Warm Winter Birding

On a fall like day, with temperatures in the fifties  we did our year end weekend walk at Montauk and environs. Normally we are dressed for the single digits but not today. It was almost  shirtsleeve birding today.

 To start, we were greeted at the entrance to the parking lot by a Western Kingbird. It has been spending the last week or so in  the parking lot and surrounding areas.

At the overlook the number of seabirds was down but the variety was good. We did see Common Eiders, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Northern Gannets and both Red-throated and Common Loons. We saw  Numerous Razorbills, the most we have ever seen on any visit. And while we were looking at the seabirds a small flock of six Cave Swallows flew past the overlook. Not a bad start.

At East Lake Drive we saw an Iceland Gull, a pair of Purple Sandpipers and got some up close looks at more Razorbills. Then on to Hook pond in East Hampton to see the pair of Tundra Swans, not a bad finish to a great day. Overall we had forty one species of birds seen for the day.

GSBAS Weekend Nature Walk 11/22/2015

Elizabeth A. Morton NWR Noyac NY

We had our annual pilgrimage to Morton NWR today. The early weather was warm and we had overcast skies and a brief shower. We stared down the trails and were greeted by a couple of the resident birds

The wild turkey flock was hangnig around the building complex early before most of the folks arrived. The Red-tailed Hawk seem to be there every year along the trail beginning

Further down the trail we saw a frog jump along the ground on the edge of the path. It was reddish in color and blended with the fallen leaves very well.

My field guide identified it as a "Spring Peeper", what it doing out in the fall I have no idea. And what is a walk at Morton without feeding some of the tame birds, A tufted Titmouse enjoyed it's snack

It was a good walk we did see some fall ducks, Longtails, Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads on the bay, along with Common Loon and Surf scoters.

Another enjoyable and fun trip to Morton NWR.

Lets try again

Got to get back in the swing of posting, the birding has been so slow I am not motivated to do anything. After a stress test today I took a rid down along Ocean Parkway and Captree. A beautiful fall day. Cool temps, sunshine and little wind. I saw my first Horned larks of the season and a Marlin posed for atop a utility pole.

GSBAS Nature Walk 11/03/2015

With temperatures in the high sixties and bright sunshine and no wind  we started our morning birding. The birds must have slept in on such a nice day. The birding was slow to start and to finish. In the middle of the walk we took a side path and headed into a grove of Cedars. As we entered we spotted a flock of Cedar waxwings eating the berries on the cedars. Then all of a sudden an explosion of Robins, from all the trees in the area, flew over our heads and headed somewhere else. Then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew chasing the Robins and any other bird it could get to. It was interesting to see the quick unanimous hasty exit by the smaller birds. He who hesitates is lost.

GSBAS Tuesday nature walk 10/27/2015

Our walk today at Heckscher State park was highlighted by bright sunshine and brilliant fall colors in the trees. We discussed how Bright and colorful the fall foliage has been on Long Island this year. There is no need to go upstate for fall leaf peeping when we have such a show here on L.I.

The birding was again somewhat slow in the woods so we went to Field 7 and checked the bay shore. We walked the bike path through to Field 8 and in scanning the shore line we discovered some remaining shore birds. There were fifteen Black-bellied Plovers, seven Dunlin and seven Sandrlings tucked away on the shore line. A pleasant surprise for this location and season.

GSBAS Saturday Nature Walk 10/24/2015

We started out on a cool brisk morning in Caumsett State Park with clouds and wind. We ended with sunshine and a nice day. There were plenty of birds to go around as we walked the many open acres of a beautiful north shore park.

Soon after discussing whether we might see some Bluebirds, they sure enough popped up for all to see. There was  flock of about fifteen  working the berry vines in a group of trees. They were flying and hopping and making a racket in the trees and vines. We spent a good amount of time enjoying them.

The park has many open fields and fields with horse paddocks. We walked around the perimeters and enjoyed the horses in the pasture as well the birds working the edges. In a lower pasture we watched a pair of Red-tailed hawks circling and calling. We had four raptor species for the morning, Red-tailed, Cooper's, Sharp-shinned and Northern Harrier. Over all we had over thirty species of birds for our efforts this morning.

GSBAS Tuesday Nature Walk 10/20/2015

Today's walk wast at a blustery Jones Beach West End. Heavy winds out of the west had all the birds hunkered down, but us persistent birders managed to get some birds for the morning.

There was a beautiful Peregrine falcon sitting on top of the Coast Guard radio antenna. He was holding on for dear life. We scraped an assortment of sparrows out of the bushes as the were trying to stay out of the wind. We saw Savannah, Song, Swamp, White-crowned, White-throated, Chipping and Slate Colored Juncoes. You can always find something.

There were large numbers of Tree Swallows and Flickers and Yellow-rumped Warblers migrating through the beach area.

The wind was ruffling feathers all morning, even the Yellow-rumps.

GSBAS Tuesday Nature Walk 10/06/2015

What a gorgeous morning for a walk. We had clear air, bright sunshine and little wind. A perfect fall morning to walk along the beach side in the park. The patches of goldenrod were being frequented by migrating Monarch Butterflies.

We had a fairly good bird migration today also. There were plenty of Eastern Phoebes and our first of the season Kinglets. Both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned were feeding in the cedars in the swales, We walked all the  to the Fire Island Lighthouse, stopping at the Hawk Watch platform to see Merlins, Kestrels and Sharp-shinned Hawks flying by. We also saw our first of the season White-throated Sparrows, and Slate-colored Juncoes. The seasons are changing, get out in nature and enjoy.

GSBAS Nature Walk Tuesday 09/29/2015

Our walk today was at Massapequa Preserve. The sky was overcast and the temperature was warm, humidity was high. It is early in the fall season and there were no new ducks on the pond, There was a pair of Mute Swams with six cygnets.

The land birds were scarce also. We did spend some time discussing and observing the wild flowers along the pathway. On of the  wild flowers was Jewelweed, or sometimes called Touch Me Not. It is liked by humingbirds. It also has medicinal properties. It is known to relieve itches from insect bites.
Another plant was Chicory, the roots can be dried and ground to make a substitute coffee.

There is more to our walks than just birds.

GSBAS Weekend Nature Walk 09/26/2015

The sun was shining through the clouds as we approached Robert Moses SP for our weekend nature walk. As it peeked through one area it created a sun dog, sort of a mini rainbow light display, a nice way to start our day.

We gathered in the parking lot and then walked the boardwalk to the Lighthouse. It was relatively quiet. On our return we stopped at the hawkwatch platform to spend time ad hopefully see some raptors. We had a couple of  Merlins fly by, and just as we were leaving a Northern Harrier flew by and gave us a good show. It was slow at the watch as well.

Then we drove to Jones Beach West End. On the distant sandbar in the inlet there were a couple of hundred Black Skimmers with young. Steve D'Amato spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull resting on the near bar. We finished the trip up by walking the roads and median and then called it a day. We had 32 species for the day. It took some work but it was worth it for a nice day walking on the beach.

Tuesday GSBAS Nature Walk Sept. 22, 2015

A slow day at Jamaica Bay still beats a days work. The waether started chilly an warmed up as the day went on. The birding started slow and stayed slow throughout the morning. Still, all in all, we managed with a little effort to turn up 24 species of birds. We had Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron and a flyover immature Black-crowned Night Heron. The usual suspects, Mockingbirds, Catbirds and Cardinals were around also. We did turn up three species of Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Rumped and American Redstart. Again making the best of what nature gives us.

GSBAS Nature Walk Sept. 12, 2015 Oceanside MNSA

Today we did a nature walk at the at the Oceanside Nature Study Area. The weather was delightful in the early morning, Beautiful, crisp, clean air,  and really bright sunshine which highlighted the colors. The color of the water was a deep blue and the marsh grass, the spartina, had a golden hue to it. With a light breeze the ripples of both the grass and the water were very pleasant to look at.We some of the usual suspects, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Palm warblers were on the pathways accompanied by Common Yellowthroats.

Then we decided to go to Jones Beach West End at the Coast Guard station to look for migrants. Sometimes things work out well. We had some really nice birds to look at right in the hedgerow by the Coast Guard building. The highlight was a Dickcissel, a very pretty bird, rare to see and always pleasure to enjoy. We had some warblers as well.  We saw Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Common Yellowthroat and Pine warbler. There were looks at Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a tree full of Cedar Waxwings.

Birding & Breakfast At Connetquot River State Park Preserve.

On Saturday Sept 12, we had our fall Birding and Breakfast. This is an event sponsored and supported by Connetquot River SPP staff, The Friends of Connetquot park support group, and Great South Bay Audubon Society. This is a very popular event, well attended and drawing a lot of repeat attendees.

Prior to the presentations we had a continental breakfast supplied by the Friends of Connetquot. There were pastries, cake, bagels, fruit coffe and tea and juice. The bagels are provided by the Melville Deli. The tables were set and folks fixed their plates and sat for the presentation. As we are approaching fall and the change of seasons Pam Hunter, from the park staff did a presentation on the changing of the birds as they prepare for fall and winter. It was very informative and showed the different plumage on some of the birds as they change from breeding to non breeding

After the presentation the Great South Bay Audubon Folks led two groups for a bird walk in and around the park. We saw over twenty species of birds and the highlights were, Northern Flicker, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. For a finale a Great Blue Heron did a beautiful flyover.

A good time was had by all and we are looking forward to our next Birding and Breakfast scheduled for Saturday January 16, 2016. Come and join us it's a lot of fun.

Sept. 1, 2015 Fall Tuesday kickoff

We stared our fall season of Tuesday Nature Walks today at Heckscher State Park. The temperature was getting warmer as the day progressed. The first attempt at birding was thwarted by a a horde of mosquitoes. As we moved out of the wind into the wetter area the mosquitoes were fierce. We regrouped at the water front where there was a breeze and were much more comfortable.

We saw several lingering Ospreys, a few Eastern Kingbirds, some Mockingbirds  and a Downy Woodpecker. There was a Killdeer on the road median and a Spotted Sandpiper at the bayside watre edge.

A nice start to our fall season. Come join us.

August 29, 2015 Jamaica Bay trip

Our fall weekend trip kickoff. We had eight folks on our warm Saturday walk at Jamaica Bay Wildlife refuge. As it happened there was the annual Shorebird Festival going on as well. The temperatures were getting warmer and little or no wind in the early morning, though it did pick up as I was leaving.We did see a smattering of shorebirds. I added four FOY birds to my list, two shorebirds and two terns. we saw a total of 33 species. As a side attraction we saw a Hummingbird Moth on the loosestrife

The pond was more drained than I am used to seeing. Walking was much easier. I had to leave early due to family/social obligations.

August 28, 2015 Heckscher & Timber

The coffee run produced some excitement today. A small flock of Eastern Kingbirds was near Field 7 and at Timber Point a Green Heron was close enough to take a picture of. The migration is migrating

August 27, 2015 FI Hawk watch

I did my shakedown cruise onthe hawk watch platform for the 2015 season. I need to add rubber bands to my clipboard to keep the pages from flying in the wind. Bob Kurtz was ther when I arrived, which gave me some hope for the day. Despite Bob being there the watch was slow. only four birds for the day, three osprey and one Merlin. I know it is early in the season, but one can get ones hopes up, can't one?

There were othe birds moving though. We had sixty plus Eastern Kingbirds, twenty plus Chimney Swifts and a whole potful of swallows.

The weather was really nice, too nice for raptor migration. Low humidity low temps and low winds made for an enjoyable day for sitting at the beach. When the wind shifted from North to Southwest we knew our day

was over.

August 25, 2015 Mosquitoes everywhere

I tried to to take a walk in Heckscher this morning. I didn't get far. the mosquitoes were every where and fierce. I never stopped slapping until I left the path. Even in the parking lot they were on me.  This could be a long end of summer season. On driving through lot 5 i did manage to see a pair of  Spotted Sandpipers.

Playing catch up

I guess i have to get better at this. I am not consistent in my blogging/posting. I have to admiy that during the slow dog days of August it is hard to find motivation. Never the less, i will try to get better.

Yesterday we had a surprise 90th birthday party for my buddy Bill. It was a great time, We had about seventeen folks show up and he really appreciated it. he is such a wonderful guy. During the later part of the party we did some incidental birding. There was a fly over Common Night Hawk and a perched Baltimore oriole and some others around.

This mornings ride through the parks produced some of the usual suspects and thats all.

August is here

Finally I got to timber Point to see the reported Stilt Sandpipers. Of course it helps to have Shai there to enlighten you about the identification criteria for the Stilts. He is a great teacher, I always learn something. As we ere watching for the Sandpipers and a possible Long-billed Dowitcher we spotted a couple of  blue claw crabs doing the hankypanky. making little crabs the Dowitcher never showed for me but I did help two other birders get on the stilts.

July nearly over

Some say that July is the slowest month, maybe only compared to February, maybe it's a toss up. In either case thankfully it coming to and end. In the spirit of hope springs eternal maybe August will start to show an improvement in availability of birds. The backyard is doing well. An occasional hummingbird shows up and the blue jays are all over my blueberry bushes. One of these daya I may get to taste my own blueberries.

Chasing a lark sparrow

After a doctors appointment I heade to RMSP field 2 to chase a reported Lark Sparrow. Every one in a while you get lucky

All is well Gimpy is back

On doing my coffee run early today I pulled into Heckscher Field 7 and did my usual tour. Up at the beach edge of the lot was a single Ring-billed Gull, it was our buddy Gimpy. I guess Gimpy is not a politically correct name but it is his and he is stuck with it. He has not been seen since the late spring. Maybe the Gulls go somewhere to breed and then return. In any case it is good to see him back.

Rainy day Puddlepipers

Did Heckscher and Timber Point and Ocean parkway including Captree Rd. Major Thunderstorm while doing the Robert Moses Section of the Ocean Parkway run. While in the Captree SP upper parking lot there were at least 20 Least Sandpipers in a road puddle created by the thunderstorm. Maybe things are moving

?

First Heckscher Puddlepiper

On my afternoon coffee run through Heckscher I noticed some shorebirds in the puddles at Heckscher field 7. There were five Killdeer and four Least sandpipers. I did manage a BBC picture of one of them. Maybe this is a portent of things to come.

Calverton catch up

I finally got out to Calverton this year. I went with Mike, Bob, John, Tim and a friend of Mike's. Pat Aiken. We had a good morning. We walked into Calverton off Rte 25 near the J&R Staekhouse. It was a paved path with a fair amount of birds. Blue grosbeak, Indigo Bunting., Prairie Warbler and some usual suspects. We them went to the west side and walked in to see Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern meadowlark. a Nice morning with a nice group of folks.

Chasing a Bird 7/11/2015

A lat minute decision to chase a bird this morning turned out well. Yesterday there was a Red Phalarope reported at Jones Beach West End. It was in the ponds between the Nature center and Field 2. This is a female in breeding plumage. A rare bird to see and rarer in breeding plumage. When I got there there was the usual kluge of birders to help me see it and I spent time after seeing the bird to chat with the known birders.

A stop at Captree Rd. on the way home got me another look at the White-faced Ibis. The roadsie was loaded with Seaside Dragonlet  Dragonflies.

A nice day for being out

After exercise I made a sandwich and took it with me to do son birding by car. I first went to Timber Point , then to Heckscher and finally Captree rd.  Timber Point gave a FOS Seaside sparrow, a pair and young chasing each other around the marsh. Not much else happening there. The Killdeer continue at Heckscher. Whils driving through heckscher I spotted a Cedar Waxwing on the ground in fiels 5. Don't see them much that low.

Captree had the Ibis and a single blue heron.

Still in the doldrums

Still waiting for somehing to happen. It is very quiet still, there were some more dowitchers at Timber Point but not much else.

Three H's July 8 2015

Whoo boy is it uncomfortable out there. It is 4 degrees with 90% humidity and partly sunny with little wind. The A/C in my car thuugh is working so my birding by car went as usual. Still the usual suspects excepting for the five Dowitchers at Timber Point. The Killdeer with chick is running around Field 7 in Heckscher still.

July 4 & 5

The usual suspects and not much else, have to be patient.

It's July

Nice weather for July, temps seventies little wind and lots of sunshine. I wlaked almost four miles this morning mainly for the exercise. As far as birds the usual suspects showed up and I added some butterflies to the list but not much else. A nice ride through the park later was also just a nice ride. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

BBC

I did the beach and Heckscher this afternoon, and not much to show for it. Windy and chilly when the sun is in and still no birds to talk of. I tried for WF Ibis at Captree Rd to no avail.

Connetquot Exercise

Today I did a 4 mile walk in Connetquot SPP. I went from the main parking up to Bunce's bridge and back. It took me about 2 hours at a decent pace with some stopping to check things out. Still quiet in the summer doldrums. Of note though, was the number of gypsy moth caterpillars on tree along the roadside.It seem s pretty extensive and i haven't seen anything about it in the papers yet. A significant portion of the trees are defoliated, it looks like winter in the woods. Chipmunks must have had their babies as the woods id full of them visibly running around. I don't see that much at other times of the year.

Where has the month gone

Another long lapse in posting. I have to get more motivated. the birding is slow and the summer is progressing. We have a run of inconsistent weather, cooler, hotter , wind, no wind a little rain and some storms. I haven't had  much enthusiasm for birding because it has been so slow. Therewere some highlights. A Prothonotary Warbler was at Connetquot for five days giving everyone good looks, and a White-faced Ibis has seemingly returned for the second year at Captree Rd. Most of the boards are quiet also. No one is seeing anything. Hopefull the shorebird migration should start soon. the I will hope for rain to fill the puddles at Heckscher, this way I won't have to travel to get my shorebirds.

Begining to enter the doldrums

A walkin the par today was highlightrd by a picture of a wilddlower and not a really special wildflower. It is a Common Mullein, a roadside "junk" flower. As for birds, a few of the usual suspects.

Spring Season Wrap Up

Today was our last Tuesday Nature walk of the 2015 spring season. We were at Lakeland County Park in Ronkonkoma. As we left the parking lot we were greeted with the sounds of a Wood Thrush singing. What a great way to start or walk. We spotted the Thrush as we walked further down the path. It seemed to be hanging around in the area. We spotted a nest and left so it could return. At the end of our walk we again headed down the same path and this time saw the Thrush on the nest. A very nice sight to see.

The rest of our walk was heading south from the parking lot on the boardwalk. It is a very nice park with boardwalks and paths. We heard more birds than we saw but it was a great place for a walk in the woods. We did see some of the usual woodland birds expected at this time of year. We also happened to see a Muskrat in the streams. It was a nice walk to finish our season.

Photos by Bob Glasser

Have a good summer and we will see you in the fall.

Summer is coming

A really gorgeous morning enticed me to go for a walk, not that I need much enticing. Sunshine moderate temperature and little wind made for a nice walk in Connetquot. The Prothonotary is now missing for the last two days, but the resident YT Warblers are still hanging around. I did manage to see Eastern Pee Wee and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. I ran into some birders I knew and spent some time chatting and co birding. A really nice morning.

Little guy

Today while doing the Breeding Bird survey I noticed a movement in the grass. It was a vole crawling along just minding his own business. Five mnutes later I saw a fox scampering across the field just fifty yards away. Now i know how the Fox makes its living.

Good day in Connetquot

After a morning doing ocean parkway and before a lunch, I decided to take another run at the Prothonotary Warbler in Connetquot. On the way in I heard and saw a Yellow-throated Warbler. They are now seemingly resident in the summer here. the I went to see the Prothonotary again. I got much better looks today. How often is it that you see Yellow-throated and Prothonotary in the same place on the same day. Not often, let me tell you.

GSBAS Nature Walk 06/02/2015

Our Tuesday trip this week was to Shinnecock Inlet/Dune Rd, Westhampton. Despite miserable damp weather six birders showed up to brave the elements and do some birdwatching. We did well considering the light rain and cold and damp weather. We tallied over thirty species for the day. The main feature was shorebirds. We saw Piping Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstones, Dowitchers, Skimmers, Yellowlegs, Willets  Oystercatchers and Semi-palmated Sandpipers. Our next trip,

at Lakeland Park in Ronkonkoma, will be the last of this spring season

The end of Every Day In May

What a way to end my annual May birding effort. In the morning I went to Werthiem National Wildlife refuge. I walked the black tupelo trail, a total of 2.6 miles round trip. As I was helping Ann food shop, I received a call about a Prothonatary Warbler at Connetquot SPP. Tim Dunn called me and told me where it was located and I went aand surprisingly, heard it first and then sawit for a period of about 45 minutes. I met a couple of other birders and we chatted as the bird worked its way around the marsh area.

Two nice days

Wow, we have had two really nice spring/summer like days in a row. beautiful sunshine accompanied by decent temperatures have made walking in the parks really enjoyable. The birds are seeming to settle into theior summer resident breeding routines. Still I manage to add a few FOS birds as I go along. Today while driving and coffee in heckscher i noticed that the beach heather is in bloom. I must have missed it the last few trips, I need to be more open for seeing things

Slow day

I just barely squeezed some birding in today. A quick walk after exercise and a ride later on through the park produced some of the usual suspects and no surprises. May is coming to an end and soon "Every day in May" will be over.then it will be on to shorebirds, we'll ahve to see what this year produces. Next Tuesday we go to Shinnecock that could be indicative of what the season will be like.

Oceanside MNSA Recap 05/26/2015

Our walk today was at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area. Whae had spectacular weather, sunshine , mild temperatures but with a little bit of wind. We saw what one would expect see at Oceanside. There were a pair of Black-Crowned Night herons and a pair of Yellow-crowned Night herons stalking in the low tide areas at a very close distance. The resident Ospreys were on the nest at the bay side. We had a smattering of shorebirds, Willets, Semi-palmated Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers and Semi-palmated Plovers. All the boardwalk trails have been restored or rep[laced.. It was a nice morning with some nice birds.

Lazy day

I did a quickie today at Connetquot. Not much happening, a few of the usual suspects on a beautiful morning. Looks like things are going from slow to slower. Lets see what the rest of the week brings.

Jamaica Bay Recap May 23, 2015

We did the last of our weekend walks at Jamaica Bay this Saturday May, 23.The weather was a little cool and windy, but crisp and clear.
We met in the parking lot and first went to the west pond old trail. The trail does not go completely around the west pond due to Superstorm Sandy. We walked out to the breech and turned around and went back to the gardens. We walked both gardens and also went to the far side marsh on the north of the west pond. There we had a spectacular view of the NYC skyline and the new Freedom Tower,

Birding was very good. We had over forty species of birds for the morning. We managed to see a few warblers, Yellow, Blackpoll Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia and lots of American Redstarts. At big John's Pond we had some very good looks at  a Spotted Sandpiper, a bathing Blackpoll Warbler and a hunting Yellow warbler.

Patience, patience

I spent the morning waiting for a Little Egret to show up at Gardiners Park in Bayshore. There were at times up to twenty people waiting for this bird. It was seen sporadically for the past few days at the park. It would fly out and then reappear later on in a different section of the park. I gave it my best. Though some of the time was productive as I added Willow Flycatcher, Marsh Wren and Saltmarsh Sparrow to my year list.

Birding Gods

After camera shopping I stopped in sans Souci park to do a quick walk. As I walked down the trail I thought this would be a good spot to get an Ovenbird. A few steps later I heard on down the trail. I didn't get to see it. As I was walking back to my car I saw a bird in the tee tops, a plain looking largish bird. I got a look at it and saw a Slightly raised top of head and eventually some streaking on the belly and sides. Then I got a look at the eye and the rusty color and had my ovenbird. The birding gods heard me.

GSBAS Tuesday May 19, 2015 at Hempstead Lake State Park recap

Again we made the best of an overcast cloudy, misty day to do our birding in. Hempstead usually provides a good morning of birding, we had over thirty species for the morning. Right at the parking lot we started hearing birds, we picked up Blackpoll, Northern Parula, and American Redstart warblers right away. As we walked further down the path a Wood Thrush started singing, always a pleasant sound in the woods We saw Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and Robins sitting on nests. Warbling Vireos were singing and being seen everywhere.

After Hempstead Park we went to Jones beach West End where we saw an Eastern Kingbird sitting on the roadside. All in all another good morning of birding