Clapper Rail, possible Olive-sided Flycatcher & a young night heron

Was that a cool front that came through last night? At any rate, this was a beautiful morning with some signs of migration. A Clapper Rail was clapping away on the marsh early on (this species breeds elsewhere on Shinnecock Bay but this was its first noted appearance on our marsh this year).

Another 'new' bird perched high on the dead branches of a Sandy victim, had a big dark head and a strikingly white 'shirt' and a fairly substantial bill. A striking feature was the white markings under the wing, all of which point to Olive-sided Flycatcher. Late August is probably not an early date for these birds in migration.

An Osprey landed on one of our dead trees to devour its prey, a small fish from the creek. A Red-tailed Hawk has also been hanging around, attracting the interest and enmity of the local crows.

Many Gray Catbirds scattered around; most of them probably came in last night. Eastern Kingbird plus several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers along with half a dozen warblers (American Redstart, Prairie Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush) were holdovers from the past week's activity.

Eileen Schwinn sent me this photo of a night-heron, seen on the opposite side of Weesuck Creek for the past week or two. This is a very young bird (note the wispy crown feathers). The elongated shape, distinct neck stripings, thin lines and white dots on the wing coverts, thick bill, long legs and general 'jizz' all indicate juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, possibly (I would say likely) the offspring of the two adults seen on this side of the creek yesterday. I have been seeing adults and young of this species quite regularly during the past couple of summers indicating that there is a nest somewhere on the creek!

Eric Salzman

Eric Salzman