Sumer Is Icumen In

Summer has slipped in almost unnoticed. Underneath the Rambler Roses there is a single Periwinkle blossom -- a reminder of another spring gone by. The Fish Crows have at least one offspring -- a smaller short-tailed bird that makes baby crow noises that are clearly different from the endless squawking of the young American Crows around. A trio that has been scarce this spring have reappeared as summer birds: a pair of American Goldfinches, a male Belted Kingfisher and a White-breasted Nuthatch

The two singing Common Yellowthroats started out on opposite sides -- one working the edge of the marsh and the other in the screen of trees on the north (or is it northeast?) side of the property. They have both been gradually working their way toward the pond and this morning they finally met in a big face-off with a series of back-and-forth chases to establish the boundaries between their territories.

Black-crowned Night Herons let us know that they are local since when they fly, they distinctly say "Quogue"!

Eric Salzman