Rainy Day in Black Dirt
Black Dirt Farm along Skinners Lane Nikon Z8 with Z 24-70 Zoom @28mm 1/250 sec, f/11, ISO 640 ( That’s ponding water on the field, not snow!)
A day of contrasts with lush green fields of sod, squash, onions, and other produce set among the dark looming storm clouds that blanketed the region today. The Black Dirt Region as it known is comprised of thousands of acres of deep rich dark soils left behind by decaying plant material in a huge swamp created by receding glaciers over 10,000 years ago. Polish immigrants recognized the soil as the same type they had farmed in their homeland and settled here to begin farming. Today, the community is known as Pine Island.
Local birders know the area well as a magnet for migrating shore birds. When the weather turns stormy and the fields become saturated with water, the pools that form and the wet soils that drive worms up to the surface beckon birds like dunlin, Least sandpipers, Yellowlegs, and plovers to these flatlands. Yesterday was a classic example of this phenomenon and the birds and birders were out in big numbers in spite of (actually because of) the stormy conditions.
Black-bellied plovers: Nikon Z9 with Z180-600mm coupled with the Z 2.0X teleconverter
Many birders are involved with networks that connect us with one another via the web. In the past, birders would set up “hot-lines” whereby they could call one another and spread the word of rarities spotted somewhere in the nearby vacinity. Today, the word gets out faster as we can use our cell phones to broadcast messages about birds of interest that we are seeing in real time. Within an hour or so, a location where rare birds are being seen can become a central meeting place for birders from around the county. Such was then case today as the heavy rains and resulting ponding in the Black Dirt area were drawing in birds and birders in good numbers. The Black-bellied plovers seen above are medium-sized shorebirds known for their striking appearance and distinctive coloration. During the breeding season, these birds exhibit a bold black belly that contrasts sharply with their white undersides and speckled gray back, making them easily identifiable. In non-breeding plumage, their colors soften, providing better camouflage against sandy and rocky environments. Found across various coastal regions, these plovers are often seen foraging for invertebrates and small crustaceans along the tide line. Well, there is certainly no tide-line here today, but the rainfall has saturated the soils driving organisms to the surface where it is easy pickings for the plovers. How did they know that these fields far in the from coast would provide a banquet for them today?
Well, these are more than likely migrating birds headed for their breeding grounds, and migrating birds are well known to stop over in flooded agricultural fields on their way to tundra habitat where they nest. So today is literally the “perfect storm” for them as they can always use some extra “fuel” on their way north.
Today, in this one field alone, there were over 70 plovers picking through the furrowed ground. This image captures only a small part of the field and there are more than 40 plovers visible in this frame alone.
After spending some time at this plot near Goshen, NY, I made the short drive over to Pine Island to some more of the Black Dirt country. There were reports of many more shorebirds on those fields, but birds have wings and are known to use them. With all the acreage of suitable feeding grounds, you can never be sure than reported birds will still be on site when you get there. I arrived at the “Sunflower Farms” area on Skinners Lane in the hopes that some of the birds reported earlier would still be around. My first bird was one of the most common in grasslands at this time of year, the Red-winged blackbird.
Red-winged blackbirds are striking passerine birds commonly found across North America, recognized for their glossy black plumage and vibrant red and yellow shoulder patches. Males tend to be more prominent with their bold colors, especially during the breeding season when they sing to defend their territory and attract mates. Females, in contrast, exhibit a more subdued, streaked brown appearance which helps them blend into their surroundings, particularly when nesting. These birds are often seen in wetlands, marshes, and open fields, where they primarily feed on seeds and insects. Their distinctive songs and calls contribute to the rich tapestry of sounds in their habitats, making them a favorite among bird watchers. Too often we become jaded to the beauty of this bird and its songs as we see it so often. On occasion, it’s worth the time and effort to reconnect with some of our more familiar avian neighbors!
My next encounter with the birds of the Black Dirt was again not what I expected. From a distance down the dirt road, I could see a large number of large black birds all hovering around a central point of interest. It is not hard to tell vultures from afar as they have a pretty distinctive posture and gait as they hop about. It turned out that this was what is known as a “wake” of Turkey vultures feeding upon the remains of a groundhog. Contrary to popular belief, vultures are just as happy with fresh kill as with rotting corpses. In fact, even a vulture has limits. If carrion has gotten too rotten, even the vultures will turn up there nose (or beak) and say “thanks, but no thanks”. There is definitely a hierarchy here, or Pecking order would be the appropriate term, for as you can see a select few were enjoying their meal while the others bided their time and awaited the chance to take part in the repast. It’s good to be the alpha bird.
Out in the fields, there were plenty of American crows and grackles joining the blackbirds, but precious few of the target species. Reports continued to come in of shorebirds at other black dirt spots around the Pine Island area, but I had to head home to take care of more domestic tasks. Still, it was a most enjoyable way to spend what would otherwise be a wet dreary day. One of the greatest aspects of this pastime of birding and enjoying nature is that Mother nature never takes a day off. There is always something to see and places to go. Carpe diem.
