[nysbirds-l] "White-winged" American Crow at Bear Mountain State Park
On the morning of December 28, my wife and I were heading north on Route 9W in Bear Mountain State Park. As we passed a small pullout for the Jones Point Path (41.296018,-73.984651) just south of Iona Island, a medium-sized bird flew up from the ground. The bird was all black except for very prominent, symmetrical, white wing patches on the dorsal and ventral surface of the wings. My first thought was a Black Vulture, common along this stretch of road. However, the white was too extensive. Additionally, the bird was somewhat smaller than a vulture. Other than the wing patches, the bird appeared to resemble a crow. After a short discussion, we decided to go back and look for the bird. When we got to the pullout it was nowhere to be seen, but after a few minutes we heard an American Crow calling off in the distance. The crow was downhill on the other side of a band of trees, but seemed to be working closer. When we were finally able to locate it, we could clearly see the white patches when it flew. A small white patch could be seen even when the bird was at rest. I tried for a few photographs, but the dim light and thick vegetation prevented any clear shots. After a minute or two, the bird took off toward Doodletown (to the northwest). Anyone in the Doodletown/Iona Island area may want to look out for this unusual looking bird. My poor (extremely!) photos of the bird are posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awells48/sets/72157639163371745/. A Google search for "White-Winged Crow" reveals several photos of a few similarly patterned crows. Alan and Della Wells -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] White-winged American Crow at Bear Mountain State Park
On the morning of December 28, my wife and I were heading north on Route 9W in Bear Mountain State Park. As we passed a small pullout for the Jones Point Path (41.296018,-73.984651) just south of Iona Island, a medium-sized bird flew up from the ground. The bird was all black except for very prominent, symmetrical, white wing patches on the dorsal and ventral surface of the wings. My first thought was a Black Vulture, common along this stretch of road. However, the white was too extensive. Additionally, the bird was somewhat smaller than a vulture. Other than the wing patches, the bird appeared to resemble a crow. After a short discussion, we decided to go back and look for the bird. When we got to the pullout it was nowhere to be seen, but after a few minutes we heard an American Crow calling off in the distance. The crow was downhill on the other side of a band of trees, but seemed to be working closer. When we were finally able to locate it, we could clearly see the white patches when it flew. A small white patch could be seen even when the bird was at rest. I tried for a few photographs, but the dim light and thick vegetation prevented any clear shots. After a minute or two, the bird took off toward Doodletown (to the northwest). Anyone in the Doodletown/Iona Island area may want to look out for this unusual looking bird. My poor (extremely!) photos of the bird are posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awells48/sets/72157639163371745/. A Google search for White-Winged Crow reveals several photos of a few similarly patterned crows. Alan and Della Wells -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
