[cayugabirds-l] Rough-legged hawk
On a windy walk late yesterday morning in Brooktondale, I came upon what l was sure was an early turkey vulture-long wings (a bit narrow, though); long, straight tail; very dark above and below; pronounced dihedral to wings; and the characteristic rocking motion. As it flew over me, the head didn't seem right, however; then it drifted over a nearby field and began hover-hunting which gave it away as a very dark morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, the first I've seen in the area this winter. Steve Fast Brooktondale -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Ruffed Grouse collision
While we were out tracking skunks yesterday (and there was plenty of track as they wake for the breeding season) we flushed a Ruffed Grouse. As usual it beat out of cover but then slammed into tree branches much like a flushed turkey. It was a few minutes later when we heard wing flutter and closed on the grounded grouse which appeared to have a damaged wing. We recovered the bird and delivered it to a Schuyler rehabber. We've spent a lot of time birding and generally off the beaten path over the years but this is the first such incident we've ever seen or heard of. Thought we'd pass it along. Have any of you seen/heard of such an avian accident? -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ Conserve and Create Habitat -- 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/ --
Re:[cayugabirds-l] Roughed Grouse
Several years ago we had a Roughed Grouse crash into our house and fall onto our deck. It didn't survive. George Jo Houghton -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Monkey Run - South: GRAY CATBIRD
Jay Powell and I birded the trail along the south side of Monkey Run today. The biggest highlight was a GRAY CATBIRD that was on the south side of the old railroad grade about 200 meters east of Monkey Run Road. There was also quite a nice assortment of other birds including the biggest flocks of waxwings I have seen in this area this year. Complete eBird report follows. Location: Monkey Run - South Observation date: 2/20/2010 Notes: Bird activity has increased significantly in the past week and we had good numbers of birds. The most species seen this year on this walk by CLW. WEATHER: 33F. Overcast. Light WSW winds 0 - 5 mph. About 10 - 18 inches of snow on the ground. OBSERVERS: Chris Wood and Jay Powell. Number of species: 24 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 3 Herring Gull (American) - Larus argentatus smithsonianus 110 flyovers Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus 5 flyovers Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 1 flyover Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 4 Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 4 Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 10 exact count Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 4 Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 9 American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 38 Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 37 Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 6 Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 1 White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 5 Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 1 A single bird calling and seen well along the creek. Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 2 American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1 Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 1 **Rare for this season. Seen about 200 meters east of Monkey Run road on the south side of the railroad grade. It was loosely associating with a flock of White-throated Sparrow. The bird flew up at one point and we had wonderful views of it. I wonder if this is the same individual that had been around in late fall. Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 64 Highest count of the year for CLW in Ithaca area. Included a flock of 47 along Monkey Run Road. White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 4 **Partial albino showing several entirely white feathers on the head so that 3/5 of the head was entirely white. CLW had not seen this individual before. Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 13 Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 11 House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 2 American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Chris Wood eBird Project Leader Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York http://ebird.org http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] turkey vulture Q
There was a recent question about a turkey vulture being early in Vestal. I haven't seen it answered on the general list, so will try to do so. No, not early. A good reference for questions like this at this time of year (or any time) is www.birdcount.org http://www.birdcount.org/ . This gets you to the GBBC site; then hit the Exploring Results box. This gives you 4 choices-go to Map Room (upper left-hand corner). You are then asked what species you want and will have to scroll down a list to turkey vulture. Hit Year 2010, then North America. Once you get that map, you can pick Allegheny from the Region list on the left-hand side to see the distribution of TVs in NY and PA as of mostly last weekend. Some half-hardy species have started moving north, and I suspect that's what was seen. This site is great fun in addition to having a lot of information. I spend a lot of time wandering around in it. Steve fast -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Gang Wars
Carol's email reminded me of two other incidences that I observed sometimes ago. 1. A few years ago, I was on Salmon Creek road and two pairs of catbirds were confronting each other with lots of meowing at each other. Their hairs were raised (meaning their crests were erected, eyebrows raised). They had conversation quote sometime and here I was feeling like laughing at them, they reminded me of wars in Bombay apartments where two families have things to say each others over variety of disputes. I wish then I had my recorder and camera. After some enough of name naming, one party decided they had had enough and backed out of the fight and went away to other side of the road. I thinks theirs was a border dispute! 2. A couple of years ago, at the Sapsucker woods, just below my office window there was a gang war going on among the Canada Geese. I heard lot of honking, so I looked down to find one goose was being surrounded by several others and everyone was saying something to that one poor goose. All geese were putting their head down when honking. Either they were hazing the poor guy or it was disciplining him for stepping outside his line. It was a serious fight. I did not watch the whole episode, but I could hear them going on for long time, I don't know what happened in the end. Meena Haribal Ithaca NY -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] 'round the lake Saturday with Cayuga Bird Club
No doubt Susan Danskin is tired after driving 'round the lake today, or maybe it's just taking her awhile to compose the verses of haiku to recount the Cayuga Bird Club field trip as she intended. Just in case she's decided not to give a report, here's some highlights. Two cars left the Lab of O shortly after 0730, with Susan, me, Klaus (whose last name I missed), Judy T (whose last name I'm afraid I'll mess up), Larry Sara Jane Hymes, Gary Kohlenberg, and Ann Mitchell. Our first stop was East Shore Park, where we saw plenty of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, REDHEADS (a few close by, and scads of them near the far shore with at least a few CANVASBACKS mixed in), a few GADWALL, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, and COMMON MERGANSERS. The usual 3 gull species loafed on the ice to our south. The highlight for me was finding an adult male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER swimming near the red lighthouse. In the Myers Point neighborhood we found, in addition to the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE reported elsewhere, the 2 adult (1 with a wing awry) 1 immature SNOW GOOSE, more of most of the previously mentioned waterfowl and gulls, plenty of AMERICAN COOTS, and a perched COOPER'S HAWK which flew off sneakily while most of us were pointing at books and discussing field marks. This was the first of 3 Cooper's Hawks seen today. From the Triangle Diner those who spent less time indoors saw a PILEATED WOODPECKER. On Lake Rd in Ledyard in the open fields at the top we saw a female NORTHERN HARRIER, several RED-TAILED HAWKS, and a HORNED LARK. My car missed seeing a fly-by SHARP-SHINNED HAWK reported by the other car despite our use of walkie-talkies. In brushy woods by the entrance to Long Point State Park we saw lots of HOUSE FINCHES, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, and AMERICAN ROBINS, along with a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, a couple of NORTHERN FLICKERS, and - first noticed at quite a distance by Susan - a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. From the Wells College boathouse in Aurora we saw a total of 4 HORNED GREBES. From the village offices in Union Springs we saw many waterfowl along the ice edge parallel to shore. Most abundant were REDHEADS, but also present were CANVASBACK, RING-NECKED DUCK, GREATER LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, GADWALL, MALLARDS, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, lots of COMMON MERGANSERS, and 8 distant SWANS - at least 1 and presumably the rest also TUNDRA. Somewhere between stops we saw a male AMERICAN KESTREL on a wire bobbing his tail. In the Village of Cayuga there was a wide swath of open water near the east shore occupied by many waterfowl (mainly REDHEADS), and this widened out by Harris Park such that the 3 MUTE SWANS (and 1 sleeping Cygnid companion) were fairly distant. North of the railroad tracks from Towpath Machine shop we saw scads of TUNDRA SWANS and at least one which several of us thought was a TRUMPETER SWAN along with lots of other waterfowl. Two female HOODED MERGANSER swam fairly close to us. Next major birding stop was NYS 31 crossing the mucklands. There to our north we saw a distant SHORT-EARED OWL being harassed in flight by an AMERICAN CROW. I had never before considered that a Short-eared Owl is smaller than an American Crow, but so it was. The Owl out-climbed the crow, and we lost sight of it flying east. We also saw at least one female NORTHERN HARRIER and I think more than 1 light ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. There were 2 aduilt BALD EAGLES at the nest far to the northwest from the Potatoes building, and later we saw one in flight in that vicinity to our south from Van Dyne Spoor Road, where we also saw several AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. From Dean's Cove we saw several male and female RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS on the water to the south and flying past us going south. From Wyers Point Rd we saw a pair of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Our best find south of Sheldrake Point, finally satisfying Larry's wish, was a couple of COMMON LOONS. I left out a lot of birds and fun from this account. We enjoyed a nice, if limited, sunset on our way back to Ithaca. Since we were out past the scheduled 4pm end time, Susan requested overtime pay, so she deserves a bird-and-a-half for everything we found from the west side of the lake. --Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Bird Club Trip Haiku
Dave was right, I was tired, it took a while to compose the Haiku, and of course I had to watch the Olympics. Obviously not everything is reported here. It was fun to write. Hope you enjoy. Susan Bird Club trip report Tired of writing in prose Haiku used instead Fun on Saturday All the way around the lake Nice day of birding Joined by Ann Dave Klaus Sara Jane and Larry too Gary and Judy East Shore Park at first Redheads, Goldeneye abound White-winged Scoter male Ladoga Park next Trio of Snow Geese plus Coots Coopers Hawk great look Amidst Canadas A Greater White-fronted Goose Myers a success Bathrooms and coffee Pileated Woodpecker Triangle Diner Blue birds in cedars Yellow-rumped warbler flashes Road just past Long Point Wells College boathouse Choppy looks at four Horned Grebe No companion Earred No Screechie in sight Not so many birds to see Both ponds Union Springs Village offices First looks at swans for the day Rafts of ducks galore Just south of Mudlock Tundra and Trumpeter Swans No Eagles on nest Rough-leggeds, Eagles Short-earred owl chased by crow Mucklands raptor show Van Dyne Spoor no Shrike Freight trains block exit to pass Fifteen minutes lost West side at Dean’s Cove Red-breasted Mergs so handsome Evening approaching More White-winged Scoters This time not just one, a pair Wyers Point Road, there Larry wants a Loon Not one on east side or west Sheldrake, finally! Bird Club trip Haiku Dave thought it couldn’t be done Had to prove him wrong Haiku about birds Not so simple or easy Next time will be prose -- 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/ --
