Today, from 5:30am to 6:30am, I did not encounter any transient migrants in the Hawthorn Orchard. It could have been that I was just there too early, but I certainly suspect that all have picked up and migrated North with the Southerly winds we've been having. The only potential transient migrant was a singing EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE in the North ravine area. Other than that, only locally breeding birds were heard or seen in and around the Hawthorn Orchard.
I did succeed in locating one of this year's brood of EASTERN SCREECH-OWLS. One of the adults and single immature bird were perched in the maple grove, downhill from the Northeast corner. I could hear the immature Eastern Screech-Owl occasionally producing their short "alarm" moan call. While moving West along the North ravine area trail, I heard a couple of crows going berserk over something. Through the trees, I could see an American Crow mobbing what I initially thought was probably "just" a Turkey Vulture; however, upon closer inspection, this bird turned out to be a juvenile (or even subadult I) plumaged BALD EAGLE. This bird was very low and may have been perched in the tall oak along the East edge of the Hawthorn Orchard, since the height, direction, and timing (of onset of mobbing) was about right. This year's arrival of Blackpoll Warblers really held true to the statement: "When the Blackpoll Warblers arrive, migration is over!" Well, I know it's not totally over for neotropical migrants, but the bulk has certainly moved on. We'll only be getting individuals or tiny groups of birds here and there over the next few days. Good birding! Sincerely, Chris T-H -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes TARU Product Line Manager and Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- 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/ --
