Sightings & Observations

On this page we celebrate special sightings and post thoughts and observations on birds submitted by our members.  For regular bird records, see our Bird Notes page.

Warblings, November 2004 - January 2005

SULLIVAN COUNTY SHOREBIRDS
Ed DeBellevue decided to try to add to his Sullivan County list by regularly checking the best (or only?) place to find shorebirds in the county:  Morningside Lake.   He went there almost every day in August (sometimes twice a day) and it paid off.  He did so well that he extended his project into September and October.

The results were spectacular. He found thirteen species of shorebird!  (Unheard of in Sullivan County!)   One had never previously been found in the county:  Baird’s Sandpiper.  Three kinds were previously considered as Accidentals on our checklist:  Black-bellied Plover (2 previous records), White-rumped Sandpiper (1 previous record) and Semipalmated Sandpiper (4 records in 2003 and only 3 prior to that).  He also found Dunlin, which had been reported only 4 times before in the county.  And the next time we update our now-obsolete county checklist, we will have to change (increase) the code for abundance for Semipalmated Plover and Least, Spotted and Pectoral Sandpipers because of Ed ’s observations.

Thanks to Ed for sharing his findings by telephone and email, allowing others to also add to their county lists. And we recommend his method: pick a good birding spot and visit it often, especially during migration. You will be surprised at what you find.            — Valerie Freer

Warblings, June-August 2004

- An unusual Red-tail Hawk has been seen by many in the area from Curry to the Halls Mills covered Bridge. What a beautiful bird! Pure white head, back and breast with a few dark feathers. When it flies, the wing tips are dark, almost black, and the tail is a pale rufous color. It is a big mature bird, always alone.

- Is it peculiar to our valley or are there cuckoos everywhere this year? Tonight before a rain there were three birds calling in the old tannery dugout across from our house in Claryville, about a hundred yards apart, and another out back. We hear them constantly, have watched territorial disputes and have been able to show them to a number of people who have never seen one. All are Black-billed.            — Joe Weise