Birders,
I was fortunate enough to be able to drop everything on Wed. afternoon when I
got word of the falcon and take myself up to Boston. We took the ferry
from Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs, rented a car and off to the races. We had
fine but semi-distant looks at this little wanderer for at least two hours.
The
locality is the Katama Air Field which is operated for private planes, is
small
and grassy and full of food for the bird. He was hawking insects most of the
time we were observing him, though he did take time out to preen. Much
hovering and some eating on the wing. Behavior seems very Kestrel-like
(not surprising!), and he's about the same size. The feet and bill are
obviously
orangey even from a distance. A scope is a necessity unless the bird comes
somewhat closer than when we saw him.
Coming from the south the best bet may be the ferry from New Bedford as
that town is closer, but the ferry ride is considerably longer (from what I
remember; I used to live on the island). Also you'd have to deal with traffic
in/around NYC which is never charming. I have the schedule for the Woods
Hole-Oak Bluffs/Vineyard Haven trips. (Recommended: via Oak Bluffs as
it's closer to Katama Air Field, which is near Edgartown and the route is
simple. Ask me if you need to), Website for the ferry info is www.
SteamshipAuthority.com.
\
Getting from the boat to the bird: A) drive your own car, but ferry for car
is
quite expensive - $57 one way; one person, one way is but $6. B) rent
a car, which is what we did and that's much more expensive, in the neighbor
hood of $145 for the day. C) take a bus, which someone did and is probably
quite reasonable; information on buses: 508-693-9440. D) Take a taxi
w;hich I believe is $18. to the bird - take your cell phone, too,to get the
taxi
back to pick you up.
There's a small restaurant at this airport which has DEVINE lobster rolls,
which are, to the uninitiated, the best lobster sandwiches ever put together!
Good birding
Bev Leeuwenburg
703-425-8904
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