I heard the nocturnal flight calls of several Swainson's Thrushes over my house last night, and despite minimal radar activity there were some nice birds at Jones Beach. A heard-only Dickcissel that called a few times as it flew northwest past the start of the fisherman's road was the "rarest" bird I saw, but there was an enjoyable spread of other species. Large flights of flickers continue, with plenty of raptors working the vegetation edge. Phoebes are moving through in some numbers, and the increased high tide ended up chasing most of the 100+ Red Knots and 350+ oystercatchers off the flooded spit. 10 species of warblers were highlighted by a nice bright Blackburnian and a Nashville Warbler whose greener lower back, prominent white vent, and longish, constantly pumping tail gave me pause. I'd like people with more expertise to review my photos, but I wonder if this was an individual of the Western/"Calaveras" subspecies that was proposed for a split this year. The motion failed by one vote, if I recall correctly, so this could be a pair to watch for in the future. The bird was observed in the brush north of the hill next to the Coast Guard fence, just before the shoreline. I know Bob Anderson also got some shots, which are most assuredly better than mine. Mosquitos remain especially ferocious. Spray up.
Cheers! -Tim H -- 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/ --
