Hi all, While listening in previous years along a ridgeline that's southeast of the Great Salt Lake and rises approximately 1500-2000 ft above the Salt Lake valley floor (in Utah), I've heard Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal call while migrating at night during the fall. More often than not, I would only hear wingbeats from the duck flocks flying over, but the aforementioned species at least called a couple of times.
I can't say I ever heard an Eared Grebe or what I thought was an Eared Grebe while listening along this ridgeline, but that certainly doesn't mean they don't call in nocturnal migration. Colby On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 10:45 AM, Andrew Farnsworth < [email protected]> wrote: > 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/ > > -- > -- 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/ --
