Block Island Overnight

Black Legged Kittiwake over Sachem Pond

  

   In my last post I described some details on how to bird around the Block. I spent the last couple of days with really good birders and better friends birding all over Block Island. When I started writing for the bird club I made a point not to do "brag posts". It seems pointless to tell you about great birds I've seen or an adventure I've been on. However, since Block Island is the premier destination in Rhode Island for us birders, telling you about the last few days might be of some interest.

   First is my foreword- I left on Wednesday afternoon and took the 3 pm ferry. Friends of mine were already there. There were not a lot of birds on the island. The winds had been south for the last few days. The birds we saw will probably not be the same birds you would see next week. Quite possibly you would see more species than us with better wind. You may see just as many "great birds" you might see more, but it is unlikely you will have the same "great birds" except pheasant. (The players (alphabetical order- Linda Gardrel, Tim Metcalf (Tim's wife Erin birded with us briefly) Sue Palmer, Jan StJean, Scott Tsagarakis, Chris Veale, Scott's friend Sean from NY who's last name I do not know.

   I wasn't sure I'd make the 3 pm ferry due to work. If I couldn't make it, I'd take the 5 pm. Luckily, I got out of work at 1:30 and made it to Galilee fairly easily. Both Sue and Scott took cars so I sent both of them a text saying I would be there at 4 pm and I hoped someone loved me enough to pick me up. Luckily they did and Sue and Tim met me at the ferry dock. They rushed me up to where they had seen a Barn Owl earlier in the day. Barn Owl would be a lifer for me. I very much appreciated them taking me to a bird they had already seen. After a twenty minute walk it was right where they had it. I can't thank them enough. 

   After the owl I checked into my motel room and met everyone for a drink and then we went to dinner at Poor Person's Pub. I got the pulled pork sandwich that I had been dreaming about for the two years since I last ate one. It lived up to my memory of it. After dinner I went to bed early.

   Thursday

   I met Sue and Tim at 6:30 am so we could go pheasant hunting (the weapon of choice our 500-600 mm camera lenses). We saw a couple of pheasants but couldn't get any shots.  A little after 7 am we met everyone else at the north end of the island. Tim and Sue went one way and everyone else went another. Hoping I'd get to see the Barn Owl again, I went with the bigger group. Linda was taking the fast ferry over and I knew she would want someone to take her to the owl. 

 

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher

 Before we went for the owl, we walked some of the trails and dirt roads at the north end. We came across a Yellow Bellied Flycatcher they had seen the day before. Unbelievably lucky, my settings were perfect and I got a couple great photos of it. The Yellow Bellied Flycatcher was another lifer for me!!! While we were looking at it, Tim and Sue found a Connecticut Warbler! We all rushed to see it, but as CT Warblers do, it skulked and never came back out. They both had some really good photos of it. 

  We did take Linda to see the Barn Owl. It was in the same place. With a spotting scope we had a great look at it.

   For most of the late afternoon, Tim, Erin, and myself stalked a site where they had a Clay Colored Sparrow on Wednesday morning, but it did not want to visit with us. The rest of the gang went to a couple other birding locations and tried for the Connecticut Warbler again. None of us saw anything spectacular. 

   Before we went back to the motel Scott and Sean saw an unusual seabird way out, but it was too far to identify. We all went out with scopes and binoculars but it was gone. However, we did see two seals and watched a cormorant down a 24 inch eel!

We went back to Poor People's for supper and I got the same meal. Though, Sue got a lobster roll that looked amazing.

   Friday

Black Legged Kittiwake

   As we did yesterday, Sue, Tim, and I went out early for pheasants. We had worse luck than Thursday and didn't see any as we worked our way to the north end. I split up from Tim and Sue and looked for the Clay Colored Sparrow again. Within five minutes Tim called me to tell me there was a Black Legged Kittiwake flying over Sachem Pond ( I found my first grackle of the trip, thank you very much, but for some reason the Kittiwake took president). Luckily I got down to the water as it was about to fly off the pond. After a minute of circling it flew towards me, and I got some decent photos despite the abysmal sky. 

   Scott, Sean, Jan, and Chris showed up. We found possibly another Yellow Bellied Flycatcher. Tim found a Dickcissel in a field that put on a show while it was feeding on grass seeds. We also saw Red Eyed Vireo, Yellow Rumps, Phoebes, Blackpoll Warblers, and Yellowthroats in the field and the trees in it. 

Dickcissel

  It started to rain around 11 am. Sean and Jan took the 11 am ferry. Tim and Erin had lunch. Sue drove Scott and I around in the rain. Scott showed us some ocean access points. We basically ate lunch and laughed for two hours until the rain stopped.  When it finally did, we went to Andy's Way. Driving down the little dirt road we saw some pheasants and I got a couple photos of the ugliest of the bunch. We walked down to the water. Scott found a flyover Yellow Crowned Heron and I found an immature Little Blue Heron. 

  After that it was time for Scott and Sue to load their cars on the ferry. I went to Aldo's and bought an ice cream. It was very good. Two scoops, Rum Raisin and Boston Pie. 

   Once we were on the ferry as the Captain started pulling out, Sue and I both saw a "pointy bird". Before it flew away we identified it as a Godwit, which was further identified as a Hudsonian Godwit. On the ferry home we saw two Wilson's Storm Petrels and a Lesser Black Backed Gull (our second one, there was one on Sachem Pond all three days). 

Friend's with raincoats helping friends
not wearing raincoats to stay dry

   We had what I considered a fantastic trip. I got two lifers (Barn Owl, YB Flycatcher). I got three other year birds (Hudsonian Godwit, Pheasant, and Dickcissel). I missed out on the CT Warbler but made the right decision because the flycatcher was a lifer. As I stated at the beginning, we did not have a lot of birds. The trees were not dripping with them. we had quality over quantity. Tim had a good line yesterday. He said "Even if there would have been a ton of warblers everywhere, we'd still be talking about the same species anyway". He is right about that. The truth is, the birds were a bonus anyway for me. Though I got five new birds for the year, I have no idea how many species I've seen and I really don't care. I made great memories with great people, and for me, that's what it is all about.

Below are two not very good photos of a rare piebald baby deer

   

Birding the Block

    Many of you probably know that birding on Block Island can be great. Yet, if you have never done it, you probably have no idea where to begin. Luckily, Birding Block Island is pretty easy despite being ten miles offshore. Hopefully I can give those of you interested some advice.

Logistics-

   I assume everyone reading this knows that the way to get to BI is to take the ferry out of Galilee. You can take the high speed ferry or the traditional ferry.  Besides being cheaper, an advantage of the traditional ferry is that it goes slow enough to bird along the way. There are many parking lots in Galilee to leave your car if you choose

   The first ferry leaves for the pork chop at 9 am, meaning you are not going to get to the island until 10 am. By then morning birding may be over. Consider going the night before and getting a motel. That way you can be birding at sunrise. Remembering this is the offseason, motel prices are surprisingly  reasonable. You can still get a thousand dollar a night bed and breakfast if you'd like. However, I got a midweek deal for Sept 22-24 for $59/night with a shared bathroom. Check out https://www.blockislandreservations.com/  to find a place that fits your taste and budget.

This leads to getting around. You could get off the ferry and take a taxi to a birding destination. The cab drivers are pretty cool and will come pick you up with a phone call when you are done birding. The other option is to take your car. Usually one or two of my friends will take their car. Everyone chips in. Four people splitting the cost of the vehicle is about $20/each. It works out great for everyone when we split the cost.

The best time to bird the Block in the fall is after a night of NW winds. However, this is fall migration, so if the winds don't line up perfectly with your reservation don't be discouraged. It only takes one great bird! As for timing, birding is best from now until mid-October so you have time to plan a Bermuda of the North getaway. (*if you think I am enjoying using all of the nicknames for Block Island  such as BI, Bermuda of the North, the pork chop, you would be correct)

Birding-

  This section will be much shorter than you would think. Birding BI is pretty straight forward. Print out a street map and head north. When you get to the area around Sachem Pond walk up and down the dirt roads, public right of ways, and trails. Birding is best at the north end. It really is as simple as looking at trees.  I didn't go last year, but the year before we had some great birds. Cape May Warblers were everywhere. They were the most common bird we saw! That includes Robins and Chickadees!

   After you tire of the trails at the north end, you could walk through Rodman's Hollow in the southern part of the island. Rodman's Hollow is the only place east of the Mississippi to have a population of endangered American Burying Beetles. Besides that, birding can be good. My friend Jan found a Philadelphia Vireo in there two years ago.

   Last year my friends went on a spontaneous day trip in October and they saw a Clay Colored Sparrow and a Dickcissel. I was hiking through autumn foliage in the White Mountains. 

   Lastly, if you like shorebirds the place to check out is Andy's Way. Park at the end of the little road, put of shoes you don't getting wet and go explore. There is a large marsh and also beach sand. This is the best place on the island for shorebirds and wading birds. Last time I was there we had a Tricolored Heron and multiple Yellow Crowned Night Herons. Low tide is the time to be at Andy's Way

It really is that simple. Decide if you want to do a day trip or spend a night(s). Figure out if you want to bring a car or take a taxi (it would be a long walk, and if you bike, BI is hilly). Before you go know the tide and plan Andy's Way around it. Try to be at the north end at day break. Worst case scenario, you get some lunch at Poor People's Pub in New Shoreham (pulled pork sandwich). After lunch go admire the view at Southeast Light. However, chances are good you will see birds.