Dateline: 4 July 2022
Surprise, surprise – not Gull Point, but rather Tom’s Point, out at lovely Lake Chautauqua! Photos from a special team expedition this past Saturday.
A beautiful spot right off the I86 W Lake Rd exit for Lakewood/Stow. Great short hike along a mowed trail combining forest, field edge, and lake views.
Insect with Common Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva):
Representative field view:
Fair amount of bird activity even mid-day. Here’s lovely American Goldfinch (m):
These are probably the Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album), but could be Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis):
Unable to get a shot of the front of the wings, and the distinctive marking (see bottom middle white spot in following shot) is unclear due to the angle:
Lots of House Wren activity:
More warbler activity along this trail than expected this time of year. First, an amazing Chestnut-sided Warbler:
Mandatory Yellow Warbler content:
Big news, and a BirdingPI.com first, a surprise sighting of Blue-winged Warbler! Note the dark eyeline, overall dark-ish wings with two wing bars, and white undertail coverts. (Per the Internet: “Undertail coverts are the feathers that smooth the transition between belly and tail.”) Should be noted that New York state is in the Blue-winged Warbler’s expected summer range.
Wishing everyone in the US a Happy Independence Day!
