grackles & sparrows

At dawn this morning, a flock of many thousands of blackbirds -- most probably the same grackle flock seen (and heard) yesterday -- came overhead moving from the southwest across Weesuck Creek to the northeast. It took several minutes to get across; the numbers were probably into the five-figure range. They briefly settled on the other side of the creek (where they set up a racket) but eventually moved on. Not long after, a flock of hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds came up from the reeds at the head of the marsh, also moving in the same direction.

Aside from a single Red-eyed Vireo and the by-now usual locals, the bird activity was not great. 

When Eileen Schwinn appeared to suggest a ride down to Dune Road, I instantly agreed. The objective was the area just to the east of Ponquogue Bridge. The parking lot, grassy edges and weedy dune vegetation attract birds and Eileen promised some notable members of the sparrow tribe. She was right. Besides the familiar Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, there were White-crowned Sparrows (including at least one handsome adult), Chipping Sparrows, many Juncos and one Field Sparrow. Other birds on site included dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Flicker and a Catbird. Two falcons -- a probable Kestrel and a Merlin -- turned up to enliven the proceedings. 

I got an e-mail yesterday from Nick Hamblet (a Shelter Islander whose e-mail address is "birdsandbugs"} suggesting that the elevator insects I saw a couple of days ago dancing up and down in a beam of afternoon sunlight were most likely Dance Flies. He also mentions that they might have been Common Midges but I suspect that midges are quite a bit smaller than these bugs. Dance Flies look right. They are a large group of flies traditionally catalogued under the name empididae (a name that birders can love as their favorite little flycatchers are called "Empids") but now are more usually classified as hybotidae). There are a lot of species in this classification so it is difficult to say which ones I saw (or even which ones are likely to occur in our area) but as a group these flies are notable for their habit of catching other, smaller insects and wrapping them up as a gift for the females, a presentation that takes place during or just after the dancing display. 

Eric Salzman