Thanks for this reminder, Kevin. Perhaps the most extraordinary count-week find has just come in on the Tompkins County eBird alert – a Northern Parula seen today at the Ithaca Farmers Market!
As others have noted, there are many late-lingering birds around this year, as well as an unprecedented number of western vagrants scattered across the Northeast, including a Townsend’s Warbler in Elmira, “Audubon’s” Yellow-rumped Warbler also at the Farmers Market, Say’s Phoebe near Cortland, not to mention the continuing Red-flanked Bluetail in the middle of nowhere in central New Jersey. So nearly anything is possible! Finding these rarities and strays may require a shift in Christmas counting strategy, as these birds will be hiding in patches of remaining greenery, fruiting shrubs or trees, and wet thickets, and possibly more likely around town in urban and suburban neighborhoods than in the forested hinterlands (but not necessarily around feeders). Paying close attention to any chickadee or sparrow/junco flock that might have attending small birds, and liberal use of owl-mobbing playback to get close looks at every bird, should yield some interesting finds – as well as large numbers of common species. Good luck out there! Ken Ken Rosenberg (he/him/his) Applied Conservation Scientist, Retired Cornell Lab of Ornithology k...@cornell.edu<mailto:k...@cornell.edu> Cell: 607-342-4594 From: bounce-127957289-3493...@list.cornell.edu <bounce-127957289-3493...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Kevin J. McGowan <k...@cornell.edu> Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 at 6:12 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Count Week!!! Today was the first day of COUNT WEEK for the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count, being held on Monday, January first. That means, any rare birds you see in the count circle today through January 4th get onto the count, even if we don’t see them on the actual count day. It’s a little bit like the saying, “kissing your sister” to get count week (CW) birds that are missed on the real count day. But, it’s still important to log them in the official CBC database. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything fun to add to the CW list from today myself. But, I hope people are keeping track and thinking about it. Towhees, kinglets, catbirds, Tufted Ducks are around and could be missed on Monday. Dave Nutter! You’re the king of Count Week. You’re always out there scouring the reeds for CW birds. What do you have to report? ;^) Here is another thing to keep track of. Those Trumpeter Swans hanging around Myers Point would be a new species for the Ithaca count IF they ever made it into the count circle. Myers Point is NOT in the circle! They would need to be seen over near the shore of Portland Point by the Cargill mine. I don’t know if they have ever been seen that far south. I will be checking the waters along Portland Point from Myers on the count. (It’s actually frustrating to see things like coot and Great Blue Herons at Myers and not be able to count them for the Ithaca CBC.) But if people are around Myers during the day, look south and see if you ever see those swans wander to the far shore and into the Ithaca CBC circle! Oh, going to quote a departed wonderful birding friend, Bard Prentiss – Bird Hard! Kevin Kevin J. McGowan, Ph.D. Senior Course Developer and Instructor Bird Academy Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 k...@cornell.edu<mailto:k...@cornell.edu> 607-254-2452 Do you know about our other distance-learning opportunities? Visit Bird Academy<https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/courses/>, https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/courses/ to see our list of courses. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME.htm> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> ABA<https://www.aba.org/birding-news/> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
