a N Waterthrush flight

Alan Baratz tells me that Prospect Park in Brooklyn had its first Northern Waterthrush of the season yesterday morning. That tells me that there was most likely a flight of this species overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday from its northern breeding grounds.

Young or fledgling Downy Woodpeckers attacking some of our extensive standing dead wood. Easily identified by their red caps which they hold only in their juvenile state.

Lots of butterflies flickering about and fast moving in the heat -- too fast to ID with a couple of exceptions: a Monarch and a comma, probably a Question Mark.

Eric Salzman

midsummer trifecta

I was planning to do a walk this morning but even as early as 8 am it was hot, hot, hot (most of the circuit is in full sunlight) so I thought I would try another approach. I moved one of the chairs that I keep by the pond a short distance into the shade where it was facing the wooded area between the pond and the house (the tide was quite high so there were no muddy edges in the pond -- the usual source for early-morning avian life). This was going to be The Big Sit.

Sure enough, almost immediately I picked up two or three Green Herons, a White-breasted Nuthatch and the usual collection of titmice and chickadees. An auspicious start for The Big Sit. Then, nothing. Suddenly there was a dink...dink...dink from the Red Cedar directly in front of me. Even without my binoculars I could see a small yellow- or cream-colored, streaky bird bouncing up and down on a branch like a child's toy. The first Northern Waterthrush of the season!

This completes the trifecta of midsummer arrivals that come every year like clockwork in mid- to late July: Royal Tern, Spotted Sandpiper and, now, Northern Waterthrush. These are not true migrants but might be called summer residents: the terns moving up from their southern strongholds, the sandpiper from who knows where (a few probably breed somewhere on the bay) and the Waterthrush from north of us. Each of these species will hang out for a while with us before moving on to winter quarters.

Eric Salzman

Green Herons just out of the nest!

Three fledgling Green Herons appeared this morning along with two adults (presumably their parents). These prehistoric-looking creatures make the dinosaur-bird connection entirely plausible. Their gawky, crested, streaked-neck appearance with greenish legs, heavy straight bill and fuzzy down on top of the head suggested birds just barely out of the nest. They seemed to be barely able to hang on to their perches or to fly from one branch to another but that didn't prevent them from being feisty and openly squabbling with each other! The family was in, on or by the pond when I first came down but, using the dead trees at marsh edge, they gradually worked their way ahead of me to the top of the marsh.

Royal Terns continue to fly up and down the creek, outnumbering even the gulls, Spotted Sandpipers continue around the muddy pond edges and both Yellow Warblers and young Yellowthroats can be seen working the low vegetation back of the marsh. A Tree Swallow and a Chimney Swift were flying with the Purple Martins and Barn Swallows over the marsh.

Eric Salzman

owl duet

Last night as we finished our barbecue and were searching the darkening sky for bats (didn't see any), two owls suddenly started a hooting duet from the trees in front of the house (between the house and the pond). These were rhythmic hoots in the form of a canon or a round and one of the birds had a clearly higher pitch range than the other, strongly suggesting a male-female duet. This remarkable concert of owl music went on for a bit as we sat transfixed.

Although these hoots were not as deep as those of a typical Great Horned Owl and we never actually saw the birds, Great Horned was the most likely species -- possibly two younger birds whose hoots had not yet matured! No other owl has quite this pattern of hooting. Great Horned Owl is a typical species of the Pine Barrens but, on occasion, the birds do come down here near the water. Also, although this is early in the season, it is not impossible for mating activity to start in late summer (the birds have been known to nest as early as late fall or early winter with young appearing in February or March).

I was hoping that the Blue Jays or Crows would find the bird roosting this morning but no such luck.

Eric Salzman

mystery flycatcher and bodacious blackbirds

There's a somewhat mysterious flycatcher hanging around at the edge of the woods facing the pond and marsh, generally remaining quite high in dead branches. This bird should be an Eastern Phoebe but its head is not particularly dark and it doesn't seem to wag its tail very much -- if at all. There's no particular breast markings that I can see nor is the breast at all yellowish or cream colored as one often sees on juvenile Eastern Phoebes. Size and the lack of wing bars seem to preclude pewees or empids. So, going on the general structure -- big head, bull neck, long dark tail -- and adding in the likely odds, it would have to be an Eastern Phoebe.

Two Yellow Warblers are still covering the lower parts of the woodland edge and the peep-peep-peep of the Spotted Sandpiper can still be heard from the pond and marsh edges.

A male and a female Red-winged Blackbird attacked me as I made my way around the marsh edge. They came swooping down at the intruder (me), pulling up just short of hitting and making a startling noise as they veered off -- quite a striking display. Two other birds hanging back in dead branches were likely young of the year which would account for this highly aggressive behavior. I've had male Red-wings defending territory in the past but this was the first time that I have had both sexes on the attack.

Eric Salzman

herons to hummingbirds

There are now at least three or four Great Blue Herons summering on the creek along with Spotted Sandpipers and Royal Terns. Also at least one juvenile Night-Heron (probably Black-crowned). Green Herons still active and apparently nesting somewhere in the treetops. No sign of the Willets which were so omnipresent earlier in the summer.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird reappeared in the same area where it was seen a few days ago -- just back of the west bank of the pond. Also in the low vegetation that has sprung up in this area since Hurricane Sandy: Yellow Warbler. A group of Downy Woodpeckers on a dead Pitch Pine provided the first evidence of Downy reproduction this season; the young birds were obviously clumsy and still dependent on the adults (this was a rather late fledging for this species). White-breasted Nuthatches still a prominent member of the local avifauna along with the inevitable Titmice and Chickadees.

Eric Salzman

a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper

This morning's Spotted Sandpiper was a juvenile (no spots) leading to the conclusion that there are at least two Actitis macularius around. Also some scattered Royal Terns on the creek and at least one Snowy Egret with the Greats. House Wrens are everywhere; these are, I expect, mostly the young of the year but there are probably some adults mixed in (I'm not sure I can tell the young ones from the adults).

Eric Salzman

waterbirds & woodpeckers

Another sign of midsummer: the first Great Blue Heron of the season.

Spotted Sandpiper still in the area (I heard it peeping away in the channel leading from the marsh to the pond). A young Red-bellied Woodpecker (without any facial markings) is class of '15. Northern Flickers are calling regularly; I wonder if competition with the Red-bellied has caused them to move their nesting dates further up into the summer.

Green Herons are calling from patches of woods on both side of he house making me think that there are two nesting pairs. Many Great Egrets along both sides of the creek along with a single Snowy Egret; the way the Great Egret outnumbers the Snowy is very striking. A single Common Tern was the only tern seen; the fall-off in nesting terns is very striking (and disturbing).

Eric Salzman

midsummer

Midsummer is officially here. How do I know? This morning's appearance of a Spotted Sandpiper on the muddy pond edge and the second appearance of Royal Tern over the creek (with jumping fish that are undoubtedly its prey) are the sure signs that spring is over and summer is well underway. Both of these birds were adults; I expect to see more of them -- including juveniles -- before long.

It was a birdy morning. The appearance of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (seemingly feeding on Pokeweed flowers which are in bloom right now) might also be considered a sign that the season has moved on. Many young birds around including Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice and others. Also Eastern Phoebe (a young one) as well as House Finches and American Goldfinch apparently just beginning to nest.

Yesterday, I thought I had discovered the Green Heron nest -- a raggedy structure in a Pitch Pine behind the house with a bird calling loudly nearby. Now I am not so sure. This morning's Green Heron calls came from the other side of the house but I could not find a nest in the thick foliage over there.

Pokeweed was just one of several wildflowers that were omitted from my list the other day. Queen Anne's Lace, Yucca, Bladder Campion (or is it Evening Lychnis?), Yarrow, Chicory, Daisy Fleabane, Yellow Wood-Sorrel and Hop Clover are some others.

Eric Salzman

titmice, wrens & wildflowers

Titmice all over the place; I assume these are families with newly fledged young. Wrens also very active. Carolina Wren loudly singing away: House Wrens widely scattered but numerous particularly around the edges of the marsh.

Here is a partial list of late spring and early summer flowers:

Nightshade
Venus' Looking-glass
Blue Toadflax
Heal-All
Common Ragweed
one of the Smartweeds
Common St. Johnswort
Wood-Sorrel
Hop Clover
Sundrops
Hawkweed (spp?)
Yellow Thistle
Deptford Pink
Dame's Rocket
Red and White Clover
Pasture Rose
Bouncing Bet
Common Milkweed
Orange Milk weed (Butterfly Weed)
Common Mullein

Most of these are meadow flowers and many of them are introduced species.

Eric Salzman

yellow birds

Two immature Yellow Warblers on the edge of the marsh were almost certainly young birds which raises the possibility that they were born here. Every year, I hear singing male Yellow Warblers in May but then the singing abruptly stops. I was pretty certain that this meant that the singing bird did not find a mate and went somewhere else to find better luck. But it is possible that he stops singing because he finds a mate (I rarely see the females) and starts to set up and defend a nesting territory. With eggs or young in the nest, many birds stop singing so as to not give away the location of the nest. Whatever the explanation, it does begin to look like I can add Yellow Warblers to our list of property breeding birds -- not really a big surprise considering that they breed all around the bay.

Another yellow bird, the American Goldfinch, is singing away from high perches around the woodland fringes facing the marsh. Carduelis or Spinis tristis has a short song that is quite similar to a warbler song and even more like the related Indigo Bunting. Goldfinches are notorious late nesters supposedly so that the chicks may be fed on the late-blooming thistles that constitute their favorite food.

A noteworthy arrival was the first Royal Tern of the year, calling and flying around the mouth of Weesuck Creek. Mid-July might be considered a tad early for these arrivals from their southern breeding grounds but, judging by past appearances, this bird would be the first of a substantial number of birds that migrate north before they migrate south.

Eric Salzman

some corrections and additions

Saturday morning's SOFO (Birding by Ear) bird list was obviously defective since I typed Red-headed Woodpecker when the bird in question was obviously a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Even more curiously, I seem to have written Red-winded Blackbird (huh?) instead of Red-winged Blackbird! There were also a lot of small details omitted from that report: a healthy looking male Box Turtle and a very striking floral display of a wildflower species that I could not identify -- foot-long stem with white flowers of an irregular form with a prominent lip. Many butterflies, not all securely identified.

The SOFO fundraiser was that same evening and it appeared to be very successful -- at least there were a lot of interesting people there and Carl Safina's new book, "Beyond Words", about animal behavior was in the goodie bag. The sky was completely clear on the drive home and hovering overhead was an extraordinarily bright Evening Star which, upon careful examination, turned out to be a double Evening Star. Not a star or stars at all but two planets, Venus and Jupiter, in what is known as a Conjunction with the two shining celestial bodies so close that they appear as one.

Back home, there have been a lot of mushrooms including some good edibles -- Black Trumpets are the latest to appear along with Chanterelles, Boletus and Lactarius (among others). And, along with mushrooms, their favorite munchers also appear; I refer, not to humans, but to Box Turtles. One pair of Box Turtles was engaged in the necessary business of making more Box Turtles -- an activity that I applaud heartily although, as it was taking place just a foot off one of our right-of-ways, it was also a little worrisome. Cars and turtles do not make a good combination.

Eric Salzman

Vineyard Trail

Another SOFO walk on the Vineyard Trails entitled "Birding by Ear" took place this morning. I was worried that the birds might have stopped singing but activity was still high; many young birds have fledged and were conspicuous. As always, the morning star was the blue, blue Indigo Bunting singing and feeding all around the perimeter and into the big meadow behind the Museum in Bridgehampton. This must be the world capital of Indigo Buntingdom -- or at least the LI capital of same -- and the birds continue (or have resumed) singing from their high perches. There are young ones around but, somewhat discouragingly, at least one pair was feeding young Cowbirds!

It was a halcyon day for butterflies with many, many Common Wood-Nymphs flying everywhere. Also American Copper, Pearly Crescent, Red Admiral and others. Milkweed was in bloom and there were Monarch caterpillars feeding and at least one Monarch flying. A smaller orange Monarch-type with a different mode of flight may have been a Viceroy.

The most startling sight were the Elegant Stinkhorns, Mutinus elegans, blooming in the Butterfly Garden (and apparently elsewhere). If you are wondering what an Elegant Stinkhorn might be, check out the photo below (yes it is a fungus).

Here is the full bird list:

Wild Turkey (seen on the way in )
Double-crested Cormorant (overhead)
Osprey (overhead)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (overhead)
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo (heard)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee (heard)
Tufted Titmouse (Heard)
House Wren
Carolina Wren (heard)
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winded Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch (heard)

32 species

Eric Salzman

Birding by Ear

A scatter of down feathers in the old right-of-way suggests a fledgling -- probably a Catbird -- that didn't make it. Normally when I see the remains of a bird in the form of bird feathers, I think of a hawk or owl but this one could have been the work of a Crow or Blue Jay both of which predate baby birds from the nest.

Black-crowned Night-Heron was on the muddy edges of the pond this morning accompanied by a very vocal (and quite musical) American Goldfinch who was singing away. Other singers this morning included Pine Warbler and the loud wicki-wicki-wicki-wick of a N. Flicker. Common Yellowthroats seem to have signed off after weeks of persistent singing.

A propos of bird song, I'm doing a program entitled Birding by Ear at the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) this Saturday morning at 8 am. If you're interested call SOFO at 537-9735 to sign up.

Eric Salzman

coneheads and cuckoos

Nick Hamblet writes to me to suggest that the 'early' insect singer that I have been hearing out my window is a Slightly Musical Conehead, one of a number of grass-loving, early-singing cone-headed katydids! Don't you love that name? Coneheads are katydids with, you guessed it, cone heads and there are a whole bunch of them. I think conehead might be right but I'm not sure about the species -- at least going by the recordings that I've heard. Hamblet also says that he has heard Field Cricket and Lyric Cicada already this season. I also heard an evening (or night) singer last night (after I sent out the blog) which might have been another one of the cicadas. Just sorting out the 'songs' of these summertime insects is a big challenge.

The tide was low on the pond this morning and there was a Black-crowned Night-Heron working the muddy edge. A cuckoo was calling from the treetops in the woods north of the house. This was the slow, even coo-coo-coo-coo call that I used to ascribe, erroneously, to the Black-billed Cuckoo. This is a call of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (the Black-billed call is also even but faster and often in rhythmic groups of two to five calls). I should add that these are both American cuckoos and they do not sing the cuckoo-clock call of the European or Eurasian cuckoo and which, unlike that famous cuckoo of European folklore, they mostly build their own nests and raise their own young.

Eric Salzman

birds and insects singing

The marsh is covered with young blackbirds -- almost as if there was a simultaneous fledging of Red-wings nesting in the reeds all around the edges of the marsh.

Many upland birds are still singing or have resumed singing in the past few days. These include both wrens (Carolina and House), both of our local breeding warblers (Common Yellowthroat and Pine Warbler but not Yellow Warbler), and White-breasted Nuthatch. Young Baltimore Orioles are out (you can hear their distinctive calls) along with an occasional resumption of song by the males.

Starting yesterday, a cricket or cicada began singing (quite loudly) in the grass just outside my porch window. The sound, a kind of grating note, is repeated up to a dozen to twenty times in a row and then, after a brief pause, repeated again, It seems to sing late in the afternoon -- at least that's when I notice it. July 5th seems earlier for these creatures but perhaps the time of year as well as the sound offers a clue as to what it might be. Anyone out there with some suggestions?

Eric Salzman

a Great Egret chorus line

When high tide comes in the morning (as it does these days), a whole line of Great Egrets perches on the dead trees facing the pond. As I approach, they leave these perches only reluctantly and with great snorting sounds. You might imagine that they wouldn't be back but the next morning there they are, all lined up as before.

A number of species are moving around, often adults paired with young birds in their care -- Cardinals, Common Grackles, Northern Flickers among others. The young characteristically flutter their wings in begging mode, a move which generally incites the adult to find some tidbit which he or she can then feed to the youngster. Even though these young birds are flying, it takes them a while to learn how to find dinner for themselves.

The intermittent rains of recent days have produced a decent crop of edible mushrooms, mainly chanterelles and lactarius or milk mushrooom. If I wait a day or so, new ones come up and within a couple of days I have enough to make a dish!

Eric Salzman

moon over Shinnecock

An almost full moon rose last night over the bay as a large and stunning orange disc. Not only was the moonlight amplified by being reflected on the bay but a goodly turnout of dancing fireflies went into performance mode on the meadow in front of the house using the edges of the trees, live and otherwise, that line the meadow as a backdrop with the moon and bay beyond.

This has been notably the best firefly summer in several years. This morning was sunny but then clouded over making the possibility of a repeat performance unlikely as tonight's full moon is likely to be obscured by clouds. Shouldn't affect the fireflies though.

An Eastern Phoebe appeared yesterday and today hunting insects along the front periphery of the woods -- mostly in and around the dead pitch pines left over from Sandy. This bird, although not as dark-headed as most, lacked the yellow wash and stronger buff wing bars that one sees on juvenile birds so it was/is probably an adult.

Eric Salzman

in and around the pond

An attack squadron of no less than six Willets tried to drive me away from the pond the other day but, curiously, since then only one Willet has stayed behind to defend the territory. This bird -- if indeed it is always the same bird -- jumps up on the top of the dead cedar on the other side of the pond and shows its irritation in the form of a non-stop series of clicking sounds. Just to vary the routine, it occasionally takes off, circles around, flies directly at me, veering off only at the last moment to return to its post on the dead tree where it resumes its irritated clicking.

A House Finch was singing away high in the dead trees near the pond this morning, an event worth of note mainly because this species has been so scarce in recent years, its populations diminished by disease. At least one of the Common Yellowthroats is still singing continuously from early morning well into the day, sometimes on one side of the property, sometimes on the other (maybe there are still two territories but I only hear one bird at a time) Many, if not most of the swallows over the marsh, are young Barn Swallows with short tails (which makes then difficult to identify for sure). So far this summer, I've seen Purple Martins and Barn Swallows with an occasional suspected Bank Swallow or Rough-winged Swallow.

Eric Salzman