Hi Andy, Good request! I suspect a number of people can and might chime in on this. . .
Waterfowl vocalizations are quite frequent in some of the recordings we (Conservation Science program at Cornell Lab) made in recent years, particularly those deployments in New England, northern NY, and NJ in the fall - the list of species, while not complete, includes several species of geese, Tundra Swan, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Hooded Merganser, and a suite of others. Mike Lanzone and Deanna Dawson may be able to add much more insight to waterfowl vocalization in the Appalachian region from several years of recording there. . . The grebe situation is much less clear - I can't say that I've knowingly recorded a grebe vocalization from a bird in flight (nor can I say I have ever heard a grebe vocalizing in flight). However, it's clear, I think, that many grebes can/do migrate nocturnally (though not exclusively. . .) in many areas; e.g. Great Salt Lake and vicinity, where nocturnal exodus of Eared Grebe is visible on radar late in the fall. . . Regards, Andrew On Sun, Sep 20, 2009 at 21:04, Andy Martin <[email protected]> wrote: > I was curious to know whether duck and grebe species call in night migration > and whether anyone on the list serve has heard or recorded them. > > Geese and swans obviously call at night. One of my all time favorite sounds > is a flock of Tundra Swans passing overhead on a quiet night in late Feb or > early March. I am aware that Steve Kelling on his website > (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdcalls) has a recording of night migrating > Long-tailed Ducks. What about other duck and grebe species? > > I have looked around the internet and cannot seem to find much information. > At Cornell's /Birds of North America Online, /they list such species as > Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, Northern Pintail, Pied-billed and Horned > Grebes as most likely nocturnal migrants. > > Since 2005, I have been recording on favorable nights in March but do not > think I have ever picked up any calls that might be a duck or grebe. I do > get some wing beats one in a while. Mostly its Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, > Song Sparrows, Ring-billed Gulls, Killdeer and occasionally a Wilson's Snipe > or a Barn Owl. > > Are these birds mostly silent in night migration or possibly I just don't > live in a favorable flyway? > > Thanks for any insight. > > Andy Martin > Gaithersburg, MD > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > > Archives: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html > 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
