I've been out of action for a few days now with sprained ankle but I had committed to doing a Brooklyn Bird Club walk on Eastern Long Island specialties and, rather than call it off, I'll called Eileen Schwinn to see if should could help out. She and her husband Fritz were just in Iceland (!) with friends but she came back this week and was willing to pick up the slack. She organized this walk (which I have done in past years) a little differently, starting at EPCAL (ex-Grumman) which is the best site on Long Island for grassland birds -- notably Grasshopper Sparrow and Meadowlark. We intended to complete the day by going to Hunter's Garden, Bicycle Path and then, if any time remained, to go down to the shore. But on the way into Hunter's Garden one of the cars got stuck in soft sand and had to be rescued by Hampton Bays Rapid Recovery, the which put an early end to the day.
Here's the complete annotated list:
Wild Turkey - EPCAL
Turkey Vulture -- several overhead at EPCAL
Red-tailed Hawk -- several overhead at EPCAL
Killdeer -- Lewis Rd, E. Quogue (on the way back home)
Mourning Dove
cuckoo spp -- overhead at EPCAL, species not determined
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker -- in the woods leading to Hunter's Garden
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher -- EPCAL
Eastern Kingbird -- EPCAL
Red-eyed Vireo -- singing in severl spots
Blue Jay
American Crow -- EPCAL
Tree Swallow -- EPCAL
Bank Swallow -- EPCAL
Barn Swallow-- EPCAL
Black-capped Chickadee (heard)
White-breasted Nuthatch (heard)
House Wren -- EPCAL, Line Road
Eastern Bluebird -- Line Road
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird -- EPCAL
Brown Thrasher -- EPCAL
Cedar Waxwing -- Line Road
Ovenbird -- road to Hunter's Gardeen
Blue-winged Warbler -- (heard at EPCAL)
Common Yellowthroat -- road into Hunter's Garden
Pine Warbler -- road into Hunter's Garden
Prairie Warbler -- EPCAL
Eastern Towhee -- EPCAL
Chipping Sparrow -- several places
Field Sparrow -- (heard at EPCAL)
Grasshopper Sparrow -- several at EPCAL including one carrying food
Song Sparrow -- heard only
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark -- heard only
Common Grackle -- EPCAL
Baltimore Oriole -- EPCAL
American Goldfinch
Eileen also reports that she has heard Eastern Whip-poor-will singing in the Oakdale area of East Quogue and, even more exciting, Chuck-will's-widow singing on Old Main Road north of Quogue Village.
Eric Salzman
