Birding & Breakfast May 10, 2016 Connetquot SPP

This Saturday we held our fall Birding and Breakfast at Connetquot State park preserve. AS usual this was aj oint effort between The Connetquot State Park Staff, The Friends of Connetquot and Great South Bay Auudubon. Again we had a full house, the program is very popular and we always have a wait list.. The breakfast was supplied by the Friends of Connetquot and the bagels donated by the Melville Deli. Annie McIntyre from the Park Staff did an intro to birds presentation, after which the Great South Bay Audubon folks led the bird walks.



Birding was a little bit slow but we all managed to see some birds and everyone was oleased with a very delightful morning. There was a fight between a Merlin and some Blue Jays that did give us some excitement. Our next Birding and Breakfast is January 14, 2017, come and join us.

GSBAS First Fall Nature Walk Sept. 06, 2016

Today our walk was scheduled for Heckscher State park. We met in the field 5 parking lot and proceeded west into the marsh and woods from there. The birding was slow and the mosquitoes were heavy so we shifted to the parking field 7.

Things got immediately better. We spotted a pair of Royal terns on the beach, just off the parking lot. Without getting out of the cars we all had good, if not great looks at the terns.

After that we parked and walked to field 8 , and at field beach side we saw Black-bellied Plovers, and Sanderlings. We started slow and finished well. Then the rains came and we called it a day.

Finally a nice Tuesday in April

The first two April Tuesday nature walks were canceled due to inclement weather. Today made up for those days. Twelve people attended today's walk in Gardiners Park, taking advavtage of a  superb morning to be outside. Comments were made as to what seems to be a delay in some trees budding and leafing out. We did manage to eke out twenty species of the usual suspects. A highlight was five Snowy Egrets in the marsh down by the bay. It is good to see them coming back to Long island.

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.