[cayugabirds-l] Caroline Woodcocks
Inspired by Jays success last night Shannon and I checked several places in Caroline this evening for Woodcocks, hearing at least one at each stop we made. We stopped on Boiceville Rd (a total of 4 birds heard from both sides of the road despite the current Shickel shack construction going on), Ellis Hollow rd near Rt 79 (a single bird), Creamery Rd (one bird) and finally on Chestnut Rd near Old 76 Rd (at least 2 and probably 3 heard). Bill Baker - This message was sent using Endymion MailMan. http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma
Hi All, Spent the afternoon checking out the hotspots at Montezuma area. It seems like a lot of birds have moved since I was out Tuesday. I did see Green -winged Teals at the pond across from the MAC and at the muck lands where some Pintails still lingered. The amount of Snow Geese was small and people out in a couple vehicles on the dike must have moved them out of there my second pass through. There were also Northern Shovelers in both the muck lands and at the end of Carncross Road. I saw no Sandhill Cranes in my travels or the Northern Shrike. The Rough-legged Hawks that I reliably saw were not around either. I also saw one lone Tree Sparrow on Carncross Rd. Diana Whiting -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] NE Ithaca screech-owl, Fri 3/18
An EASTERN SCREECH-OWL continues to roost daily in a nest box in our yard in northeast Ithaca. The owl seems clearly to have become more active with the onset of spring. For the past 4+ weeks, we have been able to see it often throughout every morning and afternoon, regardless of weather. We also hear it regularly, occasionally even by daylight. Two nights ago, I watched the owl vocalizing. This was only the second time I've had such luck; the previous time was almost six years ago to the day. As with the first time, the owl lifted its chin, narrowed its eyes as if in intense concentration, fluffed its throat feathers, intoned its long trill, then caught a few panting breaths to recover. At midday today, I heard a sustained commotion from at least four chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch from a spruce tree in our yard. I peered under the tree and into the dense branches to try to find the trigger for such agitation. I saw nothing at all until, in a flash, a small bird flew powerfully all the way cross the yard and straight into the owl's nest box. A moment later, I saw an owl perched at the hole, first in cryptic and then in more relaxed posture. I also saw an owl in the box earlier this morning. I think that there are two possibilities. 1. There is one owl in our yard. This bird flew across from the box to the spruce at some time between 8 AM and noon, perhaps to escape some living threat or nuisance, or to find greater thermal comfort on this warm day. (Songbirds have often mobbed the owl in the box, but have never managed to roust it before, to my knowledge.) 2. There are two owls in our yard. One was in the box this morning, while the other was in the spruce. Flushed by me, the latter owl joined the other in the box. I feel that the second option is just as likely as the first, or even more so. If this is so, then it would seem highly likely that the two birds are mates. Photographs are inconclusive. I've posted some here. https://picasaweb.google.com/imtstroi/EasternScreechOwl# https://picasaweb.google.com/imtstroi/EasternScreechOwl I can see both similarities and differences in the crowns shown in today's pictures and those from previous shots. Mark Chao -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] MNWR again yesterday
Hi all, As I had worked almost 18 hours of Tuesday and 10 hours on Wednesday at work, I decided to leave half an hour early yesterday to catch evening glory at Montezuma. Goal for the day was to get some blackbird flocks against blue skies. I arrived around 4.30 PM to East Road. Saw a few Snow Geese in mucklands, so I headed there. At the junction of 31 and 89, there were already lots of cars pulled out and everyone seemed to be a photographer, I did not recognize anyone as local birders. Snow Geese were fairly close to the road feeding in the potato fields. Somehow it looked like that they could distinguish between a camera and gun, they were not so worried about us being some 200 ft from them. If people walked they got a little worried and stood up and watched otherwise continued feeding. I followed several individuals to record their behaviors. The birds that were feeding in the muck had very dirty mucky legs and beaks, in some case up to their eyes. Quite a few years ago before MNWR acquired this land, with permission from the potato field owners who were working in the area, we had walked in the muck to look for Buff-breasted Sandpipers and it took months to wash off black muck from sneakers. One of the snow geese was tugging hard at a stubborn root, as a result Newton's third law Actions and reactions are equal in magnitude, but opposite in direction kicked in and goose with the opposite direction force almost hit the ground! It probably had some aftershock. At some point all goose took to air. One of the visitor called out to me, to point an immature BALD EAGLE circling. That made the geese land on the far side of the mucklands. Then I spent some time watching Pintails at the Seneca river end. I also came across a big flock of blackbirds and there were quite a few RUSTY BLACKBIRDS mixed in and I could hear their kush kush li, kushleee. Then I headed back to May's and North Spring Pool. Here I did watch incredible numbers of blackbirds heading into marsh for the night. Waves after waves of birds came, some small, some large and some continuous, when they flew overhead there was huge swoosh' sound of wings mixed in with chuckles and chucks of Grackle and Red-winged calls. They kept coming for more than half an hour. I even could get them passing in front of rising moon in the east. In the west sky was incredibly beautiful and pink and tons of other species coming to roost from that directions too. In this huge expanse of blackbirds, gulls and geese, there was one TREE SWALLOW heading to marsh. I was wondering if he is feeling all alone and lost! Little brave soul! As the sunset and moon rose and was almost dark, I saw bird sitting on a dead stump, I was thinking it could be an owl, but I think it was a REDTAIL, but looked quite eerie in the moonlight. I wished I could spend the whole night there and be there early morning to witness the return flights, but alas there is no way to camp there. It is too much to drive home and come back again early morning! It was an incredibly beautiful evening! Meena PS: I just saw a flock of TVs from right in the corner above new Vet school building. While at the bus stop my neighbor's robin was signing his attracting female type of song and soon a female flew in and he followed her around for a few minutes and then was back on his perch to sing. My robin is yet to show up! I hope to put some video clips on YouTube sometime this week-end. Meena Haribal Ithaca NY 14850 http://haribal.org/ http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Reminder: No Monday Night Seminar next two weeks...
Hello- Just a reminder that there's no Monday Night Seminar next week (spring break), and the speaker for the following week (March 28) cancelled. Our next Monday Night Seminar will be held at the new Cornell Plantations Nevin Welcome Center on campus, where the new President of the American Birding Association, Jeff Gordon, will be speaking. You can always get the most up-to-date information on the Monday Night Seminars at birds.cornell.edu/mns I'll send out a reminder the week before--thanks! Next seminar: **Monday, APRIL 04**, 2011 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM Birding Together: Towards a 21st Century Birding Ethic by Jeff Gordon ***This talk will be hosted by Cornell Plantations at the new Nevin Welcome Center on campus. *** There's wide agreement that the study and appreciation of birds is an inherently good thing, for many of us the source of some of life's most enduring pleasures. Yet it often seems that the consensus ends there. For a basically collegial group of people, birders can get awfully contentious when the discussion turns to exactly how one ought to practice the skill, hobby, science, art, and/or sport of birding. That so many terms could be applied to birding is in itself indicative of birding's controversial nature. Join Jeffrey Gordon, president of the American Birding Association, as he attempts to shed a bit of light on some of these issues, in hopes of opening a discussion that leads to a better future for both birds and the people who watch them. Speaker info: Jeff Gordon President, American Birding Association Learn more about the ABA online at http://aba.org Hear more of Jeff's thoughts by checking out his blog at http://jeffreyagordon.com/ or following him on twitter @jeffgyr ** Charles Eldermire Public Education Outreach Associate Manager, Sapsucker Woods Johnson Visitors' Center Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-1131 (607) 254-2111 [fax] birds.cornell.edu/visit twitter.com/sapsuckerwoods facebook.com/sapsuckerwoods -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Lake water Levels
This web site shows graphs of the Rule Curves for yearly water levels of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, for anyone interested in the ups and downs of Cayuga Lake. http://www.canals.ny.gov/waterlevels/oswego/water-levels.html Donna Scott Donna L. Scott 535 Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY 14882 d...@cornell.edu - Original Message - From: Elaina McCartney To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 6:10 PM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Great Blue Heron A Great Blue Heron just flew over my house heading north from Hog Hole. The lake is pretty quiet in terms of waterfowl (and very high--it's come up ~3 ft since March 1). Four Common Mergansers cruised by (3 males, 1 female) this afternoon. Other than the usual yard birds, I have several Common Grackles who are hanging out with two Blue Jays. One of the Blue Jays sits right next to one of the Grackles, and demonstrates repeatedly how to lunge at the feeder and grab seeds without perching. The Grackle follows using the same technique. Interesting to watch them interact. There is a pair of Hooded Mergansers in Hog Hole. The Golden-crowned Kinglet that's been around every day for quite a while did not show up today, and hopefully had better things to do than peer in my window. Elaina -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re:[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Lake water Levels
Also this site from USGS allows you to get graphs or tables for any period of time for Cayuga Lake: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv?cb_72020=onformat=gif_defaultbegin_date=2011-03-01end_date=2011-03-17site_no=04233500referred_module=sw Elaina From: Donna Lee Scott d...@cornell.edumailto:d...@cornell.edu Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:35:42 -0400 To: Elaina McCartney elaina.mccart...@cornell.edumailto:elaina.mccart...@cornell.edu, CAYUGABIRDS-L cayugabird...@list.cornell.edumailto:cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu Subject: Cayuga Lake water Levels This web site shows graphs of the Rule Curves for yearly water levels of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, for anyone interested in the ups and downs of Cayuga Lake. http://www.canals.ny.gov/waterlevels/oswego/water-levels.html Donna Scott Donna L. Scott 535 Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY 14882 d...@cornell.edumailto:d...@cornell.edu - Original Message - From: Elaina McCartneymailto:elaina.mccart...@cornell.edu To: CAYUGABIRDS-Lmailto:cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 6:10 PM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Great Blue Heron A Great Blue Heron just flew over my house heading north from Hog Hole. The lake is pretty quiet in terms of waterfowl (and very high--it's come up ~3 ft since March 1). Four Common Mergansers cruised by (3 males, 1 female) this afternoon. Other than the usual yard birds, I have several Common Grackles who are hanging out with two Blue Jays. One of the Blue Jays sits right next to one of the Grackles, and demonstrates repeatedly how to lunge at the feeder and grab seeds without perching. The Grackle follows using the same technique. Interesting to watch them interact. There is a pair of Hooded Mergansers in Hog Hole. The Golden-crowned Kinglet that's been around every day for quite a while did not show up today, and hopefully had better things to do than peer in my window. Elaina -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
