Long Island, NY – 9 Statebirds, July 2015

With an upcoming July vacation on Long Island of course I wanted to squeeze in some birding time.  My NY list was pretty good at 267, with many of those birds coming from upstate while I was at grad school at Cornell.  By comparison my downstate birding has been somewhat limited, featuring a couple trips to Jamaica Bay NWR, and some incidental birding through multiple work trips to New York City.  But since there are quite a number of NY species only seen near the coast, or at least much more likely downstate, I figured I would have some significant statebird potential. 

So now it was time for a bunch of research.  My first step was to set up my new favorite tool – the e-Bird Needs Alert.  Of course NY is a big state, but by focusing in on reports from Suffolk and Nassau Counties I was able to find quite a number of likely statebird possibilities.  They generally fell into 4 categories –

• Regular birds that should be relatively easy to find, though nothing is guaranteed – Whip-poor-will, Pine Warbler, Orchard Oriole (filling in some gaps in my NY statelist);
• Less common local breeders – Roseate Tern and White-eyed Vireo;
• Stakeout rarities – White-faced Ibis, Yellow-throated Warbler; and
• Rarer possibilities but not necessarily likely at any stakeout site – Any pelagic, Royal and Arctic Terns, Chuck-will’s-widow, and Blue Grosbeak.

I would have a couple early mornings available, generally before the family was awake, and at least 1 evening, so I developed itineraries for each day and hoped to get at least 4 or 5 new NY statebirds.

Day 1 Evening -

Whip-poor-wills had been reported from a number of sites in central Long Island, and there were also a couple Chuck-will’s-widows reported.  Though the Whips were reported into early July, the last Chuck report was from early June so I was less optimistic about finding that one.  I picked out Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area as the best spot – with many Whip reports, one older Chuck report (though without a specific location), and many Pine Warbler reports, and only about 30 minutes from the hotel.  I arrived at Rocky Point about an hour before sunset hoping to hear the Pine Warblers before dusk, and with overcast skies hoping that I could hear the Whips a bit earlier than normal.  My first 2 stops didn’t yield any Warblers despite good habitat, but on my third stop I heard a Pine Warbler singing as soon as I stepped out of my car (statebird #1).  I heard another one at the next stop, but those were the only 2 I heard despite over an hour in good pine habitat.  NY was an obvious gap in my statebird map (how did I miss it during my time birding upstate?) – I’ve now seen it throughout all of its regular eastern range except MN, and as a rarity in CA and CO. 

 

I was driving around the area to look for likely places to listen for Caprimulgids at dusk, when I came upon a large field that seemed like good habitat for Blue Grosbeaks.  So I decided to get out of the car to see what I might find.  Within a few seconds I heard what I thought was a singing Blue Grosbeak in the distance.  I’m not too familiar with their song, so I pulled up my bird song app and it seemed like a pretty good match, though not perfect.  Since I wasn’t 100 percent sure I played a little tape to see if I could elicit a response.  Within a couple seconds I heard the sharp “chink” calls that I am familiar with – it was indeed a Blue Grosbeak (statebird #2).  The bird had flown right in to some trees near me, and although it was getting quite dark, I was able to see all the features of an adult male.  Although there were a few recent Blue Grosbeak reports from Long Island, none seemed like reliable stakeouts, and it appeared like this species was not a regular local breeder at least in significant numbers.  So I was very happy to find this bird listed as a rarity in e-Bird.  Although I still need it in a few of its regular states out west, I’ve seen this species in 37 states, including 5 New England states and now NY as a rarity or accidental.

It was now almost dark so I drove to a small parking area I had found earlier and started my efforts to listen for Whips.  Although I didn’t hear anything right away, I’ve had good success over the years in getting them to respond to tape a bit earlier than when they might start on their own.  So I played some tape and almost instantly one called back in the distance (statebird #3).  Within a couple minutes 4 birds calling simultaneously.  My statebird map for Eastern Whip-poor-will is very spotty as I still need it for a number of states especially in the southern portion of its range.

Then I switched to tape of the Chuck but got no response.  It was a similar story at a second stop – 3 calling Whips but no Chuck.  Though a third stop had no Caprimulgids at all.  Although I had hoped to hear a Chuck-will’s-widow, since the most recent report was almost a month old, and with no specific location provided, I decided to call it quits.  Despite missing this long shot, getting 2 of my expected targets and a bonus bird was a great start to the trip.

Day 2 Morning –

The first of four stops the next morning was at Connetquot State Park where a pair of Yellow-throated Warblers had been singing most of the summer.  This is a rarity for NY, since breeding birds typically get no farther north than central NJ.  The birds had been reported close to the entrance, so I was able to hear and then see one male very quickly (statebird #4).  NY was my 6th state (in addition to 5 New England states) where I’ve seen Yellow-throated Warbler as a rarity.

 

My next stop was a short distance away at Captree State Park where a White-faced Ibis had been reported since spring with a flock of Glossy’s.  I got to the spot where most of the sightings had been posted on e-Bird only to find a very large expanse of suitable saltmarsh habitat.  I would likely need to get real lucky and have the Ibis flock close to me in order to pick out the target bird.  But there were no waders in sight at all.  Finally after some scanning with my scope I noticed a very distant flock of Egrets feeding in the marsh, and then began to pick out some Ibis.  The smaller Ibis were only occasionally visible as they fed, though sometimes a single bird would fly out of the marsh, circle around and then drop back into the flock.  At more than 200 yards, even with a scope, my chances of picking out the White-faced were really slim.  But this bird was a nice breeding plumaged adult with a broad white ring around the face.  I spent the next 10 minutes staring at the flock hoping to see that distinctive face pattern with no luck.  Was I just too far away to see the white pattern?  But finally as I watched one bird drop into the marsh I thought I saw a flash of white on the face.  Over the next couple of minutes this bird briefly raised its head above the grasses several times and again showed the white face pattern.  Success!  (statebird #5).  Never thought I’d be able to pick it out at that distance.  NY was my 22nd state for White-faced Ibis, including the 5th as a rarity.

The next stop was Robert Moses State Park where some recent seawatches had included small number of various pelagic species – multiple shearwaters and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel.  But that morning a nice cold front had just come through, turning the winds around from the south to the northwest.  Although it made for very pleasant weather, it certainly was not the best conditions for pelagic birds to come close to shore.  And not surprisingly, all my scoping across the ocean yielded nothing of interest except a few Common Terns.  So I called it quits after about an hour and headed to the next stop.

The last stop of the morning was at nearby Gardiner’s County Park.  There were a few recent e-Bird reports from the park that included White-eyed Vireos, and an occasional one with an Orchard Oriole.  So even though neither was regular, nor were specific locations mentioned, I thought it was worthwhile to spend at least a little time trying for these 2 targets.  I walked the length of the central trail that goes to the beach, going through a number of wetter areas with thick undergrowth that looked to be good Vireo habitat, but had no luck.  Then on my way back I thought I heard a bit of song that could have been the Vireo.  I walked back into the brush a bit and sure enough heard a White-eyed Vireo singing several times (statebird #6).  NY fills in a big gap in my statebird map for this species.

I was happy to have gotten the Vireo, but none of the habitat I had been in so far seemed good for Orchard Oriole.  When I got back toward the car I noticed more open habitat in the northeast part of the park that could be good for the Oriole.  I got to the area and started to play some songs.  Within just a couple minutes I heard an Oriole give its “chit-chit” call.  The problem though was I couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t a Baltimore Oriole.  And even though I searched the area for the next 15 minutes, I couldn’t find the bird.  One that got away I’m afraid.

Day 2 Afternoon -

The family outing for the afternoon was a trip to Greenport near the northeast fork of Long Island for some shopping.  As we headed east along SR 25A we soon got into rural habitat with farms and the occasional home surrounded by a few planted deciduous trees.  I had just remarked to myself that this could be good Orchard Oriole habitat when I thought I saw one fly from one tree to another surrounding one of the farmsteads.  Maybe I just wanted to see an Orchard Oriole.  But just in case I made a mental note of the location and wondered about maybe stopping at this spot on the way back at the end of the day.

We eventually made it to Greenport, and I dropped the family off for shopping as I headed to Orient Point for a bit of birding.  My key target there was Roseate Tern - there were a number of e-Bird posts of the Tern apparently nesting on Plumb Island off the point, and sometimes they were seen in small numbers with larger numbers of Commons from the point.  I made it to Orient Point County Park and took the half mile walk to the point.  As the water came into view I could see a number of Terns feeding off the point in the rips – I guessed maybe 60 birds.  It took a while, but eventually I picked out a paler tern in the distance.  As it came closer it was easy to identify this very pale tern as a Roseate with the longer tail and mostly dark bill (statebird #7).  With a little more time I found 3 other Roseates that eventually came quite close to the point.  I’ve now seen this species in all of its regular nesting states (both in the northeast and FL) and in DE as a migrant.

Other notable birds at the point were a pair of Oystercatchers and a Piping Plover, along with 2 out-of-season Great Cormorants.

After rejoining the family for a bit of shopping, we headed back west to the hotel.  Along the way I kept my eyes open for the location where I may have seen an Orchard Oriole earlier in the day.  Amazingly I found the same group of trees where I had seen the bird, and got out of the car to try to re-find it.  My first thought was to play some Oriole tape, but with excessive road noise I quickly gave up on that idea.  So instead I started to walk over to the tree where I had seen the bird.  Just then a bird flew out of the tree and right over my head – it was a juvenile oriole.  And a then a second bird followed it.  I had found a family of Orchard Orioles (statebird #8).  Seeing it in NY fills a big hole in my statebird map – WI is the last state in its regular range where I still need this species.

Day 3 Morning –

My plan for the last morning was to bird two adjacent locations on the coast - Cupsogue Beach County Park and Moriches Bay Inlet.  Good numbers of terns had recently been reported at both sites, with occasional sightings of Royals, Arctics, and Roseates mixed in with the Commons.  I arrived shortly after dawn, parked in the large parking lot for the County Park, and then started my hike west toward the inlet.  There was a strong northerly wind that morning which made it almost chilly, and which also meant that I would be looking into the wind to scope the flats to the north. 

When I got to the inlet the tide was very high but dropping, with few flats exposed for roosting birds.  There was a distant island with many nesting gulls and a few Oystercatchers, but there were few terns to be seen.  And a small flock of Dowitchers with a couple Willets were the only other shorebirds in sight.  Not the best of starts.  But as the tide dropped the exposed flats attracted more birds - the Dowitcher flock grew to over 100, 5 Piping Plovers were running about, and at least a few Common Terns were now roosting on the sand.  I continued to scan the expanding flats and suddenly I came upon a roosting Royal Tern in full breeding plumage (statebird #9).  I certainly hadn’t seen it on my many earlier scans so it must have just flown in.  And less than a minute later it took off and disappeared up the bay to the east.  I was able to get this phone-scoped photo as it took off.

 I’ve now seen Royal Tern in every Atlantic and Gulf coastal state as well as CA.

I spent a little more time at the inlet but didn’t see much of anything else of interest.  So I headed over to the beach for a bit of a seawatch, but again saw nothing notable.  Even a passing fishing trawler had only attracted gulls and a few terns.  So I headed back to the County Park and scoped the newly exposed mudflats from the parking lot.  There were quite a number of roosting Common Terns along with 1 Roseate.  And the mudflats had at least 100 Dowitchers, along with a few Semi and Least Sands and both Yellowlegs, but nothing spectacular.  But after having seen 3 Tern species including the Royal I was very pleased with my morning’s results, and I decided to call it a day.

All in all this was a most successful trip, adding 9 NY statebirds including just about every reasonably likely possibility.  Not only did I fill in some glaring gaps in my NY list (now at 276), and holes in my statebird maps, but also found a few rarities.  Plus I was able to squeeze in the birding time without taking too much time away from the family. 

Spectacular New Mexico Migrant Fallout, May 2013

I had about a half day of free time as part of a business trip to Midland, TX, and started to wonder if that would be enough time to get into New Mexico and work on that state list.  The stateline is only 90 minutes from Midland, so if I stayed in the southeast corner of NM I should have enough time to try for at least few new statebirds.  But now the question was whether there would be any worthwhile places to bird just across the stateline.  Lea County is the southeastern-most county in NM, and the NM birdfinding guide did suggest some locations in that county.  But they seemed to be a bit marginal.  I reached out to some local birding contacts, and although they offered a couple sites to try, they stressed that birding Lea County can be bleak.  I put together a very modest list of just 4 possible new statebirds that were regular in the area - Scaled Quail, Scissor-tailed Fly, Bronzed Cowbird, and Common Grackle, with only the Scissor-tail being likely.  Plus there was the possibility to get lucky with some passerine and shorebird migrants coming through.  Though again the problem would be finding suitable habitat in this very arid location.  I planned my stops to especially focus on possible migrant traps, hoping to get lucky both with the migrants and the local nesters I needed.  As I completed my planning I felt like I would be very happy with 5 new birds for my NM list.

By getting a slightly earlier flight than originally planned I was able to arrive in NM just an hour before sunset before my planned morning of birding.  So I decided to go to the closest migrant trap – a cemetery outside of Eunice – to try to get a little headstart on the birding adventure.  The birdfinding guide suggested that this area could be good for Scissor-tails and Bronzed Cowbirds, and surrounded by Quail habitat, so it seemed like a good place to start.  It was actually a very nice spot, with many deciduous trees and conifers, and several acres in size.  But there were very few migrants there (3 Audubon’s Warblers), though the cemetery was full of bird song – principally House Finches and Western Kingbirds.  Plus a couple Blue Grosbeaks, and a family of Curve-billed Thrashers were nice.  But the highlight was a sapsucker that got away – one flew in from the desert directly over my head and disappeared in the trees.  Despite a lot of searching, I could not refind it.  The field guide maps suggest a Red-naped could winter in southeast NM, but this was too late for a wintering sapsucker I would think.  And a Yellow-bellied could possibly be that far west as a migrant.  Either species would be a good bird for southeast NM in May.  But it will just go down as a Sapsucker, sp.  So no new statebirds and very few migrants on an evening stop even though I was in good habitat.  Plus on my ride west from Midland I hadn’t seen any Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at all – the only likely bird on my target list.  Now I was starting to rethink my trip.  Although I could get lucky and get at least a few new birds, a strikeout on the first stop had me wondering.  With no real guaranteed birds, I could actually finish this short trip with no new birds at all.

The plan for the next day was to start at dawn at a potential migrant trap which was a small roadside rest stop in Maljamar.  Then I would work my way back toward Midland for my afternoon meetings.  The rest stop is a small park-like site, about an acre and a half in size, but full of well-watered trees, and surrounded by desert.  I arrived at Maljamar about 30 minutes before dawn and was overwhelmed by the raucous calls of Western Kingbirds.  Although at first I thought they were just nesters, I soon realized that there were way too many for such a small park.  The next thing I noticed in the dim early light was a large wading bird that made several attempts to land in the trees – it turned out to be a Black-crowned Night-Heron.  What was that bird doing in the middle of the desert?  Maybe I was in for a good morning fallout!  As the light improved, I noticed a couple thrushes on the ground.  In the dim light I identified a couple Hermit Thrushes, and the first of an estimated 5 Swainson’s Thrushes (#1 new statebird for NM). 

Soon after the 6 AM sunrise I started hearing warbler chips from the trees – small waves of 3-5 birds seemed to be working their way northward through the rest stop, and then flying out to the desert.  Most would stop in native brush just outside the rest stop, or fly back in to the trees.  So I situated myself on the north side of the rest stop and tried for glimpses of the migrants as they passed by.  The first thing I noticed was 3’ tall bush with 3 male Western Tanagers – nice!  Then a few Wilson’s Warblers and the first of many Yellow Warblers (#2).  NM was my last state for Yellow Warbler – my 13th bird in all the mainland US states and DC.

A couple minutes later I found a bush “adorned” with Audubon’s Warblers and a Cassin’s Vireo (#3).  A bit later I noticed a number of birds perched in a small bush – I counted 3 orioles, a couple Audubon’s, and then a gorgeous male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (#4).  A minute later a male Indigo Bunting landed out in the desert – not a new statebird but spectacular plumage.  I then turned back to the rest stop and saw some movement in a pine tree.  Although several got away before I could ID them, one was more cooperative and turned out to be a male Northern Parula (#5).  Wow!  It wasn’t even 6:30 yet and I had already found 2 pretty rare birds for NM.  NM is now my 2^nd state seeing Parula as a rarity away from the east.

The next hour or so featured even more migrants.  I would watch them fly in from the desert, land in the trees for a short time, and then they would fly back out into the desert.  The most common (and most vocal) birds were Bullock’s Orioles and Western Kingbirds, and the most common warbler being Audubon’s.  I also had a calling Scrub Jay at one point, which is apparently another rarity for the area.  The next three new statebirds weren’t nearly as rare.  #6 was a lone Common Grackle that I first heard call from the trees, and then saw it fly out to the desert.  #7 was the first of several MacGillivray’s Warblers – interesting that there were none of these earlier on.  And #8 was the first of two Warbling Vireos.  My statebird map for Warbling Vireo pretty closely matches the range maps for this species – I’ve seen it in only a few southeast states though most all the other states.

Later I found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sitting in the same spot in the same bush as earlier.  But this one was a different bird - a young male and not quite in full alternate plumage – ho hum, just another Rose-breast.  A few minutes later I found both grosbeaks sitting next to each other in a deciduous tree. 

The next two statebirds were quite a bit more exciting.  At 7:30 I noticed some movement in some thick pines when I caught a glimpse of the side of a small bird with a yellowish wash.  My first thought was it was going to be another Cassin’s Vireo.  But then I saw it’s head – it was a White-eyed Vireo! (#9)  Likely the rarest of all the rarities I would find that day.  It was most cooperative, offering long views as it foraged 15 ft up in the pine.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen a White-eye that high off the ground.  I would end up seeing it 15 minutes later in just about the same spot.  The next new statebird never even made it to the rest stop – a calling Catbird a short distance out in the desert (#10). 

It was now 8:30 and I was way behind schedule with lots of other stops on my itinerary.  But each time I tried to leave I would see a new bird that I hadn’t found earlier.  I even had my car keys in hand when I found a group of 3 buntings – 2 Indigos and a Lazuli (#11).  I actually even got in my car and began to pull out when I decided I shouldn’t leave quite yet.  Good thing too – just afterwards a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds flew in for a drink (#12).  I’ve now seen Bronzed Cowbird throughout the southwest and a few Gulf Coast states.

In 2 hours in this 1-acre oasis I had 49 species including several rarities.  My tallies are conservative since it was hard to say how many birds flew out to the desert and returned.  And many warblers escaped without ID.  But here are my best guesses on numbers –

·         Western Kingbird – 50 (plus 1 Cassin’s Kingbird)

·         Bullock’s Oriole – 50

·         4 Vireo species – 2 Plumbeous, 2 Warbling, 1 Cassin’s, 1 White-eyed

·         7 Warbler Species - 60 Yellow-rumps (including 1 Myrtle), 20 Yellows, 8 Wilson’s, 5 Orange-crowns, 5 MacGillivrays, 1 Yellowthroat, 1 Parula

·         3 Flycatchers – 3 Ash-throated, 3 Western Pewees, 1 Say’s Phoebe

Then there were the odds and ends like small flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, Siskins, American Goldfinches, Chipping Sparrows, etc.

Next stop was at a nearby oasis called Conoco Pond – this appeared to be a natural artesian pond with tules and surrounded by some deciduous trees.  With a quick walk into the pond I heard another Catbird calling from the brush and a handful of migrants in the trees.  The first warbler I spotted was a Nashville (#13) – I saw 2 others later.  The trees had a number of Yellow-rumps, Wilson’s, and Orange-crowns, along with Western Tanagers and Orioles here and there.  I bet this spot was hopping at dawn as well.  One area had a number of White-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground, which were joined by a single Clay-colored Sparrow (#14).  As I was turning the car around to leave I noticed a bird in the trees a short distance ahead with a lemon-yellow wash below.  Thinking it was just another tanager I looked at it in the binocs through the windshield and realized it was warbler/vireo sized.  So I hopped and got great views of a Philadelphia Vireo (#15)!  Another rarity.  What a day.  My Philly Vireo map is really spotty – it’s not an easy bird in most of the east let alone as a rarity in the west.

Next stop was off to Chaparral Park in Lovington.  This is a large town park with a number of widely spaced trees and a lake.  I was way behind on my schedule so wasn’t planning to spend too much time there, and was pretty much thinking I had found all the migrant passerine species I was likely to get for the day.  So I headed to the lake to try for shorebirds.  I scanned the water’s edge and only found a few Spotted Sandpipers.  But then I noticed a smaller darker bird at the waterline – bobbing up and down – it was a Northern Waterthrush (#16), giving me great views to make sure it wasn’t a Louisiana.  After high fiving myself over finding yet another rarity, I realized there were a number of warblers in the trees overhead – mostly Audubon’s, Yellows, Wilson’s and Orange-crowns.  I was about to leave the lake when I saw some movement ahead in a reasonably bare tree – and without binoculars I realized it was a Black-and-White Warbler (#17).  A beautiful male that was searching for food on the bark of the branches.  NM is now my 3^rd western state for this eastern species.

Now I was really leaving the lake and flushed 2 small peeps which returned to land virtually at my feet – 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers (#18).  They were later joined by a Western and a couple Leasts for good comparisons.

The next stop was to be the Lovington sewage treatment plant adjacent to the park.  But the gate was closed – too bad since that is supposed to be the best shorebird habitat in the county.  While I was standing at the gate wondering if there was some other access point, 2 Black-necked Stilts flew out of the plant.  Oh well, next time. 

I decided to skip the Eunice cemetery which was to be the next stop since I was there the day before without much luck, and Stephen’s Park in Eunice.  Instead I headed to the southeast corner of the state and the town of Jal, which is to be the best area for Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.  Sure enough a few miles north of Jal I saw a couple along the wires (#19).  I’ve now seen NM in each of the states in its regular breeding range, along with FL as a wintering bird, TN and KY as an expanding breeder, and MD and MA as a regular eastern vagrant.

The last stop was the Jal town park, which like Chaparral Park has a few trees and a good-sized lake.  The first place I headed to was the lake again to look for shorebirds.  En route I walked past the obligatory flock of domestic ducks and geese, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed a wild Snow Goose in the flock.  And it was next to a wild White-fronted Goose (#20).  I was able to get this photo holding my iPhone up to my binoculars.  Quite a number of times now I've found late lingering migrant geese in with domestic ducks/geese in town parks.  Also at the park was one lone Least Tern.  Although not a new statebird for me, a good one for NM. 

In my roughly 5 hours of birding I saw 88 species, 20 of which were new for my NM statelist.  And of course many of them were rarities for this location.  What a day!  And now with 252 on my NM list, I’m just 12 shy of the recent ABA reporting threshold for the state.