Pretty Fly For An Empid

 Give it to me baby. pseet-ptsick-seet.
Give it to me baby. pseet-ptsick-seet.
Give it to me baby. pseet-ptsick-seet.
And all the birders say I'm pretty fly
For an empid.
Uno, dos, tres, split or lump, ID’s a mess

 
A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was reported from Central Park. An unusual sighting given the date but not enough to motivate me to shlep into Manhattan. I had seen the bird earlier this year up in the Adirondacks, so I had even less motivation to try to see this bird. Flycatchers for the uninitiated, are a group of birds that look remarkably similar, yet are different species who differentiate themselves by discreet invariable calls. While some birds learn their calls or songs from their parents and thus can have regional variation, this group of birds does not learn the songs or calls. 

Naturally when a difficult to ID bird appears one cannot be faulted for defaulting to the most likely candidate. In the case of this bird the ID evolved into something far more interesting: a Western Flycatcher. Hold on there you say, as you declare that there is no “Western Flycatcher” in your filed guide. True ‘nuff, unless you check an older one in which it had not been split into the charmingly rolls-off-the-tongue names of Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatchers. Better still, try to get definitive ways to separate them other than by location. Tough call.

So a way out of range bird that wasn’t talking much presented quite a dilemma; unless the two species are lumped back together. ;) With consensus growing towards Western if not which one of the two splits it was, either way it would be a NYS bird for me and a lifer for Arlene. Who can argue with starting the day tracking down a good bird when later on in the day the plan was to attend a child’s <groan> birthday party.

We left early to beat traffic and find a parking spot. I know you’re thinking: “There’s a parking spot in Manhattan?” but yes there is, and I’m not telling you where. We walked through the park, and deftly merged through the runners to get over to the boat house. We walked past the feeders, and didn’t know that there was a Great Horned Owl way up in a tree there! He was no doubt waiting for dark to munch on the rodents that would scavenge the spilled seeds. In a hurry to get to our target bird, we revisited him later.

We met up with Peter Reef-Heron was staking out the flycatcher. With a less than cooperative bird at that moment, he led us to where the Red-headed Woodpecker was. We never made it there as on the way we crossed paths with Anthony Collared Dove who had more information about where the flycatcher had been so we doubled back. And then shortly thereafter we got the bird exactly where he said it would be! Lifer for Arlene and another [ as yet to be determined species ] NYS #411 and YB  #324!

WTFlycatcher

Of course this rarity meant that birders came out of the woodwork, and it was a virtual who’s who of birders. Even a contingent of Albany birders were even present, despite Will Scaup poo-pooing a visit downstate  recently declaring: “when something good shows up.”  “When” was within one week!

So there was lots of discussion about what the bird is. Pacific-slope or Cordilleran, or could one even tell the difference? Or was this split legitimate and should it be re-lumped? Then there is hearing the calls and songs... Isaac Brant heard it both call and sing; the benefit of being quiet and separating himself  from fellow birders who lapse into conversations instead of trying to listen. Later on recordings were made that as of now seem to point to Pacific-slope Flycatcher too, and yet there is continued tumult. And no shit, someone collected its droppings for a DNA analysis. Binos? Check. Scope? Check. Camera? Check. Pooper-scooper? Check. Yes Virginia, birders want to know what species it is so badly that they’ll collect it’s poop. How about rethinking species that are just about indistinguishable by almost all measures? After all, there are lots of examples of separate, hybridizing birds that are less logically lumped.

Other nice birds seen were the immature Red-headed Woodpecker that we bailed on half way earlier, and the Great Horned Owl we had walked right past on the way to the flycatcher. 

Great Horned Owl

Priorities. Now the priority was a nice cup of coffee and a croissant in the boat house café.
It was a nice day in NYC, and despite flycatchers not being the most inspiring of birds, it was accommodating and a lifer or state bird is worth the trip.

Glorified Version of a Pelican

Have optics

Fact quite a few

Thats okay man, 

Cause I love birds

Glorified version

Of a Pelican

Feel so manly

With avians

Its coming down to the wire, and birds for whom I thought the appearance window had closed are giving me another opportunity. This past Tuesday a White Pelican was located at Jamaica Bay by Ed Thrasher. He notified me, and having had enough of leaf raking and disposal at my house, I grabbed my optics and prepared to head there. I called Arlene Rails, who was working from home, but all she said was: "Pick me up on the way".

We made good time, considering there is no such thing as non rush hour. We parked at the visitor center and made our way to the trail to Big John's Pond. A short way down, we crossed paths with Bob Prothonotary, Pat Pallas Reed Bunting, and Ed Thrasher. 

So we were expecting them to say in blase tones that the bird was in the north end of the pond. Instead we were told that the bird was consorting with a flock of Snow Geese, and... well... the flock just up and flew a few minutes ago. I wasn't sure if they were pulling my leg or not. Surely they would not do this to Arlene.

They offered that the bird might still be there, yada yada yada. We parted ways, figuring it may and we might as well look. There were plenty of Mute Swans to taunt us with deceptively similar appearance at that distance. But try as we might, no Pelican. Were we victims of YSHBH5MA? 

We decided that it was too soon to give up. We went to the west pond and  looked around. We went to Big Egg Marsh, and then to the north dyke. We looked all over, but there was no Pelican. Dang.

The next day I learned that it had been relocated, and thus exhibited site fidelity. This morning was our next opportunity and I picked up Arlene for a deja vroom.  We made it to the Cross bay Blvd. when I got an email that said: "Pelican is here" so I responded to her by asking: "Do you always speak in the third person?"

We met up with her at the edge of the east pond, and set up my scope. Pelican had it queued up in hers and Arlene got a look. I found it and watched as it dipped that large bill into the pond. Yes! A lifer for Arlene and YB #323 for me.

Partying With Such A Sweet Sparrow

Querula, Querula, wherefore art thou Querula.

On Friday Nov 14 an email came through that despite initial reluctance, the home owners up in Albany who were hosting a Harris' Sparrow decided to let people visit. Yay! Then I got the same message forwarded to me from Arlene. It said: "5 o'clock departure?" YAY!  Or, ahem.. how could I refuse?

Well, it seemed that during the course of the day some sort of kerfuffle took place and the home owners rescinded their offer. Booooo.

So Saturday was spent at the shore trying to get a Franklin's Gull for Arlene, they having been present the day before in heretofore unprecedented numbers up and own the coast. Despite a noble effort from Robert Moses to Jones Beach, we failed to find a single FRGU, when the day before people were running from them, shrieking in horror. {..or so I heard}

There were numerous flocks of small birds, mostly Goldfinches, but also some Purple Finch and Cedar Waxwings. I presume there must have been some Siskins amongst them, but the lighting and wind and their not stopping made that empirically difficult.

With reports of Cave Swallows, we were disappointed to have not found one of those either. What we did find was a Bald Eagle, not bothered by the high winds present the whole day.

Crossing paths with Ed Thrasher, we brain stormed and thought checking Point Lookout might give us a better result. We were set to go there when he sent us a message that Cave Swallows were present at Venetian Shores in West Babylon. We made a bee line for there instead.

When we arrived they were swooping right past the car, and then as we approached the other birders on the beach, they were swooping right past us! A lifer for Arlene and YB 321 for me! It took a while for me to get a good look at these birds because they swoop by so quickly. Were they actually Cave Swallows and not Cliff Swallows? Trying to get a good look at the throat was a challenge, but necessary to correctly ID them.

Talk amongst those gathered about a trip upstate for the Harris', began circulating now that “all had been forgiven” and birders were once again welcome. Arlene and I ruminated. It was a no brainer for me; I wanted to go. And not for nothing, she had researched some additional fun things for us to explore up that way. Thing was she had tentative plans. Could they be changed?

Yes they could. I'm sure she felt more guilty than she let on. So what we did was follow our plan from the previous day, and <groan> depart by 5 am.

Now mind you, I am want to object to waking so early. The rear of my eyelids are quite captivating at that hour of the day. Regardless, to blast past the annoying traffic that strangles movement about the metropolitan area this is what one must do. Remarkably there was a modicum of traffic on the Southern State at that hour and much to my dismay, there was no shortage of lollygaggers.

Okay, so you don't like to drive as fast as everyone else, but why must you do so in the passing lane, and why must you seek out other slugs and clot together? If you are going to 'enforce' the speed limit, why are you blatantly disregarding the rule that one must vacate the left lane if not overtaking other vehicles?

Well we made it past this and the bridges and once we were on the Sprain pkwy, it was smooth sailing. The sun coming up in the valleys in the distance was a very pleasant sight. The thermometer on the dash stating 28 degrees Fahrenheit in Dutchess county was a bit unexpected though.

We made great time, and arrived in Loudonville at 8am. We were the first to arrive and I was a bit surprised as this is a pretty good bird for New York. That and I wanted to make sure that we were in the correct place. It would be funny if we were not at the correct address.

Harris' Sparrow

We quietly walked to the backyard and followed the directions that had been posted on the internet. Shortly thereafter another birder joined us, and we looked around hoping to find our bird. It was obvious that the bird was not near the feeders, so I looked in the back yard, hoping at least to locate the Bohemian Waxwing that had also been reported. No luck there, but there were many small birds moving around through the brambles, and after looking at lots of Juncos and Goldfinches, one bird caught my eye. Yes! The sparrow was sitting on some wooden gardening structures and staring right at us. I got Arlene and the other birder on it and there was much rejoicing. Lifer for Arlene, YB #322 for me :)

We observed this fellow as he made his way to the front of the yard and to the feeders. Following up on contact with others from L.I., I told them we had the bird, and inquired where they were. Still on the way. Slackers.

It was at this point that I decided to attend to the disagreement my used coffee was having with the allotted storage space, and we made tracks for a privy. Stewart's is always good for this. They have good ice cream and coffee too.

Having rescued my teeth from floating, we returned to the scene of the crime for better photos and to drop off the 20lb bag of bird seed we had brought the home owners. We discovered more people on site, including Will Scaup, Rich Fregetta, Bob Prothonotary, Ed Thrasher, Dave Clapper, and Phil Jabiru. Thankfully they all had gotten good views of the bird. There was an unusual bird present we had seen before, and when relocated we all marveled at the aberrant White-throated Sparrow with too much white on the head, a victim of leucism.

White-throated {and eared} Sparrow

After we were satisfied with our looks, and conferring with the others, we decided to try for the Townsend's Solitaire that some including Arlene had not seen. But before we did, another birder arrived and said she had both a Red-headed Woodpecker and Pileated at a nearby home, 5 minutes away. She could give us nothing more than its at 4 Vly road. I put this in the GPS and there was only one hit nearby. Arriving, we discovered there was no such home matching that address. Various obscenities were stated aloud. Oh well. Definitely ~not~ the right place.

We then set off for John Boyd Thacher State Park. It was far more of a beautiful day methodologically than the last visit, but the foliage spectacular on that visit had gone completely. And so it would seem, had the TOSO. Oh well. We gave it a good shot. The others departed and Arlene and I set off exploring the places she had found in preparation.

The first spot we were looking for was the Vosburgh Swamp Natural Area. Unfortunately the routing was not as precise as it should have been, and we had to explore a bit on our own to actually find the entrance. We tried some likely looking roads, and in doing so, we found 4 Mile Point Preserve  which had nice looks along the Hudson. A few all too short trails, but nice nevertheless. We continued down this road and eventually found the entrance, but noticing that there were hunters present and our highly allergic response to bullets, we postponed exploration for another time.

With light drawing down, we went to our next destination for the requisite celebratory brews at  Crossroads Brewing Company.  A good brew pub as a finishing touch on a birding trip is great, and finding one along the way can often be as much of a challenge as finding a target bird. The numerous good reviews for the beer and food was key, and that it was not likely a noisy college hangout more to our speed.

With time to sit and converse in a non-noisy atmosphere was heavenly. The place is actually a former opera house, and renovated into a pub - restaurant was done really nicely. We enjoyed the mussels and fish cakes, as well as the pretzels along with several of their beer varieties. Arlene got their pumpkin ale and I even liked it as it was not overly nutmeg or pumpkin flavored: accented, not overwhelmed. I always avoid the pumpkin varieties but this is one even I would drink: that says a lot. I had their Black Rock Stout and it was superb, and then was delighted by their Midnight RYEder which is a Black Rye IPA. Typically I have found very few IPAs I enjoy; those of similar taste to mine { ie enjoy stouts } find many an IPA way too hoppy. The waitress suggested we sample it, and it was like nothing I had tried before. Initially, it had an unusual after taste. But for both Arlene and I after a few more sips it grew on us exponentially. I enjoyed a pint, and then afterwards the waitress also suggested their Brady's Bay Cream Ale. This was a much lighter bodied brew and a nice finish to the evening. Ah, beers to match the colors of the bird we had seen earlier in the day. What could be better?

The Low Spark Of The Hybrid Duck

Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, they're no good they warned
Record committees were against me since the day I was born

 Well a Cinnamon Teal showed up at Montezuma NWR. Woohoo I thought, a potential NYS bird! But then like a herd of horses, the nay sayers showed up. Seems like clockwork that if a rare duck shows up, it will be labeled an escapee or a hybrid. What is it about hybrids? Sure you technically can't count it as a this or a that, but its not like they don't exist at all. Why aren't they both, or two halves? And what ever happened to the aphorism: “if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..”

Well we all know that ducks are quite amorous, and from whence we get the phrase: “hey baby, once you go quack, you never go back”. So are we ever seeing pure birds or are they back-crosses etc? And once these birds step out of this line, does that tend to make them 'wander' in more literal ways?

Cinna-blue Teal?

One thing is for sure, while the experts were using their scopes to have a monkey trial debating the origin of the species, some of us decided it may be better to have gone and seen the bird while it was there and let the chirps fall where they may.

Having lived in Boston and made numerous trips back and forth to visit family here in New York, this distance was on par and not that onerous. In fact, for my money the western section of route 17, soon to be I-86 is quite picturesque, and a pleasure to cruise. So when other birders inquired if I was going to have a look, taking the trip became that much easier.

We waited a sufficient amount of time to hear various origins comments, and to see if the bird was being site faithful. With that confirmed, we decided it was better to see it than wait and risk missing it. Bob Prothonotary and Earic Miller joined me on this trip.

We got a reasonably early start; departing at 5am. Unencumbered by traffic, we arrived before 10am and to a few birders on site with the bird queued up for us. Beautiful bird, But a wee bit skulky, spending its time in the far back corner and feeding behind vegetation. We all got decent looks, but after 20 minutes all the birds in Larue pond were scared by something and flew away. Talk about good timing! I hate YSHBH5MA.

We birded the wildlife drive, and saw an impressive assortment of quackidillians. (And yes we skipped over the shorebirds because.. well, they're shorebirds. ) So many varieties were represented, it looked pathetically difficult to try to relocate the teal since it seemed to like to hide in the vegetation. I did however impress a bit by locating a Eurasian Wigeon in the teeming masses.

With a good scanning of the main pool completed, we headed off to Knox- Marsellus marsh where 60+ Sandhill Cranes had been seen recently. Having dipped on this bird on numerous visits, it was quite a pleasure to see at least 30+ of them and not have to try that hard. Also on site were Snow Geese and Tundra Swans. 

After a while, we decided to give Larue another shot. We were not disappointed! Not only had the teal returned but is was now much closer. I took several shots, but the distance, overcast and ..? made the pictures suck.

We capped the day with a pint of Guinness at a descent restaurant that Bob goes to in Weedsport when he’s up that way. The food was good, the day was good. The bird was good; even if it was a hybrid.

A Sparrow and a Booby Prize

With reports of Nelson’s Sparrow being seen all about, I of course wanted to see one for the year before they get lumped back with Saltmarsh. Several trips to Cupsogue, Dune Road, and Gardener’s Park but I kept missing the bird. Dang.

With a report of two at Plumb Beach back on Monday the 26th, Tuesday seemed like a good opportunity. Phil Jabiru, Nancy Trogon, and I met there are walked out into the full moon flooded marsh. Not very birdy, but about half way down I spished up a bird. We got nice looks before it flew back into hiding. Sometimes birds are very accommodating and queue up nicely, while at other times they are frustratingly skulky.

Well at least we saw the bird nicely. Nancy got one frame off, but the bird as you can see below appears a bit blurred. Oh well you can’t have everything, though I now have my 320th bird for the year. 

Nelson's Sparrow

After this success, we tried Floyd Bennett Field and had a very nice walk. White-crowned, White-throated, Savannah, Field, Swamp, Song, and Junco were seen. The deep red of the Virginia Creeper and the Sumac really colored up the place nicely. But more birds to write home about could not be turned up.

By lunch time it was time for Nancy to get going, so Phil and I headed to Jones Beach. Again we did a lot of walking; I was thinking how soon enough it would be colder and the walking outdoors might be a bit less pleasant. Nevertheless it’s a great place to walk around, and we had a repeat of the mornings sparrows, except for the Nelson’s, but with the addition of the persisting Lark Sparrow.

For a change, we decided to try field 6 and look for gulls. Nothing unusual, but with reports of Jaegers, we scanned the ocean. Lots of Gannets were about, but not that close in. No feeding flocks of gulls to harass, so no Jaegers either.

But one ‘Gannet’ caught my eye. It was different in having a black trailing edge to the wings. Look as I might, I could not discern any speckling nor disruption of either the black nor the white parts. OMG. Could this be a Masked Booby? 

Distance, lighting, and angularity necessary to observe this bird as well as desired were a challenge. I studied the bird for as long as possible, and tried to get Phil on it as well but could not. I left the bird feeling like it was not a Gannet. Coloring my thoughts was the report five days earlier of a putative immature Masked Booby from Cape May.

Probability states that it would not be a Masked Booby. Possibility influenced by a marked uptick in the number of vagrants everywhere and especially first state records seemingly being reported every week meant to me that nothing can be taken for granted.

I went home and poured over my references. The more I looked and read, the more I felt like it was a Masked Booby. But was the look I had sufficient to rule it in? I consulted with a few experts who offered me their opinions and assistance. Apparently some of the markings require quite a good look from much closer, and together with structural differences the distinction can be made. Begrudgingly, I have had to accept that it was most likely a 3rd year Gannet; the plumage most similar to Masked Booby. 

I will keep looking. At least I will be better prepared should another similar looking bird crosses my path. And who knows, maybe I will find one.

A Powerbirder et al In Search of A Power-chord Player

A bird that I was hoping to have visit NY this year, Townsend’s Solitaire, made an appearance albeit upstate. It was discovered on October 18th and relocated on successive days, so with an opportunity to go see it available on the 22nd, a posse quickly formed.

John Gaggle-o-geese , Phil Jabiru, Pelican, and I met at 6am. The traffic gods had other thoughts though. It was a slow tortuous crawl to the bridge, made a bit more pleasant by a nice sunrise.  

Sunrise on the Throgs Neck Bridge

Then it was smoother sailing from then on. The thruway is uninspiring, but a good way to get upstate expeditiously. Once we got off the highway, I was at home with the types of roads I love: small, winding, and picturesque.  With the fall foliage, it was blessed eye candy. 

The beautiful roads in upstate New York

With a lot of turns here and turns there, it was amusing to me on how the GPS routed us, especially compared to the more grid-like roads downstate. But that’s what makes a road trip more interesting.

Eventually we arrived at John Boyd Thacher State Park  and began looking for a sign for the visitor’s center and the Indian Ladder trail.  

Indians used to use this...

  
We stopped in to the visitor’s center and inquired of the park staff, but she was unaware of the celebrity in her midst. She did point us in the right direction, and we headed off to find our bird. A photo of the tree the bird favored had been posted online, and it proved helpful. The trail actually turns sharply and heads down from the Helderberg Escarpment to the valley below. We diverted to the picnic area adjacent to where they were busily and noisily constructing a new visitor’s center.

Arriving in this small field, we were immediately disappointed that there were no other birders present, and then fell into more disappointment as we could not locate the bird! We looked around, and realized that as tasty and tempting as the abundant fruits on the Juniper were, the bird was elsewhere.

With no bird to wow us, we explored and looked at the other birds present. Not a whole lot, but certainly better than nothing. Robins, Bluejays, Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, and 2 flocks of Pine Siskins flying by. 

The Posse

If the bird was there we certainly would have found it, but it was adept at hiding. This is counter to my previous experiences where it liked perching prominently. So we looked more, hoping that we had not gone a long way for naught.

The views off of the escarpment were spectacular. The foliage was brilliant yellows, oranges and reds and looking into a valley made the vista all the more impressive.  We walked around and we all could not help but take a lot of photos. 

What a view!

At some point, a birding couple happened by, relayed they had not had the bird today, but had seen it the day before. Groan. Later still another local birder John R. joined us, and despite more eyes we could not locate it.

With hopes that reports might give us a plan of action, we learned that it had been seen at the overlook the day before, and that it had been seen at this location earlier in the morning.  We exchanged cell#s with John R. and we went exploring elsewhere. 

 

Overcast yes, but again, what a view!!

What this place lacked in birds [ at least on this day ] it more than made up for with scenery. Clearly the view and the foliage was the star. We checked numerous spots down the road but to no avail. And the day was an odd day meteorologically. Lots of different clouds at different altitudes, and intermittent sprinkles of less than 2 minutes. Then John R. sent a text message that he was giving up. I was hoping it was a “it’s here”, but no.

Then it started to rain on us. Great. But it stopped rather quickly as we headed back to the car, and the sun came out for an ambient lighting experience that was unique: dark and foreboding over that way, bright and cheerful over there, and meh in that direction. And then a rainbow appeared right in front of us in the valley. One end appeared to head straight to the ground, and it was all I could do the restrain Pelican from pushing me off the cliff to retrieve the pot of gold. 

A Sign From the Birding Gods?

We decided to head back and have another look to see if our luck could turn. Back at the trail-head lot, with a light drizzle, Phil and I opted to leave our cameras behind. I joked: ‘that’s a way to guarantee we’ll see it!” Pelican and I headed off down the path, with John and Phil trailing behind.

Once we got to the clearing, I saw a bird sitting on top of the chain link fence enclosing the construction site. It swooped down for a bug or such and then landed, but the view was all I needed. THATS THE BIRD!  Pelican and I got good looks and I yelled out some more to Phil and John.

They arrived in time to see the bird in the nearby tree, and camera-less, we were forced to take photos with our phones. I still have not mastered aiming that thing, and the bird was in the top of the view instead of the center, but there it was. The ‘insurance shot’.

Bad shot, but its in the top left corner

Shortly there after it flew to a Juniper by the edge and I volunteered to go back for the cameras. I instructed Phil to keep an eye on it, and made my way back up the trail. I also called John R. To let him know we had the bird and he simply replied: “I’m making a u-turn.”

By the time I returned the bird was squarely hidden in the back of the Juniper, but Phil was great at keeping a tab on where it was, helping me, another birder who showed up, and that fellow John R. when he returned.

Finally, the bird flew out from its seclusion and alighted at the top of a tree as is more characteristic. It called a few times softly. We all then got great views and enjoyed the  visitor from out west. The bird was at 42.655473, -74.016603.  

Townsend's Solitaire

Clearly we were all pleased and relieved, and John G. mentioned that one of my observations: ‘Chasing a good bird often brings one to remarkably nice places that one might not otherwise explore’ was right on the money. What a beautiful place this park is. I had never even heard of it.  Goal accomplished for us all, and I am at YB 319.

Don't Shoot Until You See The White Of The Ibis

A nice group of 10 of us met at the Prospect Park Zoo for a QCBC walk I was leading on the brisk morning of October 18. Most of us were surprised by the chilly weather, and those that brought a bit of extra warmth were glad they did. At one point, though happy with my new  tchotchke-enabled gloves, ( they permitting swiping on the screen of the smart phone ) I was perturbed by presence of chilliness in my hands which I thought should not be. Checking the weather, it was only 38!  In the shadows of the trees it felt cooler, and thankfully, in sunlight it felt oh so good. What a gloriously beautiful day to be out though, without a doubt. Quite a difference from last year’s dreary overcast. And kudos to Mr. Olmstead for a spectacular park. Beautiful.

The birds thought so too. They were all over, and in good numbers. At the entrance was a large flock of Grackles, perhaps 50 or so being characteristically noisy.  One of the first good sightings was a Turkey Vulture also as we entered the park. Coopers Hawk and Red-tailed Hawks were about as well.

The joint was jumping, with Rublets and Goblets all around, only competing with Butter-butts for sheer numbers. But with a lot of skillful eyes picking through them we also found Parula, Magnolia, Blackpoll, lots of Palm, and Black-throated Blue. But this was not the end of the warbler show...

By the ponds in the lullwater we had a nice showing of quackiderms, highlighted by a Wigeon and a few Shovelers, as well as a geriatric ward of Coots. Not to feel left out, woodpeckers put in a good showing as well predominated by Flickers, but Red-bellied, Downey, Hairy, and Sapsucker were also spotted.

Last year’s Philadelphia freedom was not reprized. On that trip we had a remarkable 7 of those Vireos sighted. Zilch were seen today, but Red-eyed and Blue-headed were seen, the later in good numbers.

Also in large numbers were the following: Phoebe and Hermit Thrush. Requests were made for Swainson’s Thrush, but it was not to be. The other requests were for Connecticut Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Nashville Warbler. Two out of three ain’t bad, or so says Mr. Loaf. Which two? Read on.

As the day went on, more and more people began to show up at the park, turning into thronging masses present to walk and show support for breast cancer awareness. The park was eventually turned into a sea of pink clad marchers, enthusiastic cheerleaders, music and event support stations and noise! Lots of noise! As near as we could tell they were completely oblivious to our desire to find birds! Sheesh! But it was so encouraging to see so many out in support of an important and worthwhile cause.

We did our best to stick to less traveled paths and quieter areas, and did pretty well. But even so, there is a curious phenomena in busy city parks where some birds become oblivious to people. One such bird was along the lake by the cemetery path, but being passed by lots and I mean LOTS of people. This Pine Warbler was at our feet, a mere 3-6 feet away affording great looks and photos. What a thrill! And oh how I wish more birds were so amenable. 

Pine Warbler

Eventually, we ended up at the ‘picnic house’ area, and off in the distance I spotted activity by an enclosure where they were encouraging native plant restoration and planted saplings. From the picnic tables we spotted movements in the grass in front of the enclosure, and though made up of a lot of Chipping Sparrows, other goodies were present as well. One such was a drab little warbler that satisfied one of the ‘requests’, and was confidently IDed by Steve S. as an Orange-crowned Warbler.

Checking the weeds, (though some objected to that moniker,) we saw much activity. The best by far was a Nashville Warbler, satisfying another ‘request’ and going above and beyond. This little beauty posed for us in sunlit splendor. 
 

Nashville Warbler

It was about this time that the crowds and the noise were overtaking us, noon was approaching, and an email was received via the listserve from Isaac Brant alerting to the location of a White Ibis in nearby Staten Island. As it was, some had to depart anyway, and a quick inquiry of the group had half having to head home shortly while the other half was enthusiastic about chasing a rarity.

So it was decided to conclude the Prospect Park portion of the trip, which by all accounts was quite good, and attempt to incorporate an impromptu twitch into the wilds of Staten Island. Note: yours truly had attempted to find what appears to be the same Ibis when it had been spotted at Prospect park and then Greenwood cemetery back on the 13th. 

Three cars set off while the others bid us adieu. John Gaggle-o-geese and Pelican set off on their own, while Caesar Cassin's Vireo followed Arlene and I.  Following the GPS directions, and being frustrated by Sunday traffic, I was further annoyed by the navigation instructions unexpectedly changing its mind from time to time. Bear in mind I could not simply decide to turn when I thought I had to proceed straight ahead; traffic congestion and being followed made that untenable.  Eventually I decided to follow a course to the highway and ignore previous suggestions for turns and even u-turns!

I made it to the Verrazano bridge, and thought it was clear sailing from there on. But the traffic gods are consistent in punishing those who venture onto this island by strangling them in slow traffic. A few miles down the highway traffic slowed to a crawl, so what else is new. And then the phone rang.

Pelican and John were still in Brooklyn having been hamstrung by traffic, closed on ramps, and bad GPS info that sent them in circles. Having touched base we continued on to our quarry, while they informing that they were being delayed a bit.

Fortunately, we got to where we wanted to be. Picturesque? Far from it. This was a very industrial area and the polar opposite of picturesque. Oh well.

We parked at the end of River Road behind two other cars. Other birders no doubt, always an encouraging sign. And as we started for the railroad tracks to walk upon to the requisite pond, Isaac Brant and Michael Sharpie came walking out. They informed us that the pond was on the left about a half mile down, and that the bird was there, but sometimes obscured by walking behind the Phragmites.

We walked on, hobbled a bit by the uneven spacing of the rail ties and the rock ballast. But walk on we did. Eventually we arrived at the pond and looked around. There was a Great Egret off to the left where we were told the bird was, as well as some Yellowlegs. Off to the right was a Great Blue Heron, and when I put my bins up I spotted the White Ibis right behind it! In with the mix was also a female type Pintail.

We got great looks and set up the scopes for even better looks.   I set upon photographing the Ibis. This bird was a lifer for Arlene and a NY State bird for Caesar and I. For me it was NYS yearbird #318, and NYS #410 for me.
 

White Ibis (l) Great Blue Heron (R)

White Ibis

Pelican and John G. called again and had just arrived, but they had to traverse the tracks to get to us. We told them the bird was still there...

We observed the bird for just about 10 minutes. {I now know this from the time stamp on my photos.} Then a Great Egret landed next to the Ibis and flushed it! We watched as it circled over the pond, and we hoped it was going to land again. It just kept circling however, and getting higher and higher.
 

I called Pelican, but she didn’t hear her phone ring, and then as she and John came around the corner Arlene and I were jumping up and down arms flailing and pointing up and own in the air, desperate for them to see us and catch a glimpse of the bird as it flew past them.

They never averted their eyes from the ground. In an effort to not stumble on the uneven surface, the missed an opportunity to have possibly seen the bird at last as it flew by. GAAAAAAAAAAAH. 

Shortly thereafter a text message came in from Isaac, who was still at the parking area. He inquired if the bird had flown, because they just had a White Ibis fly by. I was saddened to report that the bird had in fact just taken off. He said that he and Michael watched as it disappeared into the distance far to the south and east.

Due to the vagaries of Brooklyn traffic and the capriciousness of GPS navigation, our co-conspirators just missed the bird as did other birders who showed up afterwards. A bittersweet end to an impromptu twitch, and I did my best not to impose the "YSHBH Constant" upon the others.