[cayugabirds-l] Field Birds
With the sunny weather I decided to take the afternoon off and drive around north of Lansing looking for field birds. With the high snow depth they were pretty easy to encounter, foraging by roadsides and flushing on approach. Those wanting to look for them, just drive slowly along any of the less-traveled roads between big fields. I stopped to photograph three main groups with different dynamics. The first had about a dozen each of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings, and they tended to hang out with their own species but loosely associated with each other. This was somewhere along Conlon Road, I think (I need to take better mental notes). Also had a Common Redpoll flock of about a dozen somewhere here. The second group along Indian Field Road just north of 90 was smaller, about a dozen Horned Larks with 3-4 Snow Buntings and two Lapland Longspurs (lifers for me, actually). I'm guessing because the Snow Bunting number was smaller, the group tended to stay together more as one group. Before I left a lone Common Redpoll also joined this group. The third group was a very large flock of 100+ snow buntings around Fennel and Snushal Roads, big enough to murmurate like starlings. An interesting observation was that the smaller groups were more approachable than the large flock. The common redpoll flock was most approachable, while the smaller field bird flocks were a close second. I'm guessing that the flushing dynamic of these flocks relates to a single individual sounding an alarm that triggers the flush, and that the large flock was more likely to have the one jumpy individual to sound the alarm to trigger the flock to flush, but this is just conjecture. Also, flushing behavior on foot vs. by car was noticeably different: on foot they tended to fly farther away while in the car they seemed to only flush a shorter distance. When the birds were backlit I actually had trouble driving to the other side of the flock, as I just kept pushing them down the road bit by bit -- I might have had better luck if I drove by fast. Finally, at Salt Point I flushed a/the continuing Killdeer from the beach. Suan -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Field birds, Holden Rd. Lansing
There is a nice mixed flock of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs on Holden Rd. in Lansing next to the grey house with the red metal roof. They're feeding in the grassy field by the drainage ditch around the house. US-NY-Lansing-52-74 Holden Rd - 42.5983x-76.5227 Gary -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Field birds two by two
At the intersection of Black and Updike Roads in Schuyler Co. I found 2- Eastern Meadowlarks, 2- Savannah Sparrows and 2- Horned Larks. And 2- American Pipits just a short distance up the road. Happy (chilly) Birding Ken Haas Sent from my iPad -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
RE: [cayugabirds-l] Field birds
This sparrow continues to intrigue me. I recall that most birds fly from point A to point B in a straight line, sparrows included. So I did some research. I am far from an expert on flight paths of sparrows, but Peterson, in his usual succinct way, describes the flight of a HENSLOWS SPARROW as low and jerky with a twisting motion of the tail. I failed to mention this in the initial report, but as the sparrow landed, a significant tail twist was observed; but this may be a simple aerodynamic feature of its landing. This is his only description of flight characteristics in his sparrow section, so I assume it to mean that this sparrows flight is diagnostic, and not shared by others. ( I may be wrong here). The lack of observable pattern on the back also correlates here, although weakly. Lastly, since the spot of sighting is observable from my house, I am including this species as a new Yard Bird. Steve _ From: bounce-108896264-9286...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-108896264-9286...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Susan Fast Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 3:29 PM To: 'CAYUGABIRDS-L' Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Field birds I spent some time early this afternoon wandering about 2 local mown hay fields. The grass is quite short (ave. 4-6 inches) in both. In the first, I flushed a bird that, as Sibley says, was only a glimpse of a small brown bird flying away. It was up for less than 2 seconds, travelled about 30, and showed no pattern to my naked eye. The flight path, however, was distinctive. It reminded me much of the flight of a flushed snipe (i.e. zigzaggy). I searched the area for ½ hour, but could not refind it. In the second field, I flushed a dense flock of E. MEADOWLARKS. They resettled quickly, and I was sure I could refind them, which I did, and counted 35 birds. Steve Fast Brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME Welcome and Basics http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES Rules and Information http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html The Mail Archive http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Surfbirds http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ ! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Field birds
I spent some time early this afternoon wandering about 2 local mown hay fields. The grass is quite short (ave. 4-6 inches) in both. In the first, I flushed a bird that, as Sibley says, was only a glimpse of a small brown bird flying away. It was up for less than 2 seconds, travelled about 30, and showed no pattern to my naked eye. The flight path, however, was distinctive. It reminded me much of the flight of a flushed snipe (i.e. zigzaggy). I searched the area for ½ hour, but could not refind it. In the second field, I flushed a dense flock of E. MEADOWLARKS. They resettled quickly, and I was sure I could refind them, which I did, and counted 35 birds. Steve Fast Brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
