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SOUNDING OUT BIRD NOMENCLATURE
by Donald A. Windsor
Whereas ornithologists may squabble over the best bird nomenclature,
field birders often just refer to birds by the sounds they
utter. Here is an exaggerated example of how a real field
trip might be described.
So there we were, speeching at the Long Pond State Forest,
when suddenly an irate witchity-witchity appeared in a honeysuckle
bush. A caw-caw-caw flew overhead. A little while later a
pleased-to-meetcha was flitting among the branches of a tree
near the road. In the shrubbery near an open field was a maids-maids-come-and-get-cher-milk.
Behind it was a meow. An e-oh-lay was in the hardwoods nearby,
accompanied by an insistent teach-teach-teach. More speeeching
brought in some dee-dee-dees. Then a pee-a-wee appeared. Atop
one sprawled out bush was a male I’m-so-sweet proclaiming
his territory. A bright yellow bee-buzz-buzzzz caught our
attention. As the trail curved deeper into the woods we picked
up a zee-zee-zeet and then, as an added bonus, we saw a tap-tap-tap...tap......tap..........tap.
We passed one look-at-me-up-a-tree after another. In a swampy
clearing we caught sight of a fee-be-oh snatching insects.
As we moved out of the forest an ole-sam-peabody-peabody-peabody
flew past. Some cheer-ups bobbed across the trail. Out in
a grassy meadow a lone male link-link-link flew slowly past
a perched honk-a-reee. A beep-beep was scampering up an old
roadside tree and a pair of pecking cooo-cooo-cooo-cooos took
flight. From a scruffy patch of overgrown pasture a phew hid
in the leaves. Just then a squadron of click-click-clicks
flew rapidly over in tight formation.
As we crossed a babbling brook we paused to admire the cinnamon
tail of a wheep. Up ahead was a large spruce where I had a
hic-three-beers last September. Appropriately enough a drink-your-tea
came out of the brush to gawk at us. Then a peter-peter-peter
broke the silence. On the way back to the car we passed a
hemlock swamp where two years ago I gazed into the dark eyes
of a who-cooks-for-you-who-cooks-for-you-awl, but have not
seen it since. By the car some cheap-cheap-cheaps were picking
bugs off the radiator.
Originally published in The Goldfinch (Chenango Bird
Club Newsletter) 2007 Summer; via NYSOA
(for information in joining NYS Ornithological Ass. go to
http://www.nybirds.org/)
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F I E L D N O T E S
| Date |
Birds |
Location |
People |
| Bayville |
|
|
|
| 12/16
|
Sharp-shinned Hawk, struck window, flew off, male Eastern
Towhee, 3 American Tree Sparrows |
In
yard |
Jim
Madden |
| 12/17 |
Snowy Owl, fr. |
Centre Island Beach parking lot |
Bobby
Rossetti. Jim Madden |
| 12/19 |
8 Horned Larks, fr., once regular, not seen here in
recent years |
Centre Island Beach |
Sam
Crosby, Mary Normandia |
| 1/3 |
King Eider, fr., young male, 3 Common Eiders,
fr., female types |
Off
Oak Neck |
Tom
Burke |
| 1/5 |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Ransom Beach |
Tom
Burke |
| 1/5 |
25
Ruddy Turnstones |
Rocks
east of Ransom Beach |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 1/9 |
Snowy
Owl, refound, 25 Snow Buntings |
Centre Island Beach |
Jim
Madden |
| 1/11 |
male Common Eider |
Off
Oak Neck |
Jim
Madden |
| 2/6 |
Barrow’s
Goldeneye, re-located |
Bobby
Rossetti |
Near
Centre Island |
| 2/13 |
5 Red-throated Loons |
Stehli Beach |
Jim
Madden |
| 2/15 |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Mill
Neck Creek, near draw-bridge |
Bobby
Rossetti |
| East Norwich |
|
|
|
| 1/21 |
60+
American Robins, 20+ Cedar Waxwings, 3 Purple Finches |
Muttontown
Preserve |
Barbara
Conolly |
| 2/7 |
Turkey Vulture, fr. |
Muttontown
Preserve |
Allan
Lindberg |
| Glen Cove |
|
|
|
| 12/18 |
12 Green-winged Teal, Red-shouldered Hawk, fr.,
seen capturing and eating prey |
Pratt
Pond |
Mary
Normandia |
| 12/19 |
Eastern
Towhee |
In
yard |
Mary
Normandia |
| 12/22 |
Northern Shrike, fr. |
Glen Cove Golf Course |
Linda & Rick Kedenberg |
| 12/22 |
Eurasian Widgeon, fr. |
Dosoris
Pond |
Linda & Rick Kedenberg |
| 12/29 |
4
Great Blue Herons |
West
Pond |
Zu
Proly |
| 12/29 |
Red-tailed
Hawk |
Brewster Street |
Zu
Proly |
| 12/24 |
Chipping
Sparrow |
In
yard |
Mary
Normandia |
| 1/2 |
Eastern
Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl |
In
or near yard |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 1/4
& 1/11 |
Sharp-shinned
Hawk |
In
yard |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 1/5 |
Great
Horned Owl, Fox Sparrow |
Welwyn
Preserve |
Mary
Normandia |
| 1/5 |
800+
Greater Scaup, Fish Crow |
Pryible
Beach |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 1/5 |
10
Tree Sparrows |
Glen Cove Golf Course |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 1/7 |
Pair Northern Pintails, 20+ Purple Sandpipers, on jetty |
Morgan
Beach |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 1/7
|
2
Brown Creepers |
Garvies Point Preserve |
Mary
Normandia |
| 1/7 |
6
Great Blue Herons |
Dosoris
Pond |
Mary
Normandia |
| 1/9 |
Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker |
Glen Cove Golf Course |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 1/12 |
Redhead, fr., in raft of 300+ Greater Scaup |
Pryible
Beach |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 1/12 |
47 Purple Sandpipers, on breakwater at high tide |
Morgan
Beach |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 1/22 |
Brown
Creeper |
In
yard |
Zu
Proly |
| 2/11 |
Screech
Owl, calling |
Near
yard |
Ralph
Cioffi |
| 2/13 |
Snow Goose, fr. |
Glen Cove Golf Course |
Mary
Normandia |
| 2/15 |
Snow
Goose, Eurasian Widgeon, Redhead |
Dosoris
Pond |
Bobby
Rossetti |
| Glenwood Landing |
|
|
|
| 1/12 |
2 Peregrine Falcons, courtship behavior |
LIPA
plant |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 2/12 |
Peregrine
Falcon, on nest stack |
LIPA
plant |
Mary
Normandia |
| Lattingtown |
|
|
|
| 12/22 |
30 Brewers Blackbirds, rare for species and number,
well seen field marks of females and males; observers very familiar
with similar species. |
Piping
Rock Country Club |
Barbara
Conolly, Abbey Conolly Brown |
| 1/12 |
Eastern
Meadowlark |
Fox
Point |
Mary
Normandia |
| 1/18 |
Merlin,
perched near car |
Fox
Point |
Zu
Proly, Mary Eschwei |
| Locust Valley |
|
|
|
| 2/14 |
Great
Horned Owl, calling |
Near
yard |
Helen
McClure. Bob McClure |
Manhasset |
|
|
|
| 12/17
|
20
Ruddy Ducks |
Leeds Pond |
Virginia
Dankel |
| Mill Neck |
|
|
|
| 2/19 |
immature Bald Eagle, fr., sitting on frozen lake,
also seen in flight |
Beaver Lake |
Sam
Crosby, Mary Normandia, Barbara Conolly |
| 12/19 |
4
Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, near and at feeder |
In
yard |
Barbara
Conolly |
| 12/20 |
4 female Common Mergansers, fr. |
Beaver Lake |
Barbara
Conolly |
| 1/5 |
Cooper’s
Hawk |
In
yard |
Barbara
Conolly |
| 1/7 |
Hermit
Thrush |
Shu Swamp Preserve |
Mary
Normandia, Sam Crosby |
| 12/13 |
2
Golden-crowned Kinglets, 2 Hermit Thrushes |
Shu Swamp Preserve |
Mary
Normandia |
| Muttontown |
|
|
|
| 12/11 |
18
Wood Ducks |
Hoffman Center |
Virginia
Dankel |
| 12/19 |
3
Eastern Towhees |
Hoffman Center |
Virginia
Dankel |
| Oyster
Bay |
|
|
|
| 12/26 |
Wood
Duck, 20 American Widgeons. 2 Green-winged Teal, 8 Buffleheads, 6 Hooded
Mergansers, 2 Ruddy Ducks |
Mill
Pond |
Zu Proly for NSAS |
| 1/9 |
20
Long-tailed Ducks |
Oyster Bay harbor |
Barbara
Conolly |
| Port Washington/
Sands Point |
|
|
|
| 12/22 |
2
Bohemian Waxwings, in flock of 200+ Cedar Waxwings |
Sands
Point Preserve |
Glenn
Quinn |
| 12/22 |
Northern Shrike |
Sand
pits area |
Glenn
Quinn |
| Roslyn |
|
|
|
| 1/2
|
Belted
Kingfisher, 32 Dark-eyed Juncos |
Roslyn Art Museum |
Virginia
Dankel |
| Sea Cliff |
|
|
|
| 1/18 |
Red-winged Blackbirds, fr., 9 American Goldfinches,
at feeder area |
Tappan Beach |
Zu Proly, NSAS walk |
| 2/15 |
70+
Red-winged Blackbirds, 35+ House Finches, at feeder area |
Tappan Beach |
Ralph
Cioffi |
fr - first reported this season
SIGHTINGS OUTSIDE NSAS TERRITORY
| South Shore |
|
|
|
| 1/13 |
Black-headed Gull, 2
Iceland Gulls, Kumlien’s Gull |
Point Lookout |
Bobby Rossetti |
| Central Nassau |
|
|
|
| 1/21 |
Wood Duck, Canvasback, Redhead, Northern Flicker, Brown
Creeper |
Hempstead Lake |
Wendy Murbach NSAS walk |
| Suffolk County |
|
|
|
| 11/22 |
40 Red-breasted Mergansers |
Caumsett St Park |
Virginia Dankel |
| 12/29 |
Black-headed Gull |
Sunken Meadow State Park |
Glenn Quinn |
| 2/16 |
3 Northern Harriers, Red-tailed & Rough-legged Hawks
, 4 Wild Turkeys, 3 Short-eared Owls, 2000+ Blackbirds, sp., mostly Common
Grackles. 30 Eastern Meadowlarks |
Calverton Grasslands |
Mary Normandia, Sam Crosby, Ralph Cioffi |
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LOCAL BIRDING HOTSPOTS
These are the best birding
spots within easy reach of our members:
* Alley Pond Park - excellent during spring migration
* Caumsett State Park - access to Long Island sound
* Forest Park - excellent during spring migration
* Garvies Point Preserve - good during fall migration
* Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge - excellent all year long
* Jones Beach - Atlantic Ocean view; great all year
* Muttontown Preserve - best May and June
* Shu Swamp - unique area; best in spring
* Stehli & Ransom Beach - view of Long Island Sound;
productive in winter
* Stillwell Woods - open habitat; best in June
* Welwyn Preserve - view of Long Island Sound; best
in spring
* Sands Point Preserve - scenic preserve at the LI Sound
shore
To learn how to reach these birding spots, go to the SITEFINDER
page. |
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