A CORN CRAKE (Crex crex) AT CEDAR BEACH, SUFFOLK COUNTY, LONG ISLAND

摘要

A cold front had pushed into the Northeast prior to Election Day, 7 November 2017,and Sue and I had begun our birding (after voting, of course) at Robert Moses State Park, a short distance east of Cedar Beach. The birding was slow, with our only notable sighting being a late Magnolia Warbler. We decided to head west on the Ocean Parkway and bird at Jones Beach State Park, where we knew from experience that any south-facing shrub barrier may harbor late insectivorous species. Traveling on the Ocean Parkway during rush hour is not for the faint of heart, with traffic routinely moving at seventy-five miles per hour. We had learned through years of traversing this roadway that maintaining a minimum speed of sixty miles per hour was necessary to prevent being rearended. Long ago, we had developed the habit of checking the shoulder of the parkway for birds as we drove, and doubling back to check anything that looked interesting. As we approached the Cedar Beach marina KF noted a buffy-chested bird standing under a shrub on the north shoulder of the parkway. It looked intriguing, although we had no idea what it might be. Carefully making the turn to head east we were soon heading west again, approaching the location where the bird had been seen-and there it was, feeding right along the edge of the shrubline. Meanwhile, cars sped by only five feet away, shaking our car as they whizzed by. Sue and I both said "It's a rail!", which is curious, because, in many ways, this bird looked decidedly unrail-like, more suggestive of a female quail or grouse.