Shorebirds at the Black Dirt

The “Black Dirt” region of New York State is located in the vicinity of Pine Island and Warwick. The deep rich soil is the result of deposition of organic material left behind by the meltwater of the receding glaciers over 12,000 years ago. These deposits are the deepest and richest in the United States outside of the Everglades. As a result of these rich soils, hundreds of farms dot the area and are constantly plowing the soil to prepare it for crops such as sod, onions, and squash. These furrowed lands stir up insects and worms making them a veritable smorgasbord for birds. This is especially true after recent rains when the high water table forces worms to the surface. At this time of year, many birds are moving into and through the area as they migrate south. Shorebirds are among the most prevalent.

Brown-headed cowbird

Among the “non-shorebird” populations frequenting the Black Dirt area off Skinners Lane in Goshen near Pine Island was this flock of Brown-headed cowbirds. Not surprisingly, a flock of cowbirds is known as a “herd“ and in this herd we find the dark males, lighter females and mottled juveniles. Unless we have a severe winter with deep snow, most of these birds will likely remain in our region. The recent evening rain has helped to saturate the soil pushing worms and other ground dwelling insects up to the surface which has attracted these birds to this spot.

Brown-headed cowbirds are nest parasites. As such, they do not build their own nests and do not rear their own young. Rather, they devote their time and energy to laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, often removing the eggs already laid by the nests owners.

Once the eggs hatch, the “foster-parents” raise the young as if they were their own. Should some of the original eggs remain in the nest, the larger cowbird chicks will generally outcompete the smaller chicks that hatch in the nest resulting in the starvation of those birds.

Our target birds of the day were any shorebirds which might have shown up. Late July and August are prime times for finding migrating shorebirds. Storms such as Hurricane Erin which was churning up the east coast this week often help keep the migrating birds a bit inland and that is a great time to search for these birds in the Black Dirt area. While there was no “fallout” of large numbers of shorebirds resulting from Erin, we did get a few nice species to check out and photograph. The most common and prevalent today was the Killdeer.

Killdeer

The killdeer is a medium-sized plover recognized by its distinctive double black breast bands and loud, high-pitched call that sounds like its name. Commonly found across North America, this bird inhabits open fields, gravel roads, and shorelines, where it nests on the ground. As mentioned in an earlier post this month, the killdeer is known for its ability to feign a broken wing in order to lure potential predators away from its nest and young.

Baird’s sandpiper

Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) is a small shorebird notable for its distinctive, swift flight and long migratory journeys across the Americas. It measures about 7 to 8 inches in length, displaying a mottled brown and gray plumage that provides effective camouflage against riverbanks and tundra habitats. During breeding season, Baird's sandpipers frequent Arctic tundra regions, where they nest in open, wet meadows. Now they are migrating southward to winter along coastal mudflats and inland wetlands in South America. Their diet primarily consists of insects, small crustaceans, and other invertebrates, foraged in shallow water or moist soil like that being provided here in the Black Dirt Region. A White-rumped sandpiper was nearby, but too distant and obscure for me to capture a decent photograph. Below, there is a photograph I captured at the Black Dirt region several years ago of this species.

White-rumped sandpiper

Other species moving through today included these dimunitive Sanderlings. These are light-colored small shorebirds which you have more than likely seen if you ever spent time at the beach in the summer. They are easily spotted as they chase the surf rolling in and out washing up onto the sand. It takes less energy for these little guys to find a meal here in the static soil. Behind the Sanderlings you can see a rather blurry image of another migrating shorebird, the Least sandpiper.

Sanderlings with Least sandpiper

As we watched the small group of shorebirds feeding and resting on the soil, a sudden commotion arose and all the birds took flight in a frenzy. It did not take us long to figure out why the sudden departure. Not too high overhead was a Peregrine falcon looking for a meal of his own.

A Peregrine falcon cruises in at low altitude looking for a meal of its own.

The Peregrine falcon is renowned for being the fastest bird in the world, capable of reaching speeds over 240 miles per hour during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive). With a widespread distribution, it inhabits diverse environments ranging from urban areas to remote cliffs. This raptor is medium-sized, featuring a bluish-gray back, barred white underparts, and a distinct dark head with a “moustache” mark. Peregrine falcons primarily feed on other birds, capturing them mid-air with remarkable precision and agility. Fortunately for the little shorebirds, we did not see the falcon meet with any success in this flyover.

Another bird-of-prey that the small birds feeding in the black dirt have to be wary of is the American kestrel. Often seen here in this area, the kestrels will perch atop of the utility poles along the edges of the farm fields and wait for the smaller shore birds to fly into a nearby plot. The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America, easily recognized by its vibrant plumage featuring a mix of rust, slate blue, and white with distinctive black markings. Known for its agility and speed, it primarily hunts insects, small mammals, and birds, often seen hovering in midair as it scans for prey. Adaptable to a variety of habitats, including open fields such as the Black Dirt area, deserts, and urban areas, the American kestrel is a common sight across the continent. Its sharp eyesight and swift flight make it a remarkable predator.

American kestrel perched along Skinner’s Lane

Tech tip - Many of today’s photographs were made from a considerable distance. At more than 100 yards distance in some cases, it was necessary to use a device called a “telextender” to double the focal length and thus the magnification of the lens I was using. The 180 - 600mm lens has an effective magnifying power of about 12X. With the Telextender, this becomes 24 X. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch as the expression goes. Not only is the image of the bird doubled in magnification, but every movement of the camera, every movement of the bird, all dust and “heat shimmer” is also doubled making a very sharp image quite difficult to achieve. Also, the aperture of your lens becomes smaller making the image darker. So, you have to slow down your shutter speed making movement more obvious. The bottom line is if it is possible to get closer to your subject without disturbing it, do so and avoid using more glass between the sensor and lens of your camera. In deference to the birds and respecting the property owners rights, I could not get closer today. So I had to deal with the situation and accept the fact that some of today’s images are a bit fuzzier than I would have liked. Sometimes, you have to play the hand your dealt!