Sunken Meadow State Park

The time is finally here...we have been so looking forward to this day.  We were both so excited about our first sunny birding day.  We both had so many things to do before we met up today, but we forgot about all the running around as soon as we entered the gates into the park.  However, the sunny afternoon brought out a lot of nature lovers.  The boardwalk was a buzz with bike riders, joggers and lots of power walkers.  So we joined in and began our trek on the boardwalk heading into the sun.  The beach was not only crowded with folks taking advantage of the nice weather, but there were hundreds of gulls, so with our hats, earmuffs, gloves and warm jackets we went out onto the beach, and yes, it was cold.  Armed with our list of 52 birds (19 of which we've already seen) that had been spotted at Sunken Meadow since January 1, 2010, we had some very high hopes. 

We had no trouble spotting the Ring-Billed Gulls.  They were everywhere.  The only problem is that this is a bird that winters on Long Island.  In the summer it moves on to Canada.  So we are not allowed to count that one for the Long Island Native Species List.  We spotted some small ducks out on the Sound and spent, probably, too much time trying to identify them.  The result was that we never did identify them and got cold doing it!  We decided to walk up to the point where the sun went down behind the bluffs, after that we'd be walking in the shade, and it was too cold for that.  Happily were saw some Great Black-Backed Gulls.  That can be added to the list!

Since the beach was cold and windy we moved the car to Field 3.  There is a footbridge nearby over Sunken Meadow Creek.  We saw some additional ducks that we could not identify, try as we may.  So we moved on.  We followed a trail that we thought would lead us to the lagoon which empties into the Nissaquogue River.  We ended up high above the lagoon, with no way to get down.  We were forced to back track until we came to an opening in the fence where we were supposed to turn earlier.  Back on track, we quietly walked through the woods and along the creek.  Not hearing much and seeing less.  Then we heard a familiar sound.  The call of the Red-Winged Blackbird, always a sign that spring is coming.  Now if we could just find it, we'd be able to add it to our list!  We scanned the bank of the creek and there he was, on the other side, sitting happily on a branch, singing that spring song.

We finally made it to the lagoon, happy to find that there was no one on the one bench there.  We had been walking for about two hours and were looking forward to sitting a spell.  Not to much happening there either.  Then we spotted a bird sitting on a branch in the bushes by the water.  We were able to get within about six feet of this bird.  We had no idea what it was.  It was sort of beige with no markings.  Black beak, black legs.  We tried our best to find a bird that looked like him in our book.  The closest ones we could find were birds that were either here only in the summer or birds that are not ever here on Long Island!  Hmmm!  We took lots of photos of him.  We had to get closer.  Well, we got too close for his comfort.  He flew away.  And at that moment we knew we had been "punked"!  It turned out to be a Northern Mockingbird.  His grey color looked beige with the setting sun.  I am sure he was mocking us, this Mockingbird disguised as an Eastern Wood-Pewee!  Well, at least we can add him to our list!

By now it was getting much colder and more windy.  We headed back to the car.  Along the way, we heard a duck-like sound and saw something fly low across the creek.  Tried to find it, but to no avail.  There were many Grackles congregating in the trees above.  Another bird for the list.  Our last stop was on the road to the golf course.  We pulled the car over and got out, because we saw some ducks in the water, off in the distance.  We could not get a good look at them however, because the phragmites were in the way.  Oh well, we are able to add four birds to our list and we spent a wonderful afternoon together.  Next time the weather will be warmer and the days longer.  Until next time.  (Still haven't seen a Blue Jay together!)

Is must be spring

Today I left early as well so I could work a few hours before meeting the group.  And I heard something in one of my flower beds on the side of the house.  It was a chipmunk scampering around, so I said to myself it must be spring if they have come out in the opening already.

Another sign of spring was the dozens of Grackles at my feeder.  Even though they are beautiful birds with their iridescent heads, they tend to eat all my bird food and they scare off the less bold birds.

The most important sign that spring is almost here are our plans for this sunny afternoon.  I am very excited about going to Sunken Meadow.  I can't wait for 2pm.  I have my binoculars at the ready and the battery charging for my camera.  We will have our list in hand of all the birds already spotted at Sunken Meadow, so we will see how many we can spot.  We will let you know later.  Until then...

Wow!

I can't believe it... And to think I wanted to wait until the weather got better.  Now I am determined to try it in my backyard.  The only problem is I am not home much in actual daylight.  I will try this weekend since it threatens to actually be quite nice.  Congrats San I am truly envious. 

A Wonderful Thing Happened!

It's me!  The other half of Arsan.  I've been accused by my BFF of being a "blog slacker."  I know it has been a while since my last post.  Thought before I sat down to write this, that I would make another attempt at hand feeding the Chickadees in my backyard.  The feeders were on the low side, so I thought it might be a good time to try.  I made the mistake of first filling the suet feeder.  The Chickadees were having a field day with that.  I thought I would give it a whirl anyway, so there I stood with seed in the palm of my hand.  Two minutes, three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes.  There were about four Chickadees coming and going, some to the seed feeder, some to the suet feeder, moving about from branch to branch in the weeping cherry tree.  Then the reward!  A Chickadee landed right in the palm of my hand!  He flew off with a sunflower seed.  I stayed for several more minutes, but to no avail.  So, arm getting tired, I filled the feeders and went inside.  I was soooo excited that I wanted to call my BFF right away, but then thought it would be nice for her to see it on the blog.  In time I hope that all my Chickadees will feel free to come to me.

I have to give a shout out to our few faithful readers:  Janis, a very enthusiastic follower; Tom, who checks in on us every morning.  He recently gave me a book entitled, "A Seasonal Guide to Bird Finding on Long Island."  Boy, do we need that!  Even Mickey is reading our blog!  Thanks Mick! Then there is the other Janice who is helping me prepare for birding on a worldwide scale with a lovely book on "Bird Songs from Around the World".  That will have to wait for the new system, I do believe!  Thanks also to Jim, Virgie, Sue, Bev, Chris, Michael & Marisa, Cathy & Joe, Beth, Olivia and Chelsea.  Sorry if I missed anyone.  I hope there are others out there keeping up with the blog.  Stay tuned for our first week of  "Bird of the Week!"

Countdown to Spring & BOTW

This morning I could hear more variety of songs in my backyard.  I think they are encouraging us to start the Bird of the Week, but that is totally up to San as to when it begins.  But I can tell the birds are itching to be recognized merely by their songs whether we can see them or not.  This morning I also had the privilege of seeing a Red Tailed Hawk in a nearby tree.  There are a lot of us up and out very early, so its always a privilege to spot as many birds as I can in my short ride to work.

We had a comment that we should get out of our backyards for our birding adventures, but I must admit I have seen more birds in my backyard than I imagine the average person does.  It may be due in part because we look for them and are aware of them so naturally we spot them.  I've seen a Rose Breasted  Grosbeak, Baltimore Orioles, Pheasants, Northern Bobwhites and a Peacock, yes I said Peacock in all his glory.  Albeit that was a rare sighting since it must have been someone's pet., but we saw it nonetheless.  I truly hope this spring we find as wide a variety of birds, not only in our backyards but wherever our adventures take us.

Lion or Lamb?

Another snowy day...I love the snow, but spring is only 17 days away.  I am ready for it.  I want to continue our bird watching under more favorable conditions.  This Saturday I believe we are going to some local spots such as Sunken Meadow.  In the past we have seen there, Snowy Egrets and Cormorants.  Hopefully we can also spot a Black Duck. 

San and I are going to start experimenting with our Black capped Chickadee's.  So that is yet another reason why we need March to go out like 'a lamb' and be sunny and warm.  We want to start training our Chickadee's to feed out of our hands.  Since you have to be patient and stand still for quite a while, it's imperative that it be just a tad warmer.  Can't wait to start. 

Grateful

Last night as I working from home with my trusted laptop, I heard chirping outside my front window.  It was dusk, so I was surprised to hear a bird serenading me.  (Of course he was most likely singing to another bird, but I felt it was also for my pleasure as well)  When I got up to check things out it was lone House Sparrow in my Lilac bush right outside one of my front window.  Not sure what he was up to but I was truly grateful for having him there.

Later that night my husband and I were meeting up with San and her husband for dinner.  On the way there we saw a mysterious looking Moon hiding behind a thin layer of mist.  It was beautiful, and of course my first response was to email my BFF to make sure she saw it.  After dinner, the Moon was bright and radiant against the clear blackness of the night sky.  Again I was grateful that we take the time to notice all the wonderful things we can see and experience even in these difficult times.