no Cape Mays but lots of finches

Didn't see any Cape May Warblers this morning but I did spot the other warblers that have been hanging around in recent days: American Redstart, Black-and-white, Prairie, Yellow, Common Yellowthroat and Northern Waterthrush. Also Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the head of the marsh, Royal Terns on the creek and a young Eastern Phoebe hunting insects right out my porch window. The most numerous birds are still Goldfinches and House Finches along with flocks of Black-capped Chickadees. The finches have assembled to eat the Marsh Elder seeds which are in profusion right now. Eric Salzman

colorful misnomers

Both yesterday and this morning were overcast, cool and a bit windy, conditions that did not encourage migration, arriving or departing. Most of the warblers I have been seeing are still with us: Cape May, Prairie, Yellow, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Waterthrush. I saw at least three different plumages of Cape May representing (I think) male and female adults and young of the year. The male was still in his handsome breeding plumage with a yellow neck, throat and breast, heavy breast streaking, a white wing patch and a red or chestnut ear patch. Notice how misnamed many of these colorful bird-watcher specialties actually are. In fact the whole family is misnamed -- a confusion with the unrelated Eurasian warblers (which do indeed warble but are, by and large, not so pretty). Our warblers -- better looking but not so musically inclined -- are restricted to the Americas and are often called Wood Warblers to emphasize the difference. As I mentioned yesterday, the Cape May was named for a bird found at that location in the early 19th century and then not seen there for another 100 years (it breeds in southern Canada and adjacent areas of the US including parts of New England and winters in the West Indies). Prairie Warblers don't inhabit prairies but like low brushy areas. The waterthrushes are not thrushes but warblers that look only vaguely like thrushes. Probably the most egregious misnomers are the Palm Warbler and the Magnolia Warbler, both of which breed in Canadian boreal forests (the Palm in northern bogs, the Magnolia in forest trees) and both winter just south of the US (the Palm in the Caribbean, the Magnolia in Central America and parts of the Caribbean). Eric Salzman

Cape May Warbler again

Saw a Cape May Warbler again this morning. This bird had very little yellow -- just a touch on either side of the neck. It was mostly olive-gray with a sharp bill, streaking down the breast, two faint wing bars, the tell-tale greenish-yellow rump and white outer tail tips. That would make it a young bird of the year (and this certainly seems to be a Cape May Warbler Year). By the way, it's just a coincidence that Setophaga tigrina was named after the southern tip of New Jersey. The bird was first spotted there in migration by a European ornithologist in that famously birdy place but it then it wasn't seen there for another 100 years! If it had been seen first on our marsh, it might have been called the East Quogue Warbler! It actually breeds along the Canadian/US border and in New England where it feeds on Spruce Budworm. I suspect there is (or has been) a Spruce Budworm outbreak in those areas which would account for the sudden reappearance of the bird after years of absence or rarity. Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat (male in full regalia with mask), Yellow Warbler and Northern Waterthrush made up the rest of the morning's warbler list. Flocks of House Finches, Goldfinches, Song Sparrows and House Sparrows are still working the Marsh Elder while Royal Terns and soaring Osprey are flying and calling over the creek.. Eric Salzman

finally some warblers!

Today's 'new' bird: Prairie Warbler. Other warblers seen: Black-and-white, Yellow, Yellowthroat and Northern Waterthrush and Am Redstart. Adding yesterday's Cape May Warblers -- a real highlight -- that makes a total of seven species. Large numbers of finch-type birds feeding in flocks on the Iva or Marsh Elder including a surprisingly large number of House Finches (they have been few in numbers recently) plus Goldfinches, Song Sparrows and Cardinals. Good-sized raptor, accipiter type, soaring overhead: long tail and broad wings make it a Cooper's Hawk. Eric Salzman

yellow rumps and honey caps

A small group of 'confusing fall warblers' (as a page in the old Petersen used to be labelled) turned up with the morning feeding flock. There were perhaps only two or three birds but they were at eye level and kept on popping up from the dense vegetation at the edge of the marsh. They all had yellow rumps so I immediately yelled out -- to no one in particular -- Yellow-rumped Warbler! Fortunately no one was listening; they were all warblers with yellow rumps all right but definitely not Yellow-rumped Warblers (which are typically the latest of the migratory warblers to arrive). There are only a few species with yellow rumps; this one had a yellow wash around the face and under the chin from which there were thin black streaks running down the breast. The back was an even olive-gray, the rump pale yellow and there were two thin wing bars. It took me a while to realize that I was looking at juvenile CAPE MAY WARBLERS in a plumage that I cannot remember ever having seen before. I saw a breeding plumage male this spring and it was the first one that I had seen out here in a couple of decades! This is a species that was known to be in decline for many years; maybe its reappearance in both spring and fall migration indicates some kind of recovery! The rest of the birds along the edge from the pond area all the way up to the head of the marsh were familiar local nesters although some of them may have been migrants as well. The list of edible mushrooms continues to grow with Leucoagaricus americanus (formerly Lepiota americana -- a relative of the edible Parasol Mushroom) and the Honey Mushroom or Armillaria mellea among them. Also more chanterelles and a few early boletes. The Honey Mushroom grows in clumps on dead wood, has honey-yellow colored caps (but the color is variable) and it is relatively easy to identify as it has white gills, white spores and a thin ring on its (non-edible) stem. The Lepiota or Leucoagaricus is an equally delicious mushroom but I don't recommend it unless you know your mushrooms well as it somewhat resembles a highly poisonous Amanita. Even so it's a handsome white fungus -- some brownish flecks on the caps -- that has two striking characteristics: it bruises yellow and turns red when cooked; the oder and flavor are almost perfume-y. Eric Salzman

flocking

Feeding flocks down at the pond early yesterday and this morning included Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroats plus the more expected Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, House Wrens, House Finches and Goldfinches. These feeding flocks start to form about now and continue into the winter. The invasion of House Sparrows continues and there were at least three or four Northern Mockingbirds as well. The Osprey continue to inhabit the creek with occasional forays into the bay. I was worried that there might not be enough fish for them all but I do see one carrying a good-sized catch in its talons now and then -- Bluefish I would guess. The young Osprey continue to whistle and call noisily but to what purpose I'm not sure (perhaps this is part of the socialization of the young birds). More bird noise came from a large flock -- at least three dozen honking critters -- of Canada Geese moving from Pine Neck across the bay. It's early for goose migration (and many, perhaps most of our geese don't even migrate anymore) but they are already flocking up and moving around. Heard one loud, unidentified call; it was repeated several but I could never find its source. The local deer 'herd' now includes two males sprouting antlers, one or two females that hang out with their offspring, sometimes with the males nearby, sometimes not. When the dog starts barking or a human appears, the adults tend to stand their ground until the last minute while the young -- still spotted -- go dashing off. Eric Salzman

a harsh croak

With a hoarse croak, a young Night-Heron landed on a branch right over my head. I studied it carefully to try and put to rest the eternal question of which Night Heron is which. This one had a long neck, a heavy bill, thin white stripes on the neck and small white spots on the back; all that plus the croak (different from the Black-crowned's croak) led to call it a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The marsh itself -- or rather the marsh perimeter -- was full of American Goldfinches, more than one generation of Common Yellowthroats (including a singing male, a female and several young) and a flock of House Sparrows along with a few House Finches, many Song Sparrows, and Black-capped Chickadees. I think the ripening Iva or Marsh Elder was the lure but there were also a lot of insects mixed in which may have interested some of these birds. Just coming into bloom: Seaside Lavender and Marsh Aster in the wetlands. Also a few Evening Primrose have started to flower. Eric Salzman

new birds & eclipse redux

eclipse through wispy clouds

Here is a rather murky shot of yesterday's eclipse seen through binoculars on a white sheet of paper. This was somewhat close to the maximum coverage in our area at about 2:30 pm or a little later. The murkiness is probably due to the thin layer or clouds that marred the pristine purity of the image/ The sudden weird silence of the birds did not take place mainly because most of the birds have already stopped singing a while ago! But you could see the strange light on the landscape as the moon crossed to its maximum East Quogue coverage! Other events of the past couple of days: two visits by troupes of Wild Turkeys, a few Royal Terns on the creek and a flycatcher that turned out to be an Eastern Wood-pewee and not an Eastern Phoebe (upright stance, slight crest on the head, no tail wagging). Eric Salzman

a Cyclopean eye?

I had a good look at a female Green Darner this morning. She was hanging onto to a leaf by the edge-of-the-marsh path and only a few feet away from me -- just far enough so that I could focus her in the binoculars. Green Darners are easy to spot in flight but much harder to find and observe perched. The thorax was entirely bright green but the abdomen (most people would call it the tail) was entirely brownish (there was no blue which is what makes it a female). The wings were transparent with an amber wash. The most extraordinary feature was the head with a pair of attached compound eyes and a bull's eye mark -- looking like a giant cyclopean eye -- on the forehead.

There were a few butterflies around including a hairstreak or two but I didn't get a good enough look for a positive ID.

The tide was still high and the muddy banks of the pond were covered so there was no activity there. A Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron, perched in the dead trees waiting for the tide to change, made off at my approach with their usual squawks; strange that such beautiful birds should make such ugly sounds! A few swallows and martins continued to hunt rather high over the marsh. Both the Belted Kingfisher and a couple of noisy Green Herons made their respective appearances (the herons were an adult and a young of the year). A Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher was feeding in the dead and half-dead trees along the edge; Goldfinches, House Finches and House Sparrows were active on the marsh edge; otherwise there was little upland activity beyond the usual suspects.

Eric Salzman

high tide and High Tide Bush

A morning high tide made the marsh inaccessible but it was still possible to work one's way up the side which is covered with a dense growth of the two similar-looking plants, both commonly called High Tide Bush: Baccharis (or Groundsel) and Marsh Elder. There were half a dozen male American Goldfinches still in their resplendent breeding plumage and all working the Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) which is in seed right now. A few Barn Swallows were feeding over the marsh but, along with the Purple Martins, most of them seem to have started their journey southward. Groups of Red-winged Blackbirds -- all or mostly young birds -- have reoccupied the marsh where many of them were probably born.

The usual herons and gulls were in evidence on the creek but no terns.

The rains yesterday and last night produced more mushrooms -- Chanterelles, at least two varieties of Russula and several Meadow Mushrooms (Agaricus campestris), all edible. There were other mushrooms as well but all rather suspicious looking and difficult to ID; I let them be.

Eric Salzman

where o where have the swallows gone

Not only are the Purple Martins gone but I didn't see a single Barn Swallow this morning. There was a Green Heron, lots of gulls, a few cormorants, a couple of Common Terns but not a single swallow. I can only assume that they are on the move; it is, after all, the third week of August.

Goldenrod is coming into bloom; I think this is Early Goldenrod or Solidago juncea which has smooth stems and leaves. The most common goldenrods, Rough-stemmed and Seaside, are still a ways down the road. Another plant that is blooming right now is Jasione montana or Sheep's Bit. This is a flower that I had a lot of trouble identifying as it does not appear in the Petersen Wild Flower Guide which was my go-to flower guide for many years. This wildflower is, as might be expected, an invasive and it's name suggests that it should be found in the mountains; here, however, it blooms in the sandy open field in front of the house. (One other thing about Sheep's Bit: try saying the English name very fast a dozen times.)

A few more mushrooms are coming in: some good russelas and the Meadow Mushroom, Agaricus campestris, a close relative of the cultivated variety. Lorna made a delicious Chanterelle Risotto last night and there are still quite a few of these golden beauties left; this may have been the largest single fruiting of this delectable mushroom that I have ever discovered out here! We don't have Morels, we don't have Truffles and Cep or Boletus edulis is a rarity. But we do have Golden Chanterelles!

Eric Salzman

night into day

Tuesday night there was a Screech Owl screeching away -- well, not really screeching but whinnying and trilling as Screech Owls are wont to do. In short, within a few days, we had both our breeding owls -- Screech and Great Horned -- calling and perhaps even beginning to go through the rituals of courtship. The sky was cloudy Tuesday night (no shooting stars) but last night was clear and the humidity was low permitting a skyful of stars to be seen along with the occasional sky streak of a meteor. No owls but an ear-splitting chorus of Katydids.

I didn't see any Purple Martins this morning although I thought I heard one calling distantly from way up in the sky. The Town Dock (Bay Avenue) colony has definitely shut down for the season.

The place was inundated by hairstreak butterflies -- all of them, apparently Red-banded Hairstreaks (Calycopis cecrops). The range of this skipper is basically southern but it has been expanding to the north and I have seen it regularly here in the past few years. It is a small butterfly but it perches quietly on (or near) the ground and it's easy to see through binoculars. It sits with its underwings showing a long, partly zig-zag, red band bordered in white, with thread-like tails (easily confused with the antennae), a red-bordered black eyespot in between and a blue spot below.This southern insect was supposed to be accidental on Long Island but it has obviously expanded its range to the point where it is common here; there were so many of them this morning that I wondered if this was a hatch or some kind of migration from the south.

Eric Salzman

Martins vanish, Chanterelles appear

The Purple Martin colony and its surroundings are empty. Eileen Schwinn tells me that she has seen a few Purple Martins in the Pine Neck area that she thinks may have come from the on our side of the creek (and not from the smaller colony on the east side of Weesuck Creek). This consisted of a half youngsters with one adult male. In any case, there were only Barn Swallows and a couple of Chimney Swifts feeding over the marsh.

Just when I thought that Chanterelle season was over, I found a big patch of these delicious mushrooms. We'll have a Chanterelle risotto, a Chanterelle pasta sauce 
and maybe just sauteed Chanterelles; there' probably enough for all of the above!

Eric Salzman

outta here

As far as I can see, it looks like all the Purple Martins have left the breeding site except for one lonesome bird that was seemingly left behind. Someone asked me yesterday if I knew why and where the birds were going. The answers are pretty simple: they're headed to South America on their annual migration. Purple Martins leave relatively early because they have a leisurely voyage south, moving in large flocks and feeding as they go.

One Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- more precisely, Ruby-throatless -- was seen, not near last year's breeding site, or the house or the hummingbird feeders but near the head of the marsh.

Although Red-winged Blackbirds seemed to have abandoned their breeding sites around the pond and marsh, a flock of what I think were mostly young birds revisited the place this morning. I suppose the Martins might still revisit as well but I think that, for the most part, once they have decided to leave, they are outta here.  

Eric Salzman

waterthrushes on parade

I don't think I've ever seen so many Northern Waterthrushes; from the pond to the head of the marsh I saw at least five or six individuals and there are probably equally as many on the other side of the marsh. They seem to space themselves out and probably use their sharp 'chink' calls to warn off competitors. At any rate, they are very easy to coax up from the muddy bottom with some pishing or squeaking; they jump right up onto a nearby branch and immediately give themselves away by their bobbing tinker toy actions. I check them all to be sure that they are Northerns and I have never seen a Louisiana in this habitat.

I would say that the Purple Martin colony is slowly but surely diminishing with perhaps only a dozen birds or so left.

If the Great Horned Owls that were hooting the other night are still here, they are very well hidden. Even the Crows and Blue Jays do not seem to have found them.

Two butterflies of note: Black Swallowtail and, glory be, a Monarch.

Eric Salzman

owls

Sometime in the middle of the night my wife woke me up with the news that there were owls hooting in the woods just north of the house! They were Great Horned Owls -- our premier hoot owls -- and there were two sets of hoots, one higher pitched than the other. The difference in pitch would indicate a male and a female, perhaps a courting pair (the female is the one with a higher-pitched hoot). Owls nest in the winter and they begin calling in the fall which, for many birds begins in mid-August.

Great Horned Owls are a Pine Barrens bird and they have never been common here by the shore. I did hear a male-female duet once before (in the last year or so) but they did not appear to nest in the vicinity. Great Horned Owls need three things: (1) an existing nest they can remodel, (2) maturing woodlands, and (3) enough prey items to feed themselves and their chicks. We actually have both: crow and squirrel nests for (1), enough woodlands to satisfy (2) and, for (3) squirrels, young Raccoons and some smaller mammals as well as some good-sized birds like Wild Turkey, Flicker and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Enough to satisfy any owl's appetite I would think

Eric Salzman

new birds & fighting birds

More patches of fog this morning but mostly over Pine Neck; this side of the creek was bathed in the light of the rising sun.

New birds (for the season): Black-and-white Warbler and Eastern Wood-pewee. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher still here. A different Wild Turkey flock came nibbling by with just a single hen and eight poults or chicks, all noticeably smaller and younger than the young birds in yesterday's flock.

An amusing fight between two Carolina Wrens took place this afternoon just outside the porch where I am writing this. One bird (both were probably males) had invaded the established territory of another and Mr. Wren Landlord did not take this lightly. He physically attacked the intruder, obviously trying to drive it away. Since the defensive bird dropped to the ground and tried to hide under the cottage, most of the action took place on the ground and in the open where it was easy to observe the battle. Eventually, the intruder flew off at high speed with the local landowner in hot pursuit. I could hear his songs of triumph a moment later.

Had a good look at a skipper spread out on a green leaf a few feet from the ground in full sunshine and quite unafraid of my presence. The lower wing was marked with a bright yellow teardrop patch surrounded by dark brown borders; the forewing was less well marked with a thinner and less regular brown border. Since the Hobomok Skipper breeds only to mid-summer while the Zabulon breeds through the summer to the fall, I'm voting for Zabulon.

Where, by the way, do they get these butterfly names?

Eric Salzman

patches of fog

Patches of fog this morning eventually lifted to reveal summer sunshine. The early birds didn't like it much as they remained rather inactive for most of the duration of my walk.

The Carolina Wren is one of the few birds still singing at this time of the year but it has the peculiar habit of running though a changing repertoire of songs (whereas earlier in the season his songs tended to be quite stereotyped -- the same riffs over and over). Perhaps this late in the season, he is finding it more difficult to find willing partners and is inspired to try a variety of songs in the hope that one of them will work. I should add that this bird does not migrate and, as a year-rounder, tends to nest early and often!

As I was heading back to the house from the pond, a Wild Turkey flock came nibbling and sashaying into view -- out of the woods, across the front of the house (some even hopping up on the deck) and then back into the woods on the other side. This flock seemed a little reduced from earlier flocks with three hens and a dozen almost full-grown poults. The easy way to tell the hens from the chicks is by size (they are still a little larger) but also by their iridescent back feathers which glisten with red and blue (or blue-gray) patches of color in the sun.

Eric Salzman

a possible northern flycatcher and a tiny turtle

A beautiful sun-lit morning with (mostly) no wind. The highlight was a medium-sized flycatcher (smaller than a Kingbird, bigger than a Pewee) leaping from bare snag top to bare snag top. When it flew, it showed white on the side under the wing. A possible Olive-sided Flycatcher; they are early migrants and I had one in mid-August last year. Olive-sided Flycatchers usually hunt and return from snag tops but this one was apparently moving on.

Another half of the remaining Purple Martins seems to have taken off so there are something over a dozen birds left. They'll be going in the few days I suspect.

Northern Waterthrushes seem to be all along the upper marsh edge; difficult to estimate the numbers but there are quite a few. Could not refind the suspected upland Louisiana Waterthrush.

I found a tiny turtle a few days ago. It was, I suppose, a Box Turtle (the only species normally in residence here) but it didn't look like one. It had a high ridge to its upper carapace and very little yellow (none at all on its face and legs). I suppose it's possible that someone dropped off a non-Box Turtle specimen but I suspect the differences are just those between a very young juvenile and the alwyas recognizable but very variable adults. 

Eric Salzman

early fall?

Heavy cloud cover and wet vegetation (it must have rained a fair bit last night). A new bird for the season was a Forster's Tern on the creek flying along with Common and Royal Terns (Least Terns seem to have departed). Forster's is easy to recognize at this time of the year as it is already in fall plumage: a very white-looking bird with a black patch behind the ear.

There are more than two dozen Purple Martins left but they have all left the gourd colony and spend their non-flying time perched in dead branches on the trees back of Bay Avenue (I think they are mainly juveniles but given the light and distance, I can't really tell). They did all suddenly jump into the air in the Purple Martin version of a 'dread' and they remained sky-bound as long as I was watching.

The Red-wing Blackbirds that commanded the marsh-edge vegetation all the way back seem to have entirely abandoned the area, perhaps joining the blackbird flocks that are starting to form (Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles are not long distance migrants but their flocks move around during the cold months). Still in residence though are the Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers and numbers of Gray Catbirds that eat all the Highbush Blueberries before I can get to them (they seem to eat them in the red stage before they actually ripen blue).

Another formerly common bird, now just a sometime visitor, the Eastern Kingbird, was perched high on a snag overlooking the marsh. Eastern Phoebes are still around; they are hardy birds and will stay well into colder weather. A Ruby-crowned Hummingbird female (or juvenile) was buzzing about near the spot where it nested last year. I tried to follow it (in case there was an active nest somewhere in the area) but I soon lost it. A loud 'chink' in the same upland area where there was a waterthrush yesterday suggested that the bird was still here but, once again I couldn't get a good enough look for an ID as it disappeared in the heavy, wet, dark, dank understory foliage.

Insect observations: a Red Admiral sitting on an open bit of sand near the pond; probably a migrant; a Red-spotted Purple spotted by daugher Stephanie on the outer wall of the cottage; lots of annoying no-see-ums on the marsh.

Eric Salzman

visitors

Two birds that were common and regular over the years but then virtually disappeared, dropped by this morning for a visit: Belted Kingfisher and Green Heron. Always glad to see them. I wonder where they are nesting now?

When I walk into or on the edge of the marsh, there is shortly a right-hand turn. At this point, the surrounding shrub layer and tree-front opens up just a bit and you get a look back across the bushes and into the woods. As I come near this spot these days, a very annoyed Great Blue Heron is almost invariably startled off his or her semi-hidden perch and, with angry squawks and croaks, the gawky creature flies over my head and across the creek. This spot often has passerine activity. This morning there were several glowing Yellow Warblers, the usual Song Sparrows, a small family group of House Finches, a House Wren and Goldfinches. In other areas near the marsh, I saw Common Yellowthroat and a migrating Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

The most unusual bird of the day was a waterthrush in the woods, a fair distance from the water. It stayed quite hidden in vegetation and I could never determine the species. I suspect it was a Louisiana, a bird that I have seen in this area before (and I have never seen Northern Waterthrush any further away from water than the edge of the marsh).

Eric Salzman

passerines and their young

It's only four days since the Purple Martin 'dread' that I described in an earlier post but the colony now appears to be almost completely dispersed with only a half a dozen or so young birds still in the area (mostly observed hunting insects overhead; they will, I suspect, also leave soon).

Yellow Warblers appear to have had a successful breeding season and, as I have observed with other passerines, the adult male and female seem to have divided their progeny between them as they move through the edge vegetation looking for food. I also observed male and female (and perhaps young) American Goldfinches feeding on the Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) which is coming into seed.

The place is overrun with young Robins. Are they local birds? Robins, like other birds, are moving around post-breeding season. Although we don't think of Robins as exceptionally gregarious, they do flock up in numbers -- sometimes very large numbers -- in the fall and winter.

Eric Salzman

are the Martins getting ready to leave?

Two days after the Town Dock Purple Martin colony exploded in what I am calling a 'dread' -- all the inhabitants suddenly flying up over the colony in a seething mass of apparently disturbed birds -- the birds appear to have largely abandoned the nesting site itself. Most of them, however, are still in the area, either in flight or perched on nearby dead tree limbs. We'll see what happens next.

Most of the birds of the season were present including Great Blue Heron, a flyover Black-crowned Night Heron, Royal Terns, etc. I was surprised to hear a Yellow Warbler singing at the edge of the woods so late in the season. A rather tatty-looking juvenile warbler at the marsh edge was probably a young Yellowthroat. Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles are starting to form flocks and woodland birds, usually led by Chickadees, Titmice and/or Catbirds are starting to move through the woods in feeding flocks.

Eric Salzman

action on sea and land

The creek was exceptionally busy (and noisy) this morning with 5 or 6 Osprey in the air over the creek and at lest two more perched on one of the nests and/or tree limbs --and all of them calling. There are two Osprey pole nests on Pine Neck and I would guess that both of them are successful. Also three terns -- Royal, Common and Least -- occasionally calling and following fish runs into the creek. Not to mention Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper and many Purple Martins including flying young.

With regard to Purple Martin 'dreads', Bob Murray writes from Westhampton as follows: "I have been the host of a Purple Martin colony for many years and have seen this before. I think it is the prelude to an early departure for South America! My colony would explode and sail around like crazy before returning to the gourds and houses that I had in my back yard on the water." He was commenting on the Purple Martin 'dread' that I observed yesterday morning in the gourd colony -- now several dozen birds -- by the Town Dock just on the far side of our marsh. Bob Adamo suggests that they might be responding to a predator invisible to me such as a snake. Maybe. But these gourds are on slippery poles set in an open grassy area and I suspect that the immanent departure theory may be the right one. 

Land bird activity was at a height as well: lots of Am Robins, at least half of which are young birds with breast spots. An Am Goldfinch singing in short bursts of song fooled me into thinking it was a warbler. All four local woodpeckers were on the scene including the less common Hairy Woodpecker. I had good looks at a male Hairy at eye level showing not only his red spot at the back of his head but also the seldom-noticed puffy buff patches between the substantial bill and his eyes (the Downy has them too but they are much more obvious on the Hairy) plus the entirely white outer tail feathers (the Downy usually has black spots).

Eric Salzman

a Purple Martin 'dread'

The Purple Martin colony by the Town Dock (on the other side of our property) exploded into the air -- seemingly all at once -- early this morning as I was walking out into the marsh. If this were a tern colony, we would call it a 'dread'. My first thought was that there was a raptor in the vicinity but, if so, I never saw it. I don't think it's likely that my presence in the marsh (a good distance away) or the presence of other people in the area (there are people close by every day without seeming to disturb the colony) had anything to do with it. The birds continued to circle and cluster noisily above the colony for at least a quarter of an hour before they slowly began to drift apart and, for the most part, away. If this wasn't raptor response, what was it? Encouragement for the young to get out and up into the air? Some kind of sign of social solidarity? An early signal of impending departure (Purple Martins traditionally leave their breeding site in August)? This species is known to gather in numbers in places like the Pine Barrens (where I have seen them) before undertaking their huge migration to South America.

A while back, Mike Bottini wrote an interesting post asking whether Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have really increased in recent years or if this is just an artifact resulting from the vast increase of bird watchers taking notice. I don't doubt that nesting hummingbirds have increased in substantial numbers on Eastern Long Island and part of the reason is undoubtedly that there are far more flower gardens and more hummingbird feeders in these gardens. But changes in our bird populations are widespread and involve far more than hummingbirds. It's a fascinating subject with important implications (about climate warming for example) and I plan to take it up in more detail in a future post.

Eric Salzman

summer visitors

A new summer visitor: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher joined the Northern Waterthrushes (plural because there were several this morning) and the Royal Terns on the creek.

At least three noisy Osprey have been circling over the land, calling, chirping and whistling and gliding circles around each other. To what purpose? Young birds socializing? Learning to ride the updrafts? A fourth bird -- apparently an adult -- appeared to join them but later moved across the creek clutching a good-sized fish -- perhaps a half-grown Bluefish (Blue Snapper season is upon us). The Purple Martins have been active and noisy for the past few days; I think the cause is the emergence and first flights of the young which are now catching insects but also perching here and there on dead tree branches to catch their breath before re-launching their aerial hunting efforts.

This hasn't been a great year for butterflies but I've seen half a dozen Monarchs so far this year which is a happy piece of news. Also, in the last couple of days, a Red-spotted Purple, a skipper (Dion Skipper?) in the marsh and a couple of striking dragonflies, notably a clear-winged specimen with a black stigma and yellowish on the leading edge. The dragonfly looked like it ought to be easily identifiable but I'm still struggling with the odonates.

I thought that Sandy has wiped out all our Wood Sage (or Germander), a small marsh edge plant with delicate, lipped pinkish flowers. Amazingly, I found an extensive stand of this remarkable native wildflower blooming in the woods north of the house. A small aster or sunflower type with bright yellow star flowers and filament-like leaves proves to Whorled Coreopsis or Coreopsis verticillata.

Eric Salzman