dodging rain drops and walnut nuts

Got in a shortened morning walk dodging rain drops. Judging by the 'chink' sounds and occasional bursts of song, I was surrounded by largely invisible White-throated Sparrows during the first part of the walk; were these birds here all the time or are there new arrivals beefing up the population? In the same head-of-marsh area, I thought I heard a Winter Wren giving a rough version of its rather extended song but I could never get a good look at whatever was moving around in the underbrush and the wren that finally showed was a Marsh Wren. Usually the Marsh Wren songs are short and less melodic but this bird was apparently stringing together his rather unmelodic tunes to make a better show of it. Nearby was a Common Yellowthroat with a very bright yellow throat and a Blue-headed Vireo with very bright wing bars.

Several raptors were around: a medium-sized blue-backed accipiter which might have been a female Sharp-shinned or a male Cooper's; two or three Osprey over the creek; and a big crow-chased raptor with broad wings, long tail and a barely glimpsed white rump -- in short, a Northern Harrier.

The heavy gusts of wind have almost completely stripped the Tupelos bare and created a veritable storm of oak, walnut and sassafras leaves just about everywhere as well as provoking a veritable rain of acorns and hickory nuts. In a few places, the hickories are replaced by the huge Black Walnut nuts. I wish I knew how to crack them open without getting my fingers black and ending up with inedible wooden chips mixed in with walnut meat. And, no, I don't wish for one of these cannonballs to fall on my head as I saunter by. Could happen.  

Eric Salzman

white is a color too

The winds shifted from northeast to southwest overnight and this morning's puffy clouds eventually cleared to blue sky and then clouded over again. Unlike yesterday morning, I didn't find any good-sized feeding flocks -- only one small group of Tufted Titmice with acorn-snaring Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays -- but for the second day in a row I did see a smallish accipiter being chased by crows and jays. That would be a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

What is striking is what is not around as much as what is still here: an almost complete scarcity of Catbirds and Goldfinches, two of the most common birds here a week or two ago. On the other hand, flocks of migrating Robins continued to appear through yesterday but shut down this morning in the face of the wind shifts.

Although there has not been much cold weather, the leaves are turning and flying in the wind (an extra challenge for anyone looking for birds not leaves as flying objects). The Tupelos, whose leaves turn early and colorfully red, are being quickly stripped of their leaves. Coming in to replace them in the color department are Poison Ivy, Virginia Creeper, High-bush Blueberry and whatever Red Maples have survived recent hurricanes. Other trees like Sassafras and the local Walnuts add to the color but mostly in yellows. Except for the Red Oaks, the other oaks go straight to brown. Unlike New England, we don't have Sugar Maples (the big source of color at this time of year) but we do have introduced Norway Maples which can add some flashiness to the scene. The Seaside Goldenrod is about finished but the local Blue Asters (species?) are at their height and so is the Baccharis or Groundsel, a striking bush of the wetlands edge that has spread extensively into higher areas and whose female flower-heads with their showy feathery plumes are in full display right now -- big bursts of white all around the perimeter of the marsh and into the uplands. White is a fall color too.

Eric Salzman

change of pace

Another change of pace: cooler, brisk northeast winds, puffy clouds moving high overhead in the opposite direction. There were three distinct feeding flocks. The first one, encountered early in the morning right in back of the pond, was led by a whole troupe of Yellow-rumped Warblers with one or Palm Warblers, B-c Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, at least one Ruby-crowned Kinglet and no less than four species of woodpecker: Downy, Red-bellied, Flicker and, yes, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in only slightly faded plumage (Hairy Woodpecker, however, did not show).

The second flock was also anchored by Chickadees and Titmice but included a number of the season's first Golden-crowned Kinglets. Not easy to see from underneath (they often stay high) but acrobatic enough so that eventually they tip over and show the golden crown (they also make very characteristic soft lisping chips which is the first sign of their presence). The third group was a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos; I tried in vain to spy some other sparrows with them but they all took off into densely foliated trees.

At any rate, all three flocks featured recent arrivals on the scene -- the Sapsucker, the two kinglets and the Juncos!

Eric Salzman

a wet, dewy morning followed by mushrooms

Yesterday's very wet dewy morning, featured a Cooper's Hawk that was eventually driven off by the crows. The extremely high spring tides (yes, you can have spring tides in the fall) filled the pond, attracting fish and a few birds: Mallard and Black Duck (which stay on the surface and presumably don't eat fish) and Double-crested Cormorant which spends a lot of time underwater catching fish. Royal Terns continue to work the creek, parading up and down in some numbers and diving for fish. Ditto Belted Kingfisher. Osprey? The locals are gone and I don't even see many migrants coming through

What has been coming through are a few Monarch Butterflies -- either fluttering overhead or basking in the sun to dry themselves off and/or recharge their batteries. Hopeful but nothing like it used to be.

Today's top birds were a tail-wagging Palm Warbler and a surprising flock of over two dozen yellowlegs -- seemingly a mixture of Lesser and Greater.

Two of my favorite mushrooms have appeared in the past few days, both excellent edibles. One is a lactarius or milk mushroom (it exudes moisture from its gills underneath the cap) -- Lactarius volemus -- is its Latin name. It's a very attractive mushroom with an orange cap and a rather firm brittle texture. It usually comes up in the late spring and/or early summer but there was little rain this year so it only managed to emerge just now as we're having spring/summer weather in the fall. The other is the Wood Blewit -- in spite of the name, more purple than blue. Alas, I could find only two specimens, both with the sort of squat fairy-tale mushroom look that is one of its features. The Latin name is Clytocybe nuda although it has also been dubbed Lepista nuda, Tricholoma nudum, Tricholoma personatum and other things as well. Don't let anyone tell you that the Latin moniker is more stable than the vernacular name.

Today's mushrooms are also goodies: a few Wood Blewits (Clitocybe nuda) again and Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) are both good edibles

Eric Salzman

Flicker darting at a Blue Darter

A cool but pleasant fall morning began with an adult Cooper's Hawk perched high on a dead tree on the far side of the marsh. The blue back reminded me of one of the bird's nicknames: Blue Darter. Only the adults have the blue backs; the immatures are brown but with the same structure (short, broad wings with long striped tail). As I mentioned in an earlier post, accipters (including Cooper's) are bird specialist and have the ability to fly through woodland tracts -- to chase prey or simply to get away from harassment -- without getting bonked by tree limbs. But this one was just sitting out in the open and leisurely attending to her (her?) toilette. Possibly because a accipiter sitting out in the open is assumed not to be hunting or because other birds are afraid of coming too close to this fearsome predator, no one was venturing very near. A few Am Crows and Blue Jays were making noise and hovering in the neighborhood but always keeping their distance. The accipiter, drying off in the sun and straightening its feathers, paid no attention. Ironically, it was a Northern Flicker, probably a passing migrant, that came right in with its substantial beak ready to strike. That finally routed the hawk which took off for parts unknown.

The head of the marsh was, as usual, very active with a familiar avifauna that included two winter birds: Blue-headed Vireo and Brown Creeper. Only four of the five possible woodpeckers this morning; the Sapsucker didn't show.

Eric Salzman

a flight of Connecticut Warblers?

Got an e-mail from Joe Polashock yesterday describing a warbler seemingly identical to the one I wrote about yesterday; according to Joe, it was walking around his garden in New Suffolk and pumping its tail. I never get to see Connecticut Warblers on the ground (our underbrush is too thick) but it is well known that they walk on the ground and bob up and down (which can also be described as tail pumping). Also Connecticut Warblers have been reported from the city as recently as yesterday. In short, there has been a substantial flight of these uncommon birds in the past few days extending from at least New York City to Eastern LI.

The bird population here this morning was completely quiet except for one cawing Crow. I soon found out the cause: a hungry-looking adult Cooper's Hawk perched on a dead branch on the edge of the marsh and just under the crow. It didn't seem to mind the annoying crow but, at my approach it took off into or through the trees (Cooper's are big birds but, like other accipiters they have the ability to navigate through the woods). Shortly thereafter all the usual small birds emerged to dry themselves off in the rays of the rising sun (they were all wet from the heavy dew) and begin to feed. But, no sooner had they started to go about their business when another large raptor appeared, this time a flying Northern Harrier coming across the creek and up the marsh. But the harrier showed no inclination to hunt and flapped gracefully over the top of the trees and disappeared.

Eric Salzman

a scarce warbler reappears

A quiet morning walk was interrupted by a surprise: a brief glimpse of a warbler poking out from the underbrush with a nice complete eye-ring, a plain olive back, buffy chin and pale yellow underparts. For various reasons, I can say that this was not a Yellowthroat so the only choices left are immature Mourning and Connecticut Warblers. Yes, it was another Connecticut Warbler only steps away from where the last one appeared (it may have even been the same bird). The immature Mourning has a much weaker eye-ring and is brighter yellow underneath -- so Connecticut it is! Definitely the warbler of the year in these parts!

Not much else to report. A flight of a few Fish Crows came over the creek yesterday. I startled a Great Blue Heron out of arboreal perch, a event that happens every morning. And the morning flock of Feral Pigeons was right on time; between half a dozen and two dozen birds come over the place in precise formation every morning about a half hour after sunrise. 

Eric Salzman

corvid enemies?

Heavy fog again on the creek this morning -- Pine Neck was covered but our side of the creek was again fog-free. Nevertheless, the newly arrived warm weather, the southern breeze and the fog did not make for good migration conditions. Most of the birds that came in a few days ago were still here but seemingly represented by only a few individuals: Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, Blue-headed Vireos, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a very few Robins, no Catbirds but lots of woodpeckers -- all five species in fact: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy and Downy Peckers as well as Red-bellied and a few Flickers.

Great Horned Owls have been duetting the past two nights -- I slept through them Tuesday night (Lorna heard them) but heard them last night. As usual, I didn't find them in the daylight and neither did the crows or jays. The Blue Jays put up a racket that seemed promising but it turned out that the object of their ire was a Raccoon half-hidden in a tree hollow. Another Jay assault was directed at a Green Heron perched on a dead branch overlooking the marsh (don't know why Jays should hate Green Herons but they do). And some noisy Crows were upset, not by an owl but by me -- they were circling overhead and cawing loudly as they followed me back to the house as I returned via the old roght=of-way.

Another bird that is still here is the Eastern Phoebe which apparently is still finding insect prey. In fact, somewhat sadly, I saw one catch, mash and swallow a Red Admiral butterfly.   

Eric Salzman

a sparrow in quotation marks

More sparrows came in last night but this time the movement was dominated by Song Sparrows with only a smaller number of Swamp and White-throats. However there were a few 'new sparrows'; the Dark-eyed Juncos were the first I've seen here this season. I put 'new sparrows' in quotation marks because, of course, Juncos are regular winter visitors hereabout but also because most people probably don't think of them as sparrows. They certainly don't look like the other sparrows which are brown and streaky while Juncos are dark gray with a white belly and a pink bill.

Also seen were several Blue-headed Vireos. This is the handsomest of that tribe with, in addition to the blueish/grayish head, very prominent white spectacles, yellowish wing bars and more than a bit of yellow on the flanks. They were hanging out near the head of the marsh with the finches and chickadees. There was also a strong influx of Flickers but most of the Robins and Catbirds have disappeared. And Royal Terns are still working the creek in some numbers.

Eric Salzman

sparrows, sparrows, sparrows

There was a big movement of sparrows last night, dominated by Swamp Sparrows but also including many Song, White-throated and Chipping. I'm sure that there were other species of sparrows represented but we don't have a good, open area for sparrows; instead they all work the marsh hedges, well hidden in the dense brush. Th show themselves momentarily when they pop up on my approach but then they take off and only sometimes land high enough and long enough for me to get a good look. I've seen some unusual sparrows here over the years but it's always a challenge to find them.

Didn't see any new sparrows but I did detect a female-type Purple Finch hanging out with the many House Finches but easily distinguishable by its stockier big-headea appearance and the tell-tale eye stripe. And there was another first of the season: the long expected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. In fact, all five woodpeckers were seen in the head-of-the marsh area making a perfect quinfecta (if that is the right term) within the first 20" or so of my walk.

Eric Salzman

new old birds & a mushroom

Fairly strong northeast winds blew the storm clouds out to sea -- I could still see them sitting on the ocean out past Dune Road on the other side of the bay -- and blew in a few 'new' birds. Actually I didn't see anything truly new but a lot more of what had already come in; most of these birds were active in the area back of the pond and adjacent marsh where new fall arrivals generally land. The result was more White-throated, Song, Swamp and Chipping Sparrows, more Yellow-rumped Warblers and even a few more Catbirds. All four woodpeckers, a Brown Thrasher, a couple of Eastern Phoebes, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a single Red-tailed Hawk and the usual collection of finches, Gold and House, complete the tally.

One new mushroom turned up a couple of days ago in the rain: this was the Honey Mushroom or Armillaria mellea. It is a well-known edible and when it fruits, it really fruits. I spent a good twenty minutes picking the caps that covered the stump where it was growing (it is a mushroom that sprouts on wood) and I didn't get the half of it before giving up. A good part of the pickings ended up in a soup and the rest were blanched for future use.

Eric Salzman

a Raccoon, yellowlegs, a feeding flock & a new arrival

This morning sun rose into a partly cloudy sky with almost no wind and the continuos roar of an angry ocean unseen across the bay. The early morning tide was still low with a single young Raccoon padding about --looking for what? Can Raccoons snare a meal out of schooling bait fish? I watched and waited without seeing anything in particular. Later on the Raccoon was replaced by three elegant yellowlegs, two Greater and one Lesser, and yellowlegs, probably a Lesser, was also in the open water area in the middle of the marsh. I'll bet they can snare schooling fish!

The most striking event of the day was actually an avian feeding flock of a couple of dozen birds moving across what I call the front range-- i,e, the edge of woods facing the rising sun and the marsh at its feet. I can't be sure of how many of these birds were local and how many were migrants since, with the exception of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and several Swamp Sparrows, all the species were local nesters. However the numbers of Northern Flickers and the sight of several coming in from across the bay suggested that these migratory woodpeckers were, well, migrants. So perhaps were some of the others -- Song Sparrows for example.

The best bird of the morning was, however, not part of this party but seen elsewhere in a high tree: a Blue-headed Vireo, a first of the season for me.  

Eric Salzman

fog and some October birds

Sunrises are far from all alike. This morning the upcoming light of life had to battle a heavy fog that was so thick that it blotted out Pine Neck completely, not to mention Dune Road and most of the Aldrich Boat Yard and Town Dock on either side. What it did not blot out but in fact carried across the bay in full voice was the sound and fury of the raging ocean breakers, an unseen but sonorous reminder of an as-yet distant hurricane!

Oddly enough, the marsh and surrounding upland was almost completely free of the fog, a kind of hole in the mist within which the visibility was excellent! There were no rails or sparrows around the muddy open water in the middle of the marsh but there were sparrows elsewhere, notably a Field Sparrow that was the first of the season. Other sparrows of the day were Swamp, Song, Chipping and White-throated. Also seen: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler (in some numbers), Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird (one of the few birds still singing) and a lot of American Goldfinches returning to the big Tupelos at the head of the marsh. The Tupelo berries are long gone but apparently the Goldfinches and other birds are finding something to eat amidst its colorful leaves and branches. Northern Flickers returned (or new ones arrived) in some numbers as did American Robins but the Catbird population is still way down..

The pond is full of fish -- mostly schooling fish with a dark shoulder mark; they break the surface regularly (whether there is one or more species I am not sure). Among the fishing cohort of birds, the Osprey and Royal Terns stick to the creek but Yellow-crowned Night Heron, several yellowlegs (both Greater and Lesser I believe) and Belted Kingfisher are exploiting this finny resource. Once again I watched a Kingfisher nab a good-sized fish and take it to the dead Red Cedar on the opposite side of the pond. This time I was able to stay hidden and motionless behind vegetation and watch her thwonk, beat, bash, mash and otherwise reduce the twitching fish to a manageable pulp in order to be able to gulp it down -- all done with the beak, kingfisher style.  

Eric Salzman

Western or Scarlet?

Ken Thompson sent me this picture with the following comment: "We had this tanager yesterday and discussed it and after other input concluded Scarlet tanager; a similar situation to yours in today's post".

Today I saw a yellow(ish) bird with gray wings and two white wingbars which I concluded was a young Baltimore Oriole. Was it the same as yesterday's bird? Probably not but I didn't have great views of either one.

I was up before dawn and was able to admire the clear skies (the constellation Orion was front and center, a sure indication of the changing seasons) and, a little later, a clear early sunrise. The tide was low and I reached the open water just before the sun began to peek over the trees on Pine Neck. No rails to be seen but there were three sparrows working the grass and mud at the far end. They were clearly not marsh sparrows (Saltmarsh or Seaside) and not Swamp or White-throated Sparrows either. They resembled Song Sparrows but with the striping abruptly cut off and a very white belly below (no breast spot visible). They also had clearly yellow legs (Songs tend to be pinkish), white throats and gave the impression of having eyerings. I thought they were three Lincoln's Sparrows which is more of these birds than I have seen in toto on the place over the years!

There were a few Swamp, Chipping and Song Sparrows elsewhere and I could hear White-throats singing their inimitable melodies. Other than sparrows, the dominant birds were again Goldfinches with a few House Finches in the mix. Almost all the Catbirds and Robins seemed to have left the premises and I didn't see or hear a single Flicker. One oddity: I tracked a calling nuthatch and I am almost certain that it was a Red-breasted not a White-breasted.

Mushroom of the day: Coprinus (or Coprinellus) micaceus. This one of the Inky Caps which deliquesce (i.e.self-digest) into a black inky mess. These mushrooms also have the reputation of causing problems if ingested with alcohol. Not sure if this applies to this particular Inky Cap species but I do not intend to find out.

Eric Salzman

sunrise and some newbies

A real sunrise this morning as the sun pushed away the clouds and made its triumphant entry in a blue sky. Since the tide was also on the low side, I made my way to the middle of the marsh and was greeted by four Raccoons making their way up the muddy tidal creek -- three rather small ones and one slightly larger, probably a mother and her kits (if that's what young Raccoons are called).

Back to the edge of the marsh and working my way up to the top, there were quite a few birds including some new arrivals. There were the first Yellow-rumped Warblers (a.k.a. Myrtles) of the season, a couple of young Cedar Waxwings and a number of sparrows including: Swamp, Song, Chipping and White-throated. But the most tantalizing bird was a yellow tanager/oriole type with noticeable wing bars. I didn't get a good look at the bill but I am pretty sure it was a Western Tanager! It was too bright and evenly yellow to be a Baltimore Oriole and not greenish enough to be an Orchard. The female Scarlet is yellow enough but doesn't have wing bars. If it is a Western Tanager, that would be a first for the property. I not 100% on this ID but these western tanagers do wander east a lot!

Anything else? The Seaside Goldenrod is still in bloom and attracts a lot of insects, mainly bees. No Monarchs but I saw a handsome Common Buckeye supping on the flowers.

Eric Salzman

more mushrooms

With the morning weather back to oveercast and northeasterly windy, bird activity was light. As has been the case in the past few weeks, the American Goldfinches has been the most numerous and active of our avian friends, switching from their beloved thistles (which are almost finished) to the Pilewort and now Baccharis, both of which also have feathery wind-blown seeds. A few woodpeckers and the usual jays and crows round out the picture. Except for one speedy smallish falcon -- just a silhouette against the sky but undoubtedly a Merlin hunting for goldfinches.

Fall asters, white and blue are coming in. And more mushrooms: Marasmius oreades or Fairy Ring Mushroom and a species of Cortinarius with a bulbous stem. Cartinarius is one of the largest genera of mushrooms (said to contain over 1000 known species); fortunately it is not a area with delectable edibles so, even though the bulbous bottom offers a clue, I am not going to try to pin it down as to species. The Marasmius is a different story. It is a very good edible and quite common in grassy areas. The fairy ring character is not a good ID factor as it doesn't always grow in fairy rings (and there are other mushrooms that also form grassy circles). Marasmius is easily recognizable by its distinctive tan cap with a little brownish umbo on top; the shape of the cap also gives it another English name: Scotch Bonnet (not to be confused with the hot pepper of the same name). Another feature of the mushroom is its ability to recover from drying out and that means they are easy to wash to remove any dirt and puff then up to their original shape. The stems are thin and tough and have to be discarded before cooking.   

Eric Salzman

break in the weather

The soggy, windy weather finally broke and the sun actually came out today. What a relief!

The pond was active with lots of bait fish -- silversides I think -- attracting anight herons (an immature Yellow-crowned I think), egrets (mainly Great), Belted Kingfisher and Double-crested Cormorants. I heard a big splash from the neck of the pond and a Kingfisher headed straight towards the dead Red Cedar opposite, saw me and veered off to land on a dead branch further away. She (it was a female) had landed quite a good-sized fish -- perhaps a Blue Snapper -- and was jug-jug-juggling it in her beak, to kill it and get it mashed down enough to swallow. Unfortunately, a large Crow came in with obvious intent to steal the fish and she took off with her catch to finish it off somewhere else.

The other major bird of the day was a large first-year Cooper's Hawk which landed right over my head in the dead Pitch Pine overlooking the pond. Handsome, mean-looking bird. It finally decided that it didn't like my looking up at it and dashed around the corner to another dead pine perch from which it then took off for parts unknown.

Speaking of mushrooms (which I was yesterday), there is a big fruiting of the so-called Coral Mushroom -- probably a Ramaria but difficult to pin down to species level. It is all over the place under oaks and pines between the open meadow and the pond/marsh. The Coral Mushrooms are a pretty safe group of edibles but my recollection is that we tried it years ago and found it bitter so we have not tried it again. Two Laccarias are also fruiting: Lacaria laccata and the more robust (but very sandy) Laccaria trullisata. Again not top eating material. Also many different Russulae (with varied color caps) and many dangerous looking all-white mushrooms that probably belong to the deadly category of Amanitae.

Eric Salzman

rain=mushrooms!

With the lack of rain, this was a bad summer for mushrooms: a few Yellow Chanterelles early in the summer, one tiny bolete, a single Chicken Mushroom and no Black Chanterellee at all (first year I didn't find them in many years). Now that the weather has changed, fall mushrooms are starting to appear. Yesterday I found a new mushroom with the delightful name of Angel Wings (Pleurotis or Pleurocybella porrigens; a distant relative of the Oyster Mushroom) and two favorites, both lepiotas: Lepiota americana and Lepiota procera, also known as the Parasol Mushroom. The lepiotas were sauteed in a little olive oil in a hot iron skillet but we ate only a tiny piece of the Angel Wings (always a good precaution with a new mushroom). Should I add that the lepiotas were excellent; the Parasol was a collection of a dozen medium and large caps, the most I have ever found in a single place. They were superb; as a local gustatory delight, the Parasol is only equalled around here by the chanterelles (the only other possible competitors, King Bolete or Cep and the Morel are very rare or non-existant hereabouts).

I should add that Lepiota americana is now usually called Leucoagaricus americanus and the Parasol has been turned into Macrolepiota procera. In case you thought that one of the best reasons to use the scientific names is that they neveer or very rarely change, guess again! Mushrooms are particularly liable to reclassification and name changes.

I also found a mushroom that I have ID'd as a Gymnopilus but as none of these mushrooms seem to rate as a good edible (and some may be poisonous), we gave it a pass.

Mushroom ID is difficult at best and the only safe way to know what you're eating is to know what you're eating. Most of the current crop of mushrooms are small in size (many on wood) or otherwise not worth tussling with. I found a few Earth Stars, a strange kind of puffball that emerges from an almost sandy base and then splits open to reveal its treasure: a pile of black spores to be scattered by the wind. There are lots of Russulas (also hard to ID although there are a couple of recognizable species that are very tasty) and one gorgeous big Fly Agaric; this latter is the famous Amanita muscaria which looks like it should have elves scampering underneath (but in fact it is a dangerous hallucinogen). Not many boletes (the kind with a spongy rather than gilled underside to the cap) but I did collect a few medium-size handsome orange caps with yellowish shaggy stems which I have tentatively identified as Boletus longicurvipes; it's in a safe area so we may try a taste.

The bad weather seems to have caused most of the smaller birds to hunker down or pull back from the shore. I did see Brown Creeper again and all four woodpeckers -- including Hairy but not the awaited Sapsucker. Once again most of the activity was near the head of the marsh, an area that is rather protected from the northeast winds. Also there are still Wild Turkeys padding about and a couple of warblers (Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat) showed up.

For birding, you have to look up; for mushrooming you have to look down which makes it challenging to do both simultaneously!

Eric Salzman