Impromptu Sullivan Big Day

[jackso...@gmail.com]

I birded in Sullivan County today covering most of the same haunts I visited last week during my first Big Day of the year. I didn’t exactly try to make today a big day, but it was birdy so I guess you can say it kind of turned into that. Despite starting later than I would on a big day, and the heat eventually tampering most bird activity, I still managed to get 100 species exactly (just in Sullivan, 102 for the day). 

I switched things up by trying to bird a spot I found in Unity last year in the post breeding season. I chose this spot over going up Lempster Mountain which ended up being a bad gamble because I missed Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush which are near guarantees and I also missed on Jack Swatt’s Olive-sided Flycatcher and possibly our returning Swainson’s Thrush. Oh well, these underbirded areas still need to be covered too, so a worthy sacrifice.

Today’s highlights included the presence of migrant warblers that don’t breed in the area, finally. Blackpoll and Tennessee Warblers were abundant and a Mourning Warbler at Wetherby Road in Charlestown was a real treat (Wilson’s, Bay-breasted and Cape May still elude me for Sullivan). I got a personal high count of Semipalmated Plovers in Charlestown with six birds at Lower Meadows. Two Red-shouldered Hawks over Trask Brook Road in Sunapee were a rare treat and my last additional species for the day. 

The link to my trip report is below.

https://ebird.org/tripreport/58343

-Dylan Jackson 

Wilmot

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