Sunday, October 09, 2005

From the Field: Birding Northerly Island Sunday October 9, 2005

I was out of town this past weekend and missed all of the goodies that showed up at Northerly Island over the last few days. So I decided to sneak in a quick pre-dusk sweep to see what I could find. It was very birdy, and, unfortunately, very dark, so I didn't see too much. I was specifically trying to relocate some of the flycatchers that had been reported from earlier in the day but all I was able to find were two Eastern Phoebes. (Did I mention it was getting dark?)

I did pick up most of the usual common sparrows, including a ton of immature White-crowned Sparrows. Also flushed up a Wilson's Snipe and a couple of Meadowlarks. Best bird of the day, though, was the Yellow-billed Cuckoo that flushed up then perched in the densest part of the large tree along the horizontal corner of the island. Funny thing is, this is the 2nd or 3rd time thisw year that I have flushed a cuckoo from the same spot into this very same tree. Either there is something about that little micro-habitat that cuckoos really like, or the same bird has been sticking around for a couple of weeks.

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