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