Yellow-breated Chat, Mill Pond, Bellmore

 There had been reports this past week of a Chat as well as an immature Red Shouldered Hawk continuing on the east side of Mill Pond in Bellmore.  It seemed rather cooperative for most birders so I tried my luck in the early morning to try to find it.  Other birders had reported it in the area of the east trail/ side of the lake near a house being renovated and had a blue tarp on it.  I found the house and did a thorough search of the area - no luck.  I think I was there for about 30 minutes when I decided to give up and leave.  Not to be totally defeated I walked slowly back and the Chat popped up but a while south of the area where everyone else was reporting it.  I got some good views of it as it was looking for food heading back north to where it had reported the day before.  I wanted to get totally unobstructed photos of it since I had seen other birders photos of it out in the open, but it was doing it's thing traveling through the shrubs so I didn't want to bother it too much and let it be.

I can't help but think other birders who tried and didn't find the chat like I did were relying too much on the observations of other birders.  I have seen several times where birders will just stick to one particular location where a bird was last seen - not making any other attempt to look around it and take some initiative.  I was sort of guilty of doing that with the chat but decided not to give up and it paid off eventually.

(I ran out of time for my morning outing so I did not attempt to find the Red Shouldered Hawk)

Happy New Year 2025

 For the last year or two, I've tried to go out birding on Jan 1st/ start of the new year - I know a lot of other birders do that so they can start their year list - I do it for good luck, hoping that I see a decent amount of life birds in the upcoming year.  The day started when I heard my "reisident" Song Sparrow singing a beautiful song in my backyard.  As I left the house, I saw gulls flying over - a nice start to the year/ day.  I started by going to Jones Field 10 and the Coast Guard Spit hoping to see a continuing Marbled Godwit, but the tide was high and didn't see either.  I did see some Cooper's Hawks, Raven, Kingfisher and lots of gulls.  When I got back closer to home, I checked out my "patch" at Massapequa Preserve and the Tackapausha spot by the firehouse.  Saw lots of Robins especially at the school yard grounds since it was warm out I guess they were looking for worms.  I also saw a Golden Crowned Kinglet and a female Ring Necked Duck which was a first for me at my "patch".  Later on, there was a report that the Marbled Godwit was seen at the Coast Guard Station so I drove over there, but wasn't there.  I checked Field 10 where it was sometimes reported by didn't see it either.  A family of birders noted that they also missed the Godwit.  They were looking at a continuing Black Headed Gull which I got to photograph - it was hanging out by a "tunnel" in the cove where also a Great Blue Heron was in.  When I got home, I saw that someone ebirded the Marbled Godwit at the Field 10 marsh area shortly before I arrived so I assume it was actually there, just hiding when I went looking for it.  I think Marbled Godwits are currrently my favorite birds - would have been nice to see one for the new year, but sometimes the best birding plans just don't always work out.  Better luck next time. (hopefully).....................