Hey Jays! Sharpie here!

Our Blue Jays found a new hawk to mob this morning: a Sharp-shinned. It's hard to imagine a Sharp-shinned taking a Blue Jay (they are just about the same size) but that doesn't mean that the jays are willing to just leave it alone. Eventually, as one Jay after another came swooping in making raucous calls and coming within a few feet of the perched bird sitting on a dead tree limb out in the open, the Sharpie decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took off, resuming his migration with a trail of jays following and making sure he was moving on. The only other raptor seen was a handsome Northern Harrier which circled low over the marsh twice on a steady glide and then went back across the creek to Pine Neck where I lost track of it. The Jays never noticed or didn't care. The Royal Terns were back on the creek in some numbers and they are catching fish. I saw one bird lose his wiggling prey and had to dive down again to the water to retrieve it. A new round of Flickers came in in some considerable numbers; all four woodpeckers were seen including Hairy (but no Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers yet) Also seen were an Eastern Phoebe, several Eastern Towhees and a mysterious warbler with a pair of bright wingbars and a wash of light rufous on its breast. I think it was a Bay-breasted Warbler but I never got more than just momentary look before it vanished. This warm weather is not particularly good for migrants but I'll keep looking anyway. Eric Salzman