pre-Hermine

Pre-Hermine:

--A medium-sized Accipiter flying over the marsh and crossing the creek early this morning; could have been a female Sharp-shinned or a male Cooper's (I would choose the former but it was far from certain in the poor light).

--A very noisy Hairy Woodpecker female enjoying our plethora of dead wood.

--House Wrens everywhere -- mostly young birds. At the edge of the marsh I heard an unusual buzzy call which turned out to be coming from an agitated wren. But I never got a good look; it may have been a House Wren juvenile or possibly another species; I'll look for it tomorrow. 

--Many Goldfinches but no House Finches (after several days when they were the most common bird around).

--Royal Terns and Forster's Terns on the creek.

--According to one source, the Rufous Hummingbird at Jessup's Neck (Morton Refuge) was a young male (I thought it was a young female but I am no expert in the juvenile plumages of stray Western hummingbirds). In any case, it has apparently moved on and is no longer being seen.

Happy Labor Day Hurricane!

Eric Salzman