-footed Goose Continues at Sunken Meadow State Park
The Pink-footed Goose returned to Sunken Meadow State Park, along with a hundred or so Canada Geese sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 PM today, Sunday, November 22. It was in the west field near the beach. I'm not sure where it was the rest of the day. It wasn't at the high school, the middle school, or anywhere else I or anybody I talked to looked. If anyone saw the Barnacle Goose, I didn't hear about it. While waiting for the Pink-footed Goose to reappear, Long Island Sound produced multiple Common and Red-throated Loons, A dozen or so White-winged Scoters, 2 Long-tailed Ducks, a couple of cormorants, and the usual gulls. There was also one late Semipalmated Plover on the beach. -- Elliotte Rusty Harold elh...@ibiblio.org -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwake show continues
A number of birders have been seeing black-legged kittiwakes throughout the day today at Ft. Tilden, from the Fisherman's Parking Lot. This morning from about 7:30-9:30, I observed at least 10 birds in the area, mostly immatures. Like yesterday, the birds were hanging around about 100-200 yards from shore. They were fishing, being chased by larger gulls, and sitting on the water with Bonaparte's flocks. There was no apparent migration, however. Also like yesterday, there were thousands more gulls way offshore, so kittiwake numbers were likely much greater than 10. Shai Mitra told me he observed about 30 kittiwakes from Robert Moses State Park this morning, also just hanging around and not visibly migrating. Seth Ausubel Forest Hills, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Orleans County Saturday - Barrows Goldeneye, Greater White-fronted Geese
Here are a few brief notes on some birds I saw yesterday: Point Breeze - Drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE - in fairly close on the lake just east of the private property next to the park. 1 Common Loon on the west side of the sea wall. 1 RED-THROATED LOON - just east of the break wall at the end of the channel. also present were plenty of Common Goldeneye and Red-breasted Mergansers, plus several Horned Grebes and Lesser Scaup Lakeside Beach SP - Red-breasted Mergansers Horned Grebes Bufflehead Lesser Scaup a flyby Belted Kingfisher small flock of Snow Buntings. Shadigee - 2 Common Loons more Red-breasted Mergs more Horned Grebes flock of both Greater and Lesser Scaup 1 LONG-TAILED DUCK I took some photos of a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE that I found with some Tundra Swans and Canada Geese on a pond at the corner of Waterport Rd (CR 279) and Roosevelt Highway (SR 18). When I got home and looked at the pictures, I realized there were actually 6 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE there. I don't know how I missed seeing them. One final note - 2 of the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES on Curtis Rd were sitting on the wires near the 5th telephone pole east of Rt 259 in Hilton, Monroe County when I passed by around 3 PM. Mickey Mickey Scilingo North Syracuse Onondaga County, NY mickey.scili...@gte.net 607-280-2638 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Niagara River - Saturday
Yesterday, Bob Spahn and I led the Buffalo Ornithological Society - Rochester Birding Association annual Niagara River field trip. Around 30 participants began the day at Fort Niagara S.P. at the mouth of the river, where Tom O'Donnell had arranged access into the Fort grounds. Here, out over and on the lake, the group had several RED-THROATED and a few COMMON LOONS, as well as LONG-TAILED DUCKS, RED-BREASTED MERGS, WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, and BUFFLEHEAD. We looked through the few dozen BONAPARTE'S GULLS and had one LITTLE GULL that came in off the lake and flew straight upriver, allowing about the half group to see it. The next stop was at Lewiston, where we had two adult LITTLE GULLS. While crossing the Lewiston-Queenston bridge, just after clearing Canadian Customs, the lead car had a white crow with a black face, cawing atop a light standard! There have been one or two white crows in this area for a couple of years. These birds are sometimes seen at the Adam Beck overlook, across from the Robert Moses power dam. Speaking of which, that was our first stop on the Ontario side of the river. And it was quite good with a couple of ICELAND GULLS and an adult THAYER'S GULL. The latter bird was flying and feeding and it was gratifying that most or all of the group got on this tough bird to ID. Also here were two LESSER BLACK-BECKED GULLS and one adult NELSON'S GULL (Herring-Glaucous hybrid), a life hybrid for many. The group then checked the roosting rocks about 1/4 mile upriver for the California Gull, which had just been seen there. Timing is everything however, and we were a little too late, as the bird had flown. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL there was small consolation. As far as I know, noone reported seeing the Black-headed Gull this day, which had been seen at the power dam several days this week and as recently as Friday. >From here it was on to the Whirlpool (where the aero cable car is). There were lots of BONAPARTE'S GULLS here but no Black-headed nor even a Litte Gull. So, after a brief pit-stop at Tim Hortons, it was on to the falls. First stop, just downriver from the control gates. The highlight here was another hybrid, this one a probable adult GREAT BLACK-BACKED X HERRING GULL. Also here were a few more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a juvenile ICELAND GULL. One of our group may have had a Glaucous Gull but the bird slipped away before others could get on it. An adult and a juvenile Glaucous were previously reported in the area. The final stop was behind the gatehouse, where we added a few more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and another ICELAND GULL, but no Purple Sandpiper, which still has not been reported this season. In addition to the gulls, there was an abundance of waterfowl in the falls area, with COMMON GOLDENEYES, HOODED MERGS, BUFFLEHEADS, CANVASBACK, SCAUP, GADWALLS, AMERICAN WIGEONS, MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS, and CANADA GEESE, all in numbers. In summary, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of gulls and abundace of waterfowl already on the river and it was great to be able to share the bounty with such an enthusiastic group. Thanks to Bob Spahn for co-leading the trip, as he has done for many years. Thanks also to Bill Watson and Kim Sucy for organizing the trip and changing the date to the leader's preference and to Tom O'Donnell for arranging access to Fort Niagara. Tom and Kayo Roy also provided helpful information about crossing the Lewiston-Queenston bridge, which is not the one I typically use. Good birding! Willie -- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY dannapotterATroadrunner.com http://www.betsypottersart.com -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Orleans County Saturday - Barrows Goldeneye, Greater White-fronted Geese
Here are a few brief notes on some birds I saw yesterday: Point Breeze - Drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE - in fairly close on the lake just east of the private property next to the park. 1 Common Loon on the west side of the sea wall. 1 RED-THROATED LOON - just east of the break wall at the end of the channel. also present were plenty of Common Goldeneye and Red-breasted Mergansers, plus several Horned Grebes and Lesser Scaup Lakeside Beach SP - Red-breasted Mergansers Horned Grebes Bufflehead Lesser Scaup a flyby Belted Kingfisher small flock of Snow Buntings. Shadigee - 2 Common Loons more Red-breasted Mergs more Horned Grebes flock of both Greater and Lesser Scaup 1 LONG-TAILED DUCK I took some photos of a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE that I found with some Tundra Swans and Canada Geese on a pond at the corner of Waterport Rd (CR 279) and Roosevelt Highway (SR 18). When I got home and looked at the pictures, I realized there were actually 6 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE there. I don't know how I missed seeing them. One final note - 2 of the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES on Curtis Rd were sitting on the wires near the 5th telephone pole east of Rt 259 in Hilton, Monroe County when I passed by around 3 PM. Mickey Mickey Scilingo North Syracuse Onondaga County, NY mickey.scili...@gte.net 607-280-2638 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwake show continues
A number of birders have been seeing black-legged kittiwakes throughout the day today at Ft. Tilden, from the Fisherman's Parking Lot. This morning from about 7:30-9:30, I observed at least 10 birds in the area, mostly immatures. Like yesterday, the birds were hanging around about 100-200 yards from shore. They were fishing, being chased by larger gulls, and sitting on the water with Bonaparte's flocks. There was no apparent migration, however. Also like yesterday, there were thousands more gulls way offshore, so kittiwake numbers were likely much greater than 10. Shai Mitra told me he observed about 30 kittiwakes from Robert Moses State Park this morning, also just hanging around and not visibly migrating. Seth Ausubel Forest Hills, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Pink-footed Goose Continues at Sunken Meadow State Park
The Pink-footed Goose returned to Sunken Meadow State Park, along with a hundred or so Canada Geese sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 PM today, Sunday, November 22. It was in the west field near the beach. I'm not sure where it was the rest of the day. It wasn't at the high school, the middle school, or anywhere else I or anybody I talked to looked. If anyone saw the Barnacle Goose, I didn't hear about it. While waiting for the Pink-footed Goose to reappear, Long Island Sound produced multiple Common and Red-throated Loons, A dozen or so White-winged Scoters, 2 Long-tailed Ducks, a couple of cormorants, and the usual gulls. There was also one late Semipalmated Plover on the beach. -- Elliotte Rusty Harold elh...@ibiblio.org -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes, late Tennessee Warbler and Pipit at Pt. Lookout
After failing to connect with the Pink-footed Goose for a third time early this morning at Sunken Meadow State Park (also checking King's Park High School and Nissequogue S.P.) I headed to Point Lookout, hoping to partake of the Kittiwake parade. Thankfully I was successful at that, able to make positive IDs on at least 9 of the gulls. The first was a first-winter bird which flew a short distance into the inlet before reversing course. The second was an adult spotted ~250-300 yards offshore between the two western jetties. I followed the bird through my scope until it landed on the water among a small raft of 7-8 other kittiwakes. All eventually took off and flew farther offshore. Also seen inshore were 10-12 Common Eider, a few Red-throated Loons, and several Bonaparte's Gulls. 110-120 Sanderlings and 2 Dunlin were out on the easternmost jetty. A single Pipit flew overhead, heading east across the inlet. I next checked the dump area and the narrow wooded strip which borders the north end of the parking lot. Except for a Cooper's Hawk that made life interesting for a large flock of Starlings, things were generally quiet. That is until I came across a pocket of activity at the eastern end of the aforementioned wooded strip. Most of the birds there were House Sparrows, Juncos, and House Finches, but then a small, bright greenish bird caught my attention. At first glance I thought it was an Orange-crowned Warbler, but further observation revealed characters inconsistent with that ID. Most notable were the bird's intense coloration, an almost chartreuse green that was brightest on the uppertail coverts. I've never seen an O-c Warbler that colorful. But even more telling were the white undertail coverts and narrow but distinct wing bars. The bird's underparts also lacked the blurry streaks typical on OCWA, instead being unmarked with a pale yellow wash on the breast that extended down the flanks. According to Bull this would match the extreme late date for the species. I uploaded 2 frames from video I captured of the warbler to my Flickr page, located here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgluth_brb/ I finished my day afield at Jones Beach west end, where I walked the outer beach to the inlet. Offshore I saw another 5 Kittiwakes (4 first-winter, 1 adult), 12 Common Eider, 1 Laughing Gull and a fair number of Gannets. Also saw my first pinniped of the season, a Harbor Seal. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Niagara River California Gull, Batavia WWTP- Surf Scoter, Red throated Loon
Nov. 21 - The California Gull was seen resting on the rocks below Devil's Hole on the New York side of the Niagara River between 4:15 and 4:30 PM. Nov. 22 - At the Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant there were: 446 Ruddy Ducks SURF SCOTER RED-THROATED LOON 225 Mallards 25 Northern Shovelers 21 Common Mergansers 25 Buffleheads 18 Hooded Mergansers 11 Am. Black Ducks 3,700 Canada Geese 3 Redheads 4 Ring-necked Ducks 6 Greater Scaups 4 Lesser Scaups 38 Gadwalls 25 Am. Wigeon Green-winged Teal 24 Snow Buntings Best Wishes for Great Birding, Bill Watson -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re:[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes, late Tennessee Warbler and Pipit at Pt. Lookout
Considering all the time it took me to write and edit it, you'd think I'd have remembered to actually include the name TENNESSEE WARBLER in the body of my last post and not just the subject line! -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bad News 1= Good News 2
Yesterday, my Verizon cell phone broke. Today, after having it checked at the Riverhead store, I was directed to it's service location in Bridgehampton, about a 40 minute drive east. Once there, in just half that amount of time, the phone was replaced under warranty, and I was on my way. But, with an eye toward getting more bang for my gas buck, instead of heading home, I turned toward the old lapwing field, in hope of seeing the cattle egret, which was found there recently by Pat Lindsay. Although it wasn't windy, when I finally saw the bird, it was hunkered down right next to one of the fence posts in the cow pasture, located on the s/s of Mecox Rd., at the intersection of Halsey La.,Mecox/Water Mill, Suffolk Co. A Northern Lapwing visited this location from Jan.28, to Mar.25, 1995, being seen by a huge number of birders, many from out of state. My first view of this very special bird (on Jan.31) came through the scope of Jim Ash, who, as I came running up, just stepped aside, smiled, and pointed to its eye piece! I was at the o/l/f around 3:30 PM, for about 15 minutes, during which, the egret didn't move away from the post, even when I got out of the car to take its picture. With the distance between us being no more than 50', I came to wonder if it was injured? Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Kittiwakes/8 gull spp.; Ash-throated Fly. Queens County, more; 11/22
Sunday, 22 November 2009 - Brooklyn's Floyd Bennet Field, Queens Rockaway peninsula, and the 'odd' site for a flycatcher: A CATTLE EGRET continued on at Floyd Bennett Field, off easternmost Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn. I didn't put in enough time to guage if many other birds were around there but the place seemed sort of quiet in general - this also true at the Rockaway peninsula (Queens Co.) outer beach sites, in terms of ordinary expected land bird variety or numbers... - - - Which was made up for by the very high numbers of gulls swarming over fish-feeding frenzy - a run of Striped Bass, Bluefish, and other 'game' fish that are running after a big move of smaller bait fish, including at least 5 or 6 species according to some of the fisher- folks out there catching the big ones (they hope). I was out along the shore from Fort Tilden to Breezy back to Riis Park in the period from about 10am until after 1pm, with other birders also around the same times and some having already left, or just arriving. (I also found a few spots to sit with nice shelter relatively wind-free in the stretch along the Tilden shore road.) The gull flocks of which there were up to 6 or more in about 3 linear miles, were at times as close as 50-75 yards offshore but more often farther some flocks, including large flocks, were as far as could be reasonably scoped even with good light. In looking at ALL of these, I estimated 10,000+ gulls in all, far less than 1/4 of that number at all close for good views, even then not all the time in the ~ 3 hours I watched. The first gull flock, which was the one that (it seems) most birders, including me were mainly focused on was moving a bit in this time-frame - it was closer to the Tilden-Riis border then moved on towards the west end of Tilden (near the fisherman's parking lot) later back to the east again. This particular flock seemed to average about 700 birds, virtually all gulls. There were loons in great numbers in the area as well but they could easily be counted separately, it seemed there was very little seaduck movement, although a group of 8 COMMON EIDER did go by at about 10 a.m. towards Breezy Pt., where they re-settled. There were also rather few scoters, both white-winged dark-winged in small groups of 5 to about 15 in that same time, most farther or much farther than the gulls worth studying or the loons that were easily seen in closer. Also seen were up to 10 Long-tailed Duck (in flight) a few Red-breasted Merganser seen as well. The number of Atlantic Gannets were in the hundreds but many were quite distant, in my observations. There were also separate, distinct flocks of gulls (and some simply larid flocks: although I never saw any definite tern, there was a brief look at what appeared to be a Royal Tern moving thru at one point - but with the feeding at full frenzy I actually lost the red- billed larid, not to be seen again. A gull I did see well enough, all white-winged size of Ring-billed, was moving in the direction of Breezy Pt. around 10:30 or so, I was able to watch it well for 3 minutes or so, an ICELAND GULL, in what seemed 2nd-winter plumage, and certainly not only my first of the season but the first I've heard of locally on the shore here - even farther east, perhaps? An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was present off the Silver Gull cabanas, seen west towards the Breezy Point side, after noon. The BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were reasonably straightforward to ID, although in the first moments of seeing the swarming gulls I wasn't sure I would pick anything out, or at least not so quickly... but these smaller gulls did stand out nicely, with decent lighting in the late morning sun angle. I estimated at least 25, more likely 30+ kittiwakes in the 2 flocks that worked between Breezy Riis (with one flock having as I noted as many as 700 birds, the other noticably fewer in most of the time observed) as well as up to 80+ Bonaparte's Gulls with these flocks or at least on the periphery... in addition, at one point, an interesting swarm of small gulls got going well west of Tilden, with up to 40 Bonaparte's very few larger (Ring-billed) gulls in the swarm - that was part of what prompted me to try also going over to Breezy Point, walk east west from the access road there as well. The more pure flock of Bonaparte's did not hold together there however, I walked the beach a while just to see what other vantage points offered. The best (closest views) seemed to stay with the flock out along Tilden, more or less. What took place well after noon would be interesting to hear, too which also brings up: WHY so many kittiwakes in particular, in THIS close?? Why NOW, this weekend? Some fish are coming in close but that is not that unusual, certainly far less so than the kittiwake spectacle. What's got into
