New Year's Eve Special from Eric's Bird Blog

I went out yesterday morning to meet Eileen Schwinn and locate the Mountain Bluebird that has been hanging out on the edge of grassy fields on Route 25A just north of EPCAL (ex-Grumman). Mountain Bluebirds are a western species that breeds in open grasslands in the western mountains. They are migratory and, like many migratory birds, their navigational systems occasionally misfire. The bird was discovered by Dianne Teta at the beginning of the week when she was scouting her territory for the Central Suffolk Christmas Count. Eileen, who had already seen the bird on Wednesday, explained that it shows up at 10:30 am and works its way west by hopping up and down from the snow fencing bordering the field facing 25A just east of Hulse Landing Road. Oh sure, thought I; this is a well-trained bird. Nevertheless at 10:30 am I found myself facing the snow fencing at the eastern edge of the field when and whereupon a sleek grayish bluebird popped up on the fence post right in front of me! Not an Eastern Bluebird but a very distinctive female Mountain Bluebird with an eye ring, a tinge of rusty on its breast and a beautiful pale blue (almost turquoise) on the wings and tail -- best seen when the bird was flying up to perch on a fence post. As predicted, the bird would dive regularly into the grass in front of the snow fence to feed on insects and then fly back up to the fence post, moving west on each move. It was easy to follow along until the fence line ended at Hulse Landing Road upon which it flew up and away to another spot on the far side of a farm complex still further west.

There were other birds in these fields -- Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows and a few Lapland Longspurs -- mostly hidden in the grass until they flushed (generally spooked by raptors flying over). A parade of raptors included Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier. American Kestrel, and a couple of accipiters. Afterwards we found a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker in the Baiting Hollow Boy Scout Camp along with a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers and many Flickers. From the Iron Pier in Northville, we saw both loons, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and a diving Gannet.

The Central Suffolk Christmas Census, curated by Eileen, was on Tuesday. We didn't get to see the Mountain Bluebird that day but it was seen by others within the count circle so it counted as a new bird for the Central Suffolk CBC. Another new bird for the count was a Black Vulture, seen by Eileen, myself and Jim Clinton, Jr., on a house chimney in the Eastport area. Black Vulture was a rarity on Long Island at any season in the past but the recent proliferation of Turkey Vultures has also been accompanied by the appearance of Blacks. If this species is now wintering on the island can breeding be far behind? Also seen was a distant Red-necked Grebe on Moriches Bay and some numbers of what used to be called "half-hardies": Catbirds, Towhees, and Brown Thrasher plus Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, a few Pine Siskins and some numbers of Fox Sparrows.

I did two Christmas Counts this year: Central Suffolk on December 27 and Brooklyn ten days earlier. The Brooklyn shore, from the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge area to Red Hook and the Erie Basin had only a few ducks (Black, Mallard, Gadwall, Widgeon and Bufflehead) but a close-up of a feeding Red Phalarope was a new find for this venerable count which had an overall total of no less than 132 species on that day.

Eric Salzman

A Day's Birding in Hungary

The visit of the Center for Contemporary Opera (a New York organization with which I am affiliated) to the Armel Opera Festival in Szeged provided an opportunity to visit the southwest corner of Hungary and a chance to do some birding in the famous Hungarian steppe. Szeged is at the corner of three countries (Hungary, Romania and Serbia) and three very different language groups (Uralic/Ugaric, Latin and Slavic). Before World War I, all of these areas were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Szeged shows many traces of that great, long-gone imperium, not the least of which is the jewel-box opera house – an exquisite diamond horseshoe of the era with perfect acoustics and sightlines. It only holds 6-700 people, a perfect size for a quite intimate musical, operatic and dramatic experience. There were five companies from five different countries represented at the festival: from Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the U.S. All the proceedings were broadcast on Arte, an international European arts channel and all the companies, except the one from the U.S. (us) had the support of their respective embassies. Only the U.S. does not support its own art and culture in any meaningful way.

But I did not set out to write a poltico/cultural diatribe. Suffice it to say that I had a fine day birding in the countryside with an excellent local birder by the name of Tamás Nagy. Much of Hungary is steppe country. The steppes of Eastern Europe constitute a flat open habitat that fills up with water in the spring, creating huge and dense marshes that often dry out in the summer, leaving a residue of minerals and salts (and sometimes actual salt lakes), all of which gives character to this neighborhood. Much of the steppe country (‘puszta’ in Hungarian) is not good for agriculture but, in the Szeged area at least, it has been possible to create fish ponds out of the old marshes and wetlands. Although some portions of the steppes are exploited for human use, there is a great swath that has been put aside and protected. There are some characteristic steppe birds of which the most famous are the Great Bustard and the Red-footed Falcon but, alas, the former does not occur in the area of Szeged and the latter, which nests here in numbers, had already migrated.

In spite of those disappointments, we did spend a long day visiting semi-woodland areas, fish ponds, marshes and wetlands, dry plains and salt lakes. The outstanding events of the day took place at the first stop in the morning and the last stop in the evening. The former was the sighting of a huge Saker Falcon perched on a transmission tower, seen from a rest stop on the highway just outside of Szeged.

The second was a visit at the end of the day to a salt lake in the middle one of the major pusztas which, unlike some of the others, had not dried up. The fields and wetlands here attract large numbers of migrating and wintering shore birds, waders (in our sense: that is herons, cormorants, avocets and the like) and waterfowl. Although many of the summer, breeding birds were gone, migrants and winter birds were filing in in considerable numbers. Many ducks and two species of geese – Greylag and White-fronted – were moving in for the night. But the climax of the evening’s events came in fading light of a spectacular blood-red sunset which was punctuated by wave after wave of Common Cranes moving in from the surrounding fields to the lake edge and even into the water itself. The trilling waves of sound produced by these magnificent birds could be heard in the distance even before the flocks could be seen. As they landed on the water’s edge, many of them launched into classic crane dances: nodding, bobbing, weaving, jumping up and down and waving their wings in a series of choregraphic duets. This is the opposite end of the year from breeding season but the cranes apparently continue their dancing displays throughout the year.

Below is an annotated list of the birds of the day, using mostly Svensson, Mullarney and Zetterstrom’s Birds of Europe.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

(Greater) White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

(Eurasian) Teal (Anas crecca)

(Common) Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

(Common) Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

(Great) Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) – one of two new birds seen; this is a pint-sized Eastern cormorant with a small bill, long tail and a shiny all-black plumage (duller in the young birds)

(Black-crowned) Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Great Egret (Casmerodius [Ardea] albus [alba])

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

[White Stork nests widely seen but the birds had already left.]

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) – common in all wetlands areas; a close relative of our Bald Eagle

(Western) Marsh Harrier (Circus aeroginosus)

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) – same species as our Northern Harrier

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

(Eurasian) Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) – a huge Asian falcon (bigger than a Peregrine) with a Western outpost in the Hungarian steppe; the other life bird of the day

Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) – heard only

(Common) Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

(Eurasian) Coot (Fulica atra)

Common Crane (Grus grus) – many hundreds of birds still present on the steppe

(Pied) Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetta)

Grey (Black-bellied) Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

(Common) Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

(Eurasian) Curlew (Numenius arquata)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) – This is a split from the Yellow-legged Gull which is itself a split from the Herring Gull

Rock Dove (Columba livia)

Stock Dove (Columba oenas)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)

Little Owl (Athene noctua) – sitting on the roof of an old barn almost literally in Tamás’ back yard!

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

(European) Robin (Erithacus rubecula) – This bird (the original ‘Robin’) and the following are not considered thrushes anymore but have been transferred to the Eurasian flycatchers!

Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)

(Common) Blackbird (Turdus merula)

(Common) Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) – only warbler seen; all the others had already left

Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) – Until recently, this was considered the same species as our Winter Wren but they have now been split (along with the Pacific Wren in the Pacific northeast).

Great Tit (Parus major)

(European) Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus) – beautiful views of a while family working their way through the reeds by one of the major fish ponds

Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) – heard only; refused to show itself

Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)

Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Chaffinch (Passer coelebs)

(European) Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

(European) Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)


Eric Salzman

Chimney Swifts and a musical premiere

In my report on Wednesday's tour with Mark Cocker, I forgot to mention the appearance of Chimney Swifts in considerable numbers flying with the various swallows over the ice pond at the Quogue Refuge. Back at the refuge this morning, there were Chimney Swifts everywhere and the White-eyed Vireo was singing from wetlands next to the boardwalk as it was on Wednesday. But the only warblers I was able to pull up were the Yellow and Common Yellowthroat that stay to breed.

As a reminder, the Suite from my gangster opera "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz" will have its premiere at the Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane (opposite Agawam Park and Lake) in Southampton on Sunday at 3 pm. The performers are Marc Levine, violin, Gloria Shih, piano, Dylan Benson, percussion. The piece will be performed on a program of East End Composers that includes Victoria Bond, Bruce Wolosoff and Stephen Dickman.

Eric Salzman

A Murder of Crows and a great bird guide in Eastern Europe

A huge racket of crows on Weesuck Creek drew me out of the house in the middle of the day yesterday to run down to the water. Unfortunately, by the time I got to a place where I had a clear view of the creek, the crows had all disappeared over the Pine Neck tree line on the opposite shore. But the racket continued; there must have been dozens if not hundreds of crows involved -- a veritable 'murder of crows' (yes, 'murder' is the correct Olde English noun for a collection of crows). As more and more crows came streaming over the creek to get to the site of all the action, I suddenly noticed two crows flying in the opposite direction back across the creek. What happened to make them change their minds? Why weren't they caught up in the excitement? And then one of the crows called and I had my answer. They were Fish Crows!

It's often said that, when you hear loud drumming coming from a tree trunk, it's a woodpecker song. In other words, woodpecker music is percussion music and woodpecker males drum loudly to establish territory and attract mates. Be that as it may, I heard and saw a female Downy Woodpecker drumming on a dead tree trunk and making about as loud a percussion racket as this little bird can make. It kept it up until suddenly a male arrived, at which point the female flew away. There was what looked like a fresh hole not far away and it occurred to me that the female was calling the male to take over nesting duties. However, although the male hung around the trunk for a while, it did not go in and, as it seemingly searched for food, took its investigations to several nearby trees. Perhaps the female was calling it in to take over duties at the nest hole (finishing the excavation of the nest hole if not actually sitting on eggs). If so, the male -- perhaps spooked by my too obvious interest -- would not go there while I was watching.

Last fall, I posted a trip report about my visit to Latvia -- partly a tour of my music and music-theater work but also including a wonderful week birding with Karlis Millers (you can find the report in the 2010 archives of my blog ). Karlis -- or Carlo as he likes to be known -- is perhaps the premier birder in this small Baltic country which is noted for its mix of northern, Western and Eastern European birds. It has many birds that are very difficult to see in Western Europe and some Eastern specialties that you will not see in the West. It is also a hotspot during migration; I had the privilege of witnessing the biggest migration spectacle I have ever seen anywhere at a place called Pape with literally thousands of birds of dozens of different species moving through on all levels on a brilliant early fall morning. Karlis has put together a Latvian bird site and he also organizes bird tours in his country (and in the three Baltic countries generally). He knows the birds, he knows where they are, his English is excellent and he is a great guide. His e-mail contact is . Tell him Eric sent you!

Eric Salzman

Birding Latvia

Here's the text of my trip report for the birding portion of my recent trip to Latvia. I didn't include photos this time as there were some problems in the past. If anyone is interested in a small portfolio of photos from birding Latvia, just e-mail me es@ericsalzman.com and I'll be happy to pass them along. Eric Salzman

Latvia: August 23-September 10, 2010

In December, 2009, I organized a program for the Center for Contemporary Opera under the title “Accord/Discord”. The program – which included works of mine (my Brecht Suite and “Accord”, a work for solo accordionist), new arrangements of Latvian songs and of tangos by Osvaldo Pugliese and Oscar Stroks -- was performed by mezzo Laila Salins with composer/accordionist Bill Schimmel and a string trio at the cell theatre in the Chelsea district of New York. The program attracted the attention of the Latvian-American community and resulted in an invitation to tour in Latvia in August/September 2010 in a slightly revised form under the title “Tango/Balades”. I was invited to go along for the ride (give a talk, work with the Latvian musicians to prepare, etc.). And since there were breaks in the schedule between the rehearsals and the main performances, I was also able to do a week or so of birding; hence this report.

First, a bit of background. Latvia is the middle of the three Baltic states that lie on the Baltic Sea opposite Scandinavia. All three countries have a complicated history and have been dominated at times by the Germans, the Swedes, the Poles and, most recently the Russians. Latvia finally gained its independence after World War I only to lose it again when the Russians took over in 1940. The Germans were back during World War II and then Soviet Russia took over, apparently definitively, in the post-war period. Only in 1989, with the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union, did all three Baltics unexpectedly regain their independence. In the past twenty years, Latvia (like the other Baltics) has had growth and prosperity, joined the European Union, and then experienced major inflation and economic crisis.

In spite of its checkered history, Latvia has produced a remarkable number of major figures in the arts, most especially in music and dance. Because of its this history, it also produced some major emigrations – particularly to North America – during its times of crisis. Laila Salins’ father was Gunar Salins, a major Latvian poet, who fled the Soviet invasion to come to New York where he became part of an expatriate community in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen (now Chelsea/Clinton). Laila was born in the U.S. but learned Latvian as a child and has ‘returned’ to Latvia as a student and mature artist.

Birding as we know it is relatively new in Latvia and there are perhaps a couple of dozen dedicated birders in the entire country with perhaps a half a dozen ‘serious’ birder types. In Soviet times, the study of birds was virtually restricted to professional ornithologists. Many of the best birding areas were restricted; travel and access was difficult (there are stories about hiding in the back of trucks and bribing guards to gain entrance). The result is that birding, as we know it, really only goes back to most recent period of Latvian independence and the biggest steps forward have been the past decade or so. Even today, some of the best birders are also young, professional ornithologists. Karlis Millers, my Latvian contact, fits this description perfectly. He was recommended to me as the best and most knowledgeable birder in Latvia as well as a professional ornithologist, working on his Ph.D., and familiar with the places and cast of characters, avian and human, throughout the country. I can say that he fully lived up to his reputation! His e-mail address is .

Partly as result of this history, the country has a mostly undisturbed coastline and there are forests, bogs and wetlands everywhere. The whole countryside has a kind of fairy-tale atmosphere only partly disturbed by the poverty of much of the rural population or the problems of the cities. Whatever the reality, what you see has no relation to the misery that you find in third-world countries. Amazingly enough, most of the traces of the oppressive Soviet regime have been eliminated. The Latvians are extremely friendly people, at least some English is widely spoken and, even if birdwatching as a pursuit is still unusual, there is a deep and abiding love of nature in Latvians (the traditional pursuits are hunting as well as berry- and mushroom-picking, all of which are widely practiced at this time of the year). Additionally, the shops (often small supermarkets) are full of goods, the people dress well, drive cars that are decently maintained on roads that, paved or unpaved, are also well maintained. In spite of many stories of corruption and mismanagement, the cities as well as the towns and villages are green and well cared for compared with similar places in other countries. Riga is the cleanest and greenest large city I have ever seen and even the smallest towns and villages are neat as a pin. Yet the economic crisis hit Latvia hard and inflation is rampant. How the Latvians manage is beyond me.

Monday, August 30

The first week I stayed in the apartment of Gundega Smite, a composer and director of the Latvian Composers Union, in an old area of villas and dachas across the Daugava River in Riga. Karlis picked me up there at 5 am on this, my first free day, and we started our birding adventures in Kemeri National Park right outside of the capital. It is astonishing to find such a major national park so close to the country’s principal city but this was only the first of the many unspoiled forests, meadows, bogs, lakes and shores that we explored. Half of the country’s population lives in Riga (or its environs) and the rest is scattered among three or four fair-sized towns and many small villages and farming settlements that alternate with the truly wild areas. Although the Soviet occupation had many ugly aspects, it actually prevented development in many key areas with the result that much of Lativa – the seashore in particular – remains unspoiled. The sparsely populated countryside – probably never densely populated and perhaps now further depopulated because of the economic crisis – suggests an America or Western Europe that has long since disappeared.

The forests of Latvia are mostly of the northern or boreal type, dominated by Scot’s Pine Pinus sylvestris and birch with spruce and alder as the principal backups.. Where the pine is dominant, the understory is often covered in mosses and is quite open; it is possible to walk right into the forest and (in typical fairy-tale fashion) get quite lost. Growing in the moss are many trolls, water sprites and woodland spirits hiding under the mushrooms and berry bushes. At this time of the year, the forests also also sprout mushroom collectors and berry pickers. This is, famously, the way Latvians help to survive hard times – by picking for their own consumption or to sell (there are roadside stands everywhere selling garden produce along with these wild fruits of the forest). The argument that gathering from the wild helps poor people in bad times would be more convincing if such a high percentage of the mushroom- and berry-pickers did not arrive in their automobiles. I have yet to work out the exact cost of fuel but I can say that a typical fill-up of an ordinary passenger car runs to $60 or $65.

Besides the woodlands, a typical Latvian forest also contain major wetlands in the form of bogs. Such areas feature dead standing trees and dead standing trees attract woodpeckers. The piciforms of Kemeri and environs include all the major species that are common in Latvia except for Wryneck (which may be present somewhere but seemed to have already left the country) and the Green Woodpecker (in any case, rather uncommon in Latvia). Just in this one area of Kemeri, we found the magnificent White-backed, the Grey-headed, the Eurasian Three-toed and the Great Spotted; the Middle Spotted was not very far away. The only major Latvian woodpeckers that I did not see here were the Black (which I saw later) and the Lesser Spotted which I was assured was everywhere to be found (so, of course, I never found it in the wild).

After all this woodpeckering, we went to the shores of Lake Kanieris, a coastal lagoon with a bird tower and major stands of reeds that harbor Bearded Reedlings (formerly known as Bearded Tit; we got a glimpse) and open water areas with Caspian Terns as well as various ducks, herons and gulls. A brief stop on the bay shore (this is Bay of Riga) to look for shore birds produced some Ruffs, Redshanks and Common Sandpiper (the spitting image of our Spotted).

Later we headed east following the River Daugava (Latvia’s principal river) to the town of Plavinas, the home of Gaidis Grandans, a young colleague of Karlis, and Gaidis’s girl friend Gundega. We stayed in their charming old house without running water. The water closet was an old-fashioned outhouse and all household water came from an old-fashioned well in the garden. Besides the pixies and trolls (here in the form of Black Redstarts, Nuthatches, flycatchers, tits, etc.), the garden also featured a traditional sauna and a picnic table with attached grill. After an outdoor dinner, sauna was on the menu. This was a traditional type in its own building with a wood stove stoked up to a good high temperature, heated stones splashed with water and, yes, birch switches for post-sauna flogging. I lasted c. 5 minutes in the heat (thus cleverly avoiding the birch flogging). Afterwards there was shashlik (the local version of what we would call shish kebab) on the grill, eaten like a second dinner after the sauna and washed down with copious amounts of vodka and that ubiquitous Latvian specialty, Black Balsam (don’t ask).

Tuesday, August 31

Day 2, with Gaidis now aboard, began with a visit to the Livani ponds (lots of Eurasian Coot and Least Grebe) and Rozupe, an area of open fields that afforded us great looks at a family of Lesser Spotted Eagles, both shrikes (Great Grey and Red-backed) and Honey Buzzard. A visit to Lake Lubans, Latvia’s largest lake, and a whole series of nearby fish ponds nearby was disappointing in that the ponds were extremely full from the recent rains. However we did find a Red-necked Grebe family, some waterfowl, waders and a few warblers. The high point was undoubtedly when a Reed Warbler – usually one of the most secretive and difficult to observe of birds – popped out of hiding and landed at Karlis’ feet, seemingly stunned. When Karlis tried to catch it, it jumped up, banged against his leg, fluttered around him and then dove back into the reeds. A surrealistic moment of sheer ecstatic surprise.

As I was under the impression that we were going to return to Plavinas, I had left everything except my binoculars there and we had to make a detour back to Gaidis’ house to rescue my things. The day ended at the Mednu Riesti (‘Capercaillie Lek’), a hunting lodge in a remote location bordering Teici Reserve, a National Reserve of forests, bogs and meadows. We were greeted by no less than three calling Pygmy Owls and, later that night and the following morning, by howling wolves.

Wednesday, September 1

The Mednu Riesti Lodge, although somewhat simple in appearance and set-up, has all the comforts: electricity, running water, hot water and even a shower (and a sauna too although we did not investigate this amenity). Gaidis and I took an early morning walk on a track that penetrated the forest (a pair of Black Woodpeckers, a flock of Long-tailed Tits, distant calling Black Grouse). Heavy rain was predicted for later in the day and, as water from a beaver dam was backing onto the track coming in, there was concern that, if something were not done about it, the road would become impassable. Karlis and Gaidis were self-deputized to hack away at the dam to prevent this dire extremity from coming to pass while I passed the time trying to decide if the pipits on the wires coming in were Tree or Meadow..

The rest of the day was spent visiting various sides of the reserve including forest areas and some beautiful open meadows, dry and wet. Hazel Grouse was seen on one of the forest roads but we never did find Black Grouse or Capercaillie, both very tough at this time of the year. Alas, no Capercaillie at Capercaillie Lek or its environs. We did find a variety of open area birds including warblers and even waders. Afterwards, back to the lodge for a second night.

Thursday, September 2

The rain, which had been threatening all day Wednesday, arrived in the evening and continued through until the next morning and we decided to leave the area. Our route back to Plavinas went through Metriena where I spotted (from the car!) a Eurasian Kingfisher perched on a parapet overlooking a pond. Gaidis was dropped off in Plavinas as Karlis and I began the long drive across Latvia to the Baltic coast. After a stop at Engure harbor (a lost Shelduck in the wind and rain) and Mersrags (various shore birds), we called ahead to the guest house in Kolka so that they would have dinner waiting for us. At this guest house, set in a lovely garden and small fruit orchard, we were surprised to look out the window and see a Grey Partridge hen leading her brood across the lawn, first on foot and then in flight. Karlis counted 11 and he tells me that it’s a first record for the species in Kolka. It was also a first record for me for this charismatic bird.

Friday, September 3

Although the rain had stopped, the weather was extremely windy producing a wild scene at the cape. Cape Kolka, where the Baltic meets the Bay of Riga, is considered the exact center of Europe, something of a surprise to those of us who thought we were in Eastern Europe (the explanation is, of course, that Europe extends all the way to the Ural Mountains in Russia). The most surprising birds here (to a North American) were the Sandwich Terns which are common in the North and Baltic Seas. There were just a handful of migrants (the most surprising was a Eurasian Kestrel battling the winds to come in from the bay). Afterwards we took the coastal road from Kolka south, looking – once again without success – for Capercaillie. Although this road goes through a sandy coastal habitat it is, in fact – like so many areas in Latvia – covered with major forests. These forests, dominated by Scotch Pine and birch, have the same open floor covered in mosses and, at this time of the year, also sprout wild berries and wild mushrooms as well as Latvians filling up baskets and pails with these wild fruits of the forest. The return to Riga took us through the Uzava fields and Uzava river delta where we found no less than nine Red-footed Falcons and a few Golden Plovers. Our final stop was at the Satini fish ponds near Saldus where we joined another birder, Janis Jansons, who was able to direct us (by phone with Karlis) to the one pond that had been drained. This pond had exposed mud flats that provided habitat for dozens of Grey Herons, various waterfowl and shore birds including the elusive Temminck’s Stint, another lifer for me. As we were looking at the stint, there was a persistent call coming from the vegetation fringing the pond. It was a rare case of a call that Karlis did not recognize so I decided to try and track down the mystery bird. After managing to get a couple of fleeting glimpses, I decided that the bird was an unusual Phylloscopus warbler (i.e. not a Chiff-chaff or Willow Warbler, the most common Phylloscopus migrants). The contrast between the grayish-green back and the whitish front was notable (there was also a light eye stripe or supercilium but then every Phylloscopus known to science has nearly the same supercilium). “Could this be a Greenish Warbler?”, I asked Karlis. Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides ) is a basically Asian bird that gets into Europe in Latvia but that had presumably already left for its winter home in India. Said Karlis, “We’ll have to listen to the recording back at home to check the call”. Upon which his friend chimed in. “I have the recording right here” and he produced an iPod with an immediate Greenish Warbler playback. Bingo! Not only was it the right call but the playback succeeded in pulling the bird into the bush right next to where we were standing. This particular bush was, as it happened, already occupied by a Chiff-chaff which immediately tried to chase off the intruder. A split second aerial combat ensued bringing both warblers definitively into the open for a moment or two – long enough to confirm the ID! Karlis phoned in the sighting and it was determined that this was the latest record of the species for Latvia, thus putting me, along with my two companions into the Latvian record books.

You could look it up: www.ornitofaunistika.com/lvp/lvp_phydes.htm

Sunday, September 5

Fast forward a few days to the weekend when I am once again free. First comes a delightful lunch with Karlis’ family (his mother, his wife and his daughter) in a medieval restaurant in Old Riga. I order a pork haunch which turns out to be a giant piece of pig on a spit covered with pork rind, fat and all. Even after hacking away at it and removing most of the fat and rind, there is enough left over for us to take along for another meal. We will need it for dinner that evening as Karlis and I set off for his hometown of Liepaja on the Baltic and Pape on the southwestern coast by the Lithuanian border. Just back of the port city of Liepaja is a large lake and the extensive Vitini meadows through which we tramp in the (vain) hope of putting up some Great Snipe, one of my target birds that seems, alas, to have left the country. The main challenge here was avoiding the aurochs (a primitive form of cattle including some fierce-looking bulls) and tarpans (wild horses) which graze in these meadows. After putting up a couple of Common Snipe and staggering back to the car, we proceeded to Pape where there is a major ringing (i.e. banding) station and a guest house right next door where we stayed the night. Ham for dinner.

Monday, September 6

I was up at sunrise and walked out into the garden of the guest house to witness the biggest migration movement it has ever been my privilege to observe. There were literally thousands and even tens of thousands of birds moving through at every level from high in the sky to the grasslands, scattered bushes and trees that divided the guest house garden from the birding station. The spectacle was already well underway at dawn and continued all morning although eventually with diminished intensity. Identifying these birds was no easy challenge (I was determined to figure out as much as possible by myself although eventually I needed help from Karlis). The flocks moving through the bushes and trees included warblers (among those that I was able to identify, there was, notably, Barred Warbler and a pair of Marsh Warblers); tits (many flocks of Coal Tits as well as Great Tit, Blue Tit and Crested Tit); flycatchers (Spotted, Red-breasted and Pied); chat thrushes (Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Robin); Tree Creepers; finches and buntings (Yellowhammer, Bullfinch, Chaffinches); Red-backed Shrike. Overhead the birds were equally exciting: a Golden Oriole, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Honey Buzzard, Sparrow Hawks, etc. Perhaps the most astonishing of all was a count of 130 Nutcrackers, the highest number ever recorded in Latvia (see http://www.ornitofaunistika.com/lvp/lvp_nuccar.htm). All around were dozens of White Wagtails and an occasional Yellow Wagtail. As the migration finally slowed down, Karlis took me to visit the nearby station with its Heligoland trap and mist nets (among the birds in the nets were a Firecrest, a Garden Warbler, and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, all birds that I had not succeeded in seeing in the wild).

Afterwards, we crossed the road on the other side and worked our way into the wetlands on the edge of Lake Pape in the ever forlorn hope of finding Great Snipe. No Great Snipe but, to our surprise, a Spotted Crake ambled into view, looked us over and ambled out of sight and back into the reeds. Also seen here: Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler.

After taking leave of Pape, we went north through the fields around Nicas (Northern Wheatears, Common Kestrels) and then to Liepaja, the only breeding place for Crested Lark in Latvia (yes we found one on a major road right in town). Then, after making our way through a region of abandoned Soviet installations to a ruined dock area, we found Slavonian Grebe (sounds exotic but it turns out to be the same as our Horned Grebe) and Goosanders aplenty. North of Liepaja, we found a handsome juvenile harrier (almost certainly Montagu’s Harier) and then went to our final stop, Akmenrags or Stone Cape. This turned out to consist of beautiful white sand dunes (not stones at all), a handsome old-fashioned red lighthouse, a White-tailed Sea Eagle, some Little Gulls offshore, and a few waders or shore birds.

On the way back to Riga, Karlis, who is in almost constant telephonic communication with the entire Latvian birding community suddenly announces “that was Gaidis that just went by.” A quick phone call confirms that we did indeed cross paths at the same moment that a Grey Heron came floating majestically overhead. Gaidis was on his way to Pape to spend a week or two working at the banding station at the height of fall migration. He also informed us that he had seen that same Grey Heron.

A footnote: two days later Karlis, Gaidis and a fellow worker netted a Short-toed Tree Creeper (Certhis brachydactyla) at Pape, a first for Latvia. I myself saw several Tree Creepers at Pape; I didn’t dare call any of them Short-toed. But who knows?....

SPECIES LIST

This list follows the Birds of Europe, Second Edition, by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom (Princeton/HarperCollins 2009).

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) – the common swan in most locations

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) – fish ponds near Lubans Lake 8/31/10; fish ponds on way back to Riga 9/3/10

(Common) Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) – Engure 9/2/10

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) – on water almost everywhere

Gadwall (A. strepera) – Kanieris Lake 8/30/10

(Northern) Pintail (A. acuta) – Kanieris Lake 8/30/10

(Northern) Shoveler (A. clypeata) – Kanieris Lake 8/30/10

(Eurasian) Wigeon (A. penelope) – widespread

(Eurasian) Teal (A. crecca) – several localities

Garganey (A. querquedula) – one bird in one of the Kvapani fish ponds near Lake Lubans 8/31/10

(Common) Pochard (Aythya ferina) – Kanieris Lake 8/30/10

Tufted Duck (A. fulifula) – Akmenrags

Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra) – flocks off Kolka 9/3/10

(Common) Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) – coast off Liepaja 9/6/10

Common Merganser (Goosander) (Mergus merganser) – coast off Liepaja 9/6/10

*Hazel Grouse (Tetraste bonasia) – forest near Teici Nature Reserve (near Lubana) 9/1/10

*Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) – from window of Kolka guest house; hen with brood of 11 chicks; a new record for Kolka 9/3/10

Horned (Slavonian) Grebe (Podiceps auritus) – coast near Liepaja 9/6/10

Red-necked Grebe (P. grisegena) – fish pond near Lake Lubans (Zvejsala) 8/31/10

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) – Livani Ponds 8/31/10

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) – on all larger bodies of water

Great Egret (Casmerodius or Ardea alba) – quite common in wet areas

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) – common, even numerous, on or by all larger bodies of water and sometimes in upland fields

[White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)] – nests everywhere but only one bird seen flying by Karlis on road from Riga to Plavinas 8/30/10]

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) – several places on Baltic coast including Lake Kanieris 8/30/10; Alkmenrags 9/6/10

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) – Zvejsala fish ponds 8/31/10

*Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) – 3 birds (a family) well seen on road to Teici (Rozupe area) 8/31/10; 2 other birds seen in the next day or two in E. Latvia

(Western) Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) – nearly all major wetland areas

Montagu’s Harrier (C. pygargus) – 2 birds seen; one in fields near Lake Lubans, the second in fields n. of Liepaja [in the case of this latter bird, the possibility of Pallid Harrier, C. macrourus, was not entirely ruled out) 9/6/10

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) – most common raptor; open fields everywhere

(European) Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) – road to Teici 8/31/10; Pape 9/6/10

(Eurasian) Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus) – widespread; numbers in migration at Pape 9/6/10

(Common) Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) – off Kolka Cape 9/3/10; Nicas fields south of Liepaja 9/6/10

Red-footed Falcon (F. vespertinus) – numbers in many open localities (in migration)

(Eurasian) Hobby (F. subbuteo) – numbers in many open localities (same fields as preceding)

Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) – Pape Lake marsh 9/6/10

Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) – several locations, notably Livani ponds 8/31/10

Common Crane (Grus grus) – flocks flying and on ground in open fields in several locations

(Common) Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) – wet ponds in open fields in several locations

Black-bellied (Grey) Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) – shore at Alkmenrags 9/6/10

European Golden Plover (P. apricaria) – 2 or 3 upland locations; 5+ in Uzava fields 9/3/10

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) – flocks at several upland locations

Sanderling (Calidris alba) – shore at Akmenrags 9/6/10

Dunlin (Calidris alp;ina) – widespread at upland locations

Curlew Sandpiper (C. ferruginea) – widespread at upland locations

*Temminck’s Stint (C. temminckii) – 2 birds at Satini fish ponds 9/3/10

Little Stint (C. minuta) – widespread in small numbers at various upland locations

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) – several birds at upland locations

(Common) Redshank (Tringa totanus) – several birds on Riga Bay shore near Jurmala 8/30/10

(Common) Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) – Riga Bay shore near Jurmala 8/30/10; Nicas fields south of Liepaja 9/6/10

(Eurasian) Curlew (Numenius arquata) – several upland locations including fields next to Lake Lubans 8/31/10

(Common) Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) – several wetland locations including Vitini meadows 9/5/10

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) – common on many upland locations

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) – very common everywhere except forest

Common (Mew) Gull (Larus canus) – Latvia is one of the few places I have been where the Common Gull is truly common; seen in many environments particularly upland agricultural areas; the equivalent of our Ring-billed Gull

(European) Herring Gull (L. argentatus) – common species in Latvia (now separated from the American Herring Gull which is L. smithsonianus)

Great Black-backed Gull (L. marinus) – one juvenile-plumaged bird seen on coast

Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus) – a few seen on coast

Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) – some numbers seen off coast at Alkmenrags 9/6/10

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) – several birds @ Cape Kolka 9/3/10 [note that in Europe this tern is a northern species]

Common Tern (S. hirundo) – some numbers seen @ Cape Kolka and on Baltic coast

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) – numbers @ Lake Kanieris 8/30/10

Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia) – common urban bird as everywhere

Stock Dove (C. oenas) – several birds in various locations

Wood Pigeon (C. palumbus) – common in many locations

(Eurasian) Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tutur) – 2 or 3 sightings of birds sitting on wires

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) – 2 or 3 birds in Lake Lubans area 8/31/10?

^H(Eurasian) Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) – heard only; 3 birds at the edge of the forest at the Teici Reserve, evening of 8/31/10

(European) Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) – one bird flushed up from the road on the road to Pape 9/5/10

(Common) Swift (Apus apus) – small numbers seen in several locations

(Common) Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) – one bird seen sitting on a parapet jutting out from a bridge at Metriena 9/2/10

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) – a pair at the edge of the Teici forest by the hunting lodge 9/1/10

Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) – flooded forest at Kemeri 8/30/10

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) – most common woodpecker; many locations from Kemeri to Pape

Middle Spotted Woodpecker (D. medius) – forest @ Kemeri 8/30/10

White-backed Woodpecker (D. leucotos) – flooded forest @ Kemeri 8/30/10

^HLesser Spotted Woodpecker (D. minor)] – supposedly a very common woodpecker but the only one seen was a mist-netted bird at Pape! Heard at Teici 9/1/10

*Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) – forest @ Kemeri 8/30/10

(Common) Skylark (Alauda arvensis) – fairly common in open fields

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) – a single bird seen on a busy street in Liepaja (this is the only known breeding locale for this species in Latvia)

^HWoodlark (Lulula arborea) – at least two birds heard passing over our heads on road to Teici (Rozupe area)

Bank Swallow (Sand Martin) (Riparia riparia) – a few seen in large swallow flocks

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) – everywhere; perhaps the most common bird seen

(Common) House Martin (Delichon urbicum) – a few seen in large swallow flocks

Meadow Pipit ( Anthus pratensis) – common in open areas

Tree Pipit (A. trivialis) – fairly common in open areas

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) – abundant everywhere on or near open ground

Yellow Wagtail (M. flava) – small number seen or heard in open areas

^HDunnock (Prunella modularis) – at least one bird heard at Teici Hunting Lodge 9/1/10

(European) Robin (Erithacus rubecula) – widespread

(Common) Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) – Riga, Pape

Black Redstart (P. ochruros) – several locations (Plavinas, Pape, etc.)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) – widespread, mostly on roadsides in open areas

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) – 2 birds on wires @ Degumnieki fields near Lake Lubans 9/31/10

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) – 2 or 3 locations

Redwing (T. iliacus) – Pape 9/6/10

Mistle Thrush (T. viscivorus) – several locations

Fieldfare (T. pilaris) – half a dozen birds on wires on a road north of Liapaja

(Common) Blackbird (T. merula) – common and widespread

Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria) – one bird seen at Pape (without noticeable barring but otherwise like an adult) 9/6/10

[Garden Warbler (S. borin) – one bird caught in mist net @ Pape 9/6/10]

Blackcap (S. atricapilla) – m. and f. seen at Pape 9/6/10; 1 or 2 birds elsewhere

(Common) Whitethroat (S. communis) – 1 bird seen in bushes at marsh by Pape Lake 9/6/10

Lesser Whitethroat (S. curruca) – 1 bird seen in bushes at marsh opposite Pape Lake 9/6/10

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) – seen in two places; vegetation by fish ponds near Lake Lubans 8/31/10 and at edge of marsh opposite Pape Lake 9/6/10

(European) Reed Warbler (A. scirpaceus) – 1 bird came out of the reeds by the Zvejsala fish ponds near Lake Lubans and had a scrape with Karlis before vanishing back into the reeds 8/31/10

Marsh Warbler (A. palustris) – two migratory birds in vegetation back of pond at Pape Guest House 9/6/10

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) – common and widespread migrant; many at Pape

(Common) Chiff-chaff (P. collybita) – common and widespread migrant everywhere

Greenish Warbler (P. trochiloides) – 1 calling bird by the Satini fish ponds discovered and ID’d by me; subsequently verified by Karlis and his friend with an iPod; this was the latest record for Latvia and put me in the Latvian record book! 9/3/10 See www.ornitofaunistika.com/lvp/lvp_phydes.htm

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) – widespread in pine forests

[Firecrest (R. ignicapilla) – mist net @ Pape 9/6/10]

(Eurasian) Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) – widespread

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapidae striata) – widespread; many migrants @ Pape 9/6/10

Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parvus) – widespread; migrants @ Pape 9/6/10

Pied Flycatcher (F. hypoleuca) – at least one @ Pape 9/6/10

Great Tit (Parus major) – widespread; common migrant

Coal Tit (Periparus ater) – many flocks of 20-30 birds moving through Pape, perhaps many hundreds in all 9/6/10 (this bird is considered resident in Europe but Siberian birds are known to migrate in large numbers in certain years)

(European) Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) – common; many birds @ Pape 9/6/10

Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus) – flocks in pine forests @ Teici 9/1/10 and elsewhere

Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) – widespread

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalus caudatus) – flocks seen in 2 or 3 places including Teici forest 9/1/10

Bearded Reedling (Tit or Parrotbill) (Panurus biarmicus) – seen in reeds @ Kanieris Lake 8/30/10; heard elsewhere

(Eurasian) Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) – widespread in wooded habitats

(Eurasian) Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) – Kemeri Forest 8/30/10; several birds at Pape, presumably all this species, in the great migrant rush 9/6/20. P.S.: a Short-toed Treecreeper was netted by Karlis, Gaidis and a co-worker two days later, a first for Latvia

Great Grey (Northern) Shrike (Lanius excubitor) – seen in several places, most notably @ Rozupe 8/31/10; very closely related to our Northern Shrike and generally considered the same species

Red-backed Shrike (L. colluria) – Most common shrike; populations are falling elsewhere but are apparently stable in Latvia (however many of the birds seen may have been migrants)

(Common) Magpie (Pica pica) – common and widespread

(Eurasian) Jay (Garrulus glandarius) – very common and widespread in all wooded areas; often seen flying in pairs or small groups

(Spotted) Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactus) – seen in 2 or 3 places, notably at Pape where 130s birds were counted by Karlis (a record for Latvia) flying at medium to high levels 9/6/10; in Europe this is usually considered a resident bird but it would appear that the seed crop failed in the north (in Scandinavia, European Russia or Siberia) provoking this invasion

(Western) Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) – common in towns and villages

Rook (C. frugilegus) – least common of the local crows but seen in agricultural areas in several places mostly in W. Latvia

Hooded Crow (C. cornis) – Abundant everywhere

(Common) Raven (C corax) – Abundant everywhere; almost as common as the Hooded Crow

(Common) Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) – Abundant; in large flocks everywhere

(Eurasian) Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) – one bird flying over Pape in migration 9/6/10

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) – Abundant near human habitation

(Eurasian) Tree Sparrow (P. montanus) – not as common as above but often found in villages and agricultural areas in small flocks or colonies

(Common) Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) – Very common to abundant and widespread in many habitats

(Common) Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) – flocks in many places

(European) Goldfinch (C. carduelis) – flocks in many places

(European) Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) – widespread

(Eurasian) Siskin (Carduelis spinus) – many flocks seen or heard in various locations including forest edge

(European) Serin (Serinus serinus) – birds seen on a wire on road north of Liepaja 9/6/10

(Eurasian) Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) – birds heard in several localities; well seen by me only @ Pape 9/6/10

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) – 2 or 3 birds flushed at roadside on road north of Liepaja; seen by me (without binoculars) flying away; the pattern of the upper parts in flight is unmistakeable 9/6/10

^HCommon Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) – heard only in flight over Pape 9/6/10

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeiclus) – seen and heard in several wetlands

Yellowhammer (E. citrinella) – most common of the buntings; many @ Pape 9/6/10

146 species

5 heard only

5 life birds

OTHER ANIMALS

Red Squirrel

small unidentified rodents (voles?)

Roe Deer

Red Fox

Raccoon Dog

Grey Wolf (heard only)

a European Beaver dam was partially dismantled by Karlis and Gaydis to avoid flooding the entrance road into the Capercaillie Lek Hunting Lodge

PO Box 775

East Quogue NY 11942

631 653-5236

es@ericsalzman.com

www.ericsalzman.com

more herons

Yesterday afternoon, a loud squawking sound from the marsh sent me running down in time to see two large Ardea herons flying up. They soared overhead and eventually out over the creek and into the misty distance -- but not before I got some good looks. They were, let's say, funny-looking Great Blue Herons, rather streaky-looking with dark crowns and, as far as I could see, no reddish trousers. But the outstanding feature on both birds was a pair of bright white 'headlights' on the carpal joint (i.e. the bend of the wing). Now if you look at North American bird guides, you will not find Great Blue Herons illustrated with white 'headlights' but if you look in British or European guides you will find that the Grey Herons -- apparently in all plumages -- are almost always shown with this prominent feature!

I should say that Great Blue Herons are here on Eastern Long Island all year round but they are scarcest in June and July when most of the wintering and migrant birds have returned to their breeding colonies inland and to the north.

After the flap with the Little/Snowy Egret this past, it seems almost too much of a coincidence to bring up the Great Blue/Grey Heron problem. But once again, we have two members of a superspecies (or species pair), one in Europe, the other in North America, with a serious problem about how to distinguish them. In fact, Little Egrets are regularly seen and identified on this side of the Atlantic (although some of them may be aberrant Snowy Egrets or hybrids). But does anyone see or claim to see Grey Herons? If one showed up, what should we look for?

No photographs this time. The birds soared high and disappeared to the east.

Eric Salzman

is it a Little Egret?

Here are photographs of yesterday's plumed egret taken in the afternoon by Luke Ormond from the foot of Weesuck Avenue -- almost directly opposite where the bird was seen by me in the morning. I would say that it is almost certainly the same bird. But is it a Little Egret? Angus Wilson (and other sources) point out that the bare skin around the eyes and on the lores of Little Egrets are usually blue-gray while on this bird, the skin appears yellowish. Score one for Snowy Egret. However, in breeding plumage Little Egrets, the skin changes color and I believe that birds with yellowish skin (for reasons of geography or otherwise) are not so uncommon. Apparently Snowy Egrets can sometimes show longer plumes but these are usually mixed in with typically shaggy nuptial plumes (I very much doubt that this bird's shaggy plumes were invisible because they were wet and matted down). Also, I have the distinct impression that this bird has a lighter color on the base of its lower mandible which, in my opinion, would score a point for Little Egret. See the second picture below where the bill also looks "dagger-like" to me. I thought the bird looked slightly larger than a typical Snowy and the bill seemed broad at the base (admittedly very subjective impressions with now undoubted Snowy in the neighborhood for comparison).

Just to make things more confusing, Little Egrets have a very wide range and can show differences over that range. Furthermore, hybrids are a possibility between two closely related species. And, just to confuse things even more, there are other white egrets in a wide-ranging superspecies, some of which -- notably the Reef [or Western Reef] Egret -- also have the plume.

Eric Salzman

Eric Salzman

PO Box 775

East Quogue NY 11942

631 653-5236

es@ericsalzman.com

www.ericsalzman.com