Memorial Day Bird Walk

There was VOODOO in the air...... a strange birding day!

It was warm and humid for a May morning, but a few adventurous City Islanders decided to venture out with me to look for birds and "stalk the wild asparagus." Actually, we did both. It wasn't a particularly good birding day, but we had fun nevertheless. We began as usual by checking the area near Turtle Cove. Since one of our adventurers didn't have proper footwear, we changed course and stayed away from the back path of the lagoon, only to visit it later on. Flying overhead was a Great Blue Heron. Down on the mud flats were Snowy and Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Cormorants, Red-winged Blackbirds, Canada Geese and Mallards.
We decided to walk along the paved path toward Orchard Beach. As promised, I showed Danny a Baltimore Oriole nest. When everyone stopped chatting we finally got a good look at these gorgeous birds. As we walked, Christine and John spotted some Yellow Warblers and more Baltimore Orioles. Lots of color and some really good looks.
We kept walking and Danny took out his turkey caller. After "gobbling" for a while, Danny still couldn't attract a turkey mate. Just then Peter picked up an actual Voodoo Doll. (See photo.) It was all very strange.
We continued along Orchard Beach Road and cut into an interesting area, mostly unknown to others. Here was wild asparagus, lots of pretty flowers and beautiful views. There were two Ospreys and a Red Tailed Hawk flying in our vicinity. On our walk back to Rodman's Neck, we cut down to the back of the lagoon and found a Willow Flycatcher. This bird nests in the same area each year here in PBPK. The bird is in decline, particularly in the west, so we were excited to see it. By that time it was getting hot, so we decided to call it a day.

John and Christine locate some Baltimore Orioles.

This is Danny trying to find a turkey using his caller. Danny is legendary for spotting a Coyote with an Egret in its mouth and chasing it through the woods!

Uh-Oh! Peter found this Voodoo doll in the grass. This looked very authentic to us.

This is Danny, trying to attract a turkey with his turkey caller. Danny is legendary for spotting a coyote with an egret in its mouth and chasing it through the woods. He was ordained, "Squab" by former Parks Department Commissioner Henry Stern.

This is a Willow Flycatcher. It's a particularly difficult bird to identify, since the seven species of Empidonax flycatchers found in this area look so much alike. Bird- banders, who have the bird in their hand, often cannot positively decide on the species without hearing the birds call. Luckily, this bird was very vocal and that made this identification easier. We watched him for quite a while on a tree branch behind the lagoon.

Species Account
Willow Flycatcher
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black- crowned Night Heron
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow Warbler
Catbird
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Double-crested Cormorant
Baltimore Oriole
Common Grackle
Boat Tailed Grackle
American Robin
House Sparrow
European Starling
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Flicker
House Wren