Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Silver Sands 5 Nov 11

A late season Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Silver Sands State Park on 5 Nov 11 showed up around 3:45 PM on a brisk, sunny afternoon. A few record shots above. As I left a male N Harrier was coursing over the area where the cuckoo was foraging. (Yesterday, at about the same hour, a splendid juvenile Golden Eagle drifted through Silver Sands--the third time in the last 8 years we've seen a juv Golden Eagle in Silver Sands during the 1st week of November.)

Silver Sands Vesper, Grasshopper, Swamp Sav 2,3 11/11

Sparrows at Silver Sands in early November, 2011. Above, Song Sparrow on 11/4/11--most sparrows seem to have have left the park. Below, from 11/3/11, pictures 1 & 2 of Vesper Sparrow. From 11/2/11, a Grasshopper Sparrow record shots, pictures 3 & 4. Both Vesper and Grasshopper were in area very close to parking lot. Grasshopper quite tame but in bad light around 4:00 PM. Vespers also have been in fields and paths near parking lot since the last few days in October. Pictures 5 & 6, Savannah and Swamp, also from 11/3/11 in area around the Iroquois pipeline valve. Sparrows today (11/3/11) much declined in numbers from the past month.