A Cooperative Connecticut in Queens

Warbler that is and some cooperative bird it was giving all who were lucky to be there, unbelievable views. With a reputation as a skulker and a most sought after bird in our area it was quite the treat for a few of us with some people even claiming it as a life bird after 20 + years of birding.

Nashville Warbler

It unfolded sometime mid morning on October 3rd. I was not in the field when I picked up a message from Danny Melore who could not contain his excitement in relaying that it was "birdy" at Strack Pond in Forest Park Queens, NY. I was intrigued because I had heard from Danny just a few days ago that Strack Pond was doing well with Fall warblers. All this while other notable Queens birding sites were not so hot. I decided that I would give it a crack and headed over. On my way, I called Danny for an update and he indicated things were still hopping and then began to ask me what did a Connecticut Warbler under tail coverts looked like. After discussing with Danny the bird he had seen, I felt he was describing a Nashville Warbler.

When I got to Strack Pond, it was not as "birdy" as it was earlier (according to Danny) but eventually began to pick up as warblers flocked to this one tree which was teeming with aphids. The birds were gleaning them off from the leaves where the aphids were trying to find cover on the underside. While going through the birds, I picked up a Nashville Warbler and got Danny and two other birders, Bill Eisner and his wife on the bird. I then proceeded to ask if that is what he saw earlier that made him think COWA. Danny indicated he thought that is what he saw. At that point, I felt that there was no need for me to go poking around the understory looking for a possible Connecticut Warbler. Plus, I like Danny and I did not want to belabor the issue of whether he had seen a COWA or not. As we were enjoying the looks at the feeding frenzy, another birder, Corey Finger showed up and we updated him on the birds we had seen. Eventually we all parted ways, exploring the area around the pond individually.

Skulking Connecticut Warbler

After a while, I began to make way up the hill away from the pond and was trying to get a good look at birds feeding in the shadows of the understory. There were quite a number of Common Yellowthroat Warblers feeding low and I felt I needed to be diligent in looking at them.  I had looked at a few when a bird give me a brief look from behind some small plants. I thought I saw a nice looking eye ring. No !@#!@$ way I thought. So I stood still and waited. Sure enough, my first thought was right, a Connecticut Warbler walked right out from behind a small plant in the ground. Holy crap, I got to get the guys was my first thought.

Connecticut Warbler

But I was not going to shout or make any sudden moves so I looked to my left hoping either Danny or Corey would show and it was Corey who came into sight. I immediately motioned for him to go into stealth mode and he knew by my body language that whatever it was I had, it was good. It so happened that when Corey made his way to my side, the Connecticut flew and its place dropped a Nashville. Of course, Corey could not help himself and teased me for calling a Nashville Warbler a Connecticut. But I was not having any of it and insisted that he remained quiet to see if the bird returned. And return it did giving Corey a nice enough view for him to confirm the ID.

Then it was Danny's turn and we eventually ended up getting him on the bird; he was quite delighted and I think it was a life bird for him. This COWA was so ridiculously cooperative, it walked out to the pathway and posed for views and photos. If you stood still, it would feed in the understory mere feet away without a worry about who was watching. I was very pleased as it was my second time seeing a COWA this well.

Connecticut Warbler

Soon, other birders began showing up as the word got out.  Later on, I worked with Erik Miller to get birders Rich and Kelly Bossong on the bird and after what seemed like a painstaking effort we finally did and it was was quite rewarding to see the happy smiles of them both. Later on, I also helped new birders, Coco Huang and Ben Chang to get on the bird. A lifer for them both. When I left, other birders were showing up, eagerly hopeful to see a COWA. Several hours after it was found the Connecticut Warbler was still giving good views and making many birders very happy. The next day the COWA was not seen so those who made it out in time were lucky.  I was lucky, first that Danny called and then to luckily stumble onto such a cooperative little bird.

Rich and Kelly Bossong get their Connecticut Warbler

Coco Huang and Ben Chang get their Connecticut Warbler

Tags: Connecticut Warbler, Strack Pond, Forest Park, Nashville Warbler, Queens

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Wordless Wednesday

Tags: Wordless Wednesday

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Macro Monday

Hoverfly (Helophilus fasciatus). I think this is a male because females tend to have an extra yellow stripe on the abdomen. They mostly feed on Hepatica and Goldenrod (Solidago). Photographed at Fort Tilden, Queens NY on September 26th, 2014 with Mr. Rich Kelly.

Tags: Macro Monday

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Wordless Wednesday

Tags: Wordless Wednesday

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Could the need to obtain a photo get in the way of Birding?

Something happened the other day while birding that prompted me to reflect on how I was applying myself in the field. I was out and about in Queens NY, looking for land birds when I picked up an interesting chip note. It was warbler sounding, almost like a Mourning Warbler. I remained quiet for a few minutes and then heard the chip note of a Common Yellowthroat. Standing quite still, I waited patiently until the Common Yellowthroat came into view. Knowing that was not the bird I heard, I continued to try and peer through the Mugwort brush to see what could be moving around and then took a few steps forward.

A bird that was not a Common Yellowthroat flew up and perched on a branch very close by and I immediately realized that I was looking at a Mourning Warbler. This was quite a good fall bird. But instead of observing the bird, I automatically reached for my camera and took a few photos before it dropped out of site. I waited to see if it would pop back up but like a typical Mourning Warbler, it was gone along with my opportunity to study it. I looked at the photo on my camera view finder and was satisfied with my initial ID. The bird was definitely a Mourning Warbler, likely a first Winter Bird. While I felt lucky to have at least gotten a "documentation" photo, I felt a bit torn about my actions. Should I have spent more time looking at the bird instead of trying to capture a photo?

Mourning Warbler

After some reflection on my actions, I concluded that I did not truly enjoy the moment I had with that bird. If you have read this far, you are possibly thinking, why did I reach for the camera. Well, just a few weeks ago, I tripped the eBird filters for a Mourning Warbler and my description sans photo apparently was not enough. If you are an eBird user, you might empathize with me. It is becoming the norm where photos of uncommon or rare birds, are becoming a "must" in order to have one's checklist approved.

This is a tough one and open to debate as I fully recognize the value of accompanying photos for the data in eBird to be of the highest quality. However, there is a drawback if this becomes the standard as the focus could very likely (IMHO) interfere with the art of learning good field observation, taking field notes or  take away the joy of just enjoying what is being seen.  My MOWA example, is one where I certainly felt pressured by this process to get a photo instead of enjoying the moment. Yeah sure, I was lucky to get a photo to look at and enjoy later but what if I had missed getting the shot. I would have missed both the image and the chance to enjoy "that" moment in the field.

It's a bit of a dilemma. The camera has become a valuable part of my getup and I have no plans on changing that but I may reevaluate "when" to get that photo. Of course, when it comes to a rare or uncommon bird more documentation, is always better. So what about you? Do you take a camera while out birding? Do you find it sometimes could get in the way of birding?

Tags: Mourning Warbler, eBird, Queens

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Today's Photo - Juvenile Red Knot

Today's photo, is of a juvenile Red Knot (calidris canutus), which can be aged by the neat upperparts and wing-coverts with pale fringes and dark submarginal lines. Note, that on young Red Knots, the breast and belly tend to be pale peach instead of the brick red color of a breeding adult.

Tags: Red Knot, Queens, New York

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Jamaica Bay Shorebirding Report Late August- Early September

As we near mid September, shorebirding on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY has peaked in terms of the diversity of shorebirds, but low numbers suggest we are getting to the point of where shorebird migration has begun to wind down. The cold fronts resulted in more birds departing than arriving. Nevertheless, the last week in August and first week in September, saw very good numbers of Western Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpipers and Hudsonian Godwits.

Yes, plural on Godwit (s), is correct. The latter seen in numbers that have not been recorded in many years. To date, I have documented at least 13 Hudsonian Godwits that have dropped in on the East Pond this season, starting with the 6 that Shai Mitra first observed on August 30th on the North End of the Pond. The presence of 2 very tame juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers this past week (no longer on the pond) added to the long list of shorebirds that I have seen this year on the East Pond, which now stands at 30 species.  You think a healthy pond and lower water levels have helped?

Given that I continue to shorebird on the pond into November if possible, we shall see if I manage to add any additional species.

Tags: Hudsonian Godwits, East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Western Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper Queens

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