[nysbirds-l] Bank Swallows

[Luke Ormand]

I visited the Bank Swallow Colony again on Lidge Dr. in Farmingville and the
birds were quite active.  Had a little success with photography though they
still prove to be faster than me!  The colonies all seemed active and will
be able to fledge there young before construction at the site resumes.  In
addition, the Eastern Kingbird nest at Brookhaven Town Hall had a bird still
sitting on eggs.  For photos of the swallows, see my post:
http://birdsoflongisland.blogspot.com/2011/06/bank-swallows.html



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www.birdsoflongisland.blogspot.com

www.wildlongisland.blogspot.com

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[nysbirds-l] Hooded Crow -Yes

[Mike]

If anyone is interested, the Hooded Crow is still here in the parking lot at 
Crooke's Point. It's in the south gravel lot with the bathroom shack near the 
pines. 

-Mike Shanley 

Sent from my iPhone
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RE: [nysbirds-l] Hooded Crow - Great Kills Park, Staten Island 6/20

[Shaibal Mitra]

Wow!

The photos clearly show a Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix) rather than an 
Indian House Crow (C. splendens). The latter is a famed ship-rider and has 
colonized many far-flung seaports in this fashion. I certainly wouldn't 
automatically presume captive over natural (albeit ship-assisted) origins for 
Hooded Crow.

Shai Mitra

From: bounce-37731909-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-37731909-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Rawshanks 
[falec...@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 4:49 PM
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Hooded Crow - Great Kills Park, Staten Island 6/20

A Hooded Crow was seen and photographed by Seth Wollney (and later myself) 
yesterday (6/20) at the Crookes Point "fisherman's" parking lot at Great Kills 
Park on Staten Island. The bird was present until sundown yesterday, but has 
not been relocated as of this morning. Supposedly, the bird had been present 
for at least a few days prior and had been seen by some of the locals. There 
has been some discussion about the origin of the bird and whether or not it may 
constitute a legitimate wild individual or an escape.  If anyone on this list 
could share some insight on the status of this bird in captivity, it would be 
helpful.  Dick Veit and Shai Mitra have been contacted, and we are currently 
waiting for their input. I will post the pictures to the Staten Island 
Naturalist website later today (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sinaturalist). If 
anyone goes for the bird, be aware that Crooke's Point allows parking by permit 
only. You can park at the last paved lot and walk down the gravel road towards 
the "fisherman's" lot.

Thanks.

-Mike Shanley

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Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only as of July 1, 
2011

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[nysbirds-l] Gyrfalcon: an honorary seabird with little taste for change

[Angus Wilson]

I hope this isn't too far off-topic but I came across a couple fascinating
new(ish) findings about Gyrfalcon, a rare and much lusted after vagrant to
New York.

First, tracking studies by Dr. Kurt Burnham (High Arctic Institute, Illinois
US and the University of Oxford, UK) and Dr. Ian Newton (Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology, Oxford University, UK) of Gyrs nesting in Greenland has
revealed that some effectively winter at sea. These studies will be
published in the July issue of The Ibis [Burnham, KK and I Newton (2011)
Seasonal movements of Gyrfalcons Falco rusticolus include extensive periods
at sea. Ibis 153(3): 468-484].

A juvenile female in their study population traveled more than 2,800 miles
(4,500 km) over 200 days, spending more  half that time over the ocean
between Greenland and Iceland. Now of course these are areas of winter pack
ice and the birds can land on the ice, but still it's an extraordinary
adaptation for a non-waterbird. It makes sense that they might follow alcids
such as Black Guillemot and various gulls that exploit the edges of the sea
ice as their winter habitat. Like Peregrines, Gyrfalcons engage in long
over-water flights and there are a number of records of white-morph
(Greenland) birds coming aboard ships in the North Atlantic, closer to
Europe than Greenland.

Second, the same team have shown that generations of Gyrfalcons use the same
nesting ledge for hundreds if not thousands of years. Carbon dating of the
guano (evidently an extensive mound) in active nests has put the usage of
one site as far back as 2,360 to 2,740 years. They even dated a Gyrfalcon
feather to 670 years (I guess that would count as a family heirloom).
Unfortunately, this amazing continuity is threatened by the radical changes
in climate that are occurring in Greenland at the present time. Again, the
primary data was published in The Ibis [Burnham KK, Burnham, WA and I Newton
(2009) Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus post-glacial colonization and extreme
long-term use of nest-sites in Greenland. Ibis 151:514-522].

You can read more details of these fascinating stories here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13791688
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8103000/8103872.stm

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City & The Springs, NY, USA
http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/

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[nysbirds-l] Least and Common Terns / Piping Plover

[Luke Ormand]

A kayak trip to a spit of land in Reeves Bay yielded well over 50 Least Tern
nests and some Common Terns that exhibited territorial behavior.  A lone
piping plover was feeding on the sand flats in addition to a few Willets and
American Oystercatchers.  Photos of the Least Terns can be seen here:
http://birdsoflongisland.blogspot.com/2011/06/nesting-least-terns.html

Also, Anthony Graves visited New Made Island in Moriches Bay over the
weekend and found around 50 Common Tern Nests with between 1 and 3 eggs.
 The nearby marsh island that has historically been used to breed had 0
nests after the full moon high tide wiped out whatever was there.

-- 
- Luke Ormand, Flanders

www.birdsoflongisland.blogspot.com

www.wildlongisland.blogspot.com

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[nysbirds-l] Gyrfalcon: an honorary seabird with little taste for change

[Angus Wilson]

I hope this isn't too far off-topic but I came across a couple fascinating
new(ish) findings about Gyrfalcon, a rare and much lusted after vagrant to
New York.

First, tracking studies by Dr. Kurt Burnham (High Arctic Institute, Illinois
US and the University of Oxford, UK) and Dr. Ian Newton (Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology, Oxford University, UK) of Gyrs nesting in Greenland has
revealed that some effectively winter at sea. These studies will be
published in the July issue of The Ibis [Burnham, KK and I Newton (2011)
Seasonal movements of Gyrfalcons Falco rusticolus include extensive periods
at sea. Ibis 153(3): 468-484].

A juvenile female in their study population traveled more than 2,800 miles
(4,500 km) over 200 days, spending more  half that time over the ocean
between Greenland and Iceland. Now of course these are areas of winter pack
ice and the birds can land on the ice, but still it's an extraordinary
adaptation for a non-waterbird. It makes sense that they might follow alcids
such as Black Guillemot and various gulls that exploit the edges of the sea
ice as their winter habitat. Like Peregrines, Gyrfalcons engage in long
over-water flights and there are a number of records of white-morph
(Greenland) birds coming aboard ships in the North Atlantic, closer to
Europe than Greenland.

Second, the same team have shown that generations of Gyrfalcons use the same
nesting ledge for hundreds if not thousands of years. Carbon dating of the
guano (evidently an extensive mound) in active nests has put the usage of
one site as far back as 2,360 to 2,740 years. They even dated a Gyrfalcon
feather to 670 years (I guess that would count as a family heirloom).
Unfortunately, this amazing continuity is threatened by the radical changes
in climate that are occurring in Greenland at the present time. Again, the
primary data was published in The Ibis [Burnham KK, Burnham, WA and I Newton
(2009) Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus post-glacial colonization and extreme
long-term use of nest-sites in Greenland. Ibis 151:514-522].

You can read more details of these fascinating stories here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13791688
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8103000/8103872.stm

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City  The Springs, NY, USA
http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/

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