Chris Takacs writes:
Sunday at the Meadowlands was a very birdy day. I started around 9 a.m. as I drove down Disposal Road. Another wonder showed up there. A Grasshopper Sparrow was on the road near the retention pond.
"I found Ron Shields and showed him. He has some
nice shots, too [one is above]. Not much else was happening on Disposal for the morning other
than some of the usual sparrows along the roadside.
"Ray Duffy called me around lunchtime to inform me there was a Light-Morph Rough-legged Hawk being harrassed by Red-tailed Hawks over Kingsland landfill. I was home so I came down and saw it flying off the landfill heading north.
"I made a drive down Valley Brook to check a spot I had Horned Larks and Snow Buntings Saturday evening, and the birds were back. A dozen and a half Horned Larks and 6 Snow Buntings. Snow Buntings were on the wires overhead.
Our problem with the larks and buntings
was the constant harrassment by a Pheasant, Kestrel, Merlin, 4 Northern
Harriers (2 Gray Ghosts), and Red-tailed Hawk.
The larks never sat still very long. One poor Snow Bunting became dinner for the Merlin later in the afternoon. Many good shots of the Merlin were had.
So the list goes like this from this small spot on Valley Brook
4 Northern Harrier
2 Bald Eagle
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Rough-legged Hawk
Ring-necked Pheasant (male)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
1 American Kestrel
1 Merlin
18 Horned Lark
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Lapland Longspur
8 Snow Bunting
6 American Tree Sparrow
12 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
6 White-crowned Sparrow
(Thanks, Chris!)
Wow, very eventfull day for you. Love the photo of the Grasshopper sparrow. Poor Snow Bunting, but someone had to be dinner. Nice list and phtoos Chris.
Posted by: M Kostus | February 11, 2013 at 03:06 PM
The interesting thing is that a Grasshopper showed up in NYC on 2/10 (Jones Beach).
Posted by: Michael Britt | February 11, 2013 at 02:32 PM