Corn Crake

As most of you probably know, there was a Corn Crake somewhere on the Jones Beach strip of the barrier island this past week. Some of us will remember that this bird was illustrated by R.T. Peterson in the early editions of his path-breaking field guide but afterwards disappeared as it hadn't been seen on this side of the Atlantic for decades. Corn Crake is an upland rail that inhabits the edges of farm fields in the Old World and winters in Africa. It is considered highly endangered in Europe, probably because of a change in farming practices and a more extensive use of pesticides. It is not only rare but also, like many rails, it is extremely shy and, even though it is very vocal on its breeding grounds, it still remains very difficult to see. I once spent an entire morning trying to see one at the of a wheat field near Paris (the word 'corn' was originally a generic term for any kind of wheat; there is also a farm field bird called Corn Bunting). I was literally a few feet from the bird which was calling loudly from cover but I never got to see it! Anyway, as some of you undoubtedly know, it was hit by a car racing down Ocean Highway only a couple of days after it was found and it is now a specimen at the Museum of Natural History. It was the first sighting of this bird in our area since (if I'm not mistaken) the early part of the last century. One person that got to see it alive was Eileen Schwinn. That's her photo below. There are other photos and also videos on the Internet. I'm still working on my summary for the 2017 season so you'll hear from me soon again. Eric Salzman

a wind hurricane

We didn't get a late-October Sandy-type hurricane this year but the past few days have been almost as dramatic. After a gorgeous blue-white-and-red sunrise on Saturday (blue water, white puffy clouds, red rising sun), the clouds took over followed by a hurricane-strength windstorm that took down leaves, branches and even tree trunks. This roaring, rainless storm lasted all night and well into Monday. Our electricity went out about midnight but was restored by mid-morning. As a result, I got in a good last walk only this morning (Tuesday) which was cool, cloudless and almost windless. One last 'new' bird for the season: a Marsh Wren in the reeds near the head of the marsh and very curious as to what I was doing there! There were lots of birds on the water: noisy Royal Terns and silent Forster's, Black Duck on the pond and a big silent V flight of Double-crested Cormorants overhead. Also the heron 'greats': Great Blue and Great Egret. Flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds were on their regular southwest-to-northeast trajectory. The storm seems to have reduced the numbers of upland birds although the regulars -- American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Blue Jays, American Crow and Carolina Wren were still present in some numbers. Few sparrows although all the regulars -- Song, Chipping, Swamp and White-throated were present. A few Yellow-rumped Warblers and one lone Common Yellowthroat. I'll do one more report summing up the season sometime in the next few days. Eric Salzman

another singer and a surprise warbler

A little while ago, I wrote that Carolina Wrens were the last remaining singer from our woodland chorus. But now the wren has been joined by another singer and, surprisingly, one that doesn't even breed here. Iim talking about the White-throated Sparrow, a fall and winter visitor whose presence is often most easily noted by its elegant song: two pure, whistled notes, usually a musical fifth apart followed by a 6/8 measure consisting of a dotted 8th note, a 16th and a plain 8th which are then repeated (I think in poetry this would be called a dactyl hexameter.) There are quite a few of these sparrows around but they don't show very well so it's easier to ID them by ear! Here's a surprise: a small clutch of two or three Parula Warblers in a small feeding flock which also included White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker and Black-capped Chickadees. Also both kinglets (though I'm not sure if they were really part of the feeding flock). There are still lots of American Goldfinches but hardly any House Finches. Both Forster's and Royal Terns are still working the creek. A propos of the reappearance of Box Turtles, Bob Murray writes me that he found a pair mating at Apaucuck Point in Westhampton and he wondered if fall was the mating season for Box Turtles. My impression is that there is no single mating season for these reptiles but I do believe that the female, once having mated, can lay fertile eggs for a long time afterwards -- up to several years! Eric Salzman

a creek-full, a tree-full

Weesuck Creek was full of Forster's Terns this morning (I think that the Common Terns have long ago left for wherever it is that they go). I suspect there was a fish run as there were also several Royal Terns and Double-crested Cormorants, all diving -- each in its own way -- for prey. On the land side, the big Red Cedar at the turn of the marsh was also full of birds -- Yellow-rumped Warblers in this case. I could see a few birds moving about inside the tree when, suddenly, several dozen birds -- Yellow-rumps all, I am sure -- came dashing out, flying in a flock to I know not where. A probably Hermit Thrush was spotted by Lorna along with a Blue-headed Vireo and there was at least one Ruby-crowned Kinglet in action. The Blue Jays were still combing the oaks for acorns, a food item that the Red-bellied Woodpeckers also seem to like (not surprising, given that they are related to the Acorn Woodpecker of the west). Eric Salzman

an unexpected visitor and more color changes

The warm, damp weather of the past few days has brought out an unexpected visitor: Eastern Box Turtle. In 'normal' years the Box Turtles are safely tucked away in their hibernacles (hibernation retreats dug into the ground I assume) by this time of the year. The foliage continues to turn with Virginia Creeper, Viburnum and Sassafras joining the parade. The Hickories, although not as colorful, are turning yellow and some of the oaks are starting to turn (Red Oaks I assume). The spectacular show of the Tupelo leaves is over as the windy conditions of a day or two ago simply stripped off almost all the leaves. The rain should bring out some fresh mushrooms; I'll have to check tomorrow. Cooler weather might bring in some birds as well. Eric Salzman

dodging the wind and rain

High winds yesterday morning. Rain came later in the day. This is the kind of weather that big birds like: gulls, herons, the bigger woodpeckers, some of the larger passerines (Am. Robins, Blue Jays) like very much. The smaller birds tend to lie low and the passerine migrants are stalled somewhere. After the rain let up this morning, there was a busy period with nearly all the local birds actively looking for food! 'Local' in this case also includes White-throated and Swamp Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler, all relatively recent arrivals. One new bird: a thrush greedily gobbling Red Cedar berries; it was undoubtedly a Hermit (I didn't see the tail but the face and the densely spotted throat seemed right). Eric Salzman

a quiet, meditative Sunday

What a difference one day makes. Yesterday morning there were literally hundreds of Yellow-rumped Warblers coming in; today I saw perhaps five or six. Today, no Red-winged Blackbird flocks, no Ruby-crowned Kinglets, no unusual sparrows, no Black or Wood Ducks, only a single Phoebe and no accipiters. But there were two Bald Eagles sitting in the dead trees at Pine Neck Point, just about where there were two Bald Eagles sitting the other day. (I couldn't tell if the plumages were similar because the morning light was showing just silhouettes but the huge size of the two birds and the fact that one bird flew in with wings flat as a board were giveaways.) One bird appeared to be a little smaller than the other but, as in most raptors, the females are bigger than the males. After an absence of a day or two, the Royal Terns came back to the creek in some numbers. Also, Belted Kingfisher (not in numbers; kingfishers come one at a time and they are very aggressive about defending their territory). Otherwise a warm, quiet, meditative Sunday. Eric Salzman