1300h There were about 10 horned larks (all adults except one immature) foraging in newly manured field, W of the driveway into the Compost Facility and N of the Pheasant pens.
Just to be complete--also present in the Compost Facility area (mounds, manured field, Dodge x Stevenson Rd) were 2-300 American crows, 2 Turkey Vultures (last seen monitoring an immature Redtailed Hawk that had just killed a pheasant in the pens), Ring billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, a few Great Black-backed Gulls, many more Red-tailed hawks (12-15?), 1 Cooper's hawk, starlings and a very dependable large flock of House Sparrows in the hedges along the drive. No unusual gulls noted. One interesting American crow interaction: an adult was preening a second crow (ragged tailed--unsure of age) when a third came in directly to the preener. This one marched back and forth, pausing and bowing its head (invite preen) at various angles to the preener, who was now just standing quietly. Then a fourth came in, paused, looked at the others and made its way to the head end of the preener; it too held a slightly head-down position and looked like it was in the act of solicitation when something brought a bunch of crows up including the much-sought preener. All unbanded...I can only make up stories. But the event resembled some we have seen in spring, when young birds try to insert themselves into parental allo-preening. Anne -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
