I would summarize the 2016 season -- spring migration, breeding season, fall migration -- as a year of changes. I was able to get out almost every morning for a substantial walk around our East Quogue property and its environs from the end of April up to the last week of October. As most of the readers of this blog are aware, the property fronts on Weesuck Creek where it widens out and fkows into Shinnecock Bay. That puts us between Bay Avenue (and the town dock) and Weesuck Avenue (site of Aldrich Boatyard) and opposite the Nature Conservancy's Pine Neck Sanctuary. We have a salt marsh with two open pond areas which are tidal, and several acres of oak/hickory/pine upland woods. The shrub areas in between have Tupelos, Red Maples and various salt-tolerant shrubs. There is also a small open meadow in front of the house The property was cleared many years ago before it was acquired by my family in the 1940s but it has been allowed to grow up again with Red Cedars, Pitch Pine, Sassafras, various oaks and Mockernut Hickory forming a classic SouthShore woodland -- essentially an extension of the Pine Barrens. However the tropical storms of recent years have brought some further changes, killing a line of mature trees facing the marsh -- Red Maples, Pitch Pines and some of the Red Cedars and oaks were the hardest hit. Because the storm tides entered the woods, the underbrush was cleared out in a large area affording us good views of the creek and bay and changing the ecology quite a bit. We have been invaded by Pokeweed, Pilewort, Bull Thistle and other pioneer plants; also High-bush Blueberry has spread.. By contrast, the higher woods that escaped the storm effects have matured quite a bit.
The change in bird life has been quite noticeable. Whie-breasted Nuthatch bred for the first time. Eastern Phoebe and Great Crested Flycatcher bred on the property or just nearby. We have had four woodpeckers -- Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied and Flicker -- regularly and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker as a fall migrant or winter visitor; plenty of dead wood for them. There were three wrens -- Carolina, House and Marsh -- the first two of which bred successfully. This was a big year for finches, mostly Gold but also House Finches making a comeback after being decimated by an eye disease in recent years. The Goldfinches nested late (as is their wont) and adults and offspring virtually took over the head of the marsh in the late summer and fall.
Ground-nesting birds continue to be visitors only. Alas, both Bobwhite and Ring-necked Pheasant have completely disappeared. In their place, Wild Turkey has made a spectacular reappearance with flocks of up to two dozen birds -- a few hens and their fast-growing young -- coming by almost every day.
Mallards and Black Duck were active on the creek but the Mute Swans and Canada Geese did not make much of a showing (no tears shed there). Both Forster's and Royal Terns were regular on the creek right through the summer and fall while Common and Least Terns were down in numbers. There was a calling Clapper Rail and two birds were seen several times on the marsh in the spring but, try as I might, I could find no evidence of breeding. A Sora made an appearance in the late summer; no other rails were seen. Both night-herons were around for much of the summer along with a local Green Heron. Other herons included both egrets (Great Egret by far the most common) and Great Blue Herons were here almost all year except during breeding season.
This was yet another year when the numbers of long-distance migrants continued to drop but there were a few good species that showed. The number one sighting -- two sightings in fact -- was the Connecticut Warbler seen on 9/18 and 10/14. Northern Parula, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler (many and vocal), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler (foraging high instead of low but an unmistakable yellow bird with a black cap), and Canada Warbler were all spring migrants; May 18 was the high point with 11 species The summer (i.e. breeding) warblers were Pine, Yellow and Common Yellowthroat. Yellow-breasted Chat was seen a couple of times in September. In contrast to previous years, there were fewer fall than spring migrants and Wilson's and Connecticut Warblers were the only ones of note,
Local raptors included two active Osprey nests on Pine Neck as well as regular Red-tailed and Cooper's Hawks. As usual, Merlin appeared in August; other migrants included Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel and many Osprey. Both Screech and Great-horned Owls were regularly heard at night.
Among the woodland birds, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting made their regular appearances but only the oriole staed to breed.
I'll conclude with two big avian events, both involving hummingbirds. A Rufous-type hummer showed up at the feeders of the Morton Wildlife Refuge at Jessup's Neck. Eileen Schwinn and I managed to get there in time to see and photograph this bird on October 29 (see photos below). We may have been the last to see it as it left shortly thereafter. This was a female or young male bird which is difficult to separate from its congener, Allen's Hummingbird, a similar far-Western hummer; hence the "Rufous-type" designation.
The other event was the discovery of a Ruby-throated Hiummingbird nest in a storm-blasted, not-quite-dead Red Cedar just back of the pond straight down from our house. The nest, artfully concealed on a lichen-covered branch. produced two young raised (as is this species usual habit) by the female. Since it was discovered early in the cycle, the entire growth and feeding of the two chicks was photograghed, videoed, posted on YouTube and even written up in the Southampton Press, Three of the videos can still be seen; look for "Quogue nest" or go to the following addresses:
