http://www.elharo.com/blog/birding/2006/01/01/new-years-resolutions-2006/ Ranting and Raving Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:38:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.elharo.com/blog/birding/2006/01/01/new-years-resolutions-2006/comment-page-1/#comment-1098 Mokka mit Schlag » #343 at Dubos Point Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:43:53 +0000 http://blog.elharo.com/blog/?p=67#comment-1098 [...] Two American Oystercatchers flew south down the basin, calling jeenk-jeenk-jeenk. A Double-crested Cormorant was also heading south. And then as we were about halfway up the point I flushed the a completely unfamiliar bird. It looked like nothing so much as a cross between a female Mallard and an Oystercatcher. It was brown like a mallard but had a large, pointed orange bill. I had to consult my field guide before I realized what it was: a Clapper Rail, one of my target birds for the year! [...] [...] Two American Oystercatchers flew south down the basin, calling jeenk-jeenk-jeenk. A Double-crested Cormorant was also heading south. And then as we were about halfway up the point I flushed the a completely unfamiliar bird. It looked like nothing so much as a cross between a female Mallard and an Oystercatcher. It was brown like a mallard but had a large, pointed orange bill. I had to consult my field guide before I realized what it was: a Clapper Rail, one of my target birds for the year! [...]

]]> http://www.elharo.com/blog/birding/2006/01/01/new-years-resolutions-2006/comment-page-1/#comment-1061 Mokka mit Schlag » #336-338 at Ogier Ponds Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:11:00 +0000 http://blog.elharo.com/blog/?p=67#comment-1061 [...] Continuing on under the power line and walking between two ponds my second lifer flew overhead. an American Bittern. In flight it looks very much like a Great Blue Heron, only it’s brown. I now think of it as the Great Brown Heron. I’ve been looking for this bird for a while, and it would have been nice to find it in New York, but I’ll take it where I get it. [...] [...] Continuing on under the power line and walking between two ponds my second lifer flew overhead. an American Bittern. In flight it looks very much like a Great Blue Heron, only it’s brown. I now think of it as the Great Brown Heron. I’ve been looking for this bird for a while, and it would have been nice to find it in New York, but I’ll take it where I get it. [...]

]]> http://www.elharo.com/blog/birding/2006/01/01/new-years-resolutions-2006/comment-page-1/#comment-969 Mokka mit Schlag » #341 and #342 with the BBC Mon, 27 Mar 2006 14:31:12 +0000 http://blog.elharo.com/blog/?p=67#comment-969 [...] We could have spent more time here, but instead we elected to drive to Desoris Pond before it closed, which was a fortuitous decision since it proved to be one of the most productive sites of the day. In the pond itself we found dozens of Mute Swans, mallards, 5 American Wigeon, a small raft of Greater Scaup, quite a few red-Breasted Mergansers, a couple of Buffleheads, some Canada Geese, and two Redheads, my first life bird of the day! As you may recall, I’ve been out to Jamaica Bay multiple times in the last few months looking for these birds without success. Possibly a scope would have helped since although the birds were visible with binoculars, you really needed the scope to identify them. Light was also important. Depending on sun angle and cloud cover the red on the head could be more or less obvious. [...] [...] We could have spent more time here, but instead we elected to drive to Desoris Pond before it closed, which was a fortuitous decision since it proved to be one of the most productive sites of the day. In the pond itself we found dozens of Mute Swans, mallards, 5 American Wigeon, a small raft of Greater Scaup, quite a few red-Breasted Mergansers, a couple of Buffleheads, some Canada Geese, and two Redheads, my first life bird of the day! As you may recall, I’ve been out to Jamaica Bay multiple times in the last few months looking for these birds without success. Possibly a scope would have helped since although the birds were visible with binoculars, you really needed the scope to identify them. Light was also important. Depending on sun angle and cloud cover the red on the head could be more or less obvious. [...]

]]>