MASSAPEQUA: Townsend's Warbler

(Massapequa in caps because I live there)  So, I saw a Townsend's Warbler was ebirded and then emailed to the Listserv at night on the 28th - it was part of the Christmas bird count, but not sure why it wasn't reported on time so others could see it - I won't get into that here.

So, early next morning before sunrise, I met Mike Zito to look for the bird at Phillip Healey Park in Massapequa.  The warbler had been reported to be in the 3 pine trees by the entrance.  After a little while a bird that looked "different" flew by and into the pines - it was the Townsend's Warbler.  The last time I knew one was on Long Island was also in Massapequa (preserve) back in April 2002.

Nice to have a rarity in my hometown - several days later, a Black Headed Gull was reported at the same park.  I had a feeling it was a good spot for gulls.

Heckscher State Park: Northern Shrike

I started the day birding with Snouty and we saw a couple cool things: the continuing Common Gallinule at Mill Pond, a Black Bellied Plover at Point Lookout parking lot with a beige tinge on the bottom, a weird hybrid type Mallard at Nickerson and I spotted a glimpse of a Lapland Longspur there also among a flock of Horned Larks.  I picked up my son from early dismissal when Ken Feustel reported a Northern Shrike at Heckscher.  I gave my son lots of snacks for the car ride, promised him McDonald's and picked up Snouty.  When we got there, no one knew where the Shrike was but then it flew over my car and into the marsh.  It was later seen in the trees far behind the marsh but another birder had a scope so I got a good look at it.  I used my 200x zoom Canon to get some documentary type shots.  Glad to get this lifer since I missed it the last 2 times I tried for it on Long Island.

Common Gallinule

Mallard - domestic/ hybrid

Northern Shrike

Northern Shrike

Notes from California trip: Pelagic Comorant

I went through my photos from California and saw a few Comorants that looked "different" to me.  I had a hunch they might be Pelagic Comorants and posted one photo from Cambria that confirmed my hunch. 

Jones Beach, Ocean Parkway

I drove in the snow to Mill Pond in Bellmore to look for the continuing Chat but it's either gone or I missed it again.  There were a lot of nice "common" birds there with a lot of cool ducks.  I drove down by Ocean Parkway where I'm fairly certain I found a continuing Rough Legged Hawk perched at the JFK Sanctuary.

Hempstead

Went to see the Harlem Globetrotters with the kids at Nassau Coliseum - saw a random Snow Goose near the Nassau Community College entrance.  Cool that my kids saw it.  (At least I thought so)

Mill Pond, Bellmore

I went to Mill Pond to look for a reported YB Chat and Common Gallinule - I couldn't find the Chat but found the Gallinule out in the open.

Brookside County Park, Sayville: Golden Crowned Sparrow

A very unexpected pot on Whats This Bird alerted me to a Golden Crowned Sparrow in Brookside County Park - I made it over there as fast as I could and met up with Kevin Rogers who put me on the bird.  It was hiding at first but came out and gave good looks.  It was being bullied by White Throated Sparrows but I think it will stick around a little.  The Western Kingbird at Jones continued and there was a Rufous Hummingbird seen at a residence viewed from Southards but the weather was chilly and I wasn't feeling great so called it a day.  When I got home, I saw a Junco in the yard - always nice to see in the cold weather.

Jones Beach: Western Kingbirds

There was a report of a Western Kingbird at Jones Beach so Snouty and I went to try for it - it would be my second definite sighting and his New York State bird.  We located the Western Kingbird and as we were watching it, a second one appeared!

Western Kingbirds

Western Kingbirds

Western Kingbird

Jones Beach West End, Massapequa Lake

At Jones I saw a Caspian or Royal Tern, 4 Marbled Godwits, White Crowned Sparrows, Hermit Thrush and my FOS Brant.

I stopped at Massapequa Lake because there was an eagle seen there recently.  I saw some crows harassing something and it turned out to be a Bald Eagle at the SE corner of the lake.  I returned about an hour later and it was far away at the NE corner.

Bald Eagle

Jones Beach West End, West Meadow Beach: Western Kingbird

Highlights at Jones were 2 Field Sparrows, Caspian and Royal Terns.  I got a notice that a Western Kingbird was seen at West Meadow Beach, Stony Brook.  I got there ASAP and refound the bird...finally and definitely got one of my nemesis birds!

Western Kingbird

Western Kingbird

Massapequa

Saw a semi -juvi Bald Eagle by the LIRR platform.  Amazing that no one else seemed to notice it.

Massapequa

...Pewee in a neighbor's tree.

Jones Beach West End

Saw a Marbled Godwit (group of around 4 are continuing into October), few warblers, and a Red Headed Woodpecker.

Red Headed Woodpecker

Massapequa Preserve

I took a bike ride into the preserve and saw a flycatcher which I have to assume was a Pewee.  Was an interesting way to go birding.

Jones Beach West End

Saw a Parula, Yellow Breasted Chat briefly by the Coast Guard hedgerow, and a Nighthawk fly by.

California

I took a family trip to California...we started out at San Francisco, drove south along the coast to Los Angeles and back - stopped at Monterey, Cambria, Santa Barbara and vistas along the way.  I added about 28 lifers on the entire trip. 

Some of the birds I saw were incidental (example Band Tailed Pigeon at Disney) and others I found when I specifically went out birding.  I was surprised to see how common some species were in California compared to Long Island such as Marbled Godwits and Whimbrels seemingly "all over" the beach at Santa Barbara.  I was lucky to see a California Condor fly by at Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur.  My main target bird was a Heerman's Gull and by the end of the trip I saw hundreds.  I thought I saw a lot of Western Kingbirds in Santa Barbara but I had some doubt that they could have been Cassin's Kingbirds. 

A few of my favorite birds was an Anna's Hummingbird that lived ouside our room in Santa Barbara (photo below) and 3 Red Necked Phalaropes that my daughter found, also in Santa Barbara.  Pelicans were plentiful.

Annas Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Acorn Woodpecker

Band Tailed Pigeon

Bewicks Wren

"Bicolored Blackbird"

Black Oystercatcher

Black Phoebe

Black Turnstone

Brandt's Comorant

Brewer's Blackbird

California Towhee

California Condor

California Gull

Heerman's Gull

Western Gull

California Scrub Jay

Black Eyed Junco

Elegant Tern

Hooded Oriole

Lesser Goldfinch

Long Billed Curlew

Olympic Gull (Western x Glaucous Winged)

Pigeon Guillemot

Red Necked Phalarope

Scaly Breasted Munia

Spotted Towhee

Stellers Jay

White Collared Swift

Wrentit