Special holiday edition

Yesterday, Friday December 27, I met Eileen Schwinn and Mike Higgiston (the East Quogue birding contingent) at Cupsogue to participate in the annual Central Suffolk Christmas Bird Count. We covered Cupsogue west from the parking lot to the Moriches Inlet and then Dune Road east all the way to Shinnecock Inlet. Only the part west of the western Westhampton Bridge was actually officially part of the count (got that?) but the birds ignored that fact and so will I!

The big find of the day was actually not a bird but a haulout of almost 100 seals on one of the sand island in Moriches Bay -- most of them presumably Harbor Seals. Not far behind were the Snowy Owls -- three of them between the two inlets and a fourth on the far side of Shinnecock Inlet. This has been an extraordinary year for the Snowies (a.k.a. the Harry Potter Owl). There were no less than 15 of them on the Brooklyn Christmas Count a couple of weeks ago and JFK was so inundated that the airport authorities were shooting them before protest erupted and forced them to change policy and relocate them instead. Who knows how many more there were on the LI shore between NYC and ELI? This was a bonanza for birders and nature lovers but perhaps not for the owls. The most likely explanation for the periodic invasion of these tundra denizens is a high population of young birds of the year and a decline in the populations of lemmings and other prey up north. When these dramatic owls arrive, they almost always hang out on the shore, generally in the dunes which are the closest local environment to match their home habitat. They are mostly young birds and they are active in the daylight; let's hope they find nourishment here before they have to return back north. See Eileen's photographs attached herein.

The small birds in Eileen's photos are another visitor from the far north with a similar name. The Snow Bunting gets the epithet 'snow' because, like the owl (and like the smaller of our egrets) it carries a lot of white in its plumage. Also a tundra dweller and a winter visitor in these parts, this bird appears in twittery flocks in the dunes and it comes almost every year.

Other birds of interest were Northern Harriers (at least four seen over the dunes and marshes); Horned Grebes at Moriches Inlet; Common and Red-throated Loons in inlet, bay and ocean; at least one Northern Gannet (way out on the ocean); and various winter waterfowl including small numbers of Brant, a flock of Common Eiders in and around Shinnecock Inlet, scoters in large numbers moving off-shore (and unidentifiable as to species), Long-tailed Ducks in their winter plumages (at both inlets), Red-breasted Mergansers all around, a small flock of Common Goldeneye at Pike's Beach, and many hundreds of Black Duck everywhere. The only shorebirds that could be identified were Sanderlings and a few Dunlin. Two Glaucous Gulls -- a big all-white sometime winter visitor -- were reported from Shinnecock but we couldn't find them. Even more strikingly missing were the 'bluebills' -- Greater Scaup which which have traditionally wintered on the south shore bays in large numbers. Duck hunting season was still in progress (we could hear the occasional pop of guns) which may have accounted for the scarcity (and the flightiness) of many of the waterfowl.

Eric Salzman

Ecuador!

I'm closing out my 2013 posts with this trip report from Ecuador. ES
Choco Cloud Forest, Ecuador

September 16-October 1, 2013

Eric & Lorna Salzman, Sam Sage, Merryl Edelstein

The Choco cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains in northwestern Ecuador and western Colombia is one of the wettest places on earth. It is also one of the biologically richest places in the world and it harbors a very large number of endemic and threatened species – far more than, say, the Amazonian rain forest. This includes many different forms of life; for example, the olinquito, a newly discovered mammal, and the ‘Pinocchio’ lizard, recently rediscovered, are both indigenous to this region). But it was, of course, the birds that that drew us there. Because of the wealth of bird life in the Choco, Colombia is the #1 country in the world for sheer numbers of bird species and much-smaller Ecuador takes first place for numbers relative to the size of the country.

We were in Colombia’s western cordillera for part of our trip to that country in 2012 and we touched upon the region (without knowing much about it) during a long-ago trip to Ecuador in 1990. Peter Joost, our friend and fellow birder on that 1990 visit, has since purchased a tract of farm and rainforest in an area known as Intag in the mountains west of Otavalo in northwestern Ecuador and built a lodge there and now we were finally able to take up his long-standing invitation to visit. The trip was organized around four days at Peter’s lodge, El Refugio del Intag, preceded by three days in Quito and the Quito area and followed by a week in the mountain town of Mindo, a major center for birding the Choco. Sam Sage, director of the Atlantic States Legal Foundation (one of the country’s leading advocates of environmental law as well as an old colleague of Lorna’s) was with us the whole way. Merryl Edelstein, a retired city planner from L.A., joined us for the week in Mindo.


Monday & Tuesday, September 16-17: The flight to Quito from New York via Miami is an hour late and we reach our destination, the Hotel Andino in the new town of Quito, close to midnight. Marco Arenas and his bird guide are there to pick us up at 6:30 the next morning for a drive to Parque Jerusalem, the unlikely name for a park/reserve outside of Quito. This is a dry forest of a type that once covered the central valley of Ecuador; this one is said to be the last such area left and it has its special flora and fauna including a briefly glimpsed Giant Hummingbird and the handsome Blue-and-Yellow Tanager.

Wednesday, September 18: A day on the slopes of the Pinchinca Volcano at the Yanacocha Reserve, a flagship property of Ecuador’s Jocotoco Foundation. This reserve protects the last remaining colony of the critically endangered Black-chested Hummingbird which, alas, we did not see. We did see other hummers but my most remarkable sightings were two views of the Blackish Tapaculo – once as a flying black puffball whizzing across the trail and shortly thereafter perched in the open on a branch for about a millisecond. This is high-end tapaculo watching – by far the best views I have ever had of a bird in this family of skulkers. The trail is surprisingly level for a high mountain as it is built on top of a major aqueduct that provides mountain water for Quito. Outstanding birds seen here (in addition to the tapaculo) were hummingbirds: the Great Sapphirewing and three non-Black-chested species of puffleg.

Thursday, September 19: A full day in the Old Town of Quito, still quite charming and containing some of the gems of Spanish colonial architecture, notably the elaborate Jesuit Iglesia de La Compañia. Another fascinating monument was the town house of one of the local grandees, an aristocratic lady who lived in traditional style well into the 20th century.

Friday, September 20: We drive across the equator to Otavalo and El Refugio de Intag with stops at equator itself and the local crafts towns of Peguche (woven goods) and Cotacaxi (leather), both to the north before the turn into the mountains. This whole drive is remarkable for having volcanoes in sight almost all the way, many of them covered with ice and snow Ecuador’s third highest peak, Cayambe, looms above the town of the same name; it is the only place on the equator covered with glaciers and, if you cross it and go down the other side, you are in the Amazon rain forest. After Otavalo and its satellite towns, we head west into the mountains. The road is no longer paved but it has been graded and will apparently be paved in the near future (the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has embarked on major road-building initiatives  which will help tourism and business but not the environment). At the remote mountain village of Santa Rosa, we turn onto a rocky track that leads to El Refugio de Intag. We arrive in mid-afternoon and, after being greeted by Peter and shown to our accommodations by a rushing mountain stream, there is still time for a streamside walk and a general visit to the immediate property.



Saturday, September 21: We are driven up to the higher reaches of the Neblina Cloud Forest by Osvaldo, Peter’s jack-of-all-trades refuge manager. The word neblina means mist or fog and suggests how the clouds form and settle on these mountain slopes creating a wet forest of mythic proportions. This forest can be birded only from the road and conditions are alternately windy and misty, making birding difficult. Osvaldo makes a daring descent down the side of the road to reach a strand of sparkling yellow orchids which we bring back to El Refugio. In addition to birds, Ecuador (and the Choco in particular) is famous for its orchids and there are nearly always some of them in bloom.

         In the afternoon, we drive and walk up to La Florida to visit a near neighbor of Peter’s who has an upland pasture and farm as well as uncut forest. Sandra was married to an Ecuadorian environmental activist (they are divorced but both still live on the ranch) and is herself an organizer of the local women who produce beautiful craft work. From this high perch, you can hear the calls of the male Cocks of the Rock on their lek deep in the forest below.



Sunday, September 22: Siempre Verde is a nearby cloudforest reserve set up for visits by schools. It is reachable only by a very bad rock road and the last portion has to be traversed on foot; it is high in the forest with beautiful views and abundant flora and fauna. Like many areas in the Intag, it is distinguished not only by its birds but also by its wildflowers. The highlight is a Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan on branches right over the road on the way back.

         Sandra accompanies us to Siempre Verde and, later in the day, I walk with her part of the way back from El Refugio. Eventually I turn around and shortly run into another American who lives still further up the valley. She is a woman in (I would guess) her 60s and she is coming back from the Sunday market at Abuelo. This is a good-sized walk of 12k (or more) each way – perhaps 15 miles in all – and her groceries are being carried home in little saddle packs on the backs of each of her three dogs!

Monday, September 23: Back to Neblina in the morning with much more luck than on the previous visit. A last walk around El Refugio in the afternoon to search for Torrent Ducks on the river is unsuccessful but our consolation prize is a handsome White-capped Dipper.

Tuesday, September 24:  Back to the outskirts of Quito where we hook up with Franklin Duran from Mindo and Merryl Edelstein who is joining us for this part of the trip. We skirt the capital as best we can and head into western Andes to Mindo. This is the ‘new Nono-Mindo Road’; when we were here in 1990,  there was only the old, unpaved road. Mindo is actually a few kilometers off the road in its own picturesque valley and it seems just as ramshackle today as it was when we were there before, almost a quarter-century ago. What has changed is the development of an eco-tourist business mostly concentrated in fancy, expensive lodges in the environs. Lorna has, however located a BioHostal in the middle of town that is basic but comfortable and reasonably priced. We stayed in a residencia on the town square in 1990 and, in order to turn on the lights, you had to hook two bare wires together! Now we not only have electric light switches but a private bath and a comfortable room just a block or two off the square.

Here we meet Julia Patino, the first woman bird guide in Ecuador, and together we plan out the week.

Wednesday, September 25: Angel Paz, a local farmer/rancher, has become Ecuador’s most celebrated curator of birds for a simple reason. A number of years ago he discovered that he could attract antpittas and antthrushes into the open by offering them worms. Before Angel Paz, hardly anybody ever saw these denizens of the cloudforest understory; now they are seen every day: Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Giant Antpitta, Ochre-breasted Antpitta (these last two, the largest and smallest of the local antpittas) plus the Rufous-breasted Antthrush! Only the Moustached Antpitta did not show (we had previously missed it in Colombia where they have adapted Angel’s feeding techniques with equal success: lots of antpittas but no Moustached). In the afternoon, we bird the Via Cinto and Rio Nambillo near Mindo.

Thursday, September 26: The Bella Vista Cloud Forest Reserve is about 50k from Mindo. Our birding day starts from cattle pastures outside the reserve, follows a narrow forested ridge and ends up on the old Nono-Mindo Road where the Bella Vista Lodge is situated. This was all very active early in the morning and the lodge itself is well stocked with hummingbird feeders and hummingbirds. The original plan was to eat lunch here but it turned out to be very expensive so we went down the road to the nearby town of San Miguel de los Bancos where we ate in a rather fancy restaurant which more than made up for its culinary shortcomings by having an active banana feeder right next to the dining area (two beautiful new tanagers as well as other good birds close up). In the afternoon, we end up in the garden of a local who has set up his garden with hummingbird and banana feeders that are frequented by non-stap avian traffic.

Friday, September 27: Up well before dawn for the long ride to the Rio Silanche Sanctuary, a slice of lowland Choco forest that preserves many birds that are normally seen closer to the coast. This reserve has a canopy tower that gives good looks at the early-morning flocks that whiz through the nearby trees as well as a number of raptors. As almost everywhere, there are hummingbird feeders and a different collection of hummers. An all-day expedition.

Saturday, September 28: Milpe is much closer to Mindo but an early morning start was still called for and the reason soon became apparent; we were headed to a nearby farm/ranch to watch the early morning arrival of the Long-wattled Umbrellabirds. And the birds cooperated nicely, emerging from the adjacent forest and perching out in the open before flying off in search of sustenance – presumably some fruiting trees ripening somewhere in the vicinity. After this stunning performance by one of the strangest members of the entire avian tribe, we proceed to the Milpe Sanctuary to look for lekking Club-winged Manakins (didn’t show) and Golden-winged Manakin (which did show but I missed them). Many other birds as well.

Sunday, September 29: Since yesterday’s Milpe visit took place rather late in the morning, we decide to revisit early this morning, a plan that was however somewhat dampened by our first and only rain of the trip (rainy season was, in any case, due to begin shortly). Again we had no luck with the Club-winged Manakin and, after a bit, we took off on a long ride into the valley of the Guayllabamba River at a place called Chontal. After a stop at a local estancia to pick up a guide and keys, we went down into the cliffs below the road to find an Oilbird Cave. Now we have seen tens of thousands of Oilbirds emerge at dusk from a cave in Caripe, Venezuela, (where they were discovered by Alexander von Humbolt) but this cave is quite different. It is hardly more than a cleft in the rock with a spring flowing out and it is home to perhaps a dozen or two of these strange, big and scary-looking birds. They are sitting on the edge of the rock face only a few yards away from us, quite out in the open and looking like nothing so much as a cross between a giant nightjar and big owl. Unlike the Caripe birds, these are not only extraordinarily close but also active in full daylight; one bird flies around making horrible noises as if to scare us away! We eat our ‘box lunch’ back at the estancia and then return to Mindo to bird the nearby San Lorenzo road in the late afternoon. Here, after what seemed like days of looking, we finally found the extraordinary-looking Club-winged Manakin, a male and two females feeding on fruit.

Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1: Since we don’t have to be in Quito until late in the day, we are able to plan a morning back on the San Lorenzo Road. This popular road (it was full of cars and tourists on Sunday but quiet today) leads to waterfalls and swimming holes but eventually also to the Mindo/Nambillo Cloudforest. As on the previous evening, it proved to be one of the best birding spots of the entire trip. In addition to the manakin, we found a Barred Puffbird and Julia called in the Cloudforest Pygmy-Owl for a sensational finish to our visit. After lunch, we are off to Quito and a guesthouse near the airport for our early morning return to New York.

Bird List: Before 2013, the principal references for the birds of Ecuador were the massive two-volumes works by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield (The Birds of Ecuador (Cornell U. Press, 2001) and Birds of Northern South America (Robin Restall with Clemencia Rodner and Miguel Lentino; (Yale U. Press, 2006). Now there is a handy Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador by Miles McMullan and Lelis Navarrate (Jocotoco 2013). closely modeled on the very similar Birds of Colombia (Pro Aves, Colombia); both of these are convenient, pocket-size guides to an otherwise almost unmanageable bird megafauna. At over 1500 species, Ecuador is one of the birdiest countries in the world (no. 5 by some counts); if size is taken into consideration, it is perhaps the birdiest place of all.

The following list follows McMullan/Navarrate with notes from the other two volumes. Note that as bird taxonomy changes and as new species are discovered and/or described, the discrepencies between the various lists tends to mount. Recent examples (not included in any of the books) are the lumping of the Green- and Purple-crowned Woodnymphs as Crowned Woodnymph and the split of Immaculate Antbird (the bird we saw is now called Zeledon’s Antbird).

Heard only birds are indicated by a superscript ‘H’; Choco endemics are marked with a superscript ‘E’


HLittle Tinamou (Crypturellus soui) - (heard only)

Sickle-winged Guan (Chamaepetes goudotii)
Wattled Guan (Aburria abburi)

HDark-backed Wood-Quail (Odontophorus melanomotus) – (heard only)

Cattle Egret (Bubulus ibis)  - very common everywhere
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) – less common than the Black
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) – most common vulture everywhere

Double-toothed Kite (Harpagus bidentatus)
Tiny Hawk (Accipiter superciliosus)
Barred Hawk (Leucopternis princeps)
Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnirostris)
Variable Hawk (Buteo polysoma)
Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)
HCollared Forest-Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus) – heard only

Lapwing? [called as Southern Lapwing but may have been Andean Lapwing]
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitus macularius)

Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
Plumbeous Pigeon (P. plumbea)
Ruddy Pigeon (P. subvinacea)
*EDusky Pigeon (P. goodsoni) – Choco endemic
Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata)
White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
EPallid Dove (L. pallida) – Choco endemic

Maroon-tailed Parakeet (Pyrrhura melanura)
Blue-fronted Parrotlet
ERose-faced Parrot (Pyrilia pulchra) – Choco endemic
Red-billed Parrot (Pionus sordidus) – most common parrot
Speckle-faced Parrot (P. seniloides)
Bronze-winged Parrot (P. chalcopterus)
Mealy Parrot (Amazone farinosa)

Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)
Striped Cuckoo (Tapera naevia)

Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium nubicola) – Choco endemic and a highlight of the trip
Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata) - seen near El Refugio (whistled in pitch darkness by Osvaldo)

Oilbird  Oilbird (Staetornis caripensis) – We saw tens of thousands of these birds emerging from their cave as dusk in Caripe, Venezuela (where the bird was ‘discovered’ by     Alexander von Humboldt); however the tiny cave – at Chontal – hardly more than a cleft in the rock with water gushing out of it with perhaps a dozen or so birds – was a close-up, daylight experience of these incredible birds (one of them was actually flying and calling as if to try and chase us away)
Ch       
            Chestnut-collared Swift (Streptoprocne rutila)
Grey-rumped Swift (Chaetura cinereiventris)
White-collared Swift (S. zonaris)

White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) –  more of a lowland hummingbird but apparently gaining ground in the mountain valleys
*EWhite-whiskered Hermit (Phaethornis yaruqui) – a Choco endemic
*Tawny-bellied Hermit (P. syrmatophorus)
Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinaae) – one singing right in front of the BioHostal, Mindo, on our arrival; also seen at other locations
Green Violetear (C. thalassinus)
Sparkling Violetear (C. coruscans)
*EGreen Thorntail (Discosura conversii) – Choco endemic
Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys)
EViolet-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) – Choco endemic
Black-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae)
Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina)
Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestitus) – all three pufflegs were seen on 9/18 at Yanacocha on the slopes of the Pinchicha Volcano near Quito. [N.B. the critically         endangered Black-chested Puffleg (E. nigrivestis) whose entire world population is on the slopes here was not seen.]
*ESapphire-vented Puffleg (E. luciani) – Choco endemic
EGolden-breasted Puffleg (E moquera) – Choco endemic
EBrown Inca (Coeligena wilsoni) – Choco endemic
Collared Inca (C. torquata)
Buff-winged Starfrontlet (C. lutetiae)
*Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi)
Sward-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera)
Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas)
Great Sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanoptera)
Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens)
EVelvet-purple Coronet (B jardini) - Choco endemic
Booted Rackettail (Ocreatus underwoodii) .
*Purple-bibbed Whitetip (Urosticte benjamini)
Fawn-breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides)
EGreen-crowned Brilliant (H. jacula) – Choco endemic
Purple-collared Woodstar (Myrtis fanny)
*White-bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant)
*EPurple-throated Woodstar (Calliphax mitchelli) – Choco endemic
EWestern (or West Andean) Emerald (Chlorostilbon melanorhynchus) – Choco endemic
Green-crowned (Crowned) Woodnymph (Thalurania [columbica] fannyi) - N.B.: this has recently been lumped with the Violet-crowned Woodnymph (T. columbica)
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
*Andean Emerald (A. franciae)
Blue-chested Hummingbird (A. amabilis)
*EPurple-chested Hummingbird (A. rosenbergi) – Choco endemic [N.B.: 35 species of hummingbirds in all]

Golden-headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps)
Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus)

Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)

Broad-billed Motmot (Electron platyrhynchum)
Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii)

Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda)

Barred Puffbird (Nystalus radiatus) – whistled in by Julia on the San Lorenzo Road near Mindo

EOrange-fronted Barbet (Capito squamatus) – Choco endemic
Red-headed Barbet (C. bourcierii)

EToucan Barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus) – Choco endemic (no longer considered a barbet)

Black-mandibled (Chestnut-mandibled) Toucan (Ramphastos [ambiguous] swansonii)
*EChoco Toucan (R. brevis) – Choco endemic
Crimson-rumped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus haematopygus)
*EPlate-billed Mountain-Toucan (Andigena laminirostris) – Choco endemic
EPale-mandibled (Collared) Aracari (Pteroglossus [torquatus] erythropygius) – Choco endemic as a sp. or ssp.

Smoky-brown Woodpecker (Picoides fumigatus)
Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus)
Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Vernilornis dignis)
Crimson-mantled Woodpecker (C. rivolii)
*Cinnamon Woodpecker (Celeus loricatus)
Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus)
Guayaquil Woodpecker (Campephilus gayaquilensis)

Pale-legged or Pacific Hornero (Furnarious leucopis)
HAzara’s Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae)
HRufous Spinetail (S. unirufa)
*White-browed Spinetail (Hellmayrea gularis)
ERed-faced Spinetail (Cranioleuca erythrops) – Choco endemic? Is it split from a Central American form?
Pearled Treerunner (Margarornis squamiger)
EScaly-throated Foliage-gleaner (Anabacerthia variegaticeps) – Choco endemic
*Linneated Foliage-gleaner (Syndactyla subalaris)
Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner (Philydor erythrocercum)
Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner (Automolus ochrolaemus)
Plain Xenops (Xenops minutus)
Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)
Spotted Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus erythropygius)
Montane Woodcreeper (Lepidicolaptes lacrymiger)

HStreak-headed [Long-tailed] Antbird (Drymophila striaticeps) – this is a split from the Long-tailed Antbird
Dusky Antbird (Cercomacra humeralis)
*Zeledon’s (Immaculate) Antbird (Myrmeciza [immaculata] zeledoni) – recent split from the Immaculate Antbird and (I think) a Choco endemic
*ERufous-breasted Antthrush (Formicarius rufipectus) – Choco endemic

*EGiant Antpitta (Grallaria gigantea) – the largest of all the antpittas; Choco endemic
*EYellow-breasted Antpitta (G. flavotincta) – Choco endemic
HTawny Antpitta (G. ruficapilla) – heard only (the easiest of all the antpittas to see so, of course, we did not see it)
*EOchre-breasted Antpitta (Grallaricula ferrufineipectus) –  the smallest of the local antpittas; Choco endemic
HOcellated Tapaculo (Acropternis orthonyx) – heard only
*EBlackish Tapaculo (Scytalopus latrans) – seen twice at the head of the Yanacocha trail 9/18 (once as a black fuzz-ball rocketing across the patch a few inches off the ground at my feet and then again perched on a branch in the clear! Best views I’ve ever had of a tapaculo!; Choco endemic

*White-fronted (or Rough-legged) Tyrannulet (Phyllomyias zeledoni)
*Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet (P. uropygialis)
Yellow-bellied Elaenia (Elaenia flavigaster)
Sierran Elaenia (E. pallatangae)
White-tailed Tyrannulet (Mecocerculus paecilocercus)
Another tyrannulet (White-banded or Rufous-winged)?
EChoco Tyrannulet (Zimmerius albigularis) – Choco endemic (split from the Golden-fronted Tyrannulet)
EStreak-necked Flycatcher (Mionectes striaticollis) – possible Choco endemic
Slaty-capped Flycatcher (Leptopogon superciliaris)
Flavescent Flycatcher (Myiophobus flavicans)
Cinnamon Flycatcher (Pyrrhomias cinnamomeus)
Cliff Flycatcher (Hirundinea ferruginea)
Smoke-colored Pewee (Contopus fumigatus)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
Smoky Bush-Tyrant (Myiotheretes fumigatus)
Masked Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola nengeta) –
Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca rufipectoralis)
Long-tailed Tyrant (Colonia colonus)
Rusty-margined Flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis)
Social Flycatcher (M. similis)
Golden-crowned Flycatcher (Myiodynastes chrysocephalus)
Streaked Flycatcher (M. maculatus)
Snowy-throated Kingbird (Tyrannus niveigularis)
Tropical Kingbird (T. melancholicus) – just about everywhere
Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tubericulifer)
Sooty-crowned Flycatcher (M. phaeocephalus)

HBarred Fruiteater (Pipreola arcuata) – heard only
HAndean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus) – heard only
Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata)
*ELong-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) – Choco endemic

[Golden-winged Manakin (Masius chrysoptera) – seen by Sam and Myrrl but not by me (down a very steep and slippery trail)]
*EClub-winged Manakin (Machaeropterus deliciosus) – 1 male and 2 females; Choco endemic
Red-capped Manakin (Pipra mentalis)

Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciatus)
Cinnamon Becard (Pachyramphus cinnamomeus)
White-winged Becard (P. polycopterus)

Brown-capped Vireo (Vireo leucophrys) –
Red-eyed Vireo (V. olivaceus) – this is the local ssp which used to be called the Chivi Vireo
Lesser Greenlet (Hylophilus decurtatus)

Turquoise Jay (Cyanolyca turcosa)

Blue-and-white Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca) – most common swallow everywhere, particularly in forested areas
Brown-bellied Swallow (Orochelidon murina)
Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgiopteryx ruficollis)
Grey-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)

White-capped Dipper (Cinclus leucocephalus)

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
Mountain Wren (T. solstitialis)
Band-backed Wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus)
HPlain-tailed Wren (Thryothorus euophrys) – heard only; could not lure him out from his bamboo grove
HBay Wren (T. nigricapillus)
Grey-breasted Wood-Wren (Henicorhina leucophrys)

*Slate-throated Gnatcatcher (Polioptila schistaceigula)

HAndean Solitaire (Myadestes ralloides)
*Spotted Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus dryas)
*EEcuadorian Thrush (Turdus maculirostris) – Choco endemic
Great Thrush (T. fuscate)
Glossy-black Thrush (T. serranus)
Superciliated Hemispingus (Hemispringus superciliaris)
Grey-hooded Bush-Tanager (Cneomoscopus rubirostris)
White-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus luctuosus)
White-lined Tanager (T. rufus)
Lemon-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus icteronotus)
Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
Palm Tanager (T. palmarum)
Blue-and-Yellow Tanager (T. bonariensis)
Hooded Mountain-Tanager (Buthraupis wetmorei)
Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager (Anisognathus igniventris) – most spectacular of the mountain-tanagers
Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager (A. somptuosus)
Golden-crowned Tanager (Iridosornis rufivertex)
Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis)
Golden-naped Tanager (Tangara ruficervix)
EGrey-and-Gold Tanager (T. palmeri) – Choco endemic
EScrub Tanager (T. vitriolina) – Choco endemic
Golden-hooded Tanager (T. larvata) –
Blue-necked Tanager (T. cyanicollis) –
ERufous-throated Tanager (T. rufigula) – Choco endemic
Beryl-spangled Tanager (T. nigroviridis)
*Metallic-green Tanager (T. labradorides)
Bay-headed Tanager (T. gyrola)
Saffron-crowned Tanager (T. xanthocephala)
Flame-faced Tanager (T. parzudakii)
Golden Tanager (T. arthus)
Silver-throated Tanager (T. icterocephala)
Yellow-tufted or Black-faced Dacnis (D. [lineata] egregia)
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis (D. venusta)
Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza)
Guira Tanager (Hemithraupis guira)
Blue-backed Conebill (Conirostrum sitticolor)

Glossy Flowerpiercer (Diglossa lafresnyii)
Indigo Floweriercer (D. indigolica)
Masked Flowerpiercer (D. cyanea)

EDusky or Dusky-bellied Bush-Tanager or Chlorospingus (Chlorospingus semifuscus) – Choco endemic
Yellow-throated Bush-Tanager or Chlorospingus (C. flavigularis)
Dusky-faced Tanager (Mitrospingus cassinii)

Bananaquit (Coebra flaveola)

Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivacea)
Dull-colored Grassquit (T. obscura) 

EBlack-winged Saltator (S. atripennis) – Choco endemic
Buff-throated Saltator (S. maximus)
Streaked Saltator (S. striatipectus)

Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) – everywhere
Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)
Orange-billed Sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris)
*Yellow-breasted Brush-Finch (Atlapetes latinuchus)
*White-winged Brush-Finch (A. leucopterus)

White-winged Tanager (Piranga leucoptera)
Southern Yellow or Golden-bellied Grosbeak (Pheuticus chyrosgaster)

Tropical Parula (Parula pitiayumi)
Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca)
*Olive-crowned Yellowthroat (Geothlypis semiflava)
Slate-throated Whitestart (Myioborus miniatus)
Spectacled Whitestart (M. melanocophaus)
EGolden-bellied or Choco Warbler (Basileuterus [Myiothlypis] chrysogaster) – apparently a Choco endemic
Black-crested Warbler (B. nigrocristatus [nigrocritata])
HRusset-crowned Warbler (B. coronatus) – heard only in many locatio
Three-striped Warbler (B. tristriatus)
Riverbank or Buff-rumped Warbler (Phaeothlypis fulvicauda)

Russet-backed Oropendola (Psarocolius angustifrons)
Scarlet-rumped Cacique (Cacicus microrhynchus)
Giant Cowbird (Molothrus oryivorus)
Shiny Cowbird (M. bonaiensis)

245 spp

Eric Salzman

warm October katydid

A katydid of some sort has been singing all day right outside the front door on this toasty warm October morn: mostly two two syllables but sometimes three (ka-ty, ka-ty, ka-ty, ka-ty-did). We're talking about broad (if overcast) daylight on the last day of October -- not exactly the time you expect to hear a nighttime singer of late summer. It's a rather rough, robust call but definitely similar to the familiar nighttime katydids. I'm wondering if there is a late autumn species that sings in the daytime.

I'm still a long way from figuring out the singing insects of summer and fall.

Eric Salzman

hawk breakfast

This morning's hawk story:

There is an area by the head of our marsh where hurricanes have created a jumble of fallen trees and broken branches surrounded by a dense brush of vines (especially catbriar and wild rose) with various forbs and shrubs. This impenetrable thicket has become a favorite overnight spot for many of the small passerines including various sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Goldfinches, kinglets, etc. I have discovered that this is the place to watch these birds emerge shortly after sunrise from their nightly slumbers. But I am not alone in this discovery. Every morning, one or two accipiters hangs out in the surrounding trees hoping for easy pickings. This morning, an accipiter came zipping in at top speed, lower than eye level, to pick off a hapless little bird, carrying it up to a bare branch on one of the surrounding trees to pluck and eat. The hawk had its back to me but I could see that it was an adult male Cooper's Hawk with a blue back, a rounded tail with broad white tips to the feathers, a pale orange-buff nape and a large, slightly flat-topped head. What I could not see was what it had caught and, when I tried to circle round for a better view, it simply took off clutching its prey.

Carl Safina writes in with his own hawk story: "I was surfcasting the other morning and a merlin caught a passerine right in front of me over the breakers." Oddly enough, I had a similar experience years ago on a pelagic trip that left Montauk well before dawn. I was at the back of the boat during first light and over the ship's wake I was able to make out a Merlin who, while holding his position hovering in midair in the updraft from the boat, was nibbling on a breakfast passerine that he had just caught!

Eric Salzman

hawks for Hallowe'en?

Two accipiters came zooming in together over the marsh early on this morning. I don't think they were a pair but rather one appeared to be chasing the other. The smaller one, the chasee, veered off. It was an adult bird with horizontal red stripes on its breast; I think it was an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk. The other, the bigger of the two and the chaser, kept going and landed in a tree at the head of the marsh. It hung out in the area for a while, occasionally taking ofter potential prey, and generally showing the features of a juvenile Cooper's Hawk (somewhat flatish head, lots of white spots on the brown back, longish rounded tail, puffy white undertail coverts). The same or another Cooper's Hawk was crossing the creek from west to east a bit later in the morning. I'm beginning to wonder if these hawks are simply passing through or whether they've set up shop in the vicinity.

Hermit Thrushes are definitely on the move; there were several around this morning eating bittersweet and other berries. Both kinglets were in evidence (with Golden-crowned the more common) and there were White-throated Sparrows everywhere.  

Eric Salzman

more frost, more Robins

The frost was on the ground again this morning and once again a big flock of Am Robins came in, accompanied as before by a few N. Flickers. Are these flocks passing through on their way south or is this simply a big flock of roamin' Robins moving around the area? A good-sized flock of Common Grackles is probably of the roamin' variety; as long as the weather stays mild (and, in spite of the morning frost, the day turned sunny and warm), they will likely stay in the area and wander about looking for sustenance.

Otherwise the bird list was pretty much as its been in recent days: Hermit Thrush (seemingly whistling a little fragment of song, something I never heard before!), plus sparrows, Golden-crowned Kinglets (no Ruby-crowned today), many Yellow-rumped Warblers, a nuthatch (heard only; White-breasted probably), Eastern Phoebe, American Goldfinches, etc. On the creek, a single Greater Scaup -- undoubtedly the same one that was seen a couple of days ago.

Eric Salzman

a warmer morning

Much warmer this morning. The Robins seemed to have largely passed through but Yellow-rumped Warblers are still everywhere along with a good scattering of the common sparrows (Song, Swamp, Whited-throated), a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets (no Golden-crowned seen or heard), a lagging Eastern Phoebe or two and at least one Hermit Thrush. Royal Terns are still patrolling the creek along with Belted Kingfisher and the two remaining species of herons (Great Egret and Great Blue). Only one raptor seen: a juvenile Cooper's Hawk darting among the trees and avoiding the unwanted attentions of some crows.

Penny Moser writes to tell me that the Sag Harbor Fish Crows have been gathering in and around the Sag Harbor Post Office. Around here, there are a small number of Fish Crows but they are easily outnumbered by the American Crows.

Eric Salzman

the frost is on the pumpkin and the raptors are flying

The frost was on the pumpkin (or, more accurately, on the marsh grass and shrubs) this morning and the raptors were flying. There were at least three accipters (one Cooper's Hawk, the others Sharp-shinned). The big show was a Merlin playing footsie with a bunch of crows in and around the trees at the edge of the marsh. As often as the crows tried to chase the lil' ol' Merlin, Falco columbarius would always turn the tables and go charging fearlessly after the much bigger crows.

Eventually, seemingly tiring of this game, friend Merlin whipped out over Weesuck Creek where, by some magic, it turned into an eagle! Good trick, no? This was an immature eagle which now pulled all the attention of the crows as it soared up and down the creek. I did my best to turn it into a Golden Eagle (such things are not beyond the realm of possibility) but the white markings on the brown were much too splotchy and I had to 'settle' for a young Bald Eagle. This has been the best season for Bald Eagles that I can recall with adults (always exciting) and young birds (reassuring for the future of the species).

Other activity on the creek: a single Royal Tern, at least three Greater Yellowlegs, a Great Blue Heron or two, a noisy Belted Kingfisher. On the land side, there were several Field Sparrows mixed in with the more usual Song, Swamp and White-throated. Yellow-rumps everywhere. In spite of the cold, there are several wildflowers still blooming including Evening Primrose and some white asters.

Eric Salzman

Robins, Robins, Robins

There was a major flight of Robins last night and the birds were everywhere this morning. Otherwise the birds of this morning seemed to be the same as the birds of yesterday morning -- or was it the day-before-yesterday-morning? Yellow-rumped Warblers everywhere with three or four species of sparrows, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings (mostly this year's crop of immatures), a lost Catbird or two, a single Flicker (no other woodpeckers), a few American Goldfinches, the usual squawking Great Blue Heron (disturbed from his canopy perch by my intrusion), Belted Kingfisher and...well, you get the idea.

Eric Salzman

a warbler scrum and then some

Yesterday's bird numbers were down a bit but back up today with Yellow-rumped Warblers and several species of sparrows all over the place. There were a few new appearances for the season as well: a flock of half a dozen Wood Ducks on the open water in the marsh and a single immature Greater Scaup in the creek near the boat yard; also a Greater Yellowlegs calling loudly from the opposite side of the creek and some small flocks of Double-crested Cormorants on the move. On the land-bird side, there was a moderately late Gray Catbird eating chinaberries alongside an overdue Dark-eyed Junco (first one I've seen around here this season). A fledgling Cardinal couldn't have been more than a couple of days out of the nest; that should make the fourth brood of the season! That was all from yesterday morning. This morning featured a first-of-the-season Hermit Thrush at the head of the marsh along with a super-scrum of warblers. One lingering Eastern Phoebe. Except for a couple of Flickers eating juniper (i.e. Red Cedar) berries with the warblers, the woodpeckers all seemed to have vanished along with the creepers and kinglets.

Eric Salzman

a flock of woodpecker?

Have you ever seen a woodpecker flock?

There were at least five (maybe six) woodpeckers all working the same grove of dead and dying trees this morning: two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, two Downies and one or two Hairy Woodpeckers. They were definitely aware of each other, sometimes even chasing each other around as if to assert their claims on the best infected woodpecker wood. Somewhere back in the woods, a Flicker was calling but neither Flickers nor Red-bellied Woodpeckers seem to have any inclination to join in with the others.

There was probably no diminution from the past two days in the number of birds around on this warm Indian Summer morning but instead of being spread out all along the ecotone between the woods and the marsh, they had mostly melted back into the shrubs and woods. I had two Brown Creeper sightings -- two birds or one mobile bird in two different places -- plus Yellow-rumped Warblers everywhere and a good scattering of both kinglets, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned (at least one showing its ruby crown). A small vireo with a distinctly dark cap and wide, white eyestripe (but no dark eyeline) was a Warbling (not a Red-eyed) Vireo, a first of the season.

I complained yesterday about our lack of a good open area for sparrows but there was a franzy of sparrows at the far edge of our far right-of-way -- an open grassy strip of driveway bordered by a dense area of shrubs and forbs. The sparrows were working the edge of this and even dropping down into the open area affording some good looks. And, sure enough, there were some immature White-crowned Sparrows along with White-throated, Swamp, Song, Chipping and Field. Curiously enough, I went back to this spot perhaps 20" or half an hour later and it was completely dead!

Eric Salzman

the berries of October

Another brilliant sunny blue-sky morning with birds all over the place. Like yesterday, the dominant species was Yellow-rumped Warbler with dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- flitting hither and yon along the edges. They were accompanied by some numbers of kinglets, both Golden- and Ruby-crowned. Lower down, in the marsh vegetation itself, there were a few Common Yellow-throats and lots of Swamp and Song Sparrows. White-throated Sparrows, many whistling their familiar tune, were further back in the dense hurricane damaged debris. A surprise was a small group of immature Cedar Waxwings high in the standing dead wood around the hurricane debris. What were they finding to eat up there? Poison Ivy berries most likely. There are a lot of berries around right now; besides Poison Ivy, there are Pokeweed berries and juniper berries on the Red Cedars, the latter a favorite of the Yellow-rumps.

Eric Salzman

a clear blue October morn

A beautiful birdy autumn morning with brilliant sunshine in a clear blue sky and just enough wind to make it feel like fall. The bird list starts with two Black Ducks in the pond and continues with a swarm of Yellow-rumped Warblers all along the front edge -- shrubs and woods -- facing the marsh. Sparrows everywhere; I was able to identify Song (most of them migrants, I'm sure), Swamp (many), White-throated (some singing), Chipping (winter plumage) and Field (these last two, Firsts of the Season). There were other sparrow possibilities but we don't have any open sparrow habitat so these birds have to be pished from under cover and I don't always get a good look at them. All of the five woodpeckers were in action including Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Both kinglets: Ruby-crowned in the shrubs at the edge, Golden-crowned back in the tree canopy. There were a few Eastern Phoebes and I could hear (but didn't see) nuthatches (probably White-breasted).

On and around the water, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorants and Belted Kingfisher continue. Osprey appear to be gone but there are still a few Royal Terns around.

Our local mammals, squirrels, White-tailed Deer and Raccoon, were out and about along with a few early-rising Sunday Homo Sapiens..

Jean Held suggests the confusion about who produces the rasping sounds -- raptors or jays -- is due to the fact that jays like to imitate hawk calls!

Eric Salzman

at last a Sapsucker!

It did get colder last night and, as I hoped, the change did bring in some new migrants. The long-awaited Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (everyone's favorite bird name if not actual favorite bird) appeared on one of our many dead pines, completing the local roster of five woodpeckers. A handsome specimen he is too! Another FOS (First of Season) was a Winter Wren hopping around in and among the fallen wood near the head of the marsh. There were Yellow-rumped Warblers, quite a few Eastern Phoebes, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows. Tufted Titmice reappeared after not being seen for a few days (where did they go in the meanwhile?). And, most obviously of all (although I can't call them migrants), the Gray Squirrels are in a frenzy to store up nuts for the winter (there are almost no acorns at all but hickory nuts are abundant).

Eric Salzman

follow the squawks

As I walked down to the water this morning, a series of squawks from the other side of the woods suggested that there was a raptor in the neighborhood. The tide was up again and the trails were flooded but I sloshed on through (I had my boots on) and was able to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk playing footsie with a small troupe of Blue Jays. The Jays would dive at the hawk until the hawk turned the tables and started to chase the chase the jays around. The Hawk is no bigger than a Blue Jay so the adversaries looked rather evenly matched. Eventually the Sharp-shin just took off -- to try his luck at finding some jay-free pastures, I suppose. My question is: who makes that horrible squawking sound? The hawk or one of the jays? I've heard it before, always in a hawk-jay contest.

It was a beautiful warm, sky-blue day with rather strong winds shifting to the east/northeast. My guess is that it will get colder tonight.

As in the past day or two, there have been very few land birds around -- as if the local birds all left for the south and the expected northern visitors never arrived (or passed on through). All four woodpeckers -- Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied and N. Flicker -- were still present along with a few Yellow-rumped Warblers,  Black-capped Chicadees and the usual Red-winged Blackbirds and American Crows. On the water: Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, cormorants, a few gulls. We need a little bad weather to bring in some new birds!

Eric Salzman

back in action

After being out of action for a few days, I spent an abbreviated morning walking around the place. Because of the very high tide, many of the marshside trails were under water but some creek watching paid off when a small flock of Royal Terns was followed by two raptors streaking across the creek: a dark narrow-winged falcon (a Merlin for sure) and a small broadwinged accipiter (Sharp-shinned Hawk). Only a few land birds including Red-eyed Vireo and White-breasted Nuthatch.

Eric Salzman

eagle alert

A call this morning from Eileen Schwinn sent us racing down to the water to find the soaring Bald Eagle that she had spotted from the other side of the creek. It was an immature bird but unmistakably an eagle as it soared over the creek, eventually settling in a dense, leafy tree almost directly opposite. Shortly thereafter, Eileen appeared at our doorstep and we took out the spotting scope to try and find the perched bird -- this time with no luck.

With the weather turned to fall, I searched the place for a sapsucker, also without any luck (Eileen tells me she had one on the other side of the creek). A large flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers was still patrolling the front line between the marsh and the woods and there were a few Swamp Sparrows to be seen. Ospreys are on the move and the occasional accipiter -- mostly Sharp-shinned Hawks. Three or four species of asters -- some blue, some white -- are everywhere. 

Eric Salzman

a migratory morning and where to find Monarchs

When I got down to the pond shortly after sunrise and two Eastern Phoebes and a small group of Yellow-rumps came zipping by, I knew I was in for a good birding morning. The extension of trees and shrubs that juts out into the marsh and the edge running from the pond all the way back to the head of the marsh catches many migrants when the weather turns -- as it did last night. Unlike the last one, this influx contained few Common Yellowthroats and only a handful of kinglets of both flavors. However there were Swamp and White-throated as well as Song Sparrows, many Downy Woodpeckers (suggesting that they are also on the move), Red-eyed Vireos and one FOS in the form of a Brown Creeper (first seen by Lorna from the 2nd floor bathroom window!). As earlier, there were numbers of American Goldfinch and Black-capped Chickadees (no Titmice though); I'm never sure if these were locals or migrants. A Great Blue Heron flies out from its nightly perch back in the woods and there are still a few American Egrets in view. A loud, spooky, squeeze-doll call alerted me to the possibility of a raptor and, sure enough, a Sharp-shinned Hawk appeared being chased by a couple of American Crows.

John Turner says that he has has heard that the drought of Monarch butterflies in the northeast is due to the drought in the American southwest where the returning Mexican birds normally pause to lay their eggs on local milkweed thus creating another generation which continues the movement north. No milkweed, no Monarchs. An ironic footnote to all this is that on our trip to Ecuador, we saw Monarchs in the Intag highlands of the Andes at El Refugio -- the property owned by our friend Peter Joost. Guess what they were feeding on? Some nice healthy milkweed!

Eric Salzman

a few birds, some Box Turtles and missing Monarchs

A few leftovers from last week's migratory influx are still around including a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows. Also small flocks of American Goldfinches, probably feeding on the Iva seeds (no Pine Siskins this year). The woodpecker influx of a few weeks ago also seems to have died down. I saw one Red-bellied Woodpecker with a large nut in his beak apparently looking for a knothole to stash it (something his Western cousin, the Acorn Woodpecker, would do).

Box Turtles have been out in the warm, damp weather feeding on the new crop of mushrooms. At least three different turtles with clearly marked orange-and-black, dusky orange-and-black and yellow-and-black markings.

I received several cries of anguish about the failure of the Monarch migration on Eastern LI this year. I wonder if this paucity of Monarchs is widespread in the northeast and, if so, what its cause might be.

Eric Salzman

a hummer in Sag Harbor

Thursday morning was full of birds. Friday still active. This morning they were, except for Phoebe or two and a few Yellowthroats, all gone. Guess they were just pass-throughs on their way south.

Mike Bottini writes to ask about Monarch migration in these parts. Of course, I missed a couple of weeks in September but this was, I would say, as poor a Monarch migration as I have ever witnessed. Apparently it was the same elsewhere on the East Coast. Wha' happened?

On a more positive note, Ellen Stahl reports that, for the second year in a row, she is again host to a Rufous (or, at any rate, Selasaphorus) Hummingbird at lest since late August. The odds of another of these Western hummers finding their way to Sag Harbor are small enough but two years in a row cannot be a crap shoot! The likelihood is that this is the same bird who, after last year's excellent reception, simply decided to return. Remarkable as it may seem, such feats of navigation are well within the powers of the hummingbirds tiny brain!

Eric Salzman

an Indian Summer day

A few birds from yesterday that I forgot to mention in yesterday's post: Eastern Phoebe, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, various woodpeckers. This morning -- a mild Indian summer day -- was far less birdy but featured all of the above (including a singing Phoebe!). Yellow-rumped Warblers which were everywhere yesterday were nowhere to be seen this morning. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a minor player yesterday, was a major presence today while there were only a few Golden-crowned Kinglets (by sound only). What else? Several House Wrens and White-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated and Swamp Sparrows, Royal Tern (a few), Double-crested Cormorants (a few) but a surprising lack of gulls. 

Eric Salzman

back from Ecuador

Got back from Ecuador late Tuesday evening. It was a great trip but exhausting and it literally took me all day Wednesday to recover -- at least enough to do my morning walk, run a bunch of errands and now write this post.

The Ecuador report will be along shortly. In the meanwhile, migration has progressed notably around here in the past two weeks and many of the birds of October have arrived. This morning everything was wet with dew but a surprising number of birds popped out to greet the sun, dry off and begin the endless search for food.  I can't say for sure when they arrived but I suspect that most of them came in last night. The dominant birds were Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroats, both literally by the dozen plus almost as many Swamp Sparrows. A handsome winter-plumaged Bobolink came up right in front of my nose, giving excellent looks of this sparrowy but quite distinct yellow winter plumage of this unusual bird. There were also several Golden-crowned Kinglets and at least one Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Other birds included a Palm Warbler, several American Goldfinches, a few White-throated Sparrows (detected by their 'chink' calls), several Brown Thrashers, a Great Blue Heron and the usual locals (Carolina Wren, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Crows, etc.). No terns at all although I did hear Royal Terns later in the morning.

On the floral scene, the Seaside Goldenrods are still blooming but are now well advanced. Baccharis is now in its most attractive phase -- not the flowering which is dull and well gone by but the white seed bundles. And various asters are in full bloom.

On the mammal front, there is a Woodchuck (Groundhog or Marmot; seen around here only once before) in the area. And the deer, missing for much of the summer, have come back. Wonder where they were.

Eric Salzman

last day before Ecuador

This morning was pretty much the same as yesterday with lots of Catbirds at the head of the marsh along with Flickers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers (both eating Tupelo berries; the black-and-white woodpeckers were busy woodpecking elsewhere), both wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroats (many) and Black-and-white Warbler. Also an empidonax flycatcher (too brief a look for any ID) and a stream of swallows high overhead (mostly Tree but also some Barns mixed in; couldn't ID anything else). Two Red-tailed Hawks -- but no Bald Eagles. One 'new' bird: a Parula Warbler high in the trees around the head of the marsh.

This blog will be quiet for the next two weeks as we'll be in Ecuador, a country we haven't visited since one of our first trips abroad way back when. Famously, when we visited Mindo -- a mountain town in the middle of the Choco cloud forest -- we stayed in a rather run-down place on the main square (it was called a Residencia not a hotel or lodge). The way you turned on the light was to hook two bare wires together! Ah, those were the days! Nowadays, Mindo is a bit of an eco-tourist center but apparently the birds are just as good. I will file a report on my return.

Eric Salzman

good timing

At a little after noon today, I happened to wander down to the pond at the precise moment that a Bald Eagle happened to come soaring overhead. This was an adult bird show his white head and tail in strong sunlight. Of course, I dashed back to the house to alert everyone but by the time we all got back down, the eagle had vanished. Two other raptors on the move were Osprey and Red-tailed Hawk.

There were dozens and dozens of Catbirds in the thickets around the head of the marsh early this morning -- yesterday's birds now augmented by new arrivals, all presumably feeding on the feast of berries that have ripened in the vicinity. Other birds participating (and perhaps also recent arrivals) were Northern Flickers, American Goldfinches and several wrens of the two local species. Among the certain migrants were Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed Vireo and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Only two warblers: Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-white.

Eric Salzman

berries for birds

Some of our local breeding birds are also migrants and their presence in numbers in the past few days suggests that many of them are drop-ins: Gray Catbirds, American Robins and Northern Flickers (the only local breeding woodpecker that is also a migrant) have gathered in a Sandy-impacted area near the head of the marsh where there are a lot of berries: Tupelo, Poison Ivy and Pokeweed. Also frequenting the area: the other three woodpeckers, both wrens and an occasional warbler.

The only other active migrants that appeared after last night's and this morning's rains were high-flying swallows -- all Tree Swallows I think -- and a rather striking empidonax. The empid was a Traill's-type flycatcher -- a juvenile Willow or Alder: small billed, short primary projection, quite yellowish underneath, tail-flipping (mostly on landing), rather grayish-olive, no trace of an eye-ring, quite a noticeable crest that flared up a couple of times. 

Eric Salzman

an accipter and a lot of flowers

The accipter that came streaking across the head of the marsh was just about the right size for a Sharp-shinned Hawk but when it landed in a bare tree I could see that it was a handsome adult with a red-streaked breast, capped look and a pale nape -- most probably a Cooper's Hawk male. The males, as with most raptors, are a good size smaller than the females so that the Cooper's Hawk male is just a bit bigger than a Sharp-shinned female.

I found a few Clematis flowers blooming from a previously unnoticed bit of vine. This is, of course, the time of year for the outbreak of that prolific four-petalled flowering vine that covers whole patches of the wayside (but this is the first time that I've found on the property). Also blooming right now throughout the open hurricane-struck woods is one of the purple/pink smartweeds. Two rather odd climbing vines are the parasitic Dodder (with orange stems and waxy white flowers) and something that I have identified as Climbing False Buckwheat (with greenish winged flowers and fruits).

The Seaside Goldenrod is coming into full bloom, creating a striking show of yellow down by the wetlands. As I have mentioned on other occasions, there is no connection between any of the goldenrods and hayfever. Ragweed, an unobtrusive greenish plant, starts pollinating at the same time that the goldenrods burst into golden visibility thereby creating this false association. Ragweed pollen is windblown and is therefore pervasive in the atmosphere at this time of year (ah-choo!). Goldenrod is insect pollinated as its attractive colors should tell us.

Eric Salzman

a raptor, a warbler and a couple of wildflowers

This morning's Murder of Crows took place in the trees facing the creek and I was able to get down there in time to see that it was really about a raptor -- to be specific, a Red-tailed Hawk that high-tailed it across the creek with the crows in hot pursuit. I still think that some of these crow brouhahas are crow society intersocial squabbles but it is possible that I am just missing the object of the vituperation.

This morning's big catch was an FOS (First of Season): a Nashville Warbler -- gray head, eye ring, yellow underneath (brightest on the throat and undertail). A few other warblers around (American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat); also an American Goldfinch family (male still in breeding plumage, female and two youngsters). A male Belted Kingfisher has been a regular visitor to the pond along with a couple of young Green Herons and at least one Great Blue Heron.

Speaking of yellow, the Seaside Goldenrod is just beginning to bloom. Another noteworthy wildflower is the plant that I have been calling Pearly Everlasting with teardrop-shaped white flowers made up of petal-like bracts with a touch of yellow at the tip. I now think this imay not be the Pearly Everlasting but a similar plant called Sweet Everlasting or Catfoot. Both are composites but they are in different genera although you would not suspect it from appearances.

Eric Salzman

on top of the Harbor Hills Moraine

The Harbor Hills Moraine constitutes the North Shore of LI extending from Western LI all the way out on the North Fork; it's one of the two glacial moraines that forms the backbones of Long Island and it resurfaces on the coast of Rhode Island and on Cape Cod and adjacent islands. The Long Island hills formed by this moraine are a rich habitat but not one with which I have very much familiarity although I have visited a few areas including the North Fork Preserve in Northville. Yesterday I was at a nearby place that was situated on one of the highest points of the moraine and, although surrounded with dense vegetation, afforded some glimpses of LI Sound and even the Connecticut shore. Even with yesterday's strong winds, I was hoping to be able to observe some migration from this vantage point and indeed there was a continuous stream of fast-moving flocks shooting across -- two to four dozen birds at a time! The trouble was that, as far as I could observe, they were all made up of blackbirds  -- Red-wings, Common Grackles and Starlings -- and they were all moving in the wrong direction: east or east/northeast, every single one! The only birds that seemed to be doing it right were a few Am Robins and two Turkey Vultures. The latter were moving west/southwest, gliding moderately high over the hills but in a very odd fashion; they were facing north into the wind and were therefore soaring -- quite successfully I may add -- sideways!

There were some other notable migrants however: two or three Monarch Butterflies. Monarchs have been very scarce on the South Shore this year nor has there been any big influx of migrating butterflies of any species this year. However, in the past week or so, there have been quite a few local species flying including several of the swallowtails (Tiger, Spicebush, Black), American Copper, a few Nymphs and Satyrs (Common Wood-Nymph and Litte Wood-Satyr) and some unidentified Hairstreaks and several different (equally unidentified) Skippers. Ditto with the dragonflies -- no big influx of migrants but some numbers of apparently local species, most of which I have yet to identify.

Eric Salzman

Waterthrushes, dead & alive

I found a dead Northern Waterthrush on the one of the trails yesterday morning -- quite a ways back from the water. It showed no sign of what killed it but, although it was a fresh specimen and in quite good shape, the eyes were gone and you could see right through the eyehole. This species is actually called the New York waterthrush (Parkesia or Seiurus noveboracensis) although the more common breeding waterthrush in New York is actually the Louisiana. Northern is a very common migrant and appears here on Eastern Long Island as early as mid-July (finding Louisiana, a bird that prefers rushing streams, is a much tougher exercise; I've never seen it on the property and only rarely in our area).

The regular warblers have been present yesterday and today (Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler) and two Yellows, an adult and a young one, were working along the marsh edge early in the morning. Eastern Phoebe and all the woodpeckers have been prominent. Cardinals and Carolina Wrens, both especially numerous and very contentious, appear to be eating Pokeweed berries. The Catbirds prefer the berries of the Tupelo trees -- where available (not all the hard-hit Tupelos fruited this year).

A correction from a recent post: The Latin name for the Parasol Mushroom is Lepiota procera and not Lepiota rhacodes. As a couple of correspondents have pointed out, L. radoces is the so-called Shaggy Parasol which is classified as a separate species.

On the question of whether birds can be fooled, Jean Held suggests that the chickadees that I thought were pursuing a non-existant owl might have been stirred into action by a snake. She also suggests that these exercises might be teaching assignments for young chickadees to learn about the dangers of predators! Carl Safina also suggested that some of the chickadee or crow rackets might have been stimulated by Blue Jays imitating hawks calls (which Blue Jays are known to do). However at least one of the screaming Red-tails was actually seen; it was a big buteo hawk and not a pretend Blue Jay.

Eric Salzman

Hairy Woodpeckers galore

I can go outside any time of the day and walk to any place on the property and I will hear Hairy Woodpeckers working away on the traces of Sandy. I could guess that there are at least 5 or 6 different birds working in different areas but it is difficult to be sure. They much prefer the pines, dead or alive; the clues to their presence are  a steady tap-tap-tap with punctuation in the form of sharp single-note calls and lots of flying bark. They are often accompanied by Downy Woodpeckers who provide nothing quite so dramatic and often take the thinner branches or even hanging vines as their objective. Downies are the regular local black-and-white carpenter bird; the arrival of the Hairies this summer -- due no doubt to the large amount of woodpecker wood created by recent hurricanes -- has been the new feature.

Regular nightly visits from the Screech Owl but few daytime migrants of any sort. I get the impression that the change in weather moved more birds out than in (one lone Red-eyed Vireo was an exception).

With regard to the question of whether birds can be fooled into thinking there are raptors around when there are none, I've had several reactions. Jean Held suggests that the angry Chickadees might have been upset about a difficult-to-find snake rather than an easier-to-locate perched Screech Owl. She also suggests that the birds might indulge in such exercises as a way of training a new generation about how to deal with danger! Carl Safina suggests that someone (me? the crows?) might be fooled by Blue Jays imitating the call of a Red-tailed Hawk or some other raptor. On the other hand, there are certainly raptors already on the move; I've already seen Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, at least one falcon (probably a Merlin) and Osprey on the move. All potential targets for angry crows and jays.

Eric Salzman

a migrant mushroom and an FOS bird

I thought that Tuesday's thunderstorms followed by yesterday's change of weather would bring in migrants but the only immediately noticeable effect was the appearance -- in a major fruiting -- of a mysterious mushroom that sprouted up in dense clusters on a dirt pile just inside the woods and only a short distance from the house. Co-credit for this mushroom has to go to Sandy as this dirt pile was in fact part of the debris deposited on our front meadow during last fall's storm and cleared off into half-hidden dirt piles! The mushroom, with its buttony cap, white spores and ring, had a familiar look but I couldn't place it. It first showed up a week ago or so -- also after thunderstorms -- at the same time as the Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) appeared. After deciding that it wasn't a Honey Mushroom or even a close relative, I tossed it out. Yesterday morning it reappeared in even more dense clusters and this time I decided to try and track it down. The reddish brown cap with scales (staining my hands), a touch of yellow turning reddish on the gills or where it was bruised, the club-shaped slightly woody stem were all clues as was the dirt-pile habitat. One of the most popular edible mushrooms is the Parasol or Lepiota rhacodes but we always complain that we find just one Lepiota at a time. Well, this mushroom turned out to be Lepiota americana, a relative of the Parasol but in clumps of hundreds! Although these mushrooms appeared to be dirty, the dirt (which discolored my fingers) turned out to be mostly the brownish-red scales and they were not that difficult to clean. I grilled a few of the larger caps and we tasted them cautiously just to make sure there was no mistake. It turns out that this is one of our best edibles. Thank you, Sandy!

I didn't find any migrants yesterday but I actually didn't have much time to look. This morning's walk was more leisurely and featured a few migrants, most notably a flock of 14 or 15 birds that flew in over the marsh announcing themselves with their characteristic flight call: pink-pink-pink, pink-pink-pink. Then, to make sure there was no mistake, they perched and posed prettily on the Phragmites. BOBOLINKS! These were all in the non-breeding plumage: stripy on the back, very yellowish on the breast, reddish bill, black cap, blank face -- said to be sparrowy but big and yellow and more like a European bunting than one of our sparrows.

Raptors are also on the move. This morning's hawk was a Sharp-shinned which was first chased by a Crow and then turned around and took after the Crow -- affording a useful size comparison. Lots of Gray Catbirds and Common Yellowthroats suggesting that these birds are also on the move. All four woodpeckers again along with White-breasted Nuthatch (an honorary woodpecker), another legacy of Sandy.

Eric Salzman

do birds get fooled?

Are birds sometimes fooled into thinking that a dangerous raptor is in the neighborhood when there are none around? A couple of days ago, a bunch of Chickadees in a very agitated buzzing flocking mode -- more like a cloud of angry bees than a mild-mannered flock of birds -- gathered around the old apple tree just out our back door. In addition to its own rather thick foliage, this tree is covered with ivy making for some dense cover and I was certain that a Screech Owl was hiding in there. But try as I might, I could not find any hidden raptor. Even as I searched from every angle, the birds kept up their angry attack. On what? On a gnarled bit of trunk that might have looked like an owl to a misguided chickadee?

Yesterday, the crows were in a similar but much louder state of annoyance and anger -- a regular murder of crows attacking some visiting raptor, no doubt. Except that I could not for the life of me find the object of their ire and, as I approached the wrathful gathering, they simply flew away. Do crows carry on like this among themselves?

This morning, before the thunderstorms hit, the entire landscape was covered by a fog so thick that the opposite side of the creek was invisible and the trees at the far end of the marsh were mere ghostly outlines. Birds were not easy to identify in this light but I was able to pick out an American Redstart by its yellow tail flashes; also Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler, House Wren and few others. A smallish flycatcher was more difficult; it seemed a bit bigger than an empid and it didn't wag its tail so I would guess that it was an Eastern Wood-pewee.

One other bird, unseen at first in the fog, was self-identified when it screamed its signature scream -- not once but twice. Perhaps this Red-tailed Hawk was the object of yesterday's crow attacks.

Eric Salzman

Red-eyed Vireos, a falcon and piscivorous birds

A few new birds came in this morning -- notably Red-eyed Vireos (first of season around here, I believe) and a few more American Redstarts (all females and 1st year males). Also around: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy (as well as Downy and Red-bellied) Woodpeckers, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warblers. Looked for the Olive-sided Flycatcher but didn't find  it. There are ten species of flycatchers in northeastern North America that show up here regularly as breeders or migrants (plus two or three others that are vagrants from afar); we've had seven or eight of them so far this year.

A smallish falcon was zipping around Pine Neck hugging the tree tops and roiling up the Crows. From its flight pattern and silhouette and the habitat, I would say that it was a Merlin rather than a Kestrel (Merlins like woodlands more than Kestrels and I often see them at this time of year).

Royal Terns remain active on the creek along with a few Common Terns, Belted Kingfisher, several Osprey and Double-crested Cormorants. And my daughters and granddaughter have been catching snappers (baby Bluefish) at the Town Dock. So, in spite of all the problems with Shinnecock Bay (absence of Shiners, for instance), there are some fish around.

Eric Salzman

The Boreal Pewee

Both yesterday and today I saw a medium-large rather dishevelled flycatcher with a big dark head, few field marks (the barest traces of wing bars), a good-sized beak and a rather short tail (occasionally pumped). Yesterday's bird was hunting close to the ground at the edge of the woods; today's bird was moving from tree-top perch to tree-top perch. Even though it is not supposed to hunt near the ground or, for that matter, wag its tail, I think both birds were Olive-sided Flycatchers, a species that is not so easy to ID in the fall when it is silent. The 'boreal pewee' (a good alternate name for this bird), breeds to the north and comes by twice a year in migration. I only have a few records but I'm sure it's overlooked.

There was a very large collection of birds near the head of the swamp in an area that was badly hit by Sandy. Someone has been cutting into this area from a neighboring property making it more accessible than previously and a major selection of our local birds were either feeding or roosting in the dense thickets that have sprung up in the wake of the hurricane destruction. Among them were all the warblers of recent sightings: Yellow, Yellowthroat, Black-and-White, American Redstart and Northern Waterthrush.

I found a burst of Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) this morning on one of the trails. Also a few Meadow Mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) as well a few Chanterelles. The Chanterelles are the last of the summer fungi; the others represent a late summer, early fall crop. They'll all go into the dinner pot.

This has not been a particularly good summer for mushrooms, probably due to a relative lack of rain (in spite of the regular passing thunderstorms and many overcast days). However some of the wild flowers have done well. Earlier this year, I noticed a large number of Evening Primrose plants coming up and, when we cut the grass, made sure to avoid cutting them down. These stalks grew up to five and six feet in height before most of them toppled over in a rainstorm; they were top heavy with flower buds but even as the stalks hit the ground, they continued to flower. The result is an amazing burst of these buttery yellow flowers (see picture).

I am currently wrestling with the ID of a pretty blue flowering plant with a cluster of blue stamens jutting out from each flower head. It might be Hyssop otherwise known as Hyssopus officianalis. It's odd that I never noticed it before. Other curious flowering plants are probably garden escapes. A large lily-like yellow flower in an area off one of our right-of-ways (where locals dump garden refuse) is probably a curcubit of some kind (a squash, pumpkin or cucumber type). A ragged composite with large somewhat-sunflower-like flowers and huge pie-shaped leaves is blooming near the blue flower in an area that might once have been gardened; there's nothing like it in the wildflower books.

Eric Salzman

puzzlers

Warm, sunny, humid, dewy, cloudless, windless morning that was spectacularly quiet. The Swallows, Purple Martins and Red-winged Blackbirds that livened up the summer marsh are gone with only Crows and Song Sparrows holding the fort. The few birds seen were puzzlers. A medium-sized accipter was either a female Sharp-shinned or a male Cooper's. An Empidonax flycatcher working the storm-damaged canopy near the head of the marsh was remarkably high in the trees for an empid (perhaps there were more insects to catch up there as the sun hit the treetops). This was a well-marked bird with wing-bars, a twitching tail and a lozenge or tear-shaped eye-ring. If we rule out the possibility of a stray Western-type, this would have to have been either a Least or a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher which, at a distance, can look quite similar (the yellow belly being often hard to see and not particularly yellow on some birds). Finally, there was a big sparrowy bird in the dense shrubbery at the bend of the old right-of-way, a bird that showed something of a crest, a streaked breast and pinkish legs. This was a real show stopper; my best guess would be a young Eastern Towhee.

I got a surprising number of responses to my Beach Plum blog including several recipes -- all variations on a theme. Gigi Spates actually found a Cherry Bounce recipe in Martha Washington's diary that used 'cognac' (whatever that was) instead of rum or vodka and added cinnamon and nutmeg (not my choice). Another recipe (sent in by two different readers!) called for vodka and rock candy (instead of rum and sugar) with Beach Plums in a quart jar but was essentially the same concoction. All the recipes call for shaking things up regularly (this being the source of another folk etymology for the name 'bounce') with the resulting liquor deemed ready at Thanksgiving or (our preference) Christmas. We filled up a gallon jug with Beach Plums, dark rum and some sugar so we should have a very merry Christmas indeed!

Eric Salzman

Bobwhites, Blue-grays and Beach Plum Bounce

Peter Quenell writes me that he saw an adult Northern Bobwhite at the entrance to the Quogue boardwalk reserve. Eileen Schwinn and myself heard a Bobwhite calling persistently in the Tiana Beach area earlier this summer. The possibility that this once-common species may survive on the barrier beach is cheering indeed.

There were at least half a dozen Blue-gray Gnatcatchers working the shrubs and bushes at the edge of the marsh this morning but there were few other migrants. A Belted Kingfisher on the creek and a male Baltimore Oriole -- still in breeding plumage -- were other notable appearances. At this time of year, it is impossible to tell if these birds are locals or migrants.

I spent most of the morning picking Beach Plums for jam, pies and (our specialty) Beach Plum Bounce. There was a fairly good fruiting this year but the plums have ripened a full two weeks early. A sign of climate change or just within the normal range of variability for the species?

But what is Beach Plum Bounce? It is a fruit liquor, originally made with cherries and therefore known as Cherry Bounce; under this name, it goes back to 18th century New England at least and was perhaps known on Eastern Long Island as well (we originally got the recipe from a local). We have made it with Black Cherries and with Blackberries but it works very well with Beach Plums. We thought this was our invention but I have subsequently run across others who have used Beach Plums in similar fashion. The real mystery is the origins of the word 'bounce' as the name of a fruit liguor. It was a common expression two or three centuries ago but has barely survived. This usage does not appear in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and I have never been able to track down an authoritative etymology. The only explanation that I have ever heard is that if you drink too much of it, it makes you bounce up and down; this is an example of etymology at its worst. My personal theory is that it derives from the French pronunciation (via Quebec into New England) of 'punch', an old word for a fruit liquor commonly used in French as well as old English.

Eric Salzman

Cuckoo sat on the old gum tree

Cuckoo sat on the old gum tree!

A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO came flying in from somewhere and landed on a branch of one of the Tupelo trees (a.k.a. Pepperidge, a.k.a. Black Gum) at the head of the marsh. Cuckoos have not been common around here since the days of the Gypsy Moth infestations (cuckoos are among the few birds that eat the caterpillars). The bird, after posing for a bit, eventually flew but just moved down a notch onto an open low branch right in front of me; I could see the curved bill with its yellow lower mandible, dark eye with yellow orbital ring, trace of a white eyebrow, snow white breast, brown back, rufous wings and white tips on the edges of the tail. Best view I ever had of this charismatic species.

I did not see the Hooded Warbler again but all the other warblers of the past two days were present and in some numbers: Northern Waterthrushes all along the marsh edge, Yellow and Yellowthroats scattered around, a pair of Prairie Warblers and Black-and-White Warblers all around. Oh yes, a single American Redstart. Many Catbirds, some of them almost surely migrants. Ditto American Robins. All four woodpeckers again plus White-breasted Nuthatch and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Eric Salzman

a warbler wave

The first real warbler wave of the year passed through East Quogue this morning with a bright breeding-plumaged male HOODED WARBLER as the star attraction and six other species not far behind: Yellow, Common Yellowthroat (many), Prairie Warblers (at least a couple), Black-and-white (many), Northern Waterthrush and American Redstart (at least several). There may well have been other warblers as well but many of the birds flitting high in the canopy were difficult to pin down. I have had just a handful of Hooded Warbler records over the years; the last one was on September 8 last year.

The warblers were accompanied by Eastern Phoebes (several), at least one Eastern Wood-pewee, surprising numbers of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers plus the ususal Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice that typically lead these feeding flocks.

Eric Salzman

late summer/early fall

Our late summer collection of birds includes the woodpecker quadrifecta -- Hairy, Downy, Flicker and Red-bellied; the Hairy and the Downy travel together as if they were a pair (but when they are side-by-side, the size difference stands out). In the warbler category, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, Yellow and Common Yellow-throat all showed nicely; missed the Black-and-white. A flock of old and young Cedar Waxwings, perhaps a family, was working its way through the trees at the edge of the marsh and then took over over the creek. Like the American Goldfinches (also seen and heard) these are late nesters. Belted Kingfisher on the creek and Chimney Swift overhead; in the swallow category were Barn and Tree plus Purple Martin. A good-sized accipiter zipping through the trees was probably a Cooper's Hawk; with the exception of the Osprey, this is now the most common raptor in the vicinity. We're now also getting regular nocturnal visits from a Screech Owl which pauses outside our bedroom window and makes sure to alert us to its presence with its ghostly whinnies.

Some of the early fall flowers are beginning to appear: (Perennial?) Salt-marsh Aster, Sea Lavender and Bouncing Bet. And the Evening Primrose in our yard are finally beginning to put on a show.

Eric Salzman

five-warbler morning

Five warblers this morning: Yellow, Yellowthroat, Black-and-white, Northern Waterthrush and American Redstart -- the last-named, the first one I've seen this season (there were actually at least two birds). Also an active empid flycatcher that I could not pin down as to species before it disappeared.

At the same time as our SOFO group was working west from Shinnecock Inlet yesterday, Eileen Schwinn had an ELIAS (Eastern LI Audubon Society) group at Cupsogue (Moriches Inlet). They not only located two Marbled Godwits but also found an unlikely Upland Sandpiper -- 'unlikely' since this odd shorebird usually lives up to its name and hangs out in upland grasslands rather than down at the shore.

The Long Island Native Plant Initiative is holding a Native Plant Symposium at Brookhaven Lab on September 27th and 28th. The notion of gardening with native plants instead of exotic cultivars is an idea whose time has come. The problem has always been getting a hold of native plant stock ("ecotypic native plants") which are, by definition, adapted to local conditions. This, along with other issues of diversity, ecological importance and propagation will be addressed at this symposium. 
More information at or .

Eric Salzman

SOFO on Dune Road

This morning's SOFO walk on Dune Road started at Shinnecock Inlet where there was a handsome male Surf Scoter -- "Skunk Coot" in the old bayman's lingo (because of the black-and-white plumage) -- sitting in the ocean just inside the near jetty. It was, as it turned out, the best bird of the trip.

The rest of the morning was spent moving west on Dune Road with stops at Road L, the old Ponquogue Bridge road (under the new bridge), Road K, Tiana Beach and the Quogue Boardwalk Refuge, all on the bay side. There was a fair movement of swallows dominated by Barn Swallows but also including numbers of Tree Swallows and a few Banks; there will be tens of thousands more a-comin' in the next few weeks. On the shorebird scene, the Short-billed Dowitcher movement finally petered out but there were increasing numbers of Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, one or two Piping Plovers, Sanderlings, small numbers of Willets and American Oystercatchers, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and many Ruddy Turnstones. Least Terns, old and young, were at Tiana Beach along with the Common Terns, old and young, and there was a fly-by of Royal Terns (but none perched on the sand). Great Blue Herons are increasing in numbers and joining the Great and Snowy Egrets; there was just a single Glossy Ibis in a mud flat south of the road. In addition to the swallows, other passerines included a flock of Boat-tailed Grackles of different ages and sizes at Ponquogue and a few land birds at the Quogue Boardwalk (Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee and House Wren).

Eric Salzman

sunny with warblers

A short visit to the grasslands at EPCAL (ex-Grumman) yesterday morning (not too early) produced only a few grassland birds: Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper and Field Sparrows, Eastern Kingbird. Lots of unidentified dragonflies. The area turned out to be quite easily accessible and I'm only sorry I didn't get to visit earlier in the day and earlier in the season.

Following the rains: mild sunny weather with warblers -- Prairie, Black-and-white, Yellow Common Yellowthrat, Northern Waterthrush -- plus a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Greater Yellowlegs and what looked like Black Duck (a pair) on the neck of the pond. Great Crested Flycatchers working the Sandy-blasted bushes behind the bank and a male Baltimore Oriole in full breeding plumage in the tree canopy in front of the house.. Flocks of chickadees and titmice accompanied by White-breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpeckers. Young Cedar Waxwings suggest that this enigmatic species -- not much seen this summer -- may have in fact bred in the area. A large movement of Am Robins yesterday morning was the first robin flock that I've seen this season. Although they were moving north, the flocking up of robins is one of the better signs that fall migration is really here.

Eric Salzman

yellow flowers and a black-and-yellow turtle

We have a mini-grove of Evening Primrose with a couple of dozen plants coming up. Instead of cutting them back with the grass, I let them grow, expecting a bonanza in the form of primrose flower garden but these plants sprouted up to five and six feet in height without producing a single flower -- at least until last night when two or three flowers appeared. Now, hopefully, they are starting to bloom.

Also starting to bloom are the local goldenrod -- Rough-stemmped Goldenrod or Solidago rugosa. The Pokeweed at the trailhead for the Sam and Frances Salzman Preserve (the far half of our property) has now formed a huge thicket of flowering and purple-berried plants, some of the well over six feet tall. It's quite an experience to push through this thicket which, along with the surrounding Pileweed, creates an exotic look to the landscape.

A giant Common Mullein, also rather odd-looking, has a bent main stalk and several new stalks coming out of the curve -- all with flowers. Yellow is the color of the season.

A young Yellowthroat (perhaps the same one as the other day) was trying to sing the Yellowthroat song and not quite getting it right. Northern Waterthrushes are still in residence and a small flycatcher was almost certainly a Willow (perhaps the same one seen the other day).

This morning's rain cut short my walk but brought out a very handsome black-and-yellow Box Turtle of considerable size. I also found another young specimen -- not quite as small as the one seen a week or so ago but just a couple of inches across.

Eric Salzman

a new bird and a few missing birds

One new bird this morning: a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher working the dead and dying oaks at the edge of the marsh. Greater Yellowlegs on the pond.

There were a few birds missing from yesterday's account of the Linnaean trip from Moriches to Shinnecock: Spotted Sandpiper, American Goldfinch and House Finch. The latter has gone from being widespread and very common to something better described as uncommon -- mostly due to an epidemic that decimated its ranks -- so it is worth mentioning.

Eric Salzman

Moriches to Shinnecock

This morning's Linnaean Society trip started at Cupsogue County Park at the west end of Dune Road and ended up at Shinnecock Inlet all the way to the east, a distance of c. 15 miles east along the barrier beach

The outstanding bird was seen near the beginning of the day on the bay shore facing the inlet between the Cupsogue marshes and the largest bay island. This was a handsome MARBLED GODWIT; a couple of shots by Eileen Schwinn of this bird are attached

Other birds of note included some fair numbers of Red Knots at both Pike's and Tiana Beach, several dozen Royal Terns at the same two locations and a few Forster's Terns including both adults and begging young at Pike's. There are still good numbers of dowitchers (Short-billed Dowitchers being the default dowitcher), Semipalmated Sandpipers (very few Least), Semipalmated Plovers (only one Black-bellied Plover), a few Piping Plover (probably local breeders), many Sanderlings and continuing numbers of Ruddy Turnstones. Common Terns are everywhere with many young but only a handful of Least Terns which seem to have crashed in our area. There were Oystercatchers here and there, many Willets (including at least one possible Western Willet), a few Black Skimmers at Tiana, one Glossy Ibis and one hummingbird (presumably Ruby-throated) flying over Cupsogue. Also, both white egrets (Great and Snowy), a single Green Heron, all four local gulls, a few Osprey and a pair of Black Terns, flying offshore near the Shinnecock Inlet jetties.

Some flying sparrows in the marshes appeared to be Saltmarsh and an odd flycatcher call sounded like a young Willow trying to get it right. Around the edges of the parking lot were three warblers (Yellow, Common Yellowthroat and Pine) and, at a dumpster (presumably replete with insects), Boat-tailed Grackles, American Robins and a pair of Brown Thrashers with an adult and a begging youngster (see the photo; the youngster is the one on the right with the dark eye). Swallows continued on the move -- mostly Barn Swallows with a Purple Martin or two and a few Tree Swallows in the mix.

Eric Salzman

. Cupsogue is Ground Zero for godwits on Eastern Long Island and has once again lived up to its reputation in this respect.

a Willlow Flycatcher and a mystery solved

An unquestionable Willow Flycatcher appeared at the head of the marsh on this overcast, drizzly morning and it perched in the open just above eye level long enough to show itself off: a peaked crown, virtually no eye-ring, white throat, dirty olive breast, shortish primary projection, striking buffy wing bars, broad, straight-sided tail. Willow is the most common breeding empidonax out here but I have only one previous record (in late August 2011) that seemed to me to be unequivocally this species; most of the birds of this type that appear here are Alder Flycatchers passing through to or from the north. This bird, with its buffy wing bars, is a bird of the year and possibly even a local product.

Also seen: Black-and-white Warbler (first of the season), Northern Waterthrush and American Goldfinch (a handsome male singing away as though it were the height of spring). The local crows detected a big raptor of some sort but they were unable to identify it as to species and everytime I tried to get a look (from the ground under the canopy) it flew off with the mob of crows (or, more correctly Murder of Crows) in hot pursuit.

And now the answer to yesterday mystery call. On my suggestion, Peter Beston submitted the recording to Xeno-canto, an excellent web site for bird songs. After a bit of discussion on its Forum page, a match was found in the form of a recording of Wild Turkey hen! It might seem counter-intuitive that a female Turkey would advertise itself so loudly and persistently but I know of at least one other example from another species. The female Clapper Rail has a distinctive and persistent call that seems to advertise its availability. Once, while birding in the Shinnecock marshes, a male Clapper Rail called from cover. A short playback of that female call brought the male right out of hiding and dashing at top speed -- right towards us!

Eric Salzman