I had three close encounters with hummingbirds this morning. The first two involved a hummingbird -- possibly the same one both times -- hovering literally inches from my face, circling around my head and following me in this manner as I walked down the trail. The third encounter was with another bird in another part of the property and was not quite as close up. These birds are consistently in the same two areas (although never before as bold) and may be locals rather than migrants.
A big wave of Catbirds came in this morning along with a rather tight group of N. Flickers and at least one Belted Kingfisher; most of these are probably migrants. Some of the other 'visitors' of recent days still remain: Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-pewee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and White-breasted Nuthatch.
A propos of my comments about Bald Eagle nesting, John Turner and Mike Bottini have both written to me about the successful Bald Eagle nesting on Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island with two birds fledged (oddly enough, the nesting was reported locally as far back as last March but there seems to have been little notice of the successful outcome). Apparently another, less noted pair on the Carmen's River has been unsuccessful for the second straight year.
Eric Salzman
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