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| "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein |
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| Number
of species seen during 2010 on HOBAS trips is: 171 |
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June
- Saturday, June 26 a group of five birders started
at Cupsogue and saw 71 species that day. Some
highlights include Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrow,
Black Skimmers. Three people who continued to other
sites saw Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks
and 3 baby Killdeer. Great day. Total remains at
171.
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May
- At Sterling Forest on May 16 the highlights were
Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-headed and Red-eyed
Vireos, Ovenbird, Indigo Bunting and Broad-winged
Hawk. Birdathon, May 23 was record breaking.( See
article). 17 species of warblers were seen and the
following birds had not been seen on Birdathons in
the last 4 years: Wilson’s Phalarope, Barn Owl, Olive
sidiedFlyctcher, Least Flycatcher, Cerulean Warbler,
Worm-eating Warbler, Grasshopper Sparrow , Seaside
Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. By the end of the
Birdathon our total for the year reached 171.
On Monday May 31st, 11 people visited Fuchs Pond
and Crab Meadow. A quiet day for birding had these
highlights: Blue-winged Warbler, Belted Kingfisher,
Osprey, Willow Flycatcher.
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April - Sunday, April
4 had good weather, good birds and seals at Jones
Beach. We added these birds to the year’s list:
American Oyster-catcher, Sanderling, Killdeer, Great
Egret, Northern Gannet, Boat-tailed Grackle,
Brown-headed Cowbird and Tree Swallow. Also seen
were Common and Red-throated Loons, Long-tailed
Duck, Great Blue Heron, Song and White-throated
Sparrows. Sunday April 18 was a slow day at
Prospect Park. Eastern Wood peewee, Chipping Sparrow
and Eastern Towhee were added to our year’s list. Mother’s Day, May 9 was a cold, very windy day.
Despite the weather we had a great day birding
Central Park. New species added include Blue-headed
and Red eyed Vireos, Hermit Thrush , Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole and 14 species of
warblers. They were Northern Parula, Yellow warbler,
Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green,
Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted,
Blackpoll, Black and White, American Redstart,
Northern Waterthrush, Common Yelowthroat and
Wilson’s. Nice birds for such a nasty day. As of
Mother’s day our total for the year reached 98.
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March - On Sunday,
March 7, a sunny chilly morning enticed 8 birders to
go to North Shore Ponds and Harbors to view
waterfowl, but there was a paucity of birds.
Altogether we saw 26 species counting Starlings,
Canada Geese and House Sparrows. Among the ducks
seen were Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard,
Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup,
Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser
and Ruddy Ducks. We got good views of Great Blue
Heron and several Red-tail Hawks overhead. A quiet
but lovely day that warmed up by the time we ended
our walk giving hope for the arrival of spring.
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February - On
February 21, a beautiful day, 15 people enjoyed the
walk to Point Lookout. Besides common birds such as
Mourning Dove, Starling and Mockingbird, Northern
Flicker, and Goldfinch were seen. Waterfowl included
Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Brandt Geese, Canada
Geese, Mallard, Black Duck, Longtail Duck,
Red-Breasted Merganser. Also seen were the 3 usual
gulls, Greater Blackbacked, Herring and Ring-billed.
We added Horned Lark, Field Sparrow, Common Eider,
Northern Harrier and Peregrine Falcon and Red-winged
Blackbird to our year’s list.
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January - The Jan 9th
trip to Prosser Pines was postponed to Jan 23 due to
weather conditions. But that date proved
unproductive. No owls were seen or heard. John
Turner explained the various owls that can be found
on LI and Stella Miller explained their various
adaptations to the nocturnal life. People learned
about owls, even if they didn't see them
That same morning an enthusiastic group of seasoned
and beginner birders embarked on a waterfowl
extravaganza netting 43 species total for the day.
Highlights included the sight of a red tailed hawk
tearing apart a gull and the incredible visual of
anywhere from 20,000-40,000 Greater Scaup off of
Morgan Park in Glen Cove. Another exciting find was
a Blue Phase Snow Goose, a first ever for some
participants. Led by John Turner and Vinny
Pellegrino, the day was fun, and there were some new
faces as well. Among the ducks seen were Common
Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Red -breasted
Merganser, American Wigeon, Redhead Duck ,
Canvasback Bufflehead, Gadwall, Northern Pintail,
Long -tailed Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Ring-
necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Barrows Goldeneye and
of course, Mallard and
American Black Duck. Other waterfowl included
American Coot , Horned Grebe, both Red- throated
Loon and Common Loon, Brant Geese and Great Blue
Heron. Good day for waterfowl.
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