post-colubris or after the discovery of a hummingbird nest

The big event of the morning was an Osprey ferociously diving at a hapless Yellow-crowned Night Heron perched on the opposite bank of Weesuck Creek, right under the Osprey's nest pole. As I came down the path I could hear a bloodcurdling shriek; it was the Osprey screaming as it swooped down, forcing the defiant heron to duck or risk being seriously hurt. Eventually the heron gave up its defiance and took off while the Osprey returned to the nest where there are at least two young on the verge of learning to fly. Is the Night Heron an actual threat to the Osprey young? Probably not but Night Herons do raid seabird nests and this Osprey wasn't taking any chances.

There must be a run of bait fish on our side of Weesuck Creek. For the past couple of days, there has been a steady stream of terns -- Common and Least -- flying, hovering, diving and catching -- just off our shore (in the case of the Least Terns, sometimes in just a few inches of water right at the edge). Thid morning there was also at least two Forster's Terns in non-breeding plumage. And one or more Great Blue Herons have been present for the past few days; this majestic bird does not nest on Long Island but will become more numerous as the summer and fall roll by.

Another notable sighting from yesterday morning was the Clapper Rail sauntering along in the mud at the edge of the open water area in the middle of the marsh and sometimes, where there was deeper water, swimming like an odd duck. No sign of young as yet but I can't help hoping that a rail present through June and July must be a nesting rail.   

The Willet continues to object to my presence in the marsh but seems to have lost some of his get-up-and-go; he (if it is indeed a he) only dove at me a couple of times this morning. The two Yellowthoats, male and female, popped up right on schedule and again escorted me all the way to the end of their territory, making alarm noises all the way, apparently to make sure that I was still noticing.

A juvenile Hairy Woodpecker with a reddish forecrown was born locally, no doubt. And a rather noisy band of Black-capped Chickadees included both adults and fledglings still being fed.

The hummingbird? Yes, she was still sitting on her miniature nest. I don't know when she actually laid her eggs but hummers generally incubate for c. two weeks and the chicks are fed on the nest (by the female only) for another two-and-a-half to three weeks before they fly. I'll keep you posted.

Eric Salzman