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Young Birder (4 Viewers)

I was on the Hudson Mohawk Merlins. I'm in 8th grade, so I should have really been competeing in division B. Here's the full report:

The day(or night, depending how you think of it) started at 11:30 friday morning. The first thing we did was take a wrong turn on the interstate in the opposite way we should be going, which added about ten minutes to our route. We entered Great Swamp at 12:10 where our first bird of the day was Least Bittern. We got Sora, Barred Owl, Srceech Owl, Virginia Rail, Woodcock, migrating Bobolink, and some other common species by the time we left.

Our next stop was a small marsh by the Wantge Grasslands. Arriving at 2:00, we got our Green Heron and Pied-billed Grebe.

Next was Vesper Sparrow Hill. Unfortunately we missed Vesper Sparrow, but did get Grasshopper Sparrow and Chestnut-sided Warbler. This is also where we missed Brown Thrasher and R-n Pheasant. Along a stream we heard a Louisiana Waterthrush thanks to the Leuopold team's Srceech Owl calls.

At high point we got Purple Finch, Common Raven, Pileated Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Cerulean Warbler, and more common species. At Stokes we got the infamous Belted Kingfisher at the same spot I found one during scouting. Also got Brown Creeper, Hooded Warbler, and N-r-w Swallow there. At Van Ness we missed the G-w Warbler, but got W-c Sparrow, both Cuckoos, and B-w Warbler. We found a Golden-winged Warbler at our next stop, a spruce tract south of Bevan, along with a B-w Hawk. In the Walpack Valley we had W-e Warbler, Cliff Swallows, and G-c Kinglet. We left the North with 100 species and bad misses like Hermit thrush, the ones at Wantage, and R-s Hawk.

After 3 hours of driving, our next stop was at Riverwinds, where we got Willow Flycatcher and Bobwhite. Nxt was a spot for Pectoral Sands, but just got Greater Yellowlegs. Pedricktown held nothing, so we proceed through farm fields where we got Horned Lark and Eastern Meadowlark. We also got Ring-necked Duck in a small farm pond that was supposed to hold Snow Geese. At BiValve we got our W-r Sandpiper and Common and Forster's Terns, and Lesser Yellowlegs. Next stop was heislerville where we missed Curlew Sand, but got R-b Merg, B-t Grackle, and L-b Heron. At Belleplain we got Protho Warbler and Y-t Warbler. Jakes Landing had Clapper Rail and Seaside Sparrow. Next stop was Beaver Swamp, where we got Gull-billed Tern and Bald Eagle. At Nummy Island we got Whimbrel and Sanderling, and at the Point we got Piping Plover, Parasitic Jaeger, and Least Tern. Our last bird of the day was Chuck-wills-widow at the Coast Gaurd ponds.

Of course I left out most of the species. Next year I need to get Birderbf to come along so we can win with his amazing birding skills!
 
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hi
i too am a young birder (15) and totally obssesed.
Are there any other young birders in suffolk?
What sort of list is a good one for a young birder? i thought mine was alright but then i saw some of your 200+ lists.
Does any one have any accepted rarities yet? my best is alpine swift but i havent submitted a description yet.
Scops owl in thrupp!!! definately interested but its probably to far to go. Gonna have to be content with warblers on my patch (for now at least)
Cheers.
 
ok here goes...

We spent (I was on the ABA/Leica Tropicbirds) Wednesday afternoon through Friday scouting. We started around 11:50 at Jake's Landing (we just did Cape May County). Silence... then, just after midnight, a Whip started chanting out in the woods, followed by Clapper Rails, Marsh Wrens, Seaside Sparrows, etc. LOADS of migrants going overhead. Our next spot, Stipson's Island Road, was plain AWESOME. More rails, Chuck-will's plus both cuckoos (the Black-billed we called in with our imitations), Screech and Barred Owls, and BLACK RAIL. We hit a few other spots, finding nothing huge, but a King Rail was nice. We got to Belleplain SP before light, and nailed most of our targets: Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-throated Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Louisiana Waterthrush, Summer Tanager, etc. We made a brief daytime stop at Jake's, where we got a SINGING Nelson's ST Sparrow (awesome!), plus skimmers, meadowlark, etc. Beaver Swamp got us Gull-billed Tern, Wood Duck, Bald Eagle and Bobwhite. We struck out to Cape May next, finding American Coot, Piping Plover, and a few migrants. On the beach we got some good stuff - Parasitic Jaeger, Roseate (reeaaal close), Purple Sandpiper, and Northern Gannet. We hit other stake outs for stuff, like Snow Goose, Whimbrel, etc, and found most of them. Sea Isle Rd had Peregrine and Little Blue Heron, and a quick stop at Avalon netting YC Night Heron. Nummy's Island produced all the target birds we needed; Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Tricolored Heron, and Marbled Godwit. We managed to squeak up a Saltmarsh Sharp-tail at Breezy Lee, and came through with Belted Kingfisher at our secret spot. Poverty Beach got us Royal Tern, Surf Scoter, and Great Cormorant. Some Bobolinks and a Red-shouldered Hawk by Michael O'Brien's house were our last birds of the day, since the pm birding was no good with wind and rain. We were just doing Cape May County, and considering the county big day record is 201, we did really well. I probably saw you at sometime at the brunch bebirder...

neil g.
 
Of course I left out most of the species. Next year I need to get Birderbf to come along so we can win with his amazing birding skills!

Awww, you're too kind. I'll be along soon, maybe next year. Maybe I'll wait until the super high school birders have cleared out and moved up into adult categories:-O I know their potential!

The Cape May co. thing sounds awesome though, especially Black Rail! Did you actually see it? I feel extremely guilty about counting heard-only birds, but luckily I haven't come across any that I haven't seen prior to hearing!

Well I'm going to try something new this weekend - I'll be slightly upstate New York to Bear Mountain State Park, on the historic Doodletown trail, looking for some of the most numerous species not on my life list, i.e., Hooded and Cerulean Warblers, Yellow-throated Vireo, and who knows what else.

Aaaaaand welcome On-Firecrest! If you want, I can send some New World migrants your way: I'm very good with birds and I'm very good with directions!;)
 
Congrats on the big days guys. Nice job getting on the Tropicbirds; I've thought of applying, but then I'd miss the best birding time here in NM! I ran a big day on Saturday, only 158 species, but that was with after starting 2 hours late, getting a flat, and our driver taking us on a 100 mile "detour". Hopefully I'll post about it later.
 
hi
thanks birderbf some new world migrants would be good (preferably not an empid flycatcher), especially on my patch. Currently the only new world birds i have seen is a wilsons phalarope (stunning female) and a green winged teal.

If you want as a thank you gesture i could probably send one of my breeding blue tits over the atlantic or any old world mega of your choice!
cheers
 
I was at Jones Beach today. Sightings include:
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Common Tern
Strange, Unidentified Tern (see below)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Dunlin
Sanderling
Willet
Semipalmated Plover
Several Peeps
American Oystercatcher
Brant
Greater Scaup
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
Gray Catbird
Mourning Dove
Red-winged Blackbird
Song Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird
Common Grackle
Osprey
and a few others.
The tern pic below is the mystery bird. The black beak has me thrown off. Roseates have black beaks, but they are found farther out on the island, and they have really thin bills. This one is short and stout. I'm almost inclined to say it is a Gull-billed tern, which would be a lifer. I know that the photo stinks and its tiny and blurry. Any opinions?
 

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I really dont know if they're regular here. Never seen one or heard anyone report seeing one. Very interesting bird though!!
 
There are actually about 5 hanging around the West End right now, and they are annual in moderate numbers there. Great sighting though!
 
I had two of those Gull-billed at Jones Beach last weekend.

Had a thoroughly unusal event happen today. Threw a crumb at a patient House Sparrow, and it counced off the sidealk and went right through it's legs. It was pretty hilarious the way the bird watched the crumb go under it - just like in the movies.

Also had to walk to school today... and back. Lots of ear birding, including probable Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, and Cedar Waxwing. Plus I found a mockingbird nest right off my school's property, filled with mockingingbirdlets. An American Robin continues to work on a nest right outside of my classroon window, and I found the Mallard pair on a nearby sidestreet, not incubating yet.
 
I'm gonna be camping w/ the scouts at Hempstead Lake this weekend. If it isnt horrible weather, it could be interesting!!!
 
Finally!!! I caught up with my biggest nemesis on the planet, Coccyzus americanus!!!!! Stunning views of at least one Yellow-billed Cuckoo, singing, sitting in plain view, and even flying past me twice! Saw the bird at three seperate times today. What an amazing bird, so bizzare! Not particularly beautiful, but one of the coolest birds I've ever had the opportunity to (finally) set eyes on!!
 
Finally!!! I caught up with my biggest nemesis on the planet, Coccyzus americanus!!!!! Stunning views of at least one Yellow-billed Cuckoo, singing, sitting in plain view, and even flying past me twice! Saw the bird at three seperate times today. What an amazing bird, so bizzare! Not particularly beautiful, but one of the coolest birds I've ever had the opportunity to (finally) set eyes on!!

Thank god you caught up with the swallow and the YB Cuckoo because I was really worried you'd have to read my post. In short I saw 2 C. americani today, and heard 2 C. erythropthalmus.

In short I had one of the best songbirding days ever (dispite rain for the first half of the day!) upstate slightly at Doodletown and Mine Torne Road.

Highlights:

Black Vulture (Doodletown)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2, Mine Torne)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Doodletown, 2 Mine Torne)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Doodletown)
Cliff Swallow (Mine Torne, nesting)
Red-eyed Vireo (singing EVERYWHERE! Must have been at least 25)
Warbling Vireo ( a couple singing at the foot of the Doodletown trail)
Yellow-throated Vireo (lifer! Doodletown and Mine Torne)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (collecting nesting materials at Mine Torne, also Doodletown)
Veery (1 singing!!)
Blue-winged Warbler (many at both sites! All but one sang regular - one sang hybrid song, also heard a Golden-winged Warbler song)
Yellow Warbler (not too many)
Magnolia Warbler (2, Doodletown)
Black-throated Green (singing, Doodletown)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Mine Torne)
Cerulean Warbler (lifer! Many singing, few observed!)
Common Yellowthroat (a couple observed and singing, mostly Doodletown, some Mine)
American Redstart (many singing whatever they felt like singing!!)
Canada Warbler (Doodletown)
Hooded Warbler (lifer! A couple singing at both spots)
Scarlet Tanager (I think about 3 at both locations)
White-crowned Sparrow (Iona Island)
Baltimore Oriole (very common)

A really awesome day! I recommend anyone who lives near this place visit!
 
Hey everyone, I have been offline for a while due to upcoming EOCs and internet problems. Anyway, I got two new lifers this weekend, American Redstart and Eastern Wood Pewee! Woohoo! I have a question...does anyone know from experience if the black-billed cuckoo spends the summer in NC? Some maps say it does and some say that it only passes through on migration, I am not quite sure what to think! Thanks!
 
last weekend in dallas i got acadian flycatcher, least flycatcher, great crested flycatcher, and baltimore oriole. i also saw my first swan goose, bt i cant put that on my life list, can i?
 
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