Cape May Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Bobolinks - 2 Oct 2010

In spite of the N-NNE winds and rain during the night, Hugh McGuinness and I figured that Montauk Point might be a good place to look for migrants. We were not disappointed. After seawatching for a short time and seeing nothing of note beyond a distant jaeger, we turned our attention to the bushes around the main parking lot and in front of the lighthouse. Among the highlights were a CAPE MAY WARBLER (a rare sight on the SF nowadays), BLACKPOLL WARBLER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and an immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. We also noted some phoebes, juncos, Chipping Sparrows and a single Field Sparrow.

Along the Seal Haul Out Trail a mile or so east of the Point, we found a couple of feeding flocks working through the canopy including a confiding BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, a TENNESSEE WARBLER, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, PARULA, BLACK-&-WHITE WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLUE-HEADED and RED-EYED VIREOS. Of a more wintry flavor, a HAIRY WOODPECKER, two YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, one or two BROWN CREEPER and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were also welcome sights. A lone adult TURKEY VULTURE was soaring over the Montauk Woods and we glimpsed a couple of MERLINS.

The weed choked pond at Theodore Roosevelt County Park (Third House) hosted a good selection of birds including a BLUE GROSBEAK, at least 10 INDIGO BUNTINGS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and 30+ BOBOLINK. Another INDIGO BUNTING was by the gate marking the entrance to the Warhol Estate. The American Golden-Plover and Semipalmated Plovers seen yesterday on Rusty's field were not in evidence today.

In Amagansett, Karen and Barb Rubinstein found 4 BOBOLINK in the Quail Hill fields off Town Lane and a couple of RED-EYED VIREOS on Kings Point Road in Springs.

During an afternoon visit to Cedar Point County Park (Northwest Woods), Hugh connected with some more warblers including BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKPOLL, PARULA and BLACK-&-WHITE.

Influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and other storm birds - 30 Sep & 1 Oct 2010

Apologies for not posting earlier, but it's been busy with these last two days of windy, and more recently wet, weather.

*** Record breaking influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls ***

Today (1 Oct) was a day for LESSER BLACK-BACK GULLS. All told, I found a whopping total of 34 today including 14 fresh juveniles. The breakdown is as follows: 3+ on the Maidstone Golf Course (East Hampton), 13+ at Sagg Mains (Bridgehampton), 8 at Mecox Inet (Watermill), 1 on field along Sag Road, 1 at Hook Pond, 1 ['Larry'] at Lazy Point (Napeague), 6 on Fort Pond Bay (Montauk) and 1 at the Montauk Inlet. I'll need to sit down with my notes and photos to compile the ages of the 7 subadults.

Late September and early October seems to be the optimal time to find migrant Lesser Black-backs on Long Island, especially if it coincides with crappy weather. This European species seems set to become a common sight on the East Coast, however, we still don't know where the birds actually come from. There is no evidence yet that they are nesting in meaningful numbers in North America and instead may originate in southern Greenland or Iceland where there are known breeding colonies. This would mean that some Lesser Black-backed Gulls have established a new migration pattern, flying southwest rather than southeast in the late summer to staging sites in the Mid-Atlantic States (e.g. Pennsylvania) and Florida. Growing numbers are now found in the Caribbean and beyond.

The appearance of so many juveniles on the South Fork is especially interesting. On Thursday, Patricia Lindsay found 3 juveniles at Robert Moses SP on Fire Island, a record number for one spot apparently. Today's events suggests that juveniles pass down the coast (possibly offshore) in the wake of the adults and subadults that start coming through a few weeks earlier.

Seeding this notion of migrating flocks, the seven juveniles at Sagg Mains were scattered through the flock of roosting gulls but when one bird took to the wing they all did, lifting as a group out of the roost and flying over to the expansive surf zone where they fed by hovering and dipping to snatch disturbed items, much like Ring-billed Gulls.

Otherwise, the fallout of the storm seemed limited. An early morning seawatch was frustrated by poor visibility and a marked lack of birds on the turbulent ocean. Highlights were 6 CORY'S SHEARWATERS and an unidentified jaeger. Gannets are beginning to move in and a few were noted at several stops. An estimated 60 BOBOLINK, 15 Savannah Sparrows and 1000+ Red-winged Blackbirds ere feeding in the weedy fields on either side of Horsemill Lane on the eastern side of Mecox Bay and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER was with 25 Forster's Terns and a few Sanderlings at Mecox. A PEREGRINE buzzed the gulls and Forster's Terns (3) at Sagg Mains. A couple of PARASITIC JAEGERS chased Common Terns on Gardiner's Bay, as seen from Lazy Point, Napeague. Here I noticed a couple of COMMON LOONS and subsequently learned form Karen Rubinstein that five were here earlier in the day. Luke Ormand spotted 2 more off Squires Road East in Hampton Bays. A flock of 10 FIELD SPARROWS were on the roadside in the Lazy Point community.

In Deep Hollow near Montauk, the adult AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER continues on the horse/cattle pasture along with 16 juvenile Semipalmated Plovers. Visibility was really dreadful by the time I reached Montauk Point due to the heavy rain and fog but one of the few birds I could see was a BLACK TERN coursing back and forth in front of the restaurant.

*** Peregrine Flight along ocean front ***

On Thursday (30 Sep) we stewed in a humid onshore breeze with periods of sunshine, escaping the heavy rain that hammered the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and central New York. Nonetheless, there were some good birds around. PEREGRINE FALCONS were in evidence along the beach front. In an hour and a half of casual observation (i.e. not deliberately hawkwatching) between Amagansett and Mecox I spotted 7 moving west along the ocean beach front and Karen Rubinstein saw another over Hook Pond.

A single CORY'S SHEARWATER and light-morph PARASITC JAEGER flew west past Hither Hills State Park. An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the Maidstone Golf Course in East Hampton, two lingering CASPIAN TERNS (an adult with juv. in tow) were at Mecox Inlet and my first GREAT CORMORANT of the season was at Montauk Point.

Significant numbers of terns and Laughing Gulls remain over the reefs off the point. When I arrived, most were feeding north of the point but when the tide changed and the wind dropped, the terns picked up en masse and flew around to the south side. A quick count of birds passing a single spot tallied more than 4,000 Common Terns and 2,000 Laughing Gulls. Among these I picked out a BONAPARTE'S GULL, 4 BLACK TERNS, 2 FORSTER'S TERNS and a late adult ROSEATE TERN. Given the scale of the larid activity around the Point, I remain puzzled by the apparent absence jaegers. Last weekend, my only 'jaeger' working the tern flock turned out to to be a Peregrine intent on the terns themselves, rather than their catch.

The feeder in the middle of Vicki Bustamante's lawn is attracting both a female PURPLE FINCH and a BOBWHITE QUAIL. Two female BLUE-WINGED TEAL linger on Rita's pond.

*** Changes at Montauk State Park ***

It's with a touch of sadness that I report the demise of the dank but warm bathrooms near the entrance to the main parking lot. Over the years, if not decades, numerous birders from all over the country have taken advantage of these strategically placed facilities. A wrecking crew tore down the building today and carted the debris away. All that remains is a patch of bare sand. The new facility is near the middle of the parking lot: a far less convenient spot for the bundled winter seawatcher afflicted by the combined effects of cold and too much coffee on the drive out. Hopefully, the park people will maintain their helpful policy of keeping the new restrooms open year round.

*** Catching Up ***

Saturday's (25 Sep) Group for the East End (GEE) field trip to Dune Road and Shinnecock Bay, led by Steve Biasetti, found a juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, lingering CLAPPER RAIL, 5 ROYAL TERNS, and 10 SALTMARSH (SHARP-TAILED) SPARROWS. A PEREGRINE was on the Ponquogue Bridge. Meanwhile in Montauk, Vicki Bustamante saw a female RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD visiting her sugar feeders and noted a female PURPLE FINCH in here yard and PEREGRINE overhead.

In Georgica, Jane Ross noted HOUSE WREN and multiple RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS in her yard on Sunday. I also spotted a HOUSE WREN working the flower beds at our house in Springs.

On Monday (27 Sep) Vicki Bustamante noted 4 GREEN-WINGED TEAL in the Napeague bog, where the old and new Montauk Highways splits.

Odds and Ends - 25 Sep 2010

Karen Rubinstein birded Montauk & Deep Hollow on Thursday morning (23 Sep), finding numerous Northern Flickers and Eastern Phoebes. Many Laughing Gulls, Common Terns and a few FORSTER'S TERNS continue off the Point. Karen noted at least 15 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. At Teddy Roosevelt County Park (3rd House) she found a sprinkling of migrants including MERLIN, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, INDIGO BUNTING and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Two SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were with the Killdeer on the pasture in Deep Hollow south of the road. Two or probably three TURKEY VULTURES were in the area between Deep Hollow and Camp Hero. In the evening a GREAT HORNED OWL visited Vicki Bustamante's property above East Lake Drive.

Visiting Mecox Inlet on Friday evening (24 Sep), John Shemilt found 2 CASPIAN TERNS, a LEAST TERN, 5 COMMON TERN, 40+ FORSTER'S TERNS, 2 DUNLIN, 11 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a LEAST SANDPIPER. In Springs, Karen and Barb Rubinstein spotted three COMMON NIGHTHAWKS just before dusk. They appeared to come in from over Gardiner's Bay and then flew south.

This morning (25 Sep), Luke Ormand found 5 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and around 15 BLUE-WINGED TEAL on the pools in the field behind the South Fork Natural History (SoFo) Museum and Nature Center in Bridgehampton.

Influx of fall songbird migrants - 21 Sep 2010

Monday (20 Sep 2010) night provided the first major influx of fall songbird migrants onto the East End. Birding some familiar spots on the east side of Lake Montauk on Tuesday (21 Sep) morning, Vicki Bustamante found her first DARK-EYED JUNCO and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS of the season. She describes the NORTHERN FLICKERS, EASTERN PHOEBES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS as being "everywhere". At Teddy Roosevelt CP, Vicki found 5 newly arrived SWAMP SPARROWS, a late-ish YELLOW WARBLER, INDIGO BUNTINGS and some BOBOLINKS. A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was near Outer Beach. Hawks were also in evidence with MERLIN, AMERICAN KESTREL and 2 PEREGRINES over Deep Hollow.

Proving this was not a localized event, Hugh McGuinness heard two Golden-crowned Kinglets in his yard near Sag harbor and another on the ground of the Ross School in East Hampton. Likewise, Eileen Schwinn found a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER and multiple NORTHERN ORIOLES, SCARLET TANAGERS, RED-EYED VIREOS in East Quogue. A similar influx was reported on the North Fork.

John Shemilt visited the mouth of Mecox Bay on Tuesday and found that the swells have filled the cut with sand and that even at mid-tide ocean water was flowing into the pond (yuk!). The few remaining shorebirds included a DUNLIN; a species that generally arrives much later than other shorebirds. I'd expect the numbers to start building from now on. Other shorebirds (Semipalmated Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and so on) will disappear as they head towards more tropical climes (e.g. Surinam, French Guiana and Brazil). Some Sanderlings and most of the Golden-Plovers will push even further south, all the way to southern Argentina.

Today (Wed 22 Sep) Vicki found fewer kinglets but plenty of phoebes and flickers remain. One of the AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER continues on the horse/cattle pasture (Rusty's) on the south side of Montauk Hwy in Deep Hollow.

Lesser Black-backs, Parastic Jaeger and smattering of migrants -19 Sep 2010

Unfortunately, there were no re-sightings of either Western Kingbird on Sunday. There also seemed to be less visible migration with the notable exception of small groups of Double-crested Cormorants passing west high overhead and a steady stream of Tree Swallows flitting across the ponds.

Visiting the vegetated field behind the SoFo Museum Luke Ormand found a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and SOLITARY SANDPIPER on one of the pools and photographed six BLUE-WINGED TEAL as they flew in.

I checked Sag Pond and Mecox Bay Inlet first thing on Sunday morning. No sign of the Caspian Terns and reduced numbers of Forster's Terns. Highlights at Sagg Mains were two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 1st and 3rd cy. birds, with other gulls on the sand at the now closed cut. An errant dog did its best to spook most of the remaining shorebirds and terns. Two juvenile LEAST TERNS continue.

At Mecox the story was similar with someone walking their dog out through the shallow water and onto the remaining sandbars, again seeming intent on flushing everything. An immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON walked out on the main spit and then disappeared back into the dense phragmites fringing the west side. A 2nd-yr LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was rooting in inch deep water with other gulls until the canine intrusion. The FORSTER'S TERN flock had dropped from more than 100 on Saturday to only 45 on Sunday. Also present were 4 lingering COMMON TERNS and 3 LEAST TERNS (1 adult and 2 juveniles). One has to wonder if these birds, especially the adults, are healthy since the vast majority have moved offshore.

On Saturday (18 Sep) Vicki Bustamante noted a LESSER YELLOWLEGS on Rusty's field in Deep Hollow along with the previously reported plovers. She also spotted the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ('Freddy') on the beach at Fort Pond Bay. Two BLUE-WINGED TEAL were on Rita's Pond and multiple RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES visited her yard above East Lake Drive.

Whilst fishing about 2 miles east of the inlet and about a mile offshore, John Shemilt noted a PARASITIC JAEGER harass a Laughing Gull.

A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH seems to have settled in at my house in the Clearwater Beach section of Springs and was joined by an OVENBIRD which marched back and forth across the lawn and through the flower beds before unexpectedly deciding to dash itself against a window. Fortunately it seemed stunned but unharmed and after a pause in a bush continued its trek. At dusk six COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were hawking overhead.

Back on Saturday 11 Sep, Hugh McGuinness led a SOFO Sponsored bird walk to the Montauk Point areas. Highlights included 2 LEAST FLYCATCHER at the Point and a nice selection of neotropical migrants along the Seal Haulout Trail (2 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 6 VEERY, 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSH, 1 BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, and 1 WILSON'S WARBLER). At Third House (Teddy Roosevelt County Park) the group found a TURKEY VULTURE, 3 INDIGO BUNTINGS and 8 BOBOLINK.

Another Western Kingbird - 18 Sep 2010

Late this afternoon I saw another WESTERN KINGBIRD, this time in Deep Hollow to the east of Montauk Village. I was on the trail that runs along the edge of the Startop Ranch accessed from Teddy Roosevelt County Park. The kingbird was calling loudly (that's what caught my attention) and flew over the horse pasture from the direction of the stock sheds and into the Startop property. At least three EASTERN PHOEBES and 5 PALM WARBLERS were along the fence line bordering the horse/cattle pasture. I could not find the Golden and Black-bellied Plovers from the morning but it was getting dark and perhaps they spend the night elsewhere. There was only one Killdeer on the field.

The Black Terns seem to have departed from Napeague Harbor after a run of several weeks. The only birds of note at Lazy Point were a MERLIN and of course, 'Larry' the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL standing on the western tip of Hick's Island.

Also this evening, Evan Marks spotted a COMMON NIGHTHAWK over Watermill, his first there.

Western Kingbird and influx of Caspian Terns - ‏18 Sep 2010

Hugh McGuinness and I birded the Bridgehampton area this morning. At Sagg Mains we found a nice variety of birds on the sand spit with quite a bit of turn over as we watched. Highlights included a maxima of 10 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 WHIMBREL, 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 2 LEAST TERN (late), and 34 FORSTER'S TERNS. The Caspians came in from the east whereas small groups of Snowy Egrets seemed to be working west. I counted at least 21 Snowies before some doubled back and I gave up. Other shorebirds working the margins included Greater Yellowlegs (6+), Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings and a good number of Semipalmated Plovers. These were predominantly juveniles as one would expect in September. Four Blue-winged Teal fed on the spit further up the pond just at the range of scope visibility.

Over at Mecox Inlet we saw four MARBLED GODWITS flying east over the middle of the pond as we arrived but we could not relocated them later. A single CASPIAN TERN came in off the ocean and briefly joined the tern flock that included 106 FORSTER'S TERNS, 2 LEAST TERN and a 1st-winter BONAPARTE'S GULL.

Whilst we were watching at Sag Pond, John Shemilt was at Mecox and seeing 4 CASPIAN TERNS, so it seems likely that there were 14-15 this morning, a handsome total for the South Fork in fall. All were gone by noon when I checked the ponds again, presumably working their way west down the beach. In some respects it's strange not to have seen any Royal Terns, which are the more likely red-billed tern at this time of year.

The cut at Mecox was opened on Wednesday but has already been closed by the onshore swell. Ditto for Sag. Jane Ross reports that Georgica is also closed and full of water but that like the other ponds has accumulated enough sand to maintain as sizable sand bar at the mouth providing habitat for a few sandpipers and plovers. However, with the good weather it isn't long before these areas are swarming with dogs and their human escorts forcing many of the birds elsewhere. So early in the morning or at dusk seem to be the best times. However, the ponds are always very dynamic with birds dropping in for just a few minutes and then moving on, so frequent visits are encouraged.

In the field behind the SoFo Museum between Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor we found an adult WESTERN KINGBIRD hawking for large bugs from a dead snag overlooking one of the ponds. Hugh made some cell phones calls and a number of birders were able to stop by to see the kingbird. Between feeding bouts it moved into the leafy trees at the periphery of the field, presumably to digest its meal. Three BLUE-WINGED TEAL were in the grassy pond below the kingbird. Also present were 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS, a EASTERN PHOEBE and flyover TURKEY VULTURE and COOPER'S HAWK. Single SOLITARY SANDPIPER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and Wood Duck were on the shallow pond at the back of the field.

Out in Deep Hollow in Montauk, Vicki Bustamante and Joe Giunta spotted two AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER (perhaps the birds from last week) and a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (with damaged leg) in the pasture on the southside of the road.

A good number of Monarch butterflies were on the wing today. On Wednesday, Luke Ormand photographed a spectacular roost of hundreds in pines on Dune Road at the base of the Ponquogue Bridge.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in reports - even if the news items did not make the summary - and good birding to all!

Influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and offshore seabird rarities - 11 & 12 Sep 2010

On Saturday (11 Sep) Anthony Collerton found two AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS on the southern pasture in Deep Hollow. The birds, a molting adult and an juvenile, were still present on Sunday (12 Sep). At Montauk Point, an estimated 3000 Common Terns and 500 Laughing Gulls were snatching small bait fish pushed to the surface by Striped Bass and Bluefish. Most of the birds too distant to study but inspection of closer birds revealed a small number of ROSEATE TERNS, FORSTERS TERNS and a minimum of 16 BLACK TERNS. The COMMON EIDER flock rafting just north of the restaurant has grown to 62 birds and were joined by 2 male WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. The BLACK TERN flock in Napeague Bay [Harbor] has shrunk to only 21 birds, 18 of which were juveniles. On Rita's Pond (much reduced in size) featured 13 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a female BLUE WINGED TEAL.

On Fort Pond Bay in Montauk, a casual check of the 50-60 gulls roosting on the beach in front of the Navy Beach Restaurant revealed 7 (seven) LESSER BLACK-BACK GULLS: four full adults, a 4th summer type, a 3rd summer type and a 1st summer! The adult ('Larry') was on station by the channel between Lazy Point and Hick's Island. Observers elsewhere on Long Island have reported multiple Lessers at various coastal spots. Does this indicate a fresh influx from Iceland which has the nearest sizeable nesting colonies that we know of?

Several MERLINS were making their presence known over the weekend. Anthony Collerton saw three on Saturday: one at Lazy Point, another in 'downtown' Montauk and one over Rita's Horse Farm. One Sunday, I saw one zipping down the beach at Fort Pond Bay headed towards Montauk Manor and another (?) harrassing a flock Cedar Waxwings over Eddy Ecker Park (Rod's Valley) where a male WILSON'S WARBLER flitted about in the bushes by the entrance.

Evidently a trickle of passerine migrants came through the area over the weekend. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak spent Sunday on my feeder in Springs (new for the yard list) together with a female PURPLE FINCH. Anthony Collerton also noted a grosbeak in his yard in Northwest Woods together with MAGNOLIA WARBLER, EASTERN PEWEE and GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was was hunting over my house on Sunday night, another new bird for my yard list. Large numbers of TREE SWALLOWS have been noted in several places. There must be 10s if not 100s of thousands on the South Fork alone.

EASTERN SCREECH OWLS are being quite vocal at the moment. Luke Ormand has been hearing one on Long Neck Blvd in Flanders and a bird near Hugh McGuinness' house on Long Pond near Sag Harbor has been calling since 1 August. I've also heard a bird calling from various spots near the junction of King's Point Road and Hog Creek Lane in Springs.

** OFFSHORE EXCITEMENT **

On Saturday (11 Sep 2010), John Shemilt, Keegan Corcoran and I went fishing over the shelf edge. Unfortunately several days of persistent winds from the north seemed to pushed most of the birds (and fish for that matter) out of the area. As consequence we came up with very low totals of the commoner stuff (49 Wilson's Storm-Petrels, 1 Cory's Shearwater and 1 Greater Shearwater) and were surprised by the number of 'inshore' species (gulls and Common Terns) that were well offshore. However, we still found some really neat stuff. A few miles east of Block Canyon, four young SPERM WHALES put on a superb show, logging on the surface for a long time and making shallow dives. At least one animal repeatedly lifted its huge bulbous head out of the water perhaps to get a better look at us. A pod of 20 or so BOTTLENOSED DOLPHINS came into to the boat as we watched the whales. Several other whales sighted on the other side of Block Canyon might also have been Sperm Whales but we couldn't get up near enough to make a firm ID.

As we worked west across Block Canyon we found a scattering of AUDUBON'S SHEARWATERS picking at clumps of sargassum weed and got nice views of a RED PHALAROPE doing the same. The most significant sighting, however, was a WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL which skipped a few times across the water and then promptly disappeared among the waves. Very frustrating! We zigzagged up and down looking for it in hopes of better views and photographs but without luck. Just before the storm-petrel was spotted, a shoal of skipjack tuna rushed under the boat followed closely by the ominous dark missile-like shape of a marlin. A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on the ride home was new for the day. In addition to pelagic birds we also saw a RED BAT and several landbirds including some shorebirds, an unidentified warbler and a GREAT BLUE HERON calmly flying west some 80 miles SSE of Montauk. Hopefully it just kept going and made landfall 150 miles later in central New Jersey! I was expecting lots of jaegers but no such luck. One distant bird on the 100 fathom line near where we saw the heron was the only jaeger. Likewise, I was surprised not to see a Parasitic or two harassing the terns off Montauk Point on Sunday. Perhaps the favorable winds allowed migrants passing overland from central Canada to travel right over us?

Unbeknown to us, some birders from Rhode Island ran a charter from Galilee to Block Canyon on Friday (10 Sep). They also logged reduced numbers of the commoner species but managed to photograph a BLACK-CAPPED PETREL on the east side of the outer canyon, a BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL and a juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER! Ample evidence of the amazing birds that might be found by anyone able to visit these fascinating areas. Hopefully next year we can figure out a way to run a similar charter from Montauk or alternatively have our friends from New England stop by to pick us up! I shall post details if this plan falls into place.

From what I hear, all the major ponds are full to the brim which is frustrating. Any news to the contrary would be appreciated. With migration in full swing, keep your eyes and ears open, and keep the reports coming in.

Migration Alert - 10 Sep 2010

For the past couple of nights, listeners in central New York have heard large numbers of migrants passing overhead. Today a great variety of warblers, vireos, thrushes and flycatchers (including Western Kingbird) were found on the northshore of Long Island and in the city parks. No doubt some of this flight will have made it out the South Fork and I'd recommend checking your favorite spots tomorrow as birds will probably still be filtering west and south.

Earlier today Jack Passie spotted lots of songbirds moving west across Block Island Sound towards Montauk and his boat (Windy) provided a temporary rest spot for a PINE WARBLER on Wednesday and a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH on Thursday. Also on Wednesday, Jorn Ake had a nice flock of warbler pass through his yard in Amagansett with COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, AMERICAN REDSTART, several PALM WARBLERS and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. Last Sunday (5 Sep), Eileen Schwinn noted a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on a road in East Quoque. PEREGRINE FALCONS were noted today over Little Reed Pond in Montauk by Vicki Bustamante and perched on the large (radio?) tower in Hampton Bays by Luke Ormand.

Odds and Ends - 6 Sep 2010

I gather not too many people were out in the field yesterday but here are a few odds and ends:

On Labor Day (6 Sep), John Shemilt noted a PIED-BILLED GREBE in the pond at the 5th hole at the Noyac Golf Club and also counted 15 to 20 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS with evidence of several pairs nesting.

Meanwhile in Springs, a scruffy immature male PURPLE FINCH briefly joined the mixed passerine flock roving around my yard, which included a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler and Eastern Phoebe. I've already noticed a sprinkling of Purple Finch reports from Connecticut, Long Island and elsewhere and predict a decent number throughout the fall and winter even.

On Saturday (4 Sep) Vicki Bustamante observed 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 17 yellowlegs (most likely Lessers), 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER on the pond at Rita's Horse Farm near Montauk.

Over the weekend, Jack Passie noted a number of hummingbirds (presumably Ruby-throated Hummingbirds) fly westwards past his boat ('Windy') whilst fishing off Montauk Point. It is hard not to be moved by scale of the journey ahead of these tiny birds. Early September is the peak migration time and most of the hummingbirds we will see now are in fact migrants from further north. Adult males generally depart first (early Aug), followed by adult females and finally the young of the year (early Oct). Most Ruby-throats winter in central America, ranging across a broad swath from southern Mexico into northern Panama. Unlike the spring when many individuals make an epic 500-mile non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico, studies suggest that southbound birds are more likely to follow the Texas coast. This may minimize the chance of encountering tropical storms which of course are disasterous. There is no evidence that Ruby-throats travel through the islands of the Caribbean despite numbers in southern Florida, where a few winter. Daytime migration is not unusual, and it is believed that birds refuel briefly on flowering plants (especially jewelweed) first thing in the morning before setting off across water or other flower-deficient habitats.

Baird's and other sandpipers - 5 Sep 2010

There wasn't much evidence of songbird migration this morning, except for large numbers of Tree Swallows moving down the beach and some BOBOLINKS (16 at SoFo Museum in Bridgehampton and 2 at Teddy Roosevelt CP in Montauk). A PALM WARBLER and EASTERN WOOD PEWEE were also in the SoFo field. Two AMERICAN KESTRELS (always a welcome sight out here) and a TURKEY VULTURE were enjoying the breeze over the ridge at Teddy Roosevelt. On the north side of Montauk Point, 31 COMMON EIDER were visible in the surf but generally there was little activity. Large numbers of terns and Laughing Gulls were gathered over the rips at Shagwong Point (and roosting on the beach there) but were too distant to study. This has been a good spot for jaegers in the past.

For me the bird of the day was SOLITARY SANDPIPER, with a healthy count of 12 (3 Bridgehampton Golf Course pond, 5 behind the SoFo museum, 2 pond across road from SoFo, and 2 at Rita's pond in Montauk). Also in the pools behind SoFo I found a beautiful juvenile BAIRD'S SANPIPER that circled repeatedly seeming reluctant to settle in such a vegetated area, a juv PECTORAL SANDPIPER (likely same bird also seen across the road), a Semipalmated Sandpiper, several Least Sandpipers and a WILSON'S SNIPE that kept popping up out of the longer grass. In addition to the Solitaries, Rita's pond hosted 15 LESSER YELLOWLEGS (juvs with 1 adult) and a female GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

The young PEREGRINE continues on the flat at Mecox Inlet, harassing pretty much everything including the plastic owl atop one of the houses and at one point daring to swoop down on me. Most of the shorebirds gave the area a wide berth but 4 BLACK SKIMMERS (incl. 1 juv) were hiding among the gulls and at least 25 FORSTER'S TERNS joined the Commons and Least.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the closed cut at Sag Pond, which is so full that it's flooding the road into Sagg Mains. 'Larry', the Lesser Black-backed Gull that has wintered for several years now along the channel between the Lazy Point community and Hick's Island, has returned to his/her favorite spot. Larry's arrival coincides with that of 'Freddy', the bird wintering on Fort Pond Bay, who was sighted by Vicki a few days ago. At least 70 (yes, seven-zero) BLACK TERNS were hawking over the north end of Napeague Harbor. Accabonac Harbor was virtually shorebirds free (surprising?), with only 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS noted there.

Preliminary Post-Earl reports - 4 Sep 2010

Alas the storm did not live up to expectations in terms of dropping unusual birds onto the South Fork; weakening and veering east faster than initially predicted. None-the-less some nice migrants were found by folks who ventured out first thing on Saturday morning (4 Sep 2010). Here are some of the highlights of reports that have come in so far:

Hugh McGuinness found a lone PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Mecox Inlet, where John Shemilt also noted a female NORTHERN SHOVELER. Hugh also viewed a SORA that had been found dead by Marilee Foster at her farm in Sagaponack. In Bridgehampton, Jim Ash found five SOLITARY SANDPIPERS on the flooded fields behind the SoFo Museum.

Further east, Vicki Bustamante found an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER on the pasture in Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk. At the Point Seth Ausubel, Brent Bomkamp and Stella Miller spotted a CASPIAN TERN and WHIMBREL that flew in off the ocean and landed on the beach on the north side. Waterbirds around the Point included a lone WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, four COMMON EIDERS and 9 BLACK TERNS. Passerine migrants were highlighted by a flock of 15 BOBOLINKS.

In yesterdays report (3 Sep) I erroneously omitted seven BLACK TERNS noted by Vicki Bustamante off Gin Beach on the east side of Montauk Inlet and a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL on the beach at Fort Pond, possibly marking the return of the bird that has wintered along this stretch for the past few years.

By the way, up on the North Fork, John Sep found a Hudsonian Godwit on Dam Pond on the north side of the causeway between East Marion and Orient. Clearly a bird to look for on the South Fork.

Black Vulture, migrants and a brush with Hurricane Earl - 3 Sep 2010

** HURRICANE EARL **
Obviously all eyes are on 'Earl' (currently a Category 1 hurricane) as he rumbles past the South Fork. Fingers crossed that the damage from the anticipated heavy rain, winds and tidal surge will be minimal. Major weather events can result in very exciting birding especially when they coincide with peak migration. This evening or first thing tomorrow, I recommend checking grassy areas that could hold grounded shorebirds, gulls, terns etc. Many long-distance migrants (Hudsonian Godwits, American Golden-Plovers, jaegers, Arctic Terns etc) pass high overhead on their way down from the arctic to the ocean and these massive storms have the ability to bring them to ground. Likewise, pelagic birds might get pushed inshore by the winds, finding shelter in bays or on the larger ponds. Migrant rails, bitterns, and sharp-tailed sparrows might be pushed out of marshes by high water. Always use common sense when birding under inclement conditions and heed warnings about flooded roads, high surf and so on. Please let us know if you find anything good!

** RECENT SIGHTINGS **
According to John Shemilt, the birding on the remaining sandflat at Mecox Inlet has been lackluster of recent, due in part to the continuing presence of a PEREGRINE. On Sunday a gorgeous juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER dropped onto the flat at about 8 AM, settled for a few minutes allowing John to snag some great photographs before it took flight and headed west with other shorebirds. Eight BLUE-WINGED TEAL dropped in on Wednesday (1 Sep) but like the Buffy, departed after only a few minutes. A phone message from Hugh McGuinness mentioned that he had an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER at Mecox last weekend.

Based on the reports from surrounding areas, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES seem to be staging a sizeable incursion after a rather modest flight last fall. Vicki Bustamante heard two 'tooting their horns' in her yard in Montauk last Friday (27 Aug) and Joe Giunta noted one in Camp Heron the next day (28 Aug). Is this a harbinger of other conifer nesters such as crossbills? Karen Rubinstein, Barb Rubinstein and Vicki heard RB Nuts on 28 Aug at Montauk Point and found another on the trail along the eastern border of Deep Hollow together with some obvious southbound migrants such as WHITE-EYED VIREO, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and WILSON'S WARBLER. Yesterday afternoon (2 Sep) Vicki also noted a lone BLACK VULTURE circling over the ridge above East Lake Drive, Montauk. This has been an absolutely remarkable year for this once rare straggler. Vicki also reports that this past week or so, at least two COMMON NIGHTHAWKS have been coursing over Teddy Roosevelt County Park in Montauk. Whilst fishing off the Point last Saturday, Anthony Collerton noted 3 BLACK TERNS in a large flock of Laughing Gulls and terns over blitzing striped bass. Anthony has also noted lots of passerines moving through his yard in Northwest Woods, including YELLOW-THROATED VIREO and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

** JUST OUT OF AREA **
The commercial sod fields near Manorville have attracted various shorebirds including several Buff-breasted Sandpipers. The best field is to the west of Eastport Manor Road and Head of the Neck Road. Carl Starace and Gary Strauss found 2-3 there yesterday and Eileen Schwinn reports they are still there this morning. More 'grasspipers' have been seen on the sod field north of Riverhead.

Multiple Peregrines and continuing shorebirds - 24 Aug 2010

A sure sign of autumn, PEREGRINE FALCONS are beginning to make their presence known. Vicki Bustamante noted her first of the season over Big/Little Reed Ponds today and John Shemilt reports that a peregrine has been making a nuisance of itself at Mecox Inlet since Monday. It was sitting on the flat this evening, taking flight occasionally to chase after terns. Luke Ormand has been seeing another off-and-on in the Shinnecock area, either around the Ponquoge Bridge, on the marshes along Dune Road. Two weeks ago, whilst seawatching, Andy Guthrie and I spend several minutes puzzling over a mysterious pinprick hanging in the air above some distant shearwaters. Eventually it dawned on us that the mystery bird was a Peregrine, evidently eating prey on the wing. It is actually not that unusual to see them many miles offshore, where they hunt terns, storm-petrels and so on.

Among the commoner gulls, terns and shorebirds at Mecox John Shemilt noted at least 7 BLACK TERNS and 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on Monday (23 Aug) and on Tuesday found 3 RED KNOT on the flat. In Deep Hollow, Montauk, Vicki Bustamante found 5 Killdeer, 4 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 Least Sandpipers on the wet areas around Rusty's (south side of Rt 27) but was surprised to find no shorebirds on the pond on the north side. I had a similar experience last weekend, finding an expansive muddy edge and only 3 Spotted Sandpipers to show for it. A mile and a half to the west at Rita's horse pasture, Vicki found 8 Greater Yellowlegs, one Lesser Yellowlegs and a handful of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

The cut at Mecox has closed and presumably the pond will be filling fast with all this rain. Oyster Pond in Montauk is already very full having never opened and this could be an exciting spot if it were to self-breach. I currently don't know the status of Sag or Georgica.

Marbled Godwit and Little Blue Heron at Mecox Inlet - 22 Aug 2010

Wet and windy conditions can often provide exciting birding. Yesterday's storm front seemed to shake things up nicely and gave the first real taste of fall. A nice variety of shorebirds and terns were recorded at Mecox Inlet yesterday morning by various observers. Andy Guthrie (visiting from Rochester) and I witnessed a MARBLED GODWIT literally drop out of the sky onto the sand flat. It spent less than an hour probing the wet sand and gulping down edible items before taking to the wing again and heading east. Other shorebirds and terns came and went as we watched. Our tally of WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS grew from 4 when we arrived to a respectable 29, partly through our move to a better viewing spot and partly perhaps through new arrivals. Likewise, after we'd been watching for about 2.5 hours a flock of 17 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and 5 STILT SANDPIPERS (2 ads and 3 juvs.) suddenly came into view. Among the peep, Andy picked out an adult WESTERN SANDPIPER. In all, we found 15 species of shorebird but missed some expected species like 'Western' Willet, 'Eastern' Willet (yes, I consider them distinct species) and American Oystercatcher. More than 40 FORSTER'S TERNS including several fairly fresh juveniles were on the flat or feeding over the bay. Two BLACK TERNS appeared out of nowhere, sat for a bit and then vanished - probably moving out over the ocean. It was surprising we did not find any Royal Terns given that there are good numbers of these down at Moriches Inlet. Large number of BLACK TERNS continue at Napeague Harbor but the strong winds precluded a careful count on Sunday afternoon.

A surprise was a juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON that whizzed over the pond headed west without stopping. This is always a tricky identification because of the similarity to juvenile Snowy Egret which are common in the area at this time of year. Subtle differences in structure are important and the base of the bill and loral feathers tend to be more gray/blue on LBH whereas SE tends to be greeny-yellow. In our case, we both picked up on the slightly different way the bird carried itself in flight (I initially thought it might be a Cattle Egret) and more importantly we could see the bluish tips of the primary feathers as it passed - a great field mark if you can get it.

The wind and rain made songbird observations difficult but these were undoubtedly on the move also. A continuous ribbon of Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds, with a few Bank Swallows mixed in, streamed westwards along the dune line for much of the morning.

The heavy rain will no doubt fill Mecox rather quickly. Sag Pond was brimming on Sunday and might open with the excess water if the town doesn't do so first. Reports on the state of these and other saltwater ponds (e.g. Georgica, Oyster) would be appreciated. Any areas where water has collected (e.g. flooded farm fields) could be productive for migrant shorebirds. This is definitely the time to look for 'grasspipers' including American Golden-Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper which pause for breath on the east coast before making a non-stop transoceanic flight to southern South America.

Mecox Inlet open - 21 Aug 2010

Mark Vagianos informed me that the Mecox cut was opened by the town on Tuesday afternoon (17 Aug). By Thursday (19 Aug) there was a nice flat and John Shemilt found 3 STILT SANDPIPERS among the regular species. Hopefully the flat will persist and this spot is worth checking at any time. Indeed, shorebirds, terns and gulls passing along the beach are likely to drop in to any of the majors ponds is there is sufficient sand for them to land undisturbed. Sometimes birds will drop down for just a few minutes before moving on. I don't know the status of the other ponds.

Last Sunday (15 Aug), Andy Guthrie and I saw a BROWN PELICAN on the east side of Moriches Inlet (just out of region) at about 6:00 pm but there have been no reports since. The bird could well still be in the area somewhere. A couple of COMMON EIDER were at Shinnecock Inlet and good numbers of shearwaters were offshore, mostly too far to identify with certainty. Watching from Triton Lane off Dune Road, we noted about 20 close in CORY'S SHEARWATERS and a couple of GREAT(ER) SHEARWATERS. A single MANX SHEARWATER was seen by us and others off the restaurant/bar at in Cupsogue County Park, again just out of region. BLACK TERNS are moving through the area and we noted three flying east just past the surf line.

Landbird and shorebird migration is getting into full gear and this is a good time to start checking favorite spots on the South Fork. Weedy fields might hold migrants such as Bobolink or Lark Sparrow which have been noted elsewhere. Warblers are beginning to pass through the city parks, so a few might make it out here especially as the next front passes. All reports appreciated.

Black Tern bonanza in Napeague Harbor and accumulating Mecox shorebirds - 21 Aug 2010

There was evidently some migration on Friday night with numbers of American Robin, Northern Oriole, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Tree Swallow on the move early Saturday morning. A subadult BALD EAGLE was soaring over Shadmoor State Park just before 9 AM and seemed to drift west.

As happened last year, spectacular numbers of BLACK TERNS have gathered in Napeague Harbor and around Hick's Island. I am not aware of any comparable congregations elsewhere in New York State. A quick count this morning tallied a minimum of 113 birds and a more systematic count in the afternoon increased this total to 165-170, with a mix of fresh juveniles and adults in various stages of pre-basic molt. Two adults were still in essentially full-alternate (breeding) plumage. The terns are easily visible from the end of Lazy Point Road looking towards the fish hatchery pontoons but other good spots are to look due west from the vantage points along Napeague Harbor Road on the east side of the harbor or north from near the Art Barge. A PEREGRINE FALCON was hunting turns over harbor and used the radio tower as a resting point. In the morning a WHIMBREL was flushed off the eastern end of Hick's Island by fisherman and headed to the southern end of the harbor.

Hugh McGuinness birded the flats at Mecox finding 16 Green-winged Teal, 45 Forster's Terns, 1 BLACK TERN, 19 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and 11 Lesser Yellowlegs.

Andy Guthrie and I joined the CRESLI whale watch out of Mecox. It seems that most (actually all) of the whales that had been seen earlier in the month have moved further offshore but we encountered a very playful pod of 40 or so Short-beaked Common Dolphins including some tiny calves about 17.5 miles due south of Ditch Plains. Several Leatherback Turtles and Basking Sharks have been noted on recent whale watches, a testament to the amount of plankton in the warm water that is bathing the area. Bird numbers were low, the highlights being an adult PARASITIC JAEGER a mile or two east on Montauk Point and small numbers of the expected pelagic species: CORY'S SHEARWATER, GREAT SHEARWATER and WILSON'S STORM-PETREL. Four BLACK TERNS were noted between Montauk Inlet and Shagwong Point. Offshore migrants included a Semipalmated Plover and Barn Swallow.

I also checked the ponds and fields in Deep Hollow for shorebirds without finding much. However, a WHITE-EYED VIREO in the scrub at the beginning of the Old Montauk Highway opposite the Dude Ranch was a nice surprise. Lastly, there is a nice edge of wet mud on Rita's Pond, with 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plover, 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper and a Least Sandpiper.

Black Terns and shorebird migration - 14 August 2010

I was out briefly last Sunday (8 Aug 2010). There are still good numbers of terns around, with at least 12 BLACK TERNS in Napeague Harbor. [Last summer the Napeague Black Tern 'flock' grew to a maximum of 261 on 30 August - by far the largest concentration in the state.]

A couple of CORY'S SHEARWATERS were noted off Amagansett on Sunday evening and 3 were visible from the bluffs at Camp Heron near Montauk Point. A ragged 1st-summer LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was a notable flyby at Amagansett. This is a good time to look for shorebirds around the edges of ponds, on beaches and on exposed sandflats. The water is quite low on the pond at Rita's Horse Farm east of Montauk Village (visible through the fence on Rt 27) where there were 6 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on Sunday. The main pond at the ranch in Deep Hollow had 4 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS but little else.

[Speaking of shorebirds, up to 4 Marbled Godwits have been seen on the flats behind Cupsogue County Park (Westhampton Dunes) which is just out of area. This prairie-nesting species might be worth keeping an eye out for anywhere along Dune Road. Same goes for Whimbrel.]

John Shemilt noted a young BALD EAGLE over the Shinnecock Canal on Saturday (7 Aug), possibly the bird he'd seen in Noyac a week earlier. Has this bird summered?

Way offshore John had a frustrating encounter with a NODDY that disappeared before he could get a photograph. This topical tern-like bird has not been recorded in New York State waters and is extremely rare north of Florida. In general, seabird numbers seem to be low out along the continental shelf, at least compared to last summer. Whale watchers traveling with CRESLI and the Viking Fleet out of Montauk have had an excellent season and some trips have encountered good number of shearwaters (including several MANX SHEARWATER) as well as hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of Wilson's Storm-Petrels near the whale activity. Jack Passie has also noted numbers of shearwaters in the fishing areas between Montauk Point and Block Island.

My apologies for the spotty reporting - the demands of work and travel have kept me away for most of the summer. None-the-less your sightings and notes are being carefully gathered and will all go into the end of the year report. Additional reports are most welcome. Autumn migration is just around the corner and hopefully I can get back to issuing summaries on a weekly basis. Updates on the state of the ponds (open/closed etc) would be appreciated.

Record numbers of Leach's Storm-Petrels on Continental Shelf - 5 July 2010

We've received very few reports in the past several weeks but that's not really so surprising. It's a busy time for many of us and normal birding routines are hampered by various parking restrictions and the general influx of humanity. Still, we'll soon be back into shorebird season and this is a good time of year to watch for unusual landbirds that are wandering out of their normal range. Uncommon warblers for example are regularly found in mid-to-late summer, well ahead of what is considered fall migration. Please let me know when any of the major ponds (e.g. Mecox, Sag, Georgica and Oyster) are opened.

In Hither Hills, Vicki Bustamante has been seeing GLOSSY IBIS almost daily in the pools by the side of Montauk Highway just before the old and news roads slip. There have been as many as 7 individuals here and 3 lingering GREEN-WINGED TEAL. At least one TURKEY VULTURE continues in the Montauk/3rd House area and another lingers in Napeague. Could some be nesting out here? On Friday 18 June, Anthony Collerton noted a COMMON NIGHTHAWK over his house on Great Oak Way in Northwest Woods.

Shearwaters have generally remained offshore, with only a scattering of sightings from the beach. Montauk Point and Shinnecock Inlet seem to be the best spots. On Friday (2 July) Bruce Horwith and Derek Rogers encountered both GREAT and CORY'S SHEARWATERS within a mile of Montauk Point.

On Saturday (3 July) I traveled offshore with John Shemilt and his intrepid crew (Keegan and Christopher), in search of tuna and other warm water species. Departing from the Shinnecock Inlet a little after midnight, we were over the 100 fathom line by dawn. We steady made our way into deeper water (500 then 1000 fathoms) and worked east to Block Canyon, finding extensive areas of warm Gulf Stream water (80-81F). By 6 am we had encountered our first LEACH'S STORM-PETREL and saw them throughout our time in the deep, coming home with a grand total of 83 - a record count for New York State. The totals for other pelagic birds were as follows: 61 GREAT SHEARWATERS, 21 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, 4 SOOTY SHEARWATERS, 1 MANX SHEARWATER, 128 WILSON'S STORM-PETREL and 1 COMMON TERN (in the outer portion of Block Canyon). On the ride home we ran past several groups of SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHINS engaged in active feeding frenzies attended by a scattering of shearwaters. These were about 17-20 miles offshore. The mammalian highlight by a good margin was a pod of up to 35 ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHINS that came up to us in the outer portion of Block Canyon (c. 1000 fathoms and 80.1 F water) and rode the bow waves for a bit. Sometimes known as 'Gulf Stream Dolphin', this is a classic warm and very deep water specialist and as a consequence is less frequently encountered in New York State waters. These were the first I've seen north of the Carolinas. The pod included a number of spottless youngsters, with some tiny calves that must be only a month or two old.

This morning (5 Jul), Anthony Graves (fide Luke Ormand) found a TRICOLORED HERON feeding on the east side of Oakland, just west of the Shinnecock Inlet. The bird may linger in the area and is worth watching for, especially on the low tide when it is likely to be most active.

Speaking of herons, on Tuesday 29 June Eric Salzman noticed a very interesting egret on Weesuck Creek in Quogue that sported a couple of long head plumes reminiscent of a Little Egret (an Old-World counterpart of Snowy Egret that is as yet undocumented in the state). Luke Ormand and Eileen Schwinn went searching for the egret later that day and Luke managed some distant but informative photographs. To my eye at least, everything looks perfect for a Snowy Egret except for these odd head feathers. Without better views it's impossible to pin a firm name on the bird: it could be a Snowy x Little hybrid or just a Snowy with unusual nuptial plumes. Anyway, something else to keep an eye out for if you are birding in the area and a good reminder of why we should be scrutinizing each and every Snowy Egret.

Royal Tern, Cory's Shearwater, Long-tailed Duck, Bald Eagle - 13 June 2010

A brief seawatch this morning (7:54-8:54 AM) from the beach in Amagansett (Suffolk Co.) produced 6 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, 8 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, 4 COMMON LOON, 53 Northern Gannet, 1 Laughing Gull and 1 adult ROYAL TERN catching small baitfish just beyond the surfline. The Royal Tern was unexpected with Caspian more likely out here in the spring/early summer, but the bird was quite close and I was able to see that it's red-orange bill lacked a dark tip, was less massive than expected for Caspian and that dark markings on the underside of the primaries were restricted to the tips giving a discrete training edge.

A 1st or 2nd-year BALD EAGLE was soaring over the 'Art Barge' in Napeague mid-morning together with a TURKEY VULTURE. There have been several sightings of young eagles in the Napeague area this spring/summer and so perhaps an individual is attempting to summer locally.

Yesterday afternoon, I tried seawatching from various spots in and around Montauk but had to contend with several heavy downpours and generally hazy conditions. Although there were plenty of gannets (>100/hr), I saw no shearwaters at all. Single WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were off Montauk Point and Amagansett. Interestingly on the north side of the peninsula, there were 9 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS working the flat water between Culloden Point and Gardiner's Island. I don't recall seeing storm-petrels this far in Gardiner's Bay before. Small numbers of Common Eider linger off the Point and around the Montauk Inlet, where there was also a female LONG-TAILED DUCK. I had seen this bird the weekend before in same area. A 3rd-summer LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was among the ratty subadult Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls loafing around the inlet.

Summer seabirds and some interesting nesting activity - 5 June 2010

Last Saturday morning (29 May 2010), Hugh McGuinness led a SoFo field trip to Shinnecock and Dune to view shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs. During the trip they found a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and a PEREGRINE FALCON. Shorebird diversity was lower than expected, perhaps due to the state of the tide.

Around midday on Saturday (29 May) I looked at various spots in Montauk. Jack Passie had noted 6 GLOSSY IBIS in the roadside pools at the edge of Hither Hills and they were still there when I whizzed past. [Note Vicki Bustamante has also seen these birds several times in the week since.] Landbird variety at the Point seemed limited to nesting species, as did the shorebirds on the pools at Teddy Roosevelt and Rita's. I seawatched for an hour (11:50 am -12:50 pm) from the bluffs at Camp Hero. They was a moderate amount of activity with gulls and terns working the bait fish (any idea what these are likely to be?) and I noticed a subadult PARASITIC JAEGER station a mile or less SE of the lighthouse, intercepting the terns as they headed back towards Great Gull Island. There were a few ROSEATE TERNS (10+) mixed in with the 400 +++ Common Terns and I picked out 2 BLACK TERNS in their handsome breeding plumage. All told, there were 5 SOOTY SHEARWATERS milling around and a couple of these followed the Donna May in around the Point. Scanning down the wake, I counted 6 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS weaving between the gulls. NORTHERN GANNETS seemed to be moving through and I counted 124 in the hour. In Deep Hollow, 2 TURKEY VULTURES and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER were the only birds of note. The larger pond at Teddy Roosevelt contains a Muskrat and 2 medium-sized Snapping Turtles. Vicki Bustamante counted 8 TURKEY VULTURES over the park on Wednesday (2 Jun 2010). Whether these larger kettles reflect migrants or just the local birds getting together is anybody's guess but the occasional appearance of a Black Vulture or two certainly supports the idea of new birds wandering back and forth along the peninsula.

An evening seawatch from Amagansett (5:38-6:38 pm) was chilly with the wind blowing in from the SW and I was surprised there weren't more birds. The only birds of note were two PARASITIC JAEGERS, both headed east. Another seawatch on Monday night (5:50-6:50 pm) produced 2 WHITE WINGED SCOTER and a SURF SCOTER but no tubenoses. The most interesting birds were 2 probable ARCTIC TERNS traveling eastward along the shore with an adult Common Tern. An adult and a 1st-summer ('Portlandica'), their flight was more buoyant than the nearby Common Tern and they appeared shorter winged. Both lacked the dusky outer primaries visible on the Common Tern but had dark tips that gave the impression of a pale window in the middle of the wing. Regretably, I was not able to photograph them but as mentioned before, Arctic Terns probably occur in small numbers along the shore as suggested by the string of sightings at Moriches Inlet over the past several summers.

As one might expect, offshore activity is generally better than onshore. On Tuesday 25 May, Jack Passie was fishing within a couple of miles of Montauk Point (N and E) and noted 10 or so GREATER SHEARWATERS (the first for NY waters this year), 10+ SOOTY SHEARWATERS, 2 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and hundreds of NORTHERN GANNETS. On Saturday (29 May 2010), John Shemilt took his boat out of the Shinnecock Inlet and headed towards the shelf edge and a fishing spot known as the Fishtails. He encountered 3 DOVEKIE (over the 40 fathom line, 42 nm SE of Shinnecock), 25+ SOOTY SHEARWATER, 15+ GREATER SHEARWATER, 5+ CORY'S SHEARWATER, 50+ WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, 1 LEACH'S STORM-PETREL (over the Fishtails), 2 RED PHALAROPE (c.65 nm SE of Shinnecock Inlet), 3 ARCTIC TERNS and at least 5 JAEGERS, one of which appeared to be a near-adult LONG-TAILED JAEGER. All-in-all, a terrific mix of pelagic species, including several statewide rarities (Leach's SP, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern). The presence of lingering (summering?) Dovekie - something John discovered last summer - is particularly interesting. Additional runs through this area during the next few months may shed light on the scale of this previously undocumented phenomena. Large numbers of Dovekie nest in northern Greenland where the snow and ice does not melt until mid-June. Thus like Sanderling, Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstone, which also nest further north than most species, it makes sense for them to linger into our summer before heading north.

CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOWS continue to percolate into the region. As with any species on the edge of its range some individuals may have arrived a week or two ago but have subsequently made local movements having failed to secure mates at other spots. In East Quogue, Eileen Schwinn and several others have been hearing one singing nightly in woods off Old Country Road (near mailbox #113) since the weekend. On Wednesday (2 Jun 2010) Hugh McGuinness heard another vocalize briefly in the woods south of Long Pond, Sag Harbor, a non-traditional site. This is near the intersection of Sprig Tree Path and Widow Gavits Road. Karen and Barbara Rubinstein heard the Lazy Point Road (west side of Napeague Harbor) birds singing on Sunday night and I heard this bird again last night (4 June).

On Sunday morning I checked the three major Hampton ponds, which still have some sandflats and decent numbers of the common breeding and migrant shorebirds. Highlights were BLACK SKIMMERS (8 at Mecox, 1 at Sagg Main), summering BONAPARTE'S GULL (11 at Georgica), WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (1 at Mecox), PURPLE SANDPIPER (1 at Georgica). At Sammy's Beach (head of 3 Mile Harbor in East Hampton), there seemed to be 3 if not 4 calling CLAPPER RAILS in the marsh. These can be easily heard from the sandy walking trail along the south edge of the dune. Anthony Collerton found these birds the week before and there seems a good chance the species will breed in the Town of East Hampton this year. Also present at Sammy's were a SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, a GLOSSY IBIS and 6-10 ROSEATE TERNS. The mini-Prairie created by dredged sand is providing nesting habitat for several pairs of HORNED LARKS, which often sing from the fence posts lining the dirt road, and the short trees host several pairs of PRAIRIE WARBLER.

Yesterday (4 Jun 2010), Eileen Schwinn and Eric Salzman visited Gabreski Airport, finding VESPER SPARROW, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and EASTERN MEADOWLARK among other grassland species along the north perimeter road.

Lastly, it's hard not to reflect on the scale of the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and how it may potentially impact the South Fork. We are linked to the affected areas in many ways, not least by the migrant shorebirds and larids (gulls and terns) and a variety of migratory fish including Bluefin Tuna that use the area as a stopover or spawning ground. The scale is so enormous that there is even the risk that oil will reach our own waters if the slick enters the Gulf Stream as predicted. Carl Safina, a contributor to this list, has made several TV appearances articulating the true scale of the environmental impact, a critical discussion that has not been covered that well by the mainstream media.

Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 28 May 2010

On Saturday, Bruce Horwith noticed a CATTLE EGRET on the marsh at Merrill Lake Preserve in Springs, likely the first record from this spot. The waterlogged fields have been quite good this spring and Bruce along with Karen and Barbara Rubinstein have noted Glossy Ibis on a regular basis. A little further east in Hither Hills, one or two ibis also seem to using the pools on the south side of Montauk Highway at the split between the Old and New sections. Vicki Bustamante commented on the late arrival of calling NORTHERN BOBWHITE (Quail) around her property in Montauk, which normally make themselves evident earlier in the spring. Three YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS photographed by Luke Ormand as they hunted crabs along Dune Road were, I believe, the first of the year for our region and again a little on the late side compared to other parts of Long Island. CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW and WHIP-POOR-WILLS have continued occupy territories in suitable woodland edge and pineland habitats. On Tuesday (25 May), Eileen Schwinn heard her first 'Chuck' of the season in East Quogue where they have been absent so far this spring. At least two birds are have been calling for a while now in Napeague along Lazy Point Road between the junctions with Napeague Meadow Road and Bay View Avenue. A number of Whip-Poor-Will are also in the area.

Just out of our area two young birders from Ithaca (Jay McGowan and Andrew Van Norstrand) photographed a breeding-plumaged PACIFIC LOON on Monday morning (24 May 2010) as it flew east down the beach in the company of three Common Loons! Within minutes it would have been in the South Fork territory for a great addition to the SFBR list, unless of course it splashed down before then.........

Keep the reports coming, they are much appreciated and I will do my best share the news quickly of anything notable. Shearwaters (Sooty and Manx) and Wilson's Storm-Petrels should be filtering through the area so keep an eye out if you are down at the beach. Sometimes they aren't too far beyond the surf. Greater and Cory's Shearwaters usually show up a little later but you never know. June is mostly about breeding birds but wanderers are also possible. Gull-billed Tern has not been recorded so far (surprising) and exotics such as Scissor-tailed Flycatcher aren't completely out of the question. Speaking of missing birds, has anyone seen a Cliff Swallow?

Information of the water levels of the major ponds (Mecox, Sagg, Georgica) would be useful. I wish the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton would post news of when the cuts have been opened.

** 22 May 2010 **
Cattle Egret, Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Bruce Horwith)

** 24 May 2010 **
Northern Bobwhite (several), private yard off Big Reed Path & neighboring section of Teddy Roosevelt CP, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)

** 27 May 2010 **
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (3), east of Dockers on Dune Road, East Quogue SH (Luke Ormand)
Black Skimmer (2), over Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Luke Ormand)

## Banded Piping Plovers ##
I learned that the Piping Plover observed at Georgica Pond on 21 May was banded as a 1st-year on 21 Jan 2010 at Discovery Beach, Grand Bahama Is., The Bahamas. This is one 12 (out of 57) marked birds that have been reported from New York so far this year. Interestingly, a couple of days later the same individual was seen by plover steward Dawn Ver Hauge (fide Luke Ormand) on the ocean beach between Town Line and Peters Pond Roads in Sagaponack, a distance of about 2 miles. Young birds probably return to nesting areas in their first summer but likely can't compete with mature adults to secure a territory and hence move around a bit.

Sooty & Manx Shearwater, Little Gulls and Wilson's Plover - 22/23 May 2010

A nice collection of rare or scarce migrants were seen over the weekend, with the activity centered along Dune Road in Westhampton/Shinnecock and the remaining flats of Mecox and Sag Ponds. On Saturday morning John Shemilt photographed a 1st-summer LITTLE GULL on the flat at Mecox Inlet and resighted the hybrid shorebird he'd seen there on 12-13 May. Interestingly, Tom Burke and Gail Benson saw a LITTLE GULL of the same age at the mouth of the Shinnecock Inlet the next day. True to schedule, Shearwaters have also begun to show up, with a scattering of SOOTY SHEARWATERS fresh from their nesting grounds in the stormy archipelagos of southern Chile and a MANX SHEARWATER at the mouth of the Shinnecock Inlet. The female-type WILSON'S PLOVER at Sagg Main continued through Saturday but could not be located on Sunday. Just out of region, Shai Mitra found the first Arctic Tern of the season at Cusogue County Park on Sunday and it is worth looking carefully for this species among roosting terns. Prime spots include Mecox Inlet (1 or 2 seen last summer) or perhaps at Montauk Point where terns gather on the beach.

Good numbers of migrant shorebirds (Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper) were seen in the marshes and flats between Cupsogue County Park (just out of our region) and the Shinnecock Inlet, especially in sandy areas where horseshoe crabs having been laying eggs. Several small flocks of RED KNOT were noted (with close to 40 around Pike's Beach) and are especially significant these days. The bulk of the North American population (subspecies rufa) winters at the southern tip of South America (some as far south as Tierra del Fuego) and travel up to 9,000 miles to reach their nesting grounds in the Canadian arctic. They are reliant on a small number of refueling points during this arduous migration with the Delaware Bay being the most important site by far. The knots rely on horseshoe crab eggs to maintain their body mass, not only for this extraordinary flight but also to sustain them for the first few days on the tundra when feeding is often impossible. As you may know, the North American breeding population has undergone an alarming decline (100,000 to less than 15,000 in 20 yrs) and is considered a candidate for extinction by several monitoring bodies. Fortunately the Old World populations remains large and has shown less of a decrease, so the species as a whole is less threatened. The tremendous decline in horseshoe crabs (a travesty in its own right), human disturbances at the stopover sites and continued hunting in South America are considered the chief reason for the steep decline of North American Red Knot. The southshore of Long Island, including the South Fork provides a critical rest stop for these remarkable sandpipers and long may it continue.

During the Group for the East End Faunathon, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane and myself found 134 species of bird, the majority on the South Fork. Given the good weather conditions our total could have been a bit higher but landbird migration was lackluster and some expected nesting species (e.g. Marsh Wren) proved impossible to find. No doubt some of the gaps will be filled by others. Our thanks to those who sent word of their sightings during the day. At 4:45 am, we heard several Whip-poor-will singing in the dwarf pines near Gabreski Airport plus several Grasshopper Sparrows, Horned Larks and Field Sparrows on territory within the airport grounds. An singing EASTERN MEADOWLARK was a nice surprise, given how scarce they have been so far this year. The sharp ears of Hugh and Brian picked up what might have been a Upland Sandpiper out in the grasslands on the NW side of the airport but the call was too fleeting to include on any list. Anyone visiting this site in the very early morning is encouraged to keep a sharp eye out for this declining species that traditionally bred here. Of course, let us know if any are seen/heard. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK over Long Pond in Sag Harbor was the first report for the year. Clapper Rails have been very vocal all along Dune Road, with the marshes just east of Dockers Restaurant being a great spot to hear and occasionally see them. The species is restricted to tidal saltmarsh and seems quite rare elsewhere on the peninsula. However, on Sunday, Anthony Collerton heard two rails (most likely Clappers) 'tooking' back and for to each other near the osprey platform at Sammy's Beach at the head of Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton. A Red Knot and Glossy Ibis were also noted at this lovely but decidedly under-birded spot. Anthony also spotted an immature BALD EAGLE over the Walking Dunes in east Napeague. I had a similar aged bird there on 2 May, suggesting it might be hanging around the area, perhaps using Fresh Pond or Gardiners Island.

Noteworthy reports from the weekend:

** Sat 22 May 2010 **
SOOTY SHEARWATER (4), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Great Cormorant (imm.), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Red-brested Merganser (lingering male), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Common Eider (65+), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Bald Eagle (imm.), Walking Dunes, Napeague EH (Anthony Collerton)
Turkey Vulture (9), Sunrise Hwy, just E of Quogue exit (Luke Ormand)
LITTLE GULL (1st-summer), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Black Skimmer (2), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton)
Black Skimmer (2), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Red Knot (3+), Dune Road, Shinnecock SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson, Luke Ormand)
Red Knot, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (5), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (2), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt, Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
WILSON'S PLOVER, Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Antony Collerton, Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
American Woodcock (1 in display flight), Napeague EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Chuck-Will's-Widow, Napeague EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Grasshopper Sparrow (2-3), Gabreski Airport SH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Grasshopper Sparrow (2+), Walking Dunes, Napeague EH (Anthony Collerton)
Bobolink (1 male), Wainscott Pond, Wainscott EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Eastern Meadowlark (1 male), Gabreski Airport EH (Hugh McGuinness, Brian Kane, Angus Wilson)
Willow Flycatcher, entrance to Sagg Mains Parking Lot, Sagaponack SH (Anthony Collerton)
Willow Flycatcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (Anthony Collerton)

** Sun 23 May 2010 **
SOOTY SHEARWATER (2), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
MANX SHEARWATER, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
LITTLE GULL (1st-summer), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (1st-summer), Shinnecock Inlet SH (Tom Burke, Gail Benson)
White-rumped Sandpiper (2), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson)
Common Nighthawk, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Indigo Bunting, brush pile at East Hampton Recycling Center, East Hampton EH (Roger Grunewald)

Wilson's Plover and other shorebirds - 21 May 2010

Shorebird migration is approaching its peak in terms of variety and numbers. This evening I found a female or 1st-summer WILSON'S PLOVER on the sand flat at the south end of Sag Pond (Sagg Mains). Also present were 5 BLACK SKIMMERS, and 11 sp. shorebird including 4 White-rumped Sandpipers, 97 Dunlin, 6 Willet, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 125 Semipalmated Plover and several hundred Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. If you go looking for the plover, I'd suggest not venturing onto the flat itself lest the bird moves to the more distant bank where it would be very hard to spot. There are several vantage points in the phragmites from which you can obtain good views of the wet sand and any shorebirds or terns that are there. If you don't spot the plover, it might also be worth carefully scanning around the margins.

There are still plenty of shorebirds on the remaining flats at Georgica Pond including a color-banded PIPING PLOVER, most likely one of the birds captured in The Bahamas this winter. I've noticed that in mid-late May, Purple Sandpipers undergo a noticeable shift in their habitat preferences - perhaps in anticipation of shifting to tundra habitat - appearing on sandy beaches (e.g. Goff Point 2008) and even saltmarshes (e.g. Accabonac Harbor 2009). Today there were 9 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on the sand flats in Georgica, wading around belly deep with Dunlin, Sanderling and dowitchers. Also present were 6 Bonaparte's Gulls (all 1st summers), 1 Roseate Tern, 200+ Least Sandpipers, 100+ Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 Willet (both 1st summers), 6 Short-billed Dowitcher, 30 Dunlin, 50 Sanderling, 25 Semipalmated Plover, 10 Piping Plover etc.

The flooded field (aka 'Lake SoFo') behind the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton has been attracting a good variety of shorebirds. On Wednesday (19 May) Jim Ash counted 16 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Killdeer, 10 (yes, ten) SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, and a multitude of Least Sandpipers. This evening I found 6 Greater Yellows, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, a lone Solitary Sandpiper (that's more like it) and a Glossy Ibis.

Looking forward to your reports. There should be lots of birds around this weekend.

** 12-13 May 2010 **
Short-billed Dowitcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 19 May 2010 **
Solitary Sandpiper (10), SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Jim Ash) - excellent number for one site

** 20 May 2010 **
Black Tern, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Black Skimmer (2), Gardiners Island/Cartwright Shoals (John Todaro)
Red Knot, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Short-billed Dowitcher, Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)
Yellow-throated Vireo, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Swainson's Thrush, East Hampton (John Todaro) - present since 5/17/10

** 21 May 2010 **
Ruddy Duck (1), Wainscott Pond, Wainscott EH (Angus Wilson)
Glossy Ibis, SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Angus Wilson)
Black Skimmer (5), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
Bonaparte's Gull (5), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Angus Wilson)
Bonaparte's Gull (1),Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
Bonaparte's Gull (1), Mecox Inlet SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)

WILSON'S PLOVER (fem. or 1st-summer), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson, Hugh McGuninness, Brian Kane)
White-rumped Sandpiper (4), Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Angus Wilson)
Purple Sandpiper (9), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper (1), SoFo Museum, Bridgehampton SH (Angus Wilson)

Black Vulture to Black-headed Gull, spring abundance - 15-16 May 2010

Befitting the season and a series of favorable weather fronts, a really good variety of birds found their way onto the South Fork at the weekend. A major flight was recorded on Saturday (15 May 2010) morning along the barrier islands of Jones Beach Island and Fire Island involving thousands of migrants that had been been pushed out over the New York Bite by a rain front during the night and were re-orientating westward at daybreak. It's not clear how much of this displacement reached eastern Long Island, although Vicki Bustamante observed a very nice mix of warblers (16 sp.) in the woods on the north side of Montauk SP (Seal Haulout Trail) that morning. Even mid-island the flight seemed to be restricted to the outer beach and few new migrants were seen in more inland areas. On days like this, the trees and bushes bordering the dunes along Dune Road, Mecox and Hither Hills State Park could be very productive.

More people were out and about on Sunday (16 May 2010) and overall the tallies were much better. The steady NW wind pushed a number of raptors onto the peninsular and by mid-morning a BLACK VULTURE was soaring over Camp Hero/Deep Hollow together with 8 TURKEY VULTURES. In a separate kettle, 9 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS (2 ads, 7 juv/subad.) - an exceptional number for this 'buteo cul de sac' - spun around the radar tower for an hour before drifting west over Montauk Village. An immature male BLUE GROSBEAK made a brief appearance in Camp Hero. Common nesting species likes Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, and American Redstart seem to be present in good numbers now.

WILSON'S WARBLER was a highlight of several people's day lists, and at least 3 were noted in Montauk. There were reports from all over the Long Island. Warbler numbers were modest compared to other parts of Long Island but certainly enough to keep everyone busy and the list included TENNESSEE, BLACKBURNIAN and BAY-BREASTED. In various wet spots, SOLITARY SANDPIPERS made a fine showing. I felt pleased to have found 5 dfferent birds in the Montauk area, along with an equal number of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, only to be eclipsed by Karen and Barb Rubinstein who tallied a remarkable 7 Solitary Sandpipers within the Merrill Lake Preserve in Springs where they also found 5 male BOBOLINK. Both cuckoos were recorded; BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was found in Hither Hills and Camp Hero and a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO near Long Pond in Sag Harbor. In addition to the birds, large numbers of American Painted Lady and Red Admiral butterflies had made their way onto the island (these are migrants, right?), and they were everywhere in Montauk on Saturday and Sunday.

At Georgica Pond on Sunday evening, Hugh McGuinness and I found a good number of shorebirds but unfortunately most of the peep were too distant to study properly. We did pick out a couple of ROSEATE TERNS, a 1st-summer BLACK-HEADED GULL and a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. At Sagg Mains, at least 6 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were among the couple of hundred shorebirds, and at the Mecox Inlet we noted at least 3 WHITE-RUMPS and 2 Short-billed Dowitchers. All three ponds have extensive flats and are well worth checking throughout the day.

On Saturday evening, I noted 9 ROSEATE TERNS among 300-400 Common Terns feeding off the beach in Amagansett, as well as a flyby 1st-summer GREAT CORMORANT. Bruce Horwith noted a BLACK SKIMMER on the Cartwright Shoals in Gardiner's Bay. The area used by skimmers for nesting last summer has been eroded by the winter storms but fingers crossed that they can find an alternative spot. Common Eider, Common and Red-throated Loons remain widespread on the ocean all around the peninsula and hundreds of loons were on the move early on Sunday morning, at least until it got too warm for them. Also on Saturday evening, two CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW and several WHIP-POOR-WILL were singing in Napeague and at least 4 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were noted in the swale north of the Walking Dunes.

Here's a list of notables. It's guaranteed that I've forgotten some good stuff (especially if its not written down) so feel free to correct/update me.

** 15 May 2010 **
Great Cormorant (imm.) seawatch off Amagansett EH (Angus Wilson)
Snowy Egret, [unusual local] Montauk Point, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Glossy Ibis (7), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Glossy Ibis, pools off Rt 27 Napeague EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Wilson's Snipe (2), Teddy Roosevelt CP, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Solitary Sandpiper (7), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Solitary Sandpiper (2), Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Roseate Tern (9+), seawatch off Amagansett EH (Angus Wilson)
Chuck-Will's-Widow (2), Cranberry Hole/Lazy Point Rds, Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
Whip-Poor-Will (4), Cranberry Hole/Lazy Point Rds, Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
American Woodcock (fresh roadkill), Rt 27 Napeague EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Canada Warbler (3), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Eileen Schwinn)
Grasshopper Sparrow (4), walking dunes, E side Napeague Harbor (Angus Wilson)
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (4+), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Bobolink (5 males), Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)

** 16 May 2010 **
Black Vulture, Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Turkey Vulture (max 8), Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Turkey Vulture, Napeague (Angus Wilson)
Broad-winged Hawk (9, 7 juv/subad., 2 ad.), Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Angus Wilson, Vicki Bustamante)
Glossy Ibis, Rt 27 Napeague EH (Angus Wilson)
Black-headed Gull (1st-sum.), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Roseate Tern (2), Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Black Skimmer (1), Cartwright Shoals, Gardiners Bay EH (Bruce Horwith)
White-rumped Sandpiper (6) Sagg Mains, Sagaponack SH (Hugh McGuinness, Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper, Montauk Point EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper, Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Solitary Sandpiper (3), Rita's Horse Pasture, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Spotted Sandpiper (3), Rusty's Pond, Deep Hollow, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Spotted Sandpiper (2), Rita's Horse Pasture, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Black-billed Cuckoo, Hither Hills State Park (Angus Wilson)
Black-billed Cuckoo, Camp Hero/Deep Hollow (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Eastern Kingbird (flock of 8 behaving as migrants not breeders), Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Eastern Wood Pewee, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Least Flycatcher, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Willow Flycatcher, Montauk Point (Angus Wilson)
Olive-sided Flycatcher, Springs Park, Springs (Karen Rubinstein, Barbara Rubinstein)
Wilson's Warbler (2), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Mike Higgiston)
Wilson's Warbler, Deer Path, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante)
Wilson's Warbler, Montauk Point, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Wilson's Warbler, Camp Hero, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)
Canada Warbler (3), Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue SH (Mike Higgiston)
Tennessee Warbler (1), Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness)
Blue Grosbeak (1 imm. male), Camp Hero, Montauk EH (Angus Wilson)

** 17 May 2010 **
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, East Hampton EH, (John Todaro)

**18 May 2010 **
Swainson's Thrush, East Hampton EH, (John Todaro)

As we focus on summer migrants and the beginning of the nesting season it's easy to forget the lingering winter visitors. The eastern tip of the South Fork seems to hold these longer than almost anywhere else in the state, perhaps because of the cooler air and water temperatures. Now is a good time to keep track of lingering Common Eider, scoter and other seaduck. A tardy Iceland Gull or King Eider would not be out of the question. I could not find the 3 Harlequin Ducks that were in Turtle Cove but this is another species to look for. A few Purple Sandpipers will probably linger into early June waiting for their northern breeding grounds to clear of snow, although nowadays they've probably been snow-free since April!

Hybrid Shorebird at Mecox Inlet - 12 May 2010

Warblers and other neotropical migrants continue to flow through the region with several decent flights in the last few days. Among the highlights are singing Mourning Warbler (Friday and today) and Yellow-throated Warblers (Thursday) at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge in Quogue. Mourning Warblers have topped the bill in a number of area parks this week. On Tuesday, John Shemilt photographed a very interesting sandpiper on the flats at Mecox that gave the impression of an over-sized Western Sandpiper. Study of his photos suggests this is likely a hybrid between White-rumped Sandpiper and Dunlin. Curiously, a number of similar birds have been documented in the northeast in past few years, and it seems they are becoming more frequent. It is tempting to speculate that habitat changes in the arctic nesting grounds are a contributing factor by increasing contact (overlap) between the two species.

Although the bulk of summer nesting species have arrived, there are still a few gaps. Roseate Tern and Black Skimmer for example, will be making their way onto the SF about now but I haven't received any firm reports. Keep an eye out for Blue Grosbeaks, which have also made a decent showing across Long Island in the past few week and other goodies for our area like Cliff Swallow, Summer Tanager, Lincoln's Sparrow, Black Tern and Gull-billed Tern. A Wilson's Plover made a brief appearance at Jones Beach last weekend and historically, the sandy beaches of the SF (esp. Shinnecock, Mecox Inlet, Sag Pond, and Napeague) are by far the best place to chance upon this rare southern stray in New York State.

Here are some recent highlights.

** 6 May 2010 **
Peregrine, 1 nr Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Inlet SH (Luke Ormand) - is there a pair attempting to nest?

** 7 May 2010 **
Blackpoll Warbler, East Lake Drive, Montauk EH (Vicki Bustamante) - first of season?

** 8 May 2010 **
Eastern Wood Pewee, Long Pond, Sag Harbor SH (Hugh McGuinness) - first of season?
Green Heron, Merrill Lake Preserve, Springs EH (Karen and Barb Rubinstein)

** 9 May 2010**

Green Heron, 1 in Northwest Harbor EH (Jane Ross)
Green Heron, 2, Gerogica Cove, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)
Northern Bobwhite, 1 Cove Hollow Farm, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)
Purple Martin, 50+, West End/Georgica Pond, Georgica EH (Jane Ross)

** 12 May 2010**
hybrid sandpiper (likely White-rumped x Dunlin), Mecox Inlet, Watermill SH (John Shemilt)

** 13 May 2010 **
Yellow-throated Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Eileen Schwinn, Mike Higgiston)

** 14 May 2010 **
Mourning Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Eileen Schwinn, Mike Higgiston)

** 15 May 2010 **
Mourning Warbler, Quogue Wildlife Refuge SH (Mike Cooper)

Manx Shearwater, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Virgina Rail and more - 2-3 May 2010

The big influx seems to been on Friday night with birds moving out (or dispersing locally) on Saturday night. I get the sense that commoner nesting species like House Wren, Great Crested Flycatcher and Baltimore Oriole are now very widespread, although more individuals are likely to come in over the next few days. Orchard Oriole seems especially conspicuous, perhaps reflecting a steady increase in this species across the whole of Long Island. Elsewhere there has been a nice sprinkling of 'spring overshoots' with a Mississippi Kite near Ithaca, a Painted Bunting was nicely photographed in central Long Island, a number of Prothonotary Warblers, and one or two Summer Tanagers. A migrant Red-headed Woodpecker was on Jones Beach as were multiple Gull-billed Terns. Also an Upland Sandpiper made a (re)appearance in Brooklyn. Has anyone been checking the grasslands at Gabreski Airport for this increasingly rare grasspiper?

Here are some additional reports.


** 29/30 April 2010 **

Roger Grunwald noted a HERMIT THRUSH near the junction of Old Stone Highway and Louse Point Road in Springs.

** 1 May 2010 **

Jim Ash reports that the flooded field behind the SoFo Museum in Bridgehampton hosted a GLOSSY IBIS, a LITTLE BLUE HERON, two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, two Lesser Yellowlegs, three Greater Yellowlegs, two WILSON'S SNIPE, one Killdeer, three pairs of Wood Ducks, six BLUE-WINGED TEAL. An Orchard Oriole was in the parking lot. The flooding may be a curse but has created some great freshwater habitat.

** 2 May 2010 **

Sunday's SW winds brought cold air in off the ocean and it became increasingly foggy as the day went on. Visible landbird migrations seemed significantly reduced compared to Saturday but there was evidently some settling in of local breeders. For example, Wood Thrush could be heard singing in Camp Hero and both Baltimore Oriole and Great Crested Flycatcher were making themselves heard in Springs. During a short seawatch from Montauk Point, Angus Wilson noted the first MANX SHEARWATER of the year and picked up 3 WHIMBREL that emerged from the fog bank over Block Island Sound before heading due NNW towards Connecticut. Several hundred _sterna_ terns were following a similar track to and from some feeding spot SE of the Point but the visibility was too poor to reliably differentiate Common from Roseate. Judging from the vector, these are likely to be from the large colony on Great Gull Island. Small numbers of all three scoter and Common Eider remain at the Point and both Common and Red-throated Loons were very numerous. The 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS from Saturday were still on the rocks in Turtle Cove. Two adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were in the parking lot next to the old toilet block and a BOBWHITE fluttered across the road in front of the lighthouse entrance gate. A MERLIN was hunting over center of Montauk Village. In the woods at Camp Hero there were several Blue-headed Vireos singing but no sign of the Blue Grosbeak from Saturday. A pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL were on the pond at Rita's Farm.

At Napeague, Angus Wilson noted an immature BALD EAGLE over the Walking Dunes and it was joined by 6 Turkey Vultures that seemed to be working their way west. The vultures seem to balk at crossing the few yards of water at the top of the harbor and chose the southern route instead. A short while earlier 3 additional TURKEY VULTURES were over Oyster Pond. During a long hike up the east side of Napeague out to Goff Point Angus flushed a NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. The bird wasn't very cooperative but immediately struck him as a rich orange-colored Ammodramus sparrow. Eventually the sparrow paused in the open long enough to see the solid orange wash across the upper breast and throat, with only faint light brown streaking. This was actually the ONLY sparrow encountered, so evidently the Grasshopper Sparrows have not arrived yet. The small pool just before Goff Point (Skunk Hole?) has been good for Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the spring but was birdless on Sunday. Note the mosquitoes were viscous, perhaps not surprising with so much standing water.

Hugh McGuinness heard a calling VIRGINIA RAIL at the south end of Long Pond in Sag Harbor, as well as two new warblers: NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and NASHVILLE WARBLER. Like me, he considered Sunday to be much less birdy than might be expected after a night with southwest winds.

In Georgica, Jane Ross found at least 30 PURPLE MARTINS in the colony at the end of West End Road. It is always pleasing to hear of colonies being reoccupied. Have the birds returned to the small colony on the edge of Merrill Lake Preserve in Accabonac? Jane also found 6 BLUE-WINGED TEAL in Georgica Cove and along with a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and several species of shorebird.

In Springs Park (just off Three Mile Harbor Road in The Springs) Karen Rubinstein and Barbara Rubinstein confirmed that two EASTERN BLUEBIRD pairs are already sitting on eggs. An Orchard Oriole also seems to be on territory in the park. FISH CROWS have expanded significantly in the Clearwater Beach sections of Springs, they were uncommon in previous summers but currently seem quite ubiquitous even visiting the Rubinstein's feeders. A few shorebirds continue in Accabonac Harbor; Karen and Barb counted 18 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Dunlin, 4 Black-bellied Pover on the gravel/sand flat off Gerard Drive on Sunday.