Fauna-thon 2015

Saturday was Fauna-thon day, a kind of East End wildlife blitz. I spent the morning with a couple of colleagues at Hunter's Garden and the Bald Hill trail, both good areas for both nesting birds and late migrants. The weather was sunny but cool and windy, not the best conditions for bird activity. One notable late migrant was a Swainson's Thrush -- a bird I haven't seen in several years -- on the Bald Hill Trail. There were a few other late long-distance migrants including Parula and Magnolia Warblers. both heard but not seen. Also Blackpoll (barely heard) and the resident warblers: Pine, Ovenbird and Common Yellowthroat. Most of the other nesting birds were present including Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Wood-pewee, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Veery, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, etc.

Missing were the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and the Great Crested Flycatcher, both of which are (or used to be) regular breeders here. A little solo excursion on the side of the nearby Bicycle Path produced Yellow Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, House Wren, Chipping Sparrow and Orchard Oriole.

There were two notable non-avian creatures: Lead-backed Salamander and Juvenal's Duskywing, The latter is a large springtime butterfly of the Pine Barrens with white markings on its wings. Notice that the insect is named for the Latin poet Juvenal (but why?) and not for its immaturity.
 
Eric Salzman