old favorites

A lot of old favorites hanging around this morning: Black-crowned night Heron, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch and Great Crested Flycatcher. Some of these birds are still singing, some are quiet. In recent days, there has been an occasional wheep from the Great Crested but not much more. I suspect that, like many of these birds, it is in nesting mode which requires that it attract a lot less attention to itself than when its in mating mode. I wonder if that's also the case with the Common Yellowthroat or whether this species -- which used to live up to its common name around here -- has just abandoned us; after a few early arrivals last month, I am not hearing the distinctive song.

I'm sure that the crows have young. I've heard young calling and the adults are in a constant state of agitation -- whether or not there is a Bald Eagle in view. In fact they seem to regard me as one degree worse than a Bald Eagle or Red-tailed Hawk.

Several people have written me about Bank Swallows. They are common nesters on Long Island but not traditionally on the South Shore. Bank Swallows, Belted Kingfishers and, to a lesser degree, Rough-winged Swallows need stable banks into which they build their nest burrows. Sand dunes on the ocean side are usually too unstable and, aside from eroded banks mostly facing north (on Long Island Sound, Peconic Bay and Gardiners Bay), the preferred locale has been old sand mines where there is vegetation holding the banks together. East Quogue Mines used to have both Bank Swallows and Kingfishers but I think the expanding operation has obliterated the sand banks where they were raising young (and they are definitely discouraging visitors who might like to investigate the situation).

Eric Salzman