the continuing saga of early spring in East Quogue

The first Baltimore Oriole of the year showed up this morning given away by his distinctive ringing tree-top call. Only the Scarlet Tanager outranks the Oriole as a local glamour bird!

Purple Martins are back at their colony at the foot of Bay Avenue (and just off the edge of our marsh). They don't seem to be flying very much but prefer to stake out whose gourd belongs to whom and perhaps other domestic affairs.

A couple of years ago the Nature Conservancy put up a second Osprey nesting platform at the edge of Pine Neck on the opposite side of Weesuck Creek. It has not been occupied but a new nest has now been built on it by what I believe is a pair of young Osprey (an older Osprey pair has possession of the old platform further back in the marsh). The new nest is a welcome sight from this side of the creek as it is much easier for us to observe than the old one.

A surprise this morning was a Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a Pitch Pine between the house and the pond. He (?) was as surprised as I was and took off with a few of his blood-curdling Red-tail shrieks, familiar to everyone from sound tracks because it is invariably used by filmmakers in jungle scenes and often represents the call of the eagle or condor (the real calls of these big birds not being blood-curdling enough).

A pair of Catbirds has been active in the old apple tree right outside our back door with the male singing a soft, sweet love song to his partner. The tree, which is about to burst out in bloom, also has a dense growth of ivy (fortunately not Poison Ivy) which should help make it a perfect catbird seat for a hidden nest.

Later in the day, I spent a considerable time chasing after a warbler-type song which turned out not to be a warbler at all but the short American Goldfinch song. Except for the Osprey and the Martins, very few birds here have established territories as yet and, strangely enough, the late-nesting goldfinches (like their relatives, the House Finch) are not very territorial at all. This one was on the move, swinging round the property from the tree to tree.

In the early May world of butterflies, Spring Azures, Mourning Cloak and the inevitable Cabbage Butterflies are out.

Tomorrow's ELIAS walk starts at 8 am on Pleasure Drive (about two/thirds of the way between Route 104 and Route 24, Flanders Rd). Look for cars, birders, and binoculars on a pullout leading to an old horse meadow on the east or southeast side of the road. We should see some good birds and we'll be looking especially for warblers. But be prepared for ticks!

Eric Salzman