I heard a distinctive unfamiliar song early this morning -- something like a catbird but parceled out in distinctive bursts, each with a similar, stereotypical form. The individual songs were also separated or preceded by a bit of chatter. What was it? I am quite familiar with all the local songs and most of the expected migrants so this was, I suspect, something good. Alas, it remained quite hidden in the now-dense foliage until it flew out and away at top speed.

Sometimes familiar birds sing unfamiliar songs. Yesterday at Maple Swamp, there was an Eastern Towhee which alternated a completely unrecognizable song with its signature "Drink, Drink Your Tea". And a high-pitched soft trill -- distinctly different from the Chipping Sparrows and Pine Warblers also trilling in the area -- had me completely stumped until I finally found the bird in the act of singing. It was a Blue-winged Warbler!

But the most thrilling, hair-raising sound of the morning was a ghostly, tremulous yodel that seemed to come reverberating from the skies. It could only have been a Common Loon, a bird that winters here and passes over in migration, occasionally calling as it hurries north. And, sure enough, a very visible (but not calling) Common Loon came overhead only a few minutes later.

In addition to an unsolved song mystery and a calling loon, this morning's walk counted Parula and Yellow-rumped Warblers as well as a probable Blackpoll (by sound) and a Lesser Yellowlegs (by looks and by sound) in the salt pool in the middle of the marsh. 

A trip down to Dune Road a bit later in the morning produced a Common Eider, some distant Gannets and a lot of Common Terns at Shinnecock Inlet (no terns elsewhere on the bay). Many (but not all) of the local nesting birds were in evidence. A lone Glossy Ibis flying overhead reminded me that I forgot to mention the flock of 20 of these birds at the duck farm near Riverhead on Monday.

N.B.: I will lead a walk in Maple Swamp for ELIAS (Eastern Long Island Audubon Society) starting at 8 am on Pleasure Drive. The meeting place is a dirt road (leading to an open pasture visible from the road but now blocked by a gate); this is on the southeast side of Pleasure Drive just a short distance to the northwest of the driveway to the old Graphics of Peconic. The walk will stick to the main dirt roads and tracks in the area to avoid ticks (nevertheless come prepared with long pants and spray). Expected birds include numbers of warblers including Blue-winged, Ovenbird, Yellow, Yellowthroat, Pine and various migrants. Also flycatchers, thrushes, woodpeckers, vireos, etc. 

Eric Salzman