Early Birding

The birding trip Saturday morning started off bright and early at 7:40 am in Montauk right by the lighthouse. Along with other “beginner” birders that came with SOFO, we looked at the birds on and around the fishing boats and ocean. There we saw a few Common Eider Ducks, which are recognizable by their noticeable wedge-shaped head and long bill. A Peregrine Falcon, or pear green falcon according to Anthony, flew right over our heads and dropped behind a group of trees before everyone got a good view of it. Through the binoculars we were all able to spot a couple Crested Cormorants; dark long body and long neck. Other birds we saw in that area include House Finches, little with fairly large beaks and flat heads, and Parasitic Jaeger/ Arctic Skuas. Among Laughing Gulls, Common terns and Forester terns, two Bonaparte's Gulls were spotted sitting right on the water while all the other birds were flying around. The gulls are identifiable by their pale gray back and the white triangle on the outer part of their wing. As we continued on the trail towards the Montauk Lighthouse, a little Myrtle Warbler flew right by us followed by a couple Black-Capped Chickadees. It was really great to see a Sharp-Shinned Hawk ,which is very common but one of my favorite birds so far. It’s a relatively small hawk with a long tail and short rounded wings. One of the funnier parts of the trip was a Red-Tailed Hawk being completely harassed by an American Crow. On a sadder note though we witnessed a little warbler being ferociously chased by a Merlin. In the bushes by the cliffs we saw a Song Sparrow and a Cedar Waxing. The Waxwing was medium-sized with a large head and short neck. We also saw a Northern Mockingbird and a Red Winged Blackbird. After all getting in the car and going to Deep Hollow Ranch, we noticed a goose in a large group of Canada Geese that was most definitely not of the same species. It was a Greater White Fronted Goose, which has a pink bill, and orange legs, and is also very rare to be seen out here. Just like the last visit at the ranch, we saw two Stilt Sandpipers hanging out by the cow’s pen. And also here we saw more Common Grackle and Starlings. Overall, this birding expedition was very long and I saw more birds on this trip that I have on any other one so far.