Singin' in the Rain

I managed an abbreviated walk in this morning's (somewhat) wet and (somewhat) wild. Singin' in the rain was the nonstop Red-eyed Vireo. I guess he means business. I'd love to discover a nest but this bird is difficult enough to see when he is doing his persistent Q&A vocalizing.

On the marsh and pond edge, a Greater Egret has been hanging out with a Snowy Egret; at least I see them every morning now and assume they are the same birds. In this weather both the Purple Martins and a handful of Barn Swallows are flying low, just above the marsh vegetation where, presumably, there are low-flying insects to nab. On the other hand, a pair of Chimney Swifts were doing their usual aerial acrobats at medium height so, unless this is some kind of courtship, there is presumably something edible up there as well.

Add to the current flower list: the bright white flowers of Rubus blackberries and one of the tall Hawkweeds.

Eric Salzman

Night Herons and Magnolia macrophylla

Dead low tide this morning under a heavy cloud cover. Both Night Herons were on the muddy edge of the pond and both flew up on my approach. But there was a striking difference in where they flew. The Black-crowned headed out to the marsh and then doubled back, flying up Weesick Creek. Nothing unusual there. The Yellow-crowned however flew up to a high perch on one of the dead trees back of the pond and then, after watching me for a bit (the watching was mutual), it flew into the woods beyond, perching at mid-level on a Pitch Pine branch where I could just about make him out through the branches and leaves. I watched for a good fifteen minutes or more but he didn't move and I finally gave up. Judging by this behavior, there is just the possibility that there may be a nest in there somewhere!

End-of-May flowering plants: Black Cherry (Prunus serotina; native and a common weed tree); Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos; native to the south but now widely distributed); Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum; native to the Balkans but widely planted); and -- my personal favorite -- Big-leaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla), a living fossil. Magnolias were among the earliest flowering plants, dating back many many millions of years in the earth's history. As if that distinction weren't enough, Big-leaf Magnolia has the kargest leaf and the biggest flower (a tall bullet-shaped spike whose petals peel off one by one) of any native American plant. It's original range was south of us but this grove seems to be self-sustaining. My neighbor Eileen Schwinn calls it a Jurassic Park escape!

Eric Salzman

Royal Terns in May!

A mild morning, blue sky and sun, gentle shifting breezes. A distinctive call from the creek grabs my attention: Royal Terns! These striking big terns have been a regular feature in our waters in mid-summer but it is only in the past year or two that we are seeing (and hearing) them in the spring. So here they are again, almost one year to the day that I saw them in 2016.

The Osprey on the Pine Neck Point nest are both active. One (the female?) is hunched over and, I suspect may be feeding newly hatched young. The other bird (the male?) sits in an alert position on the edge of the nest before taking off to chase away an intruder and flying up the creek looking for fish.

There are now two Willets that appear regularly on our marsh and pond and one of them has started to go after me when I appear in his (I take it, it's a 'his') territory. Sometimes the two of them alight together on the dead Red Cedar on the opposite shore of the pond. Also on the marsh: a Snowy Egret (almost a rarity these days next to the common Great Egret) and a few Least Sandpipers.

Meanwhile in the upland, the Red-eyed Vireo (or another one) has been active in the oaks, I saw a female Downy Woodpecker slip into a hole (her nesting site no doubt) and a House Wren put on quite a spectacular show as this tiny bird tried to dive bomb and chase away a ginormous Red-bellied Woodpecker from his favorite tall stub. The Red-bellied did his best to pay no attention this annoying gnat, continuing to poke around in the dead wood. Eventually he departed, giving the energetic wren a respite; I suspect that the wrens have a nest somewhere in the dead wood that litters this areas near the head of the marsh.

Eric Salzman

Oriole sex & curious deer

A mature male Orchard Oriole whistled  a bit of a merry tune high in a tree at the head of the marsh this morning and he then proceeded to mount a fluttering female for what could not have been more than a few seconds. The two birds then took off for parts unknown but I suspect that there is a nest somewhere around into she will lay her eggs. Or so I hope. It's a big year for Baltimore Orioles; maybe also for Orchard. I'll keep my eyes (and ears) open.

There was a big soaring Cooper's Hawk right over the house this morning and I think she (and I'm pretty sure it was a she) was accompanied by a slightly smaller soaring bird which may have been a male (I did't get a very good look at the second bird as they both disappeared behind the now fully leafed-out trees). This did not appear to be courtship as these birds soar mainly in migration. So my guess is that they were headed north -- admittedly a bit late for these short-term migrants whose range does not extend that far into Canada.

A small rodent-sized mammal came streaking across my path yesterday morning -- it could have been a rodent but given its silhouette -- kind of longish with a snout at the front end and a fairly short tail at the rear -- I rather suspect Short-tailed Shrew. A somewhat larger mammal, the White-tailed Deer, is (surprise!) fairly abundant in our woods but, since we arrived with a dog early in the month, they have tended to stay away from the open area in front of the house (there is plenty of browse for them further back). Yesterday, what appeared to be a solitary young first-year deer followed me on my walk all around the marsh, staying in cover but just a few feet away in the bushes between the marsh and the woods. This has happened before and it is a rather strange behavior. Lorna thinks that someone is feeding the deer but there is no question that the presence of people in a no-hunting area has made these deer very tame. This morning I saw a young male just starting to grow his antlers; he was on the far side of the pond, almost equally tame and watching me with an air of curiosity. Did he also expect to be fed or was he just checking me out.  

Eric Salzman

Where have all the tanagers gone?

Last week's ELIAS visit to Hunter's Garden had more to it than was in my report. The biggest big deal of the day (it was a week ago Wednesday) was this young SUMMER TANAGER, photographed by Vincent Cagno, a relatively new (but sharp) E. Quogue birder. What makes it a Summer Tanager? The big bill for one and the lack of dark wings; also the light-colored upper bill and the slightly crested appearance. I thought I heard someone call out Summer Tanager but I never did see the bird; fortunately, Vin got it on camera. The first-year males, of which this is a fine example, often have a more splotchy plumage but you can see traces of the yellow first-year plumage on this bird and the on-going molt into adult costume can start with the head.

Where have all the tanagers gone? Well they're still here but, no matter what we call 'em, they aren't tanagers anymore. Piranga rubra and all our other U.S. Pirangas (including the Scarlet), are actually now placed in the cardinal family!

The other big item of the day was the presence of large numbers of Barn Swallows, hunting even in the middle of wooded areas but also in bigger numbers over open areas -- farm fields in particular -- seen on the way out. These were undoubtedly migrants headed further north; most of our nesting swallows, no longer in flocks, are settled in, paired off and getting ready to build nests.

Speaking of migrating swallows, the highlight (so to speak) of this morning's ELIAS walk at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge was a flock of Rough-winged Swallows hunting low over the cove near the main entrance. I say 'so to speak' because this was a rainy and sometime blustery day that had few highlights in either the figurative or literal sense of the word. They all appeared as smallish brown birds, white underneath and with a squared-off tail; the tail, the method of flying and the occasional calls all made for aneasy ID (if there was a Bank Swallow mixed in, I did not pick it out). In any case, Rough-wings typically migrate late in the season and in flocks; I have seen them before in numbers feeding over fresh water ponds like the Quogue Ice Pond. How they found any flying insects to feed on in this weather is a mystery but find them they did! 

One other good bird of the morning was emitting a raspy warble from high in the trees bordering the pond. At first I thought it was a Warbling Vireo but it turned out to be an Orchard Oriole which, like the Summer Tanager pictured above, was a first-year male. These oriole have a typical first-year plumage: yellow-green with a black bib. I think that they can breed in this plumage but this bird has yet to learn the sweeter notes of his more talented elders. 

Eric Salzman

some warblers and a vireo

A few warblers came in after the rains. The only one I could identify for sure was a handsome and very vocal Chestnut-sided Warbler. It was my First of the Season for this species, showing that migration is not over quite yet. Incidentally, this species used to nest on ELI; does anyone know of a current site?

Even more of a surprise was the return of the Red-eyed Vireo, singing away as before. Was this the same bird that was hanging around all last week? Or a newcomer with a very similar song? Difficult to say.

The nesting warblers remain very much in evidence. There is probably only a single male Pine with a big territory (there might be two but I think the bird just moves around a lot). There are at least three Yellows -- maybe four -- scattered on territory all around the marsh and pond from head to toe-- or should I say from head to mouth. Ditto for the Common Yellowthroats which are equally vociferous and  equally spread out.

Eric Salzman

Phoebes at the chase & pictures of a rarity

Overcast, cool, somewhat breezy and damp.

Spotted Sandpiper and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron still with us. But no sign, sight or sound from the Red-eyed Vireo after a week of intense singing.

The most notable event of the morning were the thrilling chases of two Eastern Phoebes as they whizzed through the mid-tree level. Is this love or war? I suspect a rival male has arrived on the scene to challenge the incumbent and he is fighting back. As before, I suspect that there is a nest hidden under the eaves of a neighbor's house and the nesting may already be advanced (usually there is only one Phoebe at a time implying that the other one is sitting on eggs or brooding hatchings).

Add to the flower list: Wisteria in full bloom;  Wisteria is a garden plant but it has escaped and does well on its own. Various azeleas and rhododendron (rhododendra?) are coming into bloom; these are all garden plants. Some of the hawkweeds have started to appear including what I think is Mouse-eared Hawkweed (it has solitary blossoms rising out of a mat of basal leaves).

No butterflies today!

Eric Salzman

P.S. Juliana Duryea found this on the beach over the weekend and Mike Bottini sent on the photographs. This is a Least Bittern, a really tough bird to find on Eastern LI (probably more common than we think but it's very secretive). I've never seen it out here (once missed it by minutes on Dune Road because I wouldn't stop to see what a curious birder was looking at in the Pragmites!).

birds, flowers & butterflies

Sandy took out a lot of our Pitch Pines but Pine Warbler continues to occupy his regular territory spending most of its time feeding in deciduous trees. The singing male is actually quite handsome with his yellow throat and breast with dark streaking at the side and no streaking above (as distinguished from the female and fall Blackpoll and fall Bay-breasted, both of which are streaked above).

Alas, after a week of persistent trying, the Red-Eyed Vireo seems to have given up; at least he wasn't heard on the place this morning. Perhaps he went off looking for greener pastures (or, I should say, greener treetops).

Two butterflies of interest: a Black Swallowtail male and what I think was a Variegated Fritillary (seen only low and in flight; this is the only Fritillary likely to fly this early in the spring). If that's what it was, it would be new for the property.

Some of the miniature wildflowers in bloom right now include one of the Speedwells (with oval leaves and tiny lavender flowers), Least Hop Clover (tiny yellow flowers) and one of the Lepidium peppergrasses (white). There is also a beautiful Potentilla cinquefoil spreading all over the open areas around the house and a handsome small blue mint -- an Ajuga mint I believe. Other flowers in full bloom right now include Lily-of-the-Valley and Bush Honeysuckle. Our old Apple tree and the remaining Lilac bush both bloomed early -- at the beginning of the month -- and are now long finished.

Eric Salzman

change in the weather

Big change of weather to cool and windy with gusty N/NE winds.

Red-eyed Vireo still singing away; it's been a week now -- longer than ever before).

I think there are three different Yellow Warblers on territory and an equal number of singing Common Yellowthroats.

On the marsh and/or pond edge: Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Willet. By the way, Eastern and Western Willets are about to be split which will add a species to my local list; I've seen the Western several times at Moriches Inlet (Cupsogue} and on Shinnecock (ocean side in fall). The Western is a noticeably bigger and paler bird.

Over the creek: a few terns including Least, Common and Forster's. Two Osprey flying together which means (!) at least one pair of locals are courting (because first attempt failed?) or (2) these are young birds looking to mate and start family life, or (3) the young are already out and both adults are feeding them, or (4) these are visitors from somewhere else, possibly even late migrants.

The big unanswered question of the morning was a warbler-size bird skulking in a thicket and uttering a brief repeated warbler-type song every few seconds. I worked hard trying to catch a glimpse of this hidden singer. I finally resorted to pishing -- the classic birder's method of coaxing out a skulker. It worked only too well; the bird flew right out and away! I tried to find where it had scooted to (there was a shadow bird moving in the underbrush opposite but it too moved away without revealing itself). My guess, based on the short song. is that it was a Magnolia Warbler which tends to hunt low and characteristically sings short songs. But I am far from 100% sure.

Eric Salzman

hummers, swifts, sandpipers, herons and a turtle

A couple of hummingbirds appeared today -- not down by the pond where they nested last year but just back of the house; couldn't see if they were males or females. Also their cousins, Chimney Swifts, (yes, hummers and swifts are related) over the marsh along with (but above) the Purple Martins. But where are the other swallows?).

At least three Spotted Sandpipers were at the mouth of the pond and both Green Heron and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron flew over the marsh.

The Red-eyed Vireo continues to roam across the tops of the local oaks, singing away non-stop. There's a Parula Warbler somewhere up in those same oak tassels (I can hear it singing) and Pine Warbler as well but no other migratory warblers that I can make out.

The big find of the day was a young Box Turtle, about half the size of an adult and the first of any size to emerge this year.

Eric Salzman

Mid-summer in mid-May?

Today's warm, humid and sunny weather produced a torrent of early morning song and I thought for sure there would be some migrant warblers in the mix. But almost every warbler call turned out to be clear Yellow, Yellowthroat or Pine Warbler signature tunes. Unless you count a Red-eyed Vireo as an honorary warbler, there was only one notable warble on the place this morning: a singing Blackpoll. 'Singing' or even 'warbler warble' are relative terms; the Blackpoll utters a dainty little tsit-tsit-tsit, high-pitched and high in the tree-tops. But it was enough for me to identify it and I eventually found him nosing around in the high oak tassels.

Incidentally, Red-eyed Vireo pays us a visit every spring but never seems to hang around and nest (there are plenty of nesting Red-eyes in the upland oak woods, Hunter's Garden being a good example). But this fellow is really singing away like he means business. Ms Olivaceus, are you listening?

There were two other First of the Seasons: a Green Heron being chased up by a Red-winged Blackbird from the marsh and a Spotted Sandpiper in the mud at the neck of the pond. Green Heron used to breed right on the property and probably still does somewhere in the area. Spotted Sandpiper is a tougher call but a few may breed somewhere on the East End.

Eric Salzman

Hunter's Garden again

There were warblers singing by my front door when I stepped out this morning at 6:30 am but I didn't bother to figure out what they were because Eileen Schwinn was coming by to pick me up. Today was ELIAS' annual visit to Hunter's Garden, our local mecca for warblers. After all, we had a Cape May there only two days ago so obviously the joint would be jumping.

Alas, that wasn't the case at all. With a lot of effort, the crowd of perhaps 20 eager birders turned up a couple of Blackpolls, a Black-and-White, a Parula and, best of all, a Worm-Eating Warbler (which I never saw). Did someone see a Black-throated Green? If so, it wasn't me. All the other warblers -- Pine, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat -- were locals as were the many other colorful or musical birds on site: Scarlet Tanagers (male and female; the female low down gathering nesting material), Baltimore Orioles (including a young first-year male in female-type plumage but making grown-up male sounds), singing Veery and singing Hermit Thrush, at least one pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, many singing Red-eyed Vireos and a single non-singing Warbler Vireo. Also at least three flycatchers (Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-pewee and Great Crested) and a flock of some two dozen Cedar Waxwings. A striking bird was a fly-over calling Raven. Another was a calling Yellow-billed Cuckoo hanging out with -- at least according to some of the group -- a Black-billed Cuckoo.

As Eileen dropped me off back at my place close to noon, the warblers were still singing: Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler and I don't know what else. Maybe they'll still be here tomorrow morning.

Eric Salzman

Cape May Warbler

Here is a Vincent Cagno shot of yesterday's Cape May Warbler at Hunter's Garden. The bird was high at treetop level where it was hawking insects with other warblers -- mostly Yellow-rumps but also including a few others (and, judging by the prevalence of its dinky high-pitched trills, there was likely more than one in the feeding flock). Given the distance and the fact that the birds were seen mostly in silhouette, actively flitting around in the highest leaves and branches, photography was a difficult at best. The best part of this shot is that it shows Mr. Setophaga Tigrina with prey in its beak (looks like an ant to me). You can see that it -- the bird not the ant -- is yellow with heavy breast streaking and a yellow face; if you look had you can see the darker round face patch -- actually orangey or chestnut depending on whose color scheme you follow. What you can't see is the yellow rump and white on the wings (but which we got glimpses of from down below). Cape May has always been an erratic species which depends on outbreaks of spruce budworm on its breeding grounds. In recent years, possibly due to the use of insecticide to control these outbreaks, this specialized warbler has been declining seriously and itt's been a decade since I have seen one on Eastern Long Island. 

Yesterday was also Great Crested Flycatcher day. There were several in the woods around the Manorville Hills and Hunter's Garden and the bird arrived at our East Quogue/Weesuck Creek address as well. It was making the rounds today giving its typical and unmistakeable screep and whee-eep sounds all over the place. Hole nesters like the Great Crested and our two tits (Chickadee and Titmouse) benefit from the presence of four woodpeckers (and a fifth in the winter) and lots of standing dead wood into which a plethora of holes can be drilled. Yes, that's what woodpeckers do for fun, for love, for bravado and for dinner. Helping other species is not their intention but it all works out in the larger scheme of things.

Eric Salzman

Scout's honor!

Went out this morning with Eileen Schwinn and Vinnie Cagno to scout Hunter's Garden in advance of the ELIAS trip there on Wednesday. As the road in -- off Rt. 51 -- was now double-locked, we elected to try an alternate entrance at the dirt road continuation of Hot Water Street by the Manorville Hills County Park off Rt. 111. But this too was gated and locked and, after walking a good ways in -- and realizing that we were still far from Hunter's Garden -- we elected to go back to the original gate on Rt. 51 and walk the relatively short distance in. At both places we found birds but almost all of them were local breeders. Our object was to find migrating warblers, an effort which met with no seeming success at all. The weather was overcast and somewhat drizzly with occasional break-throughs of sun and substantial wind gusts, all of which combined to make for some frustrating birding. Only after we had essentially given up and were walking out from Hunter's Garden did a pair of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers catch our attention and lead us to a grove of trees that was full of warblers. These were most Yellow-rumped Warblers (in high spring plumage to be sure) along with a few other birds that were truly difficult to make out flitting high in the half leafed-out trees against a overbright, overcast sky. But, in addition to a Blackpoll or two, a fast-disappearing Black-and-white and an unidentified Vermivora warbler (Vermivora on its silhouette only), there was another bird of interest: a streaky yellow breast, a lot of white on the wings, a yellow face with some kind of orange marking and a thin, high-pitched one-note song. CAPE MAY WARBLER! It was the first one I've seen in about ten years and a bird that has become a real rarity on Eastern LI. In fact, judging by the calls, there were several of these birds scattering around the tops of the trees and mixed in with the Yellow-rumps. We worked hard to earn that bird but it made all our efforts worthwhile.

The breeding warblers were Ovenbird, Pine, Common Yellowthroat and Blue-wing warbler. All of these warblers, except Pine and Yellowthroat, were Firsts of the Season for me. Other firsts were Ruby-throated Hummingbird (two of 'em), Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Turkey Vulture, Eastern Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Red-eyed Vireos were on territory and noisy Baltimore Orioles seemed to be all over the place. Ditto, alas, Brown-headed Cowbirds.

The Great Crested, by the way, was also seen and heard at our place early in the morning and appeared to have arrived last night. I thought the same of the Scarlet Tanager which I also heard singing on our place.

A short P.S.: In yesterday's blog, I made some remark about traditional farmers on Eastern LI not planting until Labor Day! What I meant, of course, was Memorial Day! 

Eric Salzman

Is this an exceptionally cool and rainy Spring?

Yesterday, I was out for my regular morning walk before the rains came but there was very little change from the preceding days. This morning, I managed only a shortened version of my walk amid light rain. I did notice a feeding flock of B-C Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, Pine Warbler and one or two other unidentified small birds (warblers?) feeding high in the oak tassels. The cold rainy weather, north/northeast winds, the feeding flock and the continuing presence of White-crowned Sparrows (I hear them singing first thing in the morning) all promote the feeling that winter has not yet departed. But this should not fool anyone into thinking that climate change (a.k.a. global warming) is thereby contradicted. First of all, there is a difference between climate, which is global, and weather, which is local. Second, it is a badly-remembered fact that May on Eastern L.I. has long been cool and rainy. The old farmers' lore in these parts was not to plant until Labor Day. I remember finding and observing a small breeding colony of Cerulean Warblers (the first ever recorded on L.I.) and they were singing, courting and nesting (successfully) in the rain. We used to light our wood stove early in May and keep it running most of the month. Spring greenery and flowers out here tend to be around two weeks later than further east in NYC or on the mainland. This is particularly true of the South Shore where we are exposed to the cooling effect of the ocean which warms up at a much slower rate than the air (this is reversed in the fall, giving up a lot of Indian Summer). In spite of all the cool and rainy weather, I can say that the trees are leafing out and spring flowers are blooming a few days earlier than in the past and I have records that offer evidence of this.

At any rate, the weather changed about noon with quite a bit of warm sunshine alternating with scudding clouds (love that expression). I made it back down to the pond to witness a big influx of terns in the bay, at the intersection of creek and bay, and wandering up the creek apparently following fish runs. There were many Commons (believe it or not, the first of the year for me) mixed in with Forster's and Least Terns. What was especially interesting was to note the difference in the calls which does a good job of separating the three species by sound.

Eric Salzman

Stasis

A cool overcast morning with north to northeast breezes. Not conducive to movement but rather to stasis. In other words, things were about the same as yesterday: a Lesser Yellowlegs on the pond in the middle of the marsh, an invisible Clapper Rail clapping away, various distant terns out on the bay, Eastern Kingbird and Eastern Phoebe trying to find their insect dinners. The most visible and audible species was the Baltimore Oriole, several male members of which are chiming away as they circulate through their newly established territories. Also both Yellowthroat and Yellow Warblers continue to sing around the head of the marsh.

Just two 'new' observations. A pair of Ospreys were active on and around the nest opposite us at the tip of Pine Neck (they are probably sitting on eggs or brooding hatchlings since only one bird leaves the nest at a time). And several Barn Swallows were hawking insects over the marsh; for some reason, I did not see this species on any previous morning since we got here on May 4th.

Oh, and Chimney Swifts flying over Riverhead in the afternoon (FOS).

Eric Salzman

a surprise!

This morning I was walking on Randall Lane -- the dirt road that adjoins our property to the west -- when a neighbor pulled up in her car to report that two Night Herons were perched (roosting?) in a tree on her property yesterday evening. Now this spot, although not far from the head of the marsh, is a bit back from the water and seemed an unlikely spot for roosting Black-crowned Night Herons. Nevertheless she insisted that these were Night Herons, at least one of which had breeding plumage plumes. She suggested pleasantly that I talk to her husband who is more of an avian maven than she was and who had checked out the ID; she added that I was welcome to pay an evening visit to see if they came back. With that she took off and almost instantly a calling Night Heron came flying right across where we were standing!! Partly from the call and partly from my subsequent visit to the mouth of our pond, I was able to confirm that these were Yellow-crowned Nigh Herons; there were two of them and at least one had the breeding plumes!!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron makes complete sense. These birds have been more common on our pond and marsh than the Black-crowned version in recent years. And Yellow-crowns are known to nest in isolated pairs, often somewhat back from the water (unlike the gregarious and colonial Black-crowns). I have long suspected that they nsst in our area and our neighbors' fortuitous observations may well support that thesis! I'll certainly check it out tonight.

Other observations of note include the arrival of Purple Martins (a few arrived on Tuesday with larger numbers yesterday; this morning they were all noisily going about their business, no doubt settling who was mating with whom and which nest gourds will be the site of Progne domestic bliss.

On the open water pond in the middle of the marsh, there was a single Lesser Yellowlegs and several equally yellow-legged Least Sandpipers, the first of the season. Deeper into the marsh, there was some annoying rail chatter -- annoying because that's the way the bird sounded but also because, try as I might, I could not catch a glimpse.

And there was an FOS Parula Warbler joining his 'resident' cousins (Yellow, Yellowthroat and Pine) to make a four-warbler day. Hope more are coming! 

Eric Salzman

5/9/17
Two days in early May:

Baltimore Orioles arrived yesterday in a torrent of melodic chirping. If I remember correctly, Roger Tory Peterson once described Baltimore Oriole vocalizations as the melodious introduction to a song that never actually comes. But when these birds first arrive from their winter quarters, they are in top form -- not only in looks but also in voice. I had the pleasure of watching and listening to two of these males facing off. They were puffing up their bright orange plumage, lifting up their heads to show their sharp threatening beaks and simultaneously unleashing a spray of loud melodious chirps that virtually achieved that melodic status the RTP says never comes! I think the object of all this challenge was not so much to drive the other bird away as to establish borders or invisible fence lines between. In fact the song contest was mostly conducted at a distance so there was no possibility of an actual fight. I did not see a female; do they come later or just wait patiently out of sight until the conflicts are settled?

Two FOS's (both over the creek and first noticed by sound): Fish Crow and Least Terns.

This morning's new bird was a doozy. At 7 am the tide was already quite high (it was coming in) and the water in the marsh had pretty much filled  up the central pond and its outlet flow; the marsh vegetation has barely begun to sprout so the entire marsh floor was in view.  A plump bird with a patterned back, a buffy breast and a triangular yellowish bill. Would a yearling Sora Rail keep its juvenile plumage into May of its second year? That's what it looked like.

Two other FOS's were woodpeckers both first noted by sound: Flicker by its 'kyeer', Hairy by its sharp, distinctive, repeated 'peek' note.This rounds out the list of our summer woodpeckers; Downy, Red-bellied and Northern Flicker are common nesters; Hairy are usually seen and heard later in the season but they are potential nesters here. We still have a lot of standing dead wood and Hairys have nested on Pine Neck directly opposite us. (Once, years ago, I found two Hairy nests on the old entrance road.)  

There were also some swallows around but I'm not quite sure what they were. They were smallish, quite dark against the sky and, aside from the square-tailed silhouette, showed no markings. I would guess Bank or Rough-winged. Haven't seen the more common expected swallows at all.

Eric Salzman

5/7/17
Did I say something about no wrens? The most vociferous voice of this morning's chorus was the Carolina Wren -- at least one bird singing a heartfelt non-stop medley of wren tunes right in our back yard. The House Wrens were not quiet either although not as noisy as they were yesterday.

Springtime birdsong can be intermittent but it's still the best way to tell what's going on in the post-dinosaur modern world! Yes, these modern dino descendants give away their presence more often by sound than by sight. This morning, Common Yellowthroat announced its presences (at least one male) with a series of loud witchity-witchitys. A new arrival? At any rate, the first of the season for me. Another, not so welcome FOS was a small flock of cowbirds, male and female, presumably getting ready for the oncoming nesting season. They also announced themselves vocally, not with a song, but with a characteristically ugly rattle.

There were terns out on the bay but too far away to get any field marks. In the past, I would have simply marked them down at Common Terns but Forster's Terns have been prominent in early spring in the past couple of years. I'll keep a sharp lookout (and listenout -- there is a difference in the calls). Another FOS was a calling Yellowlegs, probably Lesser by distant look and by sound.

I'm trying to compile a list of early blooming flowers but I keep finding new ones, many of them garden or escaped garden species. Yesterday I did find, somewhat surprisingly for the first week in May, a fruiting of the edible Marasmius Oreades, commonly known as the Fairy Ring Mushroom. This is something of a misnomer as it doesn't always grow in fairy rings and some other mushrooms often do. In any case, it is a small mushroom with a pretty distinctive firm cap (the edible part) and an ability to dry out and then resuscitate in water. It is also a delicious mushroom -- if you are sure of your ID!

Eric Salzman

5/5/17
Yesterday I reported that I didn't see or hear either local wren species; this morning I heard both. In fact, House Wrens were singing all over the place and a pair of them were trying to get into the dryer outlet where Carolina Wrens have tried to nest in past years. Although a piece of mesh now covers the hole, the smallish House Wren might have been able to slip in through the sides of the mesh. Or, perhaps, he (and I'm pretty sure it was a he as he sang several times) simply wanted to obliterate the hole by filling it with trash (a favorite, somewhat incomprehensible occupation of male House Wrens). In any case we chased him away and made the hole more difficult to enter. We'll see.

The Carolina Wrens seem to ne uncharacteristically quiet -- I heard just one song -- probably because they are already nesting, sitting on eggs or even feeding young. Carolinas are year-round residents and one of the earliest breeders around here. House Wrens, on the other hand, leave us for the winter and these birds might actually be recent returnees, only just starting to sing and investigating possible nest holes. Ditto for Catbirds. On the other hand, American Goldfinches are often here in the winter and, although they are notably late nesters, they are already actively singing their short songs. A couple of them were even checking out the area where the thistles grow; thistle seed is their favorite food -- but the seeds are months away from appearing.

The wrens were not the only FOS's for me (FOS is birder code for First of Season). And overhead flight of loons (mostly or entirely Commons) came right overhead on their usual migratory track, from southwest to northeast; quite an impressive sight. Also a large raptor, probably a Red-tailed Hawk, came flapping by; it was hard to make out any detail against the heavily clouded, brightening sky but it was certainly a buteo. Heard Yellow and Pine Warblers singing; assuming these audio IDs are correct, these would be the first warblers of the year. 

White-throated Sparrows are still around but rather silent and seemingly in small flocks. These may be -- at least in part -- through migrants rather than lingering winter birds. They nest further north so, in any case they will be leaving us shortly. Other birds seen today included Mourning Doves (oddly enough, missed yesterday), and Ring-billed Gulls (ditto).
 
A startling clatter coming out of the marsh was almost certainly a Clapper Rail; couldn't find it even though the marsh grass is still very low (it was probably working the little creek bed through which the marsh water flows in and out. The big action here was the high speed chases of the Red-winged Blackbirds -- males chasing males, males chasing females, females chasing other females. The females don't sing (or at least not very much) but they play an active role in the mating process.

Eric Salzman

The View From East Quogue 2017

5/5/17

We arrived back in East Quogue on Thursday, May 4th, a few days later than usual. And, as usual, it took a couple of days for Verizon to get the phone and internet working so this is a make-up blog to kick off the season!

There were several reasons for the delay, one of which was that we just returned from eleven days in Firenze (Florence, Italy). This was not a birding trip but, even so, there were a few ornithological observations worth reporting. The biggest deal is that Florence, an ancient city that retains much of its medieval and Renaissance architecture, has a lot of ancient eaves under its roofs, perfect habitat for the nesting of the European Swift. With a spring more advanced than our own, the skies over this Mediterranean city were filled with calling Swifts, apparently happily catching their insect prey over the houses. Their buzzy call and larger size -- very different from our Chimney Swifts -- made them easy to identify and quite fascinating to watch. This bird has the reputation of spending more time in the air than any other species; they even sleep on the wing!

The two most unusual birds seen were in the gardens surrounding San Miniato del Monte -- an ancient church adjacent to the Boboli Gardens of the Pitti Palace on the green hills in the leafy Transarno region of the city. One of them was the European (or Eurasian) Redstart, a very different bird from its American namesake. It was formerly considered a relation of the thrushes but it is now assigned (along with many others) to the Eurasian flycatchers, equally unrelated to our flycatchers. It has a red or reddish tail (that's what the name 'redstart' means); the breeding plumage males also have a reddish breast and rump, black cheeks and throat and a white forehead and a rather squeaky song. The other was a singing Serin, the European equivalent of the Canary (the cage bird is derived from a closely related species found on the Canary Islands). Strangely enough, it is not a very impressive singer (it has a sort of squeaky trill) and it is not a very easily identified bird. I first called it a Yellowhammer, then a Siskin before finally figuring out its true identity (pushed-in face, small bill, streaky sides, white belly below the yellow breast, bright yellow rump). This is an uncommon bird in northern Europe (I had only seen it once or twice before) but a year-round resident around the Mediterranean.

Other birds seen in Florence were more familiar: Eurasian Blackbird (a true Turdus thrush and common garden bird like our Robin), Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Wood Pigeon, some unidentified swallows and gulls. A very pretty warble was probably attributable to Garden Warbler or Blackcap.

Friday, May 5: first 2017 morning walk in East Quogue. Most notable birds of the morning were a pair of Eastern Kingbirds and a singing Orchard Oriole (along with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, our most melodious singer!). Both of these birds are possible local breeders. No winter birds, no long distance migrants. All the other birds seen and heard -- before the rains came -- were common local breeders: Double-crested Cormorants, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls on the creek, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, singing Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrasher and Northern Mockingbird, Am. Crows and Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle, Song and Chipping Sparrows, Northern Cardinal and Am. Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse (but, oddly, no wrens). 

Saturday, May 6: Yesterday I reported that I didn't see or hear either local wren species; this morning I heard both. In fact, House Wrens were singing all over the place and a pair of them were trying to get into the dryer outlet where Carolina Wrens have tried to nest in past years. Although a piece of mesh now covers the hole, the smallish House Wren might have been able to slip in through the sides of the mesh. Or, perhaps, he (and I'm pretty sure it was a he as he sang several times) simply wanted to obliterate the hole by filling it with trash (a favorite, somewhat incomprehensible occupation of male House Wrens). In any case we chased him away and made the hole more difficult to enter. We'll see.

The Carolina Wrens seem to ne uncharacteristically quiet -- I heard just one song -- probably because they are already nesting, sitting on eggs or even feeding young. Carolinas are year-round residents and one of the earliest breeders around here. House Wrens, on the other hand, leave us for the winter and these birds might actually be recent returnees, only just starting to sing and investigating possible nest holes. Ditto for Catbirds. On the other hand, American Goldfinches are often here in the winter and, although they are notably late nesters, they are already actively singing their short songs. A couple of them were even checking out the area where the thistles grow; thistle seed is their favorite food -- but the seeds are months away from appearing.

The wrens were not the only FOS's for me (FOS is birder code for First of Season). And overhead flight of loons (mostly or entirely Commons) came right overhead on their usual migratory track, from southwest to northeast; quite an impressive sight. Also a large raptor, probably a Red-tailed Hawk, came flapping by; it was hard to make out any detail against the heavily clouded, brightening sky but it was certainly a buteo. Heard Yellow and Pine Warblers singing; assuming these audio IDs are correct, these would be the first warblers of the year. 

White-throated Sparrows are still around but rather silent and seemingly in small flocks. These may be -- at least in part -- through migrants rather than lingering winter birds. They nest further north so, in any case they will be leaving us shortly. Other birds seen today included Mourning Doves (oddly enough, missed yesterday), and Ring-billed Gulls (ditto).
 
A startling clatter coming out of the marsh was almost certainly a Clapper Rail; couldn't find it even though the marsh grass is still very low (it was probably working the little creek bed through which the marsh water flows in and out. The big action here was the high speed chases of the Red-winged Blackbirds -- males chasing males, males chasing females, females chasing other females. The females don't sing (or at least not very much) but they play an active role in the mating process.
 
Eric Salzman

FOS's

Slowly but surely, the FOS's (First of the Seasons) accumulate. A small accipiter dashing across the marsh was, almost certainly, a Sharp-shinned Hawk. A calling White-breasted Nuthatch was a return from last year's successful breeding; since it is a year-rounder there is a strong probability that it is already nesting. The distant but unmistakeable sing-song of a Red-eyed Vireo allows me to count that species in (it breeds in the oak woods not very far away and might breed around here as well). The rather distinct low-pitched slightly buzzy calls of the terns on the creek are typical of Forster's Terns (and not of Common Terns).

Among the early spring flowers, Shadbush and High-bush Blueberry are notable as native species. Almost all the low-growing flowering plants now in view are introduced or escapes including the dreaded Garlic Mustard and the more attractive Wisteria, Lilac and various azeleas. There are also a couple of tiny white and blue flowers that I always have trouble identifying. For the moment, I'm looking up more often than I look down.

Eric Salzman