Late this morning I visited the Von Engeln preserve in Malloryville for the first time. Neat place. While standing at the kiosk a question mark butterfly landed on my fingertip and fed for a good two minutes. A good omen, I thought. Alas my two hands were clasped together at the time, and when I tried I clasping them to reach for my camera it left.
In the woods I heard what sounded somewhat like a fish crow, but found instead a stubby-tailed fledgling american crow reluctant to leave its perch on my approach and eventually endured a clumsy short flight to the next branch, falling upside down and struggling against the thickets for a while before righting itself. At the bog blueberries are ripening; two waxwings hung out on a snag with a scraggly yellowthroat who seemed to be trying unsuccessfully to shoo off these bigger intruders. Back around to the intersection in the swamp a loud persistent chip like a cardinal's comes from the forest floor then goes silent. Eventually I find sitting still and now quiet a chick of some sort. I am able to approach quite close for photos, but when I approach one step too far, it runs off in a panic chipping away loudly, at which point two adult ovenbirds fly in to effect various distractive maneuvers - one holding it's wings half down-folded as if injured, another flitting about then seemingly being chased by the first. Interesting behaviors to observe, but I walk away to let them recover their composure. Back at the parking lot an indigo bunting's song rings loud; I find the bird in a low branch of a tree, conspicuous as ever, before it flies across the field. Suan _____________________ http://suan-yong.com/ -- 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/ --
