hummingbird again, a possible Summer Azure, a thistle and a nightshade

Near the final phase of my walk yesterday morning as I came back to the edge of the pond, a female-type Ruby-throated Hummingbird came buzzing almost into my face. This is the third such sighting this season (the other two were from the deck in front of the house -- not too far away). There's a good chance that this bird is breeding somewhere in the vicinity but I can't prove it.

Also seen: an Eastern Phoebe by the pond and a grayish vireo with yellow flanks. I never got a look at the head of this latter bird but it was, I suspect, a Warbling Vireo rather than the somewhat more common Red-eyed Vireo (which is more greenish or olive on the back).

A very handsome blue butterfly was what I would call a Summer Azure. It was a good-sized insect, sky-blue above and a rather unmarked white below.

The big thistle, mentioned previously, is starting to flower and it looks like the flowers are going to be yellow. Yellow Thistle or Cirsium horridulum (where did it get that name?) is a native yellow thistle that grows in sandy soil near coastal salt marshes. Another gift of Hurricane Sandy?

Lorna points out that the Latin name for Nightshade must be Solanum dulcamara (I wrote 'ducamara'; dulcamara means 'bittersweet', an alternate name for the plant). Although the family is famous for its poisons, Solanum dulcamara is in the same genus as the potato and the tomato. Still, I don't recommend munching on the little tomato-like berries that will come along in July.

Eric Salzman

Cedar Waxwings, burping Green Herons, a Pokeweed forest and a giant thistle

A pair of Cedar Waxwings and the continuing love burps of the Green Heron both near the water and both suggesting possible nesting. A Great Blue Heron is still present but it seems to be only a single bird -- an immature perhaps that did not take off with the other wintering birds to find a nesting colony.

Add to the local flora: Nightshade or Solanum ducamara.

The aftereffects of Sandy are still noticeable, not only in the dead and dying trees that line the pond and marsh but also in the extraordinary amount of Pokeweed that has come up and is now sending out spikes of waxy greenish-white flowers that will later turn into those striking purplish-black berries. At the head of the trail that goes into the Samuel & Frances Salzman Preserve (which covers the southwestern half of the property), there is a dense, almost impassable Pokeweed forest with some of the individual plants reaching six and seven feet in height.

Near where this path begins and just before our right-of-way emerges from the property proper heading toward Randall Lane, there is a bristling new appearance: a huge thistle, already 6' high. It hasn't bloomed yet and I haven't pinned it down as to species but when I do, I'll let you know. I suspect Bull Thistle or Canada Thistle. I don't recall ever seeing a thistle here before; the Goldfinches should love it!

Eric Salzman

post-cataract flycatchers

A personal note: I've been out of action for a couple of days because I had a cataract operation. I've now had it successfully on both eyes and I can go back to 3-D bird-Watching as well as bird-Listening!

Case in point: we had a humid and somewhat buggy morning that turned out to be good for silent flycatchers. Two Eastern Phoebes turned up in the dead and dying oak trees on the edge of the pond and marsh and I had a good time tracking them down: big headed, smudgy breast, weak wing-bars, long waggy tail, no calls. In the background, the Green Heron continued to gulp all morning and both our resident warblers, Common Yellowthroat and Pine Warbler, continue to call regularly.

The list of summer flowers continues to grow. The Catalpa trees are in full bloom; their massed orchid-like flowers make quite a show (Catalpas are actually in the pea family and the seeds are in long pods). Vine Honeysuckle is also at its peak and, on the heels of the Multiflora and Marsh Rose, Rambler Rose is coming in. Small but attractive flowers include the Venus's Looking-Glass, Deptford Pink and the enigmatic Sheep's Bit, a flower whose identification eluded me for years (it is not in the Petersen Wildflower Guide;. Also try saying the name several times very quickly). Other flowers around -- Sundrops, one of the loosestrifes -- appear to be garden escapes.

Eric Salzman

Vulture maternity

N Mockingbird still singing at the head of the marsh and Green Heron still burping away in the trees at the marsh edge near the pond.

Mike Bottini sent me this picture which came from Richard Poveromo, the head of the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society. It's not easy to make out but it shows a Turkey Vulture with a chick at the bottom of an old cistern and we believe that this is only the second confirmed nesting record on Long Island for this ordinarily very conspicuous creature.

Before some five or six years ago, Turkey Vulture was actually not the least bit conspicuous out here; it was only occasionally seen in migration. Then, in 2008, there was a remarkable invasion and a single breeding record came out of the Montauk area within a year or two. These birds are undoubtedly also breeding in the Pine Barrens but I don't believe there is any confirming evidence. At any rate, it looks as though this widespread and quite stunning scavenger is here to stay.

Did I say stunning? Up close, the Turkey Vulture, with its bare head, is big, ugly and even a scary. But, along with its uncommon partner, the Black Vulture (also now often seen but not yet recorded nesting), it is a magnificent soaring aerialist.

 Eric Salzman

A heron belches, a seal goes free and native cactus starts to bloom

The Green Heron was belching full out this morning in the trees at the edge of the pond and marsh. There were two birds so perhaps this round of love burps is the real deal. I've noticed in the past that this species nests rather late, possibly in order to get past the crow fledging stage when the crow marauding activity is at its peak.

Below is a photo by Scott Joiner of yesterday's Gray Seal release. She doesn't look very lively but she is not exactly gazelle-like on land but rather galumphs forward on her belly (she did eventually make it to the water).

John Turner writes me that Gray Seals may already be breeding on Great Gull Island and are active off Plum Island (where I have seen them).

The other photo is a stand of Prickly Pear cactus coming into bloom. This was taken nearby; Prickly Pear is a native species on Long Island!

Eric Salzman

Happy Solstice!

This was the day for common but uncommon birds: Chipping Sparrow in oak and hickory trees right in front of the house, a Northern Mockingbird singing away at the head of the marsh (good imitations of lots of local birds including Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, etc.) and Hairy Woodpecker. All of these birds are widespread breeders in our area but, somewhat surprisingly, they are mostly absent from the property. Chipping Sparrow is a common enough bird but I don't see them often acting like a warbler right over our front deck. There's a mockingbird territory on Bay Avenue and another in or around the Aldrich Boatyard on Weesuck Avenue but a singing mocker only occasionally appears in between. And, with all the dead standing hurricane wood, you might expect a Hairy Woodpecker bonanza but the dominant woodpeckers around here continue to be the Downy, Red-bellied and Flicker. 

A late morning drive down to Dune Road with our guest, Scott Joiner, turned from a routine ride on the barrier beach into a special occasion when we ran into a strange crowd of people at the little park just east of the Ponquogue Bridge expectantly waiting . . . but for what? It turned out that they were waiting for the release of a Gray Seal that  was ready to go back into the water. The animal had been found in poor condition in East Hampton and was rehabilitated by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research. The common seal seen in these parts (but usually in the winter) is the Harbor Seal but the Gray Seal has been increasing in numbers in recent years and there is a major breeding colony somewhere off of Cape Cod. Inevitably there have been more and more sightings on Long Island and, most significantly, in the summer. The seal was unloaded from the Foundation truck in a cage but when the handlers attempt to tip it out of the cage, it turned around and tried to climb back up. Eventually, it emerged onto the sand and humped its way, sealwise, to the water where it splashed off to what we hope is a happy future. This was a striking animal, a young female with an almost yellowish-gray coat and many dark splotches. With luck, it will find its way back to wherever it needs to go from this release site in Shinnecock just east of the Ponquogue Bridge and not far from the Shinnecock Inlet.

Eric Salzman

Anti-hawk Patrol again

The Anti-hawk Patrol (Division Am Crow) was in action this morning. I watched crows dive-bombing a tree over and over again and, although I couldn't see the object of their wrath, I was sure it was a hawk. Shortly thereafter, they started dive-bombing another tree; apparently the hawk had slipped out of one and into the other without my noticing but without escaping the hawk-eyed vision of those corvids. Eventually, a large buteo -- undoubtedly a Red-tailed Hawk -- emerged following by a line of screaming, yapping crows. They must have chased him/her completely away from their territory -- and our territory as well -- as peace and quiet ensued.

At this point, I could hear another kind of call. The Green Heron was back belching or burping away somewhere in the pines. It has been quite a few years since I found a nest of this species but I'm going to give a good try this year.

A single Cedar Waxwing is unusual enough (they usually occur in small flocks) to suggest that this bird may be nesting. Waxwings are known to nest somewhat later than most other birds. The summer solstice could be their time.

Eric Salzman

aerial batles

There's a lot of fighting going on in the avian sector these days as new parents try to raid other birds' nests to feed their own nestlings. Birds learn very quickly who they can trust and who is dangerous. Crows mob hawks while Red-winged Blackbirds chase crows. In fact, most of these attacks and chases involve American Crows. But my favorite encounter of the morning involved a Blue Jay attacking a Green Heron (or maybe it was the other way round) while a Yellow Warbler somehow got mixed in as well. Green Herons were very prominent this morning, often calling (with their familiar 'kee-yow' rather than the belching/burping noise previously reported). Almost certainly, they have a nest somewhere in the woods here.

One of the pleasures of doing this blog is getting responses from readers. Elizabeth Yastrzemski objects to my calling White Clover 'boring'; it is, as she points out, a favorite of honeybees and therefore should not be mowed down! Okay, won't mow the clover!

Ken Thompson sends me a photo of a Rose Pogonia orchid from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge where it is growing in a boggy area along with the insect-eating Pitcher Plants, also in bloom and also photographed -- plant and flower.

Eric Salzman

Sumer is Icumen in

Hot and humid this morning; Sumer is Icumen in.

And summer flowers are a comin' in. Most notable is the Wild or Swamp Rose which is, after the Rose Mallow, our most striking wildflower. Hawkweed are also in full flower as are the boring, common White Clover which is everywhere. There are many small flowers including Blue or Old-field Toadflax, Least Hop Clover (with tiny yellow flower heads), one of the pretty pink Morning Glories (Hedge Bindweed I think), and one or another of the peppergrass species.

This morning's Murder of Crows was again directed at a Red-tailed Hawk -- probably the same bird as yesterday. However the dead squirrel was gone without a trace. Either the hawk retrieved it or it was a bonanza for a Raccoon or some other scavenger.

Not sure of the status of the Hampton Bays Common Ravens but Mel Cowgill writes that there has been nesting at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Mel is 'guest scientist' at the lab). The Ravens, already one of the world's most widespread species, are actually spreading to the south -- a reversal of the usual pattern which has been south-to-north for many years now.

Eric Salzman

chasing raptors

One of the Weesuck Creek Osprey was parading up and down the creek with a big flatfish with a big flatfish in its talons -- undoubtedly a fluke and definitely a keeper -- calling attention to itself with loud whistles. For much of the time it was flying in formation with a second bird; this certainly looked like courting. At some point, a third Osprey appeared and the successful fisher landed on a dead limb with the fluke laid out on the branch but in a tight clutch. His apparent aim (I assume this was a male although this is by no means sure) was not to dismember the catch but to protect it from any possible rival. Only when the intruder disappeared did our avian Isak Walton take off again and resume his presumably amorous gambols.

Although our local Osprey are generally not bothered by crows or smaller birds (which will mob other raptors), these birds were definitely being attacked by Red-wing Blackbirds or some other residents too small to identify. Don't know why the dickie-birds suddenly decided that our local fish hawks were dangerous and needed to be chased away but that was clearly their intent (of course they did not succeed). In any case, my guess is that these Osprey are first-year birds that have built a nest on the new Pine Neck pole but that are not yet ready for parenthood and are still sorting out their domestic affairs.

A huge and extended racket of crows later in the day had nothing to do with the Osprey. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally saw the object of their wrath: a Red-tailed Hawk that took off as soon as it sighted me. Lying on the ground on the trail nearby was a freshly-dead squirrel that was certainly not there earlier this morning. It had a noticeable wound which made me think that it might have been caught by the hawk who then dropped it when it was mobbed by the crows.

Eric Salzman

'W' birds (wrens, woodpeckers & warblers)

I witnessed a kind of musical territorial battle between two species of wrens this morning. House Wrens were going in and out of a cavity where they undoubtedly have a nest and nestlings while the local Carolina Wren protested vigorously -- but vocally and without any attempt to go near the nest. The male House Wren invariably responded with his bubbly song, holding his own against the bigger and louder Carolina. I don't know if the latter has a nest in the area but this is one of only two or three spots where the Carolina calls regularly this year; I suspect that the Carolinas, which are resident birds, were hit hard by the cold winter this year.

Downy Woodpeckers show their annoyance but refuse to leave the premises when I approach a dead tree stump full of holes -- one of which undoubtedly contains a nest with nestlings. Hopefully, another fledge about to happen.

Yellow Warbler has reappeared after a week or more. What is the meaning of its disappearance? Is this the same male as before or a new one trying his luck? Or did the old bird, like many other species, simply shut up when there were eggs or nestlings to be guarded?

Our other breeding warblers, Common Yellowthroat and Pine Warbler, let us know that they are still around by singing persistently.

Eric Salzman

common and rare

Young crows are out. I can hear their nasal voices but also the adults are very edgy and make all kinds of ugly noise if there is any kind of alien presence in the neighborhood (such as myself). Blue Jays probably have fledglings as well as they are noisy after a long period of quiet. Both American Crow and Blue Jay are songbirds without a song but both are extremely vocal with a wide array of calls -- far more than other birds. The oddest crow call is a loud rattling sound that is hardly recognizable as coming from a crow. Ditto, the bell-like calls of the Blue Jay, some of which sound almost electronic (when they heard it, my daughters used to say "the men from Mars are here"). All these calls have specific meanings -- to other crows and jays at least. The corvid or crow family is ancient, widespread and its members are noted for their intelligence as well as predatory habits. We have four species here: American Crow, Blue Jay, Fish Crow and, in the past few years, Common Raven breeding on the water tower just opposite the Hampton Bays LIRR station and across from downtown shopping malls. Anyone know how they made out this year?.

In yesterday's post, I forgot to mention the most interesting sighting on Friday afternoon's expedition to the Calverton area. While driving on River Road where the road crosses the Peconic River, a good-sized low-slung dark mammal with a bushy tail came loping across the road right in front of the car. I wanted very badly to believe that it was a River Otter but the uniform dark coloration and the bushy tail suggest that it was rather a Mink, another locally rare member of the weasel family that I have in fact seen in this area before.

Eric Salzman

opening day for fungi

The heavy rains of a few days ago produced the first mushrooms of the season. There were two or three species -- not including, alas, the fabled Morel which I have never found out here. The star fruiting was a good-sized and handsome chicken mushroom, that orange coral beauty which used to be called Polyporus sulphureus and is now, presumably more correctly, known as Laetiporus sulphureus. This is the easiest of wild mushrooms to identify and, if fresh and tender, it is one of the best. This was indeed a fresh, tender specimen so I took it back to the house and cut it up for cooking. We have family and guests coming tomorrow so it will be part of the Sunday menu.

Yesterday afternoon, I went out with Rebecca Perl and Virginia Carter, two birders from the city on their way to East Hampton, and we made stops at the Pike's Beach Overlook and the grasslands at EPCAL (we didn't get into Cupsogue because of bureaucracy: my Green Key had expired and I didn't have my tax bill with me so they wouldn't renew it and/or grant a few minutes of birdwatching courtesy on a lousy beach day). We did see a Saltmarsh Sparrow at Pike's, a Glossy Ibis flyby and a few shorebirds on the island including two or three Piping Plovers. EPCAL was positively brimming with Grasshopper Sparrows holding food in their beaks and posing prettily as they hesitated to dive down into the nest and thus give away its location in the grass (they eventually had to take the dive). Also quite a few Eastern Meadowlarks and a somewhat surprising Savannah Sparrow. Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Tree Swallow, Prairie Warbler, Blue-wing Warbler, Eastern Kingbird and Great Crested Flycatcher were seen or (mostly) heard around the wooded edges of the grassland.

Eric Salzman

some good from an ill wind

It's an ill wind that blows no good. It looks like there will be a record crop of Blueberries (High Bush) and Rubus blackberries this year, almost certainly because of the way things were opened up by Irene and Sandy. Ditto Pokeweed -- although I eat the young shoots but not the berries (those beautiful purple berries are reputed to be poisonous although it's hard to believe that a berry that practically shouts 'Eat Me' can be so poisonous).

Flowers opening up right now: Multiflora Rose, Hawkweed, Arrowwood Viburnum, Poison Ivy, Catbrier, Wood-Sorrel. Also Golden Heather both in the dunes on the beach and in the upland Pine Barrens (but not here).

Steve Biasetti has sent out a Faunathon report covering the 19 years that it has taken place. No less than 380 species have been seen over the years of which 259 are birds. 116 species have been seen every single year and another 26 have been recorded in all but one or two years. If you want a copy you can e-mail me at or Steve directly at .

Eric Salzman

a lot of soaring

A Cooper's Hawk came sailing across the creek this morning into a fairly strong northeast wind. Yes, accipiters do soar. I mostly see them in this mode in fall migration but I suppose there's no reason why this species -- expending in our area -- shouldn't be on the move in the spring as well. Formal spring migration for all species must be well over but there are, I suppose, unmated birds still moving about, looking for territory or mating opportunities.

When the Cooper's reached the far side of the creek, it was harassed by several terns. Couldn't quite make out what they were but not long before a Forster's Tern came gliding down the creek and, ironically, it was chased by an Eastern Kingbird.

Earlier on, our local Crows were in a noisy, upset-sounding state. I thought that this might signal the fledging of young crows from one of the local nests but it's also possible that their concern was that very Cooper's Hawk.

There were no Rough-winged Swallows around this morning following yesterday's influx but there was at least one Tree Swallow working very low in the Phragmites to find insect prey in the windy conditions. 

The Osprey at the second nest pole on Pine Neck seem to be still in some kind of courting phase. I saw one carrying a stick -- presumably for use as nesting material -- and another carrying a good-sized fish, soaring high and calling loudly, as if to say 'look at me; I'm the champion fisher on the creek'. The two or three birds that frequent this new nest are, I suspect, first-year adolescents still sorting things out. The other nest is much further away and I can't see much but I think there is another, older pair out there still sitting on eggs or brooding chicks.

Eric Salzman

good day for insects and insect feeders

Yesterday was a great day for insects and there were literally dozens of swallows feeding on them all over the marsh and pond yesterday morning. Strangely enough,  the dominant species was Rough-winged Swallow. There were many Purple Martins from the Bay Avenue colony opposite, a number of Barn Swallows and -- perhaps -- a Bank Swallow or two. But they were all outnumbered by the Rough-wings. My first thought was that they must be Bank Swallows but every bird that I could follow -- with the possible exception of one or two -- had the square-tailed silhouette and smooth flight of a Rough-wing. Where do these birds come from? Rough-winged Swallows are not even considered colonial although they do bunch up in migration. Could these be late migrants? It seems unlikely as Rough-wings are not a particularly northern breeder (in spite of the fact that they are sometimes called Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- there is a Southern version). Maybe all the Rough-winged Swallows in our neighborhood (and there may be more than we think, given the mousiness of this bird) knew where to find sustenance on this bright June morning.

A singing Eastern Wood-Pewee -- a flycatcher so also an insect feeder -- in the woods near the house was a little easier to explain. This is a fairly common species in the oakier parts of the Pine Barrens and it is not unusual to see or hear one down here. They never seem to stay but I believe that they may breed in the Pine Neck Reserve on the other side of Weesuck Creek.

Eric Salzman

the color blue

photos by Bob Gunning from yesterday's SOFO/ELIAS walk in Vineyard Field: Indigo Bunting, Eastern Bluebird on a twig, and Eastern Bluebird on its nest box.

Eric Salzman

SOFO and ELIAS share a walk at Vineyard Field

The Vineyard Field behind SOFO in Bridgehampton continues to be the Indigo Bunting capital of Eastern LI. This year's joint SOFO/ELIAS walk took place this morning and there were at least five, perhaps six, singing males. One of them was a probable first-year male with mixed brown and blue plumage (but singing away as enthusiastically as all the rest.

Other features of the walk were outstanding views of Orchard Oriole and Eastern Bluebird.

Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole

Anne Lazarus lists several birds from Saturday's Linnaean walk that I apparently missed (or which they saw on their way in) plus two that I forgot to mention -- Glossy Ibis and Brown-headed Cowbird. The others were Canada Goose, Gadwall, Northern Harrier, Laughing Gull, Roseate Tern, Field Sparrow and Brown-headed Cowbird, Also, in the butterfly department, Spicebush Swallowtail, Southern Cloudywing and a possible Tawny Edge. The last two birds and the butterflies were seen in the EPCAL area.

Eric Salzman

Eastern LI Specialties -- Linnaean 2014

Today's Linnaean Field Trip, under the rubric of "Eastern Long Island Specialties", started at Cupsogue near Moriches Inlet and ended at the ex-Grumman EPCAL grasslands in Manorville. It was a quiet day with relatively few shore- and waterbirds and some of the upland specialties failed to show. Here's my list of 50 species:

Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Piping Plover
American Oystercatcher
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
Short-billed Dowitcher (probably; seen at a distance)
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Black Tern
Common Tern
Black Skimmer
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Peregrine Falcon (over the marshes at Cupsogue)
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
American Crow
Fish Crow
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
Prairie Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

sundries

Among the species that are out and active (besides the deer and the squirrels), there are moles burrowing in the sandy soil; haven't actually seen one but the burrows are everywhere. A handsome Red-spotted Purple (that's a butterfly) landed on a patch of open ground just in front of the house.

Saw a Cardinal fledgling being fed by his father; since this species doesn't migrate but stays here all winter, they get a head-start and often have young earlier than most other local breeders. No sign or sound of Yellow Warbler and I hear only one Common Yellowthroat singing. A male Northern Flicker landed right outside the porch window followed shortly thereafter by a male Baltimore Oriole feeding in the Hickory tree right above it. Didn't even have to get out of my seat.

From the front deck, I had a good look at the male Pine Warbler perched and singing on a bare branch at eye level; to my surprise, he was quite well marked with a clear yellow throat set off by a necklace of dark streaks on yellowish breast as well as gray wings with distinct white wingbars. Pine Warbler has the reputation for being rather indistinctly marked compared to other warblers but apparently spring males can break out of the average. The streaks were darker and stronger, and the yellow was yellower than I had expected. I assume that this is the bird that I hear every day making his rounds -- usually a lot higher up.

Eric Salzman

Red-eyed Vireos and Forster's Terns

Red-eyed Vireo was back this morning, singing away at the top of his lungs -- or should I say syrinx -- with his unmistakeable short phrases, rising and falling in quick succession: "Who is there?" "I'm up here" "Where are you" "I'm right here" " Can't you find me?" "Over this way!" Are they just visitors or can they be counted as breeders? 

Back at the marsh, the Yellowthroats continue to sing non-stop along with the House Wrens -- also two of them on territory with their bubbly insistent song. And a couple of adult Forster's Terns on the creek continue to suggest that they must now be breeding somewhere on the bay. I would look in the bay islands, many of which host terns and other birds already.

Eric Salzman

giant bumblebee? hawk moth?

I was sitting on the front deck taking a break from my morning walk when a large insect came up below me -- right by the deck and not even a foot off the ground. It paused for just a moment to pick off some insects and then moved on, not even giving me enough time to get my binoculars up. But it was so close that I could see that it was darkish above (brownish cap and back) and lighter below (face and underparts) with a long probiscus and a helicopter flight. Giant bumblebee? No way. Hawk Moth? Not likely. Hawk Moths fly at night, are nectar feeders and don't show contrast between the upper and lower parts. Why did I even think it was a giant insect? It was, of course, a hummingbird but seen from an angle that one doesn't often see hummingbirds. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a hummingbird so close to the ground or so brownish looking (it was in shadow and I was looking down at it). Hummingbird colors -- even the back colors of a female -- can be difficult to see if the light is not good.

A female hummingbird feeding on insects a few inches off the ground is what it was. This is the second time, I've seen a female hummingbird in front of the house in the past few days. Female hummingbirds take insects for protein when they are in nesting mode -- even when there are flowers nearby (a small Black Cherry in full bloom) -- and it leads to the possibility that there is nesting somewhere nearby.

Crows make an awful racket when I walk down to the water. I suspect that there are nests down there with growing nestlings due to fledge fairly soon. In the meanwhile, the Fish Crows seem to have abandoned their nest and moved away; occasionally I hear their calls distantly coming from Bay Avenue on the other side of the property; perhaps they will try again in another spot.

No sign of the Canada Warbler today but the Yellow Warbler is back at the head of the marsh right on schedule.

Eric Salzman

Canada Warbler on June 2!

First Canada Warbler of the year! Not only is it rather late (first week of June) but this bird was singing and feeding, not in low wet bushes (where you would expect to see a Canada Warbler) but in a low dense tree canopy. I found it, as usual, because it was persistently singing as it fed but the song was rather short, variable and hard to identify. Canada Warbler songs are typically preceded or followed by a chip but this bird was scattering its chips all over the place. It was also surprisingly difficult to spot amidst the foliage, only revealing its diagnostic features bit by bit, between the leaves and from underneath: yellow underparts, necklace, eye-ring, etc. Canada Warblers, as I discovered years ago, are rare nesters on LI; I have actually seen them carrying food to feed nestlings. So this bird might be a late migrant still heading north or a 'local' bird looking for a female and a nesting opportunity.

Another uncommon nester in these parts is the Spotted Sandpiper and there's at least one hanging around the pond and marsh. As Lorna noticed yesterday, the sandpiper likes to feed in the pond at low tide but it gets chased by the resident property owner, a very feisty male Red-winged Blackbird. He is unable to chase the bigger herons, ducks and willets but he is big enough to bully the poor little 'piper.

Eric Salzman

returnees

Gorgeous blue-sky day with just a light breeze from the east/southeast.

Yellow Warbler was back, right on schedule -- singing and moving around somewhat closer to the house (but not really that far from the head of the marsh, his previous favorite spot). Another returnee -- after a longer period of absence -- was the Red-eyed Vireo, the Q&A bird singing from various oak trees over a wide stretch of territory (possibly two birds but most probably the same bird on the move).

The morning's Belted Kingfisher was definitely a male -- giving hope to the idea that the female is somewhere not too far away sitting on a nest. These birds used to breed in an inactive portion of the East Coast Mines, a sand-mining operation in the moraine just north of East Quogue and this breeding pair claimed Weesuck Creek as its exclusive hunting area. This is probably no longer the case and, in any case, the East Coast Mines are now inaccessible so it's impssible to check.

Another returnee: Black-crowned Night-Heron. No sign yet of the Yellow-crowned which was a familiar presence in past summers.

Flying with the Purple Martins and the Barn Swallows over the pond are a pair of Rough-winged Swallow. And just to complete the picture, six male Mallards drop in, one after the other, to do . . . what? I have no idea. Just the duckish equivalent of an ol' boy's club, I guess.

Eric Salzman