HUDSON-DELAWARE 
Up to nine Little Gulls loafed among Bonaparte's Gulls at Fort Niagara State Park, New York into June (here 1 3 June) 2009. These images depict birds undergoing their first prealternate molt, 
in which head patterns vary widely from full black hoods to scattered black speckles. Ail the birds had dark carpal bars, and a few had black terminal tail bands. The species has nested sporad- 
ically in Ontario, not far away, since 1962, and occasionally around the western Great Lakes in Manitoba, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Photographs by Jim Pawlicki. 
let (SSM) and the William Floyd Estate, Suf- 
folk (Mary Laura Lamont). Tricolored Herons, 
always scarcer, are down to two nests in New 
York Harbor. Cattle Egrets have declined to 
one nest in New York Harbor (EC); there were 
two in 2007. No individual was reported far- 
ther north. The Region’s only breeding colony 
remains Pea Patch 1. in Delaware Bay, where 
300-400 Cattle Egrets entered or left the 
colony the evenings of 30 Jun and 27 Jul, 
among some 1000-1500 herons (Chris Ben- 
nett, D.N.R.E.C.). This colony is also notable 
for the Region’s only coastal breeding Great 
Blue Herons. The suburban Yellow-crowned 
Night-Heron colony at the Redford Houses in 
Ear Rockaway, Queens, NY is still prospering, 
with 59 nests (EC). The annual wandering 
White Ibis turned up at Cape May 28-29 Jun 
(Dave Githins, m.ob., ph. KL), but, for the 
first time in many years, none was reported in 
Delaware. This Region shared richly in the 
widespread northward dispersal of Roseate 
Spoonbills. Delaware’s first turned up at Fen- 
wick I., Sussex, straddling the Maryland bor- 
der, 21 Jun and remained until 25 Jul (Richard 
Wood, m.ob.). A paler individual was at 
Fowler’s Beach, Sussex 6-12 Jul (MB, Bill Fin- 
tel, m.ob.). Whether this paler bird continued 
northward to the Thousand Acre Marsh 16-22 
Jul (Andy Ednie, m.ob.) and again to Bombay 
Hook 20-28 Jul (John Harding, m.ob.), or 
whether these were additional individuals, is 
not known. New Jersey’s 3rd Roseate Spoon- 
bill remained at Brig from 18 Jul into fall 
(Shari & Larry Zirlin, ph. Eric Reuter, m.ob.). 
The Black Vulture frontier is now in New 
England, but pioneering continues in cen. 
New York, with reports from Onandaga, Cort- 
land, Albany, Columbia, and Herkimer (Lee 
Ellsworth, RG, Ron Ery, Matt Webster et ah). 
The upstate maximum was 4 at Copake Ealls, 
Columbia, NY, at the edge of the Taconic High- 
lands, 6 Jun (Russ Alderson). On Long L, sin- 
gles were recorded all the way e. to Orient Pt. 
8 Jun (John Brush, Sr.; John Brush, Jr.) and 
Greenport 28 Jul (ph. Jody Levin). Turkey Vul- 
tures, a species that also shunned Long 1. until 
last year, when the first nest and the first win- 
ter roost were discovered, were visible all sum- 
mer on the e. end, reaching 7 at Northville, 
Suffolk 20 Jun (Johnny Cullen). Budget cuts 
canceled the aerial survey of Osprey nests in 
New York (BL). New Jersey’s triennial census 
found 485 active nests (up from 408 in 2006; 
KC). Bald Eagles soared again to 158 breeding 
pairs in New York and 223 young fledged (Pete 
Nye, N.Y.D.E.C.); 77 territorial pairs were 
recorded in New Jersey (KC) and 56 in 
Delaware (AGo). A Rough-legged Hawk 24 
Jun at Cortland, NY (ph. Jim Barry, fide MY) 
was rare but not unprecedented in mid-sum- 
mer. Merlins keep spreading, with nests in 
both Buffalo and Rochester (B. Watts, Landy & 
D. Atkinson). Southernmost was a territorial 
pair at Jamestown, Chautauqua, NY 30 Jun 
(Tom Simmons et al.) 
RAILS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS 
A Black Rail was observed during high tides 
25 Jun during a Cape May B.O. workshop 
(MO’B, m.ob.). The first territorial Black Rail 
detected on Long 1. in several summers was at 
Napeague, Suffolk (Hugh McGuiness et al.). 
Ninety-six Clapper Rails were visible to 
boaters, during a massive tide, in the back 
An ad. Mississippi Kite was discovered at Ames, 
Montgomery, NY 1 Jun (Stephanie Restuccia, ph. 
Michael Restuccia). As birders converged on this spot 12 
Jul (Kevin McGann, RG), another kite appeared, this one 
still bearing traces of subad. plumage (AGu et al.). The 2 
birds were last seen 3 Aug (SR). No nest or young was 
found. At Cape May, the most regular Regional site since 
the 1970s, 5 were in West Cape May 13 Jun (Harvey Tom- 
linson), plus one simultaneously at the Rea Farm (KL). 
bays of Cape May 20 Jun (MO’B, LZ). The 
only King Rails reported were singles at Os- 
wego City from mid-May-5 Jun (Mickey 
Scilingo, Martin Mau et al.) and at Cape May 
23 Jun (ph. BE). Sandhill Cranes bred again at 
Savannah, Wayne, NY, as they have since 
2003, while singles visited Orient Pt., at the e. 
tip of Long L, 2-8 Jun (Rob McGinness, John 
Brush, Jr.) and the Derby Hill hawkwatch site, 
Oswego, NY 28 Jul (WP). 
Piping Plovers declined in New Jersey, from 
111 nesting pairs last year to 105. Though 
productivity was a gratifying 1.49 at Sandy 
Hook and other Monmouth sites, flooding in 
the south cut statewide productivity to 1.05 
(TP). Back from the brink in Delaware, Piping 
Plovers fledged 13 chicks at Cape Henlopen 
and for the first time in recent years tried to 
nest elsewhere, at Eowler’s Beach, Sussex 
(MB). Long 1. had between 443 and 472 
breeding pairs in 2008, the latest figures avail- 
able (MGb). They have almost doubled since 
1999. Killdeer formed impressive post-breed- 
ing assemblages of 210 at the Sky High Sod 
Earm, Madison, NY 18 Jul (WP) and 200 the 
same clay at Blue Chip Earm, Ulster, NY 
(Corey Linger). Single Black-necked Stilts 
were northerly at Brig 6-8 Jun (Dave Lord, 
Karen Johnson, Janet Crawford) and in the 
Hackensack Meaclowlands, near Harrier 
Meadow, Bergen, NJ 10 & 18 Jun (Jim Wright 
et al.). They nested as usual at Bombay Hook. 
American Avocets visited the L. Ontario shore, 
where they are still rare, at Sodus Pt., Waytie, 
NY 16Jul (WW,J. Lazarczyk) and Irondequoit 
Bay, Rochester, NY 17 Jul (J. Compitello), con- 
ceivably the same bird. Single Willets, pre- 
sumed Westerns, were odd in midsummer at 
Hogan Pt. 12 Jun (ph DT, m.ob.) and at Char- 
lotte 21 Jun, both near Rochester (DT). Up to 
9 Upland Sandpipers frequented two sites near 
Buffalo in Jun (PY, Richard Salembicr, J. Lan- 
dau), and eight sites had pairs or individuals 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 4 
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