flowers and terns

Flower Report: the fragrant little bells of the Lily of the Valley burst out in the last day or so, making a nice mini-bouquet. Other flowers that have appeared include Wistaria, Dogwood and Strawberry (only the last two being native).

The windy, overcast weather was not bird-friendly on the ground but a couple of persistently singing House Wrens did appear; although common on the North Fork, these were the first ones heard down here. Common Loons migrating overhead didn't seem to mind the weather and various water birds were active on the pond and creek.

I've had a couple of correspondents write to me about the status of the Piping Plover on the East End and I am trying to dig out the information on these threatened birds -- as much a symbol of the East End as the Osprey! Irene and Sandy moved a lot of beaches around, making some old plover habitat unusable but creating some new sandy beaches for them; on the whole, this would appear to have been a gain for these birds. On the other hand, 2014 has been a late year for the plovers (and for many other migrants). In the face of late and erratic winter weather, they returned late and some early nests may have been lost. In any case, many pairs are still in the process of nesting. In recent history, some of the plover chicks would have already been out by this time but apparently many are still in the egg stage and there may be some late nesting yet to come. The full accounting for 2014 is yet to come.

Eric Salzman