[cayugabirds-l] SSW Barred Owl etc

At 815am, several crows alerted me to a possible threat (to them). I vectored in on a big ‘beech’ (I think, light gray) and in the V of two large trunks sat one of the BARRED OWLs. It was about 15m up and about 50m from me inside the deer exclosure, seen from Severinghaus Trail about 50m down

[cayugabirds-l] Yard birds

Our Indigo Bunting population jumped to 4 yesterday, with all of them, 3 males and a single female all at the feeders at one time late yesterday afternoon. Along with the Purple Finches, R-b Grosbeaks and Goldfinches it was quite the show! Our first Orioles showed up yesterday as well We

[cayugabirds-l] Yard birds

Our first Eastern Wood Peewee is hawking insects over our pond this morning. We missed it yesterday on our 3 am to 8 pm big day. Also, Parula warbler singing around the yard today ((missed yesterday as well). I will post a full big day report later today. Laura Laura Stenzler

[cayugabirds-l] Hawthorn Orchard

Hawthorn Orchard between 8-9AM was fairly quiet. 1 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on the South side gravel trail; 1 MAGNOLIA WARBLER in the brush where the trail opens up into the field, and BAY BREASTED, BLACKBURNIAN and NASHVILLE on the Northwest end in the open area just off the recreation trail.

Re: [cayugabirds-l] playback tapes

Steve raised a concern about the use of audio playback for personal gain, not related to scientific study. I think it is important to think of the consequences of our activities on wildlife, and I appreciate Steve raising this concern. I did 34 years of field study of Golden-winged

[cayugabirds-l] Osprey platforms and NYSEG correction

Bill— My apologies, as I gave you some misinformation the other day regarding osprey platforms on utility poles. The osprey population on Cayuga Lake is increasing exponentially and there are not enough platforms to suit their present, let alone their future, needs. Since we need the

[cayugabirds-l] SSW Bittern still there?

Has anyone seen the American Bittern in SSW today? If so, whereabouts? Thanks! Robyn Bailey -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm

RE: [cayugabirds-l] playback tapes

Excellent discussion on the use of playbacks…I'd like to weigh in… Full disclosure: I regularly use playbacks in my photography work, and have done for many years. Certainly my use has temporarily taken various individual birds away from their primary focus of finding enough food for

[cayugabirds-l] interesting WB nuthatch behavior

Yesterday, in the midst of a flurry of activity at the feeder, with visits from a large flock of goldfinches, several male indigo buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore orioles, and several woodpeckers, I observed a new behavior in a white-breasted nuthatch. The nuthatch was at the tube

Re: [cayugabirds-l] interesting WB nuthatch behavior

I've seen White-Breasted Nuthatches do the same sort of thing at a platform feeder of mine (throughout the year, not just spring), a very dramatic wingspread that I always took to be a threat display, as it seems to do it when others come near the seed the nuthatch is eating from. I've always

RE: [cayugabirds-l] interesting WB nuthatch behavior

I've seen this happening when a nuthatch is approached too closely by another species of bird at a feeder, so a kind of interspecific aggressive display. They also do it as a distraction display, when their nest is threatened by another species of bird or a mammal such as a chipmunk. The

[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma Towpath/Canal Trail Birds

A really nice variety of birds in the Towpath Rd. forest along the canal this morning. See my eBird report below. To access this area, park at the west end of Towpath Road and take the first path on the right into the woods. If you follow it all the way to the end you will be at the east end of

RE: [cayugabirds-l] interesting WB nuthatch behavior

It is a tough display to capture. I've been trying for years, and the best I have done is a little sequence that was taken through the kitchen window. I have one shot at https://picasaweb.google.com/101683745969614096883/Fall2012Birds#6012597415846746018, or

[cayugabirds-l] MIA BOYNTON-Fuertes Revisited; CBC meeting

Tonight the CAYUGA BIRD CLUB will hold the May meeting in the Auditorium of the Lab of Ornithology. Our featured speaker tonight is MIA BOYNTON, a grand-daughter of Louis Fuertes, who will present a talk entitled: Fuertes Revisited: A Bird Artist in His Setting Mia Boynton, a grand-daughter

[cayugabirds-l] Forthcoming waterfowl book

Hello Everyone, Forgive the shameless self-promotion, but I thought some people might be interested to know about a forthcoming waterfowl book authored by my dad, Guy Baldassarre, who was a professor of ornithology and wildlife management at SUNY ESF until his death almost two years ago.

[cayugabirds-l] Indigo Bunting

Just as the clock struck three, a male INDIGO BUNTING landed on our rear patio next to the feeder. It spent a few minutes sharing the feeder with a female Baltimore Oriole, then flew away. A terrific bird, one that we have not seen before in the yard. Bill and Shirley McAneny, TBurg --

[cayugabirds-l] May's Pt Red-headed Woodpecker drama!

I spent 3+ hours photographing the Red-headed Woodpeckers at May's Point this morning. Their excavation continues, and all was going well until a European Starling tried to take over the hole, attacking one of the woodpeckers while its head was in the hole. Over the course of an hour or so,

[cayugabirds-l] SSW Black-billed Cuckoo

I notice that no one has posted it yet today - several of us observed a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO this morning south of the Sherwood Platform on the Wilson Trail. Dan Lane first called it out, then a couple more, including Kevin McGowan, got on it. The Wilson Trail was rather quiet this morning,

[cayugabirds-l] Great Egret (?) Thomas Road?

Hi Cayuga Birders, Driving on Rte 79 towards Ithaca today, I caught a short look at a bird that I think was a great egret. I was not able to slow down or turnaround, so hopefully someone else can confirm the bird. The bird was near the Caroline Elementary School, but across 79 from the school in

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Great Egret (?) Thomas Road?

GREAT EGRET confirmed in flooded area at corner of Thomas rd and Route 79 - still there as of 6:10 pm Dan On May 12, 2014, at 5:42 PM, Christopher Dalton christopher.m.dal...@gmail.commailto:christopher.m.dal...@gmail.com wrote: Hi Cayuga Birders, Driving on Rte 79 towards Ithaca today, I

[cayugabirds-l] Syracuse RBA

RBA   *  New York *  Syracuse * May 12, 2014 *  NYSY  05. 12. 14   Hotline: Syracuse Rare bird Alert Dates(s): May 05, 2013 - May 12, 2014 to report by e-mail: brinjoseph AT yahoo.com covering upstate NY counties: Cayuga, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC)

Re: [cayugabirds-l] SSW Black-billed Cuckoo

Just to clarify: I did finally find the Sapsucker bittern, but it was yesterday morning, when I posted about it to Cayugabirds. Today I looked briefly in the small pond and in the vegetation along the main pond with no luck, but it may well still be around. Not much else to report from this

[cayugabirds-l] OOB - Lawrence's Warbler

Hi everyone, This evening, while on the evening dog walk around our yard in Horseheads, NY (Chemung County), I found a new bird for our yard list. I first identified it as a Blue-winged Warbler from next door (they breed in the young forest/old field edge behind our house), but it turned out to

Re: [cayugabirds-l] playback tapes

Hi all, I'm very glad that John Confer weighed in with a scientist's perspective on the use of playback, as this perspective is rarely heard in this oft-debated topic. I agree with John completely that the use of playback to attract birds, even during the breeding season, has little if any