I can certainly verify Angus' appraisal of the Pine Siskin flight today. I had count duty at the Fire Island hawkwatch this morning and can say with confidence that >1000 siskins passed the platform from 7:00-12:45, before the rain came. Flock sizes ranged from ~5 to ~150 (most ~30-40), with a few straggling singles as well. Some Goldfinches were among them too. The passerine flight was not limited to the genus Spinus and was quite impressive overall, with the bulk comprised of Yellow-rumped Warblers, N. Flickers, and Tree Swallows. Purple Finches were in the mix too, albeit in far lower numbers. Other seasonal migrants seen in varying degrees of abundance included Blue Jays, both kinglets, Robins, and Waxwings. The irruption of Red-breasted Nuthatch this season was still well in evidence too. White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were present in modest numbers. Other notable species seen or heard included Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, E. Phoebe, Brown Creeper, American Pipit, and Scarlet Tanager.
With all the songbirds aloft it's not surprising that the raptor flight was pretty good too, with 118 birds seen. Kestrel and Osprey were most numerous, with 49 and 32 respectively. 7 Peregrine Falcons were counted, one of which the "rapt" onlookers on the platform watched as it stooped and caught a Flicker. The dive was at least 200 ft straight down. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
