While I was waiting for 2 crows to point out their nest to me at the turf management area along Bluegrass Lane (they didn't), I heard an unmistakable "chik-burr" of a SCARLET TANAGER come from the woodlot south of the road, between the buildings and the Cornell golf course. I heard a few more "chik" call notes, then nothing else. I was there an additional half hour or more, but I never saw the bird or heard it again. I checked for starlings, as I always do when I hear a bird several weeks too early, but none were singing nearby.
Other birds of interest at that spot were singing PINE WARBLER (at plantation knoll, too) and a fly-by treetop-level BROAD-WINGED HAWK. PURPLE FINCHES were singing in a number of spots around town. At my feeders on Yellow Barn Road, west of Dryden, I have several PURPLE FINCHES, at least one remaining FOX SPARROW, and 2 or more BROWN CREEPERS (I highly recommend Bark Butter for creepers; I've had more time watching creepers in the last couple of months than all of my life before combined. WildBirds carries it.) Most surprising is a male PINE WARBLER feeding on the millet scattered across my deck, alongside the extra juncos that are around right now. My yard is still full of juncos, and I'm pretty sure all of them aren't going to breed around here. It would be really fun to do some stable isotope studies to see just how the pattern of junco movement through New York maps out continentally. There are juncos in my yard every day of the year, but from how far do they come, and when? Some American Crows are feeding nestlings now, although others were delayed by the "spring" weather and are still on eggs. Fish Crows should be nest building soon. Common Ravens should be approaching fledging age, although I have only hints at one nest in the area right now. Kevin -- 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/ --
