Mokka mit Schlag » 2006 » October

Prospect Park, 2006-07-22
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Yesterday I joined the Brooklyn Bird Club for a trip to Somerset County, New Jersey led by Peter Dorosh. We left Brooklyn about 6:45 A.M. and arrived at Glenhurst Meadows (a.k.a Warren Green Acres) about 7:35. The birds were hopping (and flying, and jumping, and scuttling, and walking, and everything else). We tallied twenty species just waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. (One car had taken the wrong exit.)

Sparrows were what we had come for, and they didn’t disappoint. Song Sparrow was the first species, but the second was an uncommon Vesper Sparrow. It looks like a Song Sparrow (streaked breast), except the face is totally wrong and shows a prominent white eye ring. I didn’t recognize it at first, but the eye ring jumped out at me; and Peter confirmed it as a Vesper Sparrow. I thought this might be a life bird, but on returning home and checking my records I found I’d seen one once before, 364 days earlier at Caumsett State Park on Long Island. At least this was a New Jersey first for me. Overall the group tallied nine sparrow species at Glenhurst:

• Eastern Towhee^*
• Field Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow

Other groups at the site also reported Lincoln’s Sparrow, which is uncommon around here but not as uncommon as White-crowned or Vesper, so we didn’t stay longer just to look for it. We probably should have since we didn’t add a single more sparrow species all day, much to our surprise and consternation. (The goal for the day was ten sparrow species, and we missed by one.)

We walked down one path at the site, and for less than half a mile. The highlight of the day came near the end of the path where Valerie spotted a Wilson’s Snipe in the middle of the road, a life bird for me. I couldn’t find it one the ground, but it promptly took off and flew a long circle around us affording great looks. Sorry, no picture of this one. I didn’t have my camera with me; and couldn’t have gotten a decent shot if I did. Google has lots of pictures though, if you want to see one.
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Maine, 2006-06-22

Maine, 2006-06-22

2006-06-25, Female, Maine

I’ve been a regular Dell customer for years. I’m not a big customer, but I buy something from them every year or two on average: a PC, a laptop, a TV, a replacement part, a monitor, something. Mostly I’ve been satisfied with my purchases, but the more stories like this one I hear, the more I think I’m not going to buy from them again. I’ve been lucky so far, but I don’t want to take any more chances.
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