[cayugabirds-l] Robins routinely reuse nests? Invitation to find out!
To all members of Cayugabirds list, There was a lively recent discussion on the Cayugabirds-L eList about whether American Robins routinely reuse their nests. Some reported seeing reuse, a few others reported otherwise. The question is more complex and important than it seems at first glance; certainly not many cup-nesting species do so. There has been at least one paper published on nest reuse in European Blackbirds, a close cousin (Wysocki 2004. Nest re-use by blackbirds—The way for safe nesting? Acta Ornithologica, 39(2):164-168.) With permission of the List Owner, we--Marie Read and Anne Clark-- thought it would be interesting to gather your observations of robin nesting and clarify the patterns of reuse in our local robins, in order to understand when and why robins might reuse nests or nest sites. So we have developed a survey about the details of any robin nests and renests you have observed this year, with or without reuse of an old nest or site. We hope you will be interested in filling it out and sending in your data, so we can summarize your reports and look for interesting patterns. The resulting summary will be posted to the eList for everyone's enjoyment. If you are interested in participating, please send an off-list message to BOTH Marie Read ( mpr5 at cornell.edu) and Anne Clark (anneb.clark at gmail.com). It is important to send to both, since both have some away times, when the other will answer. Then we will send you the survey in the body of a reply email, with full instructions. Remember--we are interested in ANY observed robin nesting, with and without the reuse of a previously constructed nest. We look forward to hearing from you! Marie and 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Urban Merlin fledgling.
It had two pictures of a young merlin attached. I think that, since it had no text in the body of the message, save the Cayuga list material, and two attachments, some email programs reacted and stripped the attachments. That seemed to be what Peter's did. Mine came through with clearly .jpg attachments, which seemed reasonable for the subject line, so I opened them. They may have been sent from a phone, perhaps one like mine, which is not very smart and takes low-pixel pictures. Anne On Jun 28, 2015, at 7:07 PM, Meena Madhav Haribal wrote: After your question i did not dare to open. So i cant answer your question. Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone - Reply message - From: Peter psara...@rochester.rr.com To: John Confer con...@ithaca.edu, CAYUGABIRDS-L cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Urban Merlin fledgling. Date: Sun, Jun 28, 2015 5:52 pm Hi folks. Can any out there tell me if this is a legitimate email from John. It is very similar to one I received recently from another group member. I don't know why she or John would be sending it. Many thanks. Pete Saracino On 6/27/2015 5:01 PM, John Confer wrote: -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2015.0.5961 / Virus Database: 4365/10108 - Release Date: 06/27/15 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Yellow-billed cuckoo fledgling--just out of Basin
Finally saw one of the yellow-billed cuckoos (pair) that have been singing/calling in our Back Six acres on Hile School Rd, Freeville. And it had a fledgling sitting near it, quietly looking like a very stubby yellow-billed cuckoo. I couldn't get pictures of the fledgling deep in the bushes, but the adult gave me quite a few by hopping around and looking watchful in the upper bush. A testimonial to cuckoos's rapid development--David saw a parent carrying nesting material only a few weeks ago. Now going to get the exact date. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Yellow-billed cuckoo-Sanctuary Dr.
Seeing Chris' report of one in Sapsucker woods, maybe this is of interest. At 830 am today, there was one very vocal at the end of Sanctuary Dr, both in the Salem Park woods at west dead end of Drive, and then moving over to the woods to the SE, across the new private road that connects to Salem. It is not a bad recording spot, being pretty quiet. It did some knocking and also gave some serial Kwolps, repeatedly. Maybe it is the same one, unsure of where it is going to end up? 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] hummingbird aggression
Hile School Rd, just out of Basin: THree ruby throated hummingbirds are at war over the feeder starting yesterday, when a male showed up. Two female-plumaged birds had been sharing' for a day, even been drinking at the same time. The male is not welcome and one or both females have displaced him and driven him away numerous times. They are wasting a lot of the sugar water energy buzzing around the tree like a hive of large angry bees. I hadn't known that female hummingbirds might be dominant over males, or at least hungry enough to win fights. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Orange-winged Blackbird
At this time of year, there are many yearling (hatched in 2014) males who are not yet in full color. Having orange epaulets is not unusual for this age group. I know of one orange-epauleted male that actually bred with orange epaulets, but there were complex reasons he got a chance. There is extensive variation in brightness and hue of epaulets and also degree to which the males' contour feathers are all black or edged with brown. Brown edgings are thought to mean a younger male. Anne On May 8, 2015, at 9:49 PM, W. Larry Hymes wrote: For the past couple days we've had a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD with ORANGE EPAULETS --- no red whatsoever. Have others noticed this in this species before? Larry -- W. Larry Hymes 120 Vine Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu -- 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/ -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Barred owl calling tonight
Maybe I just haven't been out and listening at the right moment, but this is the first I have heard this spring/suddenly summer. Not too far North of the middle of Hile School Road, Freeville. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] New study about bird feeding and effects on urban species
Not a new FOY bird, but a new study out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today shows--experimentally-- effects of birdfeeding on the dominance of invasive species over native ones. This was done in New Zealand, whose native birds have been, well, all too easily dominated? In any case, here is a nice write-up about the study. We can decide for ourselves how broadly to apply the results to the USA. The authors are, reportedly, careful to say that the results may apply differently where invasive and native birds contrast less in what they eat and how they compete. http://conservationmagazine.org/2015/05/beware-of-the-backyard-bird-feeder/ cheers, 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] White-crowned Sparrow
One expectantly visiting my porch this morning--Hile School Rd, just out of Basin. First I have seen. Also reported in Broome Co. this morning. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Over Hile School Rd-osprey and broad-winged hawk
5-4-15 Just now 0945, while an FOY gorgeous male Baltimore Oriole sang and a Yellow Warbler zoomed off, an Osprey and a Broad-winged Hawk soared overhead, drifting-flapping-drifting to the NW. I don't often see osprey over the yard, but there are many smaller waterbodies about, of course. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] young Tundra Swan-Herman Rd nr Dryden
One young Tundra Swan walking and paddling among assorted Canada geese, Mallards and Herring Gulls, at 7pm this evening, on the receding overflow of Fall Creek along Herman Rd, just S of 38, E side of the road. It was the only swan there. I am assuming no one has a pet or hand reared one nearby. It was nicely white on the back but still cloudy, patchy grey up the neck and head. No sign of yellow near the eye and a very faint pinkish hue still, centrally on the upper bill. There have been a lot of waterfowl on the flooded creek near Freeville, including a Redhead on Saturday Apr 4. For a variety of reasons, I don't have an accurate list of other species on that day. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Photogenic: Merlins courting-mating
And possibly using a well-known crow's nest...that is the 2014 nest of our oldest known female crow MP--18 years old this spring and trying to nest nearby. Merlin pair courting and copulating and preening beside each other--observed today, April 3 2015, at the corner of Christopher La. and the E leg of Christopher Circle, trees behind 100 Christopher La. A pair (same?) was observed at about the same time last year, at the corner of Warren and Christopher La. They made repeated forays at MP on her first 2014 nest. Her nest ultimately failed at about 20 da after hatching. I am not laying any blame, but just saying that they may have thought it was a good nest at the time. Today I did not actually see them in the old nest, but the nest isn't very visible, in the top of the larger, fuller of two white pines. And my impression is that she is not incubating. Crow MP and her mate appear to be nesting farther S in the circle, probably in the spruces mid-circle. But I have not found it yet. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] redwings, grackles, brown-headed cowbirds, oh my
Today, 15 Mar 15, at my feeders, 147 Hile School Rd, Freeville, a hop-skip and wing-pump out of the Basin. At least 6 Common Grackles and 6 male Redwinged Blackbirds in the morning; 2 male cowbirds around 1600h. With 2 groups of feeders and birds going back and forth, not sure of total redwings and grackles. Several younger male grackles also. The redwings displayed an almost continuous range of variation in breeding plumage development from 'young, very-dark-female-type, with a pale cream epaulet of sorts always showing' to fully black adult with red-yellow epaulet, under full control (sometimes showing, sometimes not). I don't actually know that older males are able to exert more control over whether the epaulet shows but they seem to. Also a local group of 10-12 crows was skittering around on the new snow gathering up something that may have been ash seeds blowing around on the surface. I was too far to see the items, but they were picking things up off the surface and seemed to have to chase them a little in the morning wind. I have never seen this behavior before. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Turkey Vulture
To give a Wed 25th Feb update on Turkey Vulture whereabouts, about 15 were either swirling around or sitting in the spruce trees behind the Varna Community Center on 366 today at about 230. There may well have been more in the spruces, hidden. They may be using these trees as a small local roost. At least a couple more were out at the Stevenson Road Composting Facility/Game Farm, a few minutes later. The younger of the two Bald Eagles that Kevin described at the morning Compost Piles was circling this area also, sailing between Fall Creek and the Compost Piles. I saw it circle over Varna Auto Repair and then it was circling through the Compost proper by the time I got there. (not hard, not far) Easily recognizable as the same bird. There were 7 fluffy-round Bluebirds on electric wires on Ed Hill Rd, Freeville, just S of Hile School Road this afternoon at 4pm. Anne On Feb 25, 2015, at 1:23 PM, Linda Orkin wrote: Less than a month ago II saw around 20 Turkey Vultures roosting in trees along the inside lower curve of Freese Road. Really neat, as they were all at eye level. And I've seen others flying up along 89 and other places all winter, as others are mentioning. Linda Orkin Ithaca, NY On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 1:18 PM, Jody W Enck j...@cornell.edu wrote: Hi Larry, Great report on another cold day. I have seen Turkey Vultures (up to 15) almost every day this winter locally around Ithaca. One recent day I was waiting for an early morning ride from Varna to the Lab of O and watched more than a dozen in trees across the road hanging out until some thermals started heating up (my supposition -- the vultures did not share this info with me). As long as they have access to food (e.g., compost piles, road kills, game farm critters, etc) they seem to be fine with cold and snow. Jody Enck -Original Message- From: bounce-118862556-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-118862556-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of W. Larry Hymes Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2015 1:03 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Turkey Vulture About 20 minutes ago I was very surprised to see a TURKEY VULTURE soaring about near East Hill Plaza. Having heard no reports this winter, I'm assuming this is an early migrant. I've often wondered why this bird, and the red-wing blackbirds Considering the severe weather and heavy snow cover in our area, why would this bird, and the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS that Dave Nutter saw on the 22nd, not delay their northward migration until conditions improve considerably? As they move north, aren't they taking into account the conditions they are encountering and deciding whether to proceed or wait it out? Any thoughts!?!? Larry -- W. Larry Hymes 120 Vine Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu -- 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/ -- -- 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/ -- -- Veganism is simply the acknowledgment that a replaceable and fleeting pleasure isn't more valuable than someone's life and liberty. ~ Unknown If you permit this evil, what is the good of the good of your life? -Stanley Kunitz... -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Question on American Crow roost
Hi Mona and all. Thanks so much for the information. I will answer Mona at greater length separately. But I do want to take this chance to reiterate our interest in information like this about crow roosts around the state, in the context of a major two year study. Hopefully soon, but perhaps not in time for this winter, we will have a reporting website where details of location, size, etc for crow roosts can be left for us...as well as any negative comments about the effects of roosting crows. It is in part those effects on which the study is focussed. The url will be www.crowroosts.org. Thus, if anyone is seeing regular night roosts of hundreds to thousands of crows anywhere in upstate NY, not just the Basin, I would greatly appreciate hearing about them. Just drop me an email. Many thanks, Anne On Feb 21, 2015, at 9:10 AM, Mona Bearor wrote: We have discovered a very large American Crow roost in Glens Falls, Warren county, NY. Estimates are between 15 - 20,000 birds. I have seen many birds in past years heading this way but never tried to follow them till this year, and they are roosting in an area that is difficult to observe - along a river on commercial private property. This winter I have watched these birds come in at night from all directions and various staging areas, and have seen them at dawn heading out in all directions as well. When out in the agricultural areas east of the roost in Washington county where you can see for quite a way, I often see crows heading in the general direction of this roost late in the afternoon, but I may be 10 miles from the roost. I am curious as to how far these birds will travel to a roost. Is there any data on this? Is there a way to scientifically gather data - that is, possibly having observers at set distances in several directions to count birds when they are moving? It appears that some birds are moving in the direction of the roost in mid-afternoon and others much later, so I am thinking it may be difficult to get a handle on what is really happening. Any thoughts? Mona Bearor South Glens Falls, NY -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] spy camera on goshawk-new article
Given the Goshawk sightings and interest, I thought some might be interested in this news writeup on a new article on how goshawks hunt their prey. I have pasted it in and removed hot links, but am happy to send article to any individuals who wish to see the full deal in the journal. Anne doi: 10.1242/jeb.118539 January 15, 2015 J Exp Biol 218, 161. Goshawk hunt and prey-evasion strategies revealed Kathryn Knight Stealth is the goshawk's greatest asset. Plummeting out of the air, the raptors fix their gaze on the oblivious victim below. Intrigued by the birds' attack tactics, Suzanne Amador Kane from Haverford College, USA, decided to find out more about the factors that guide a goshawk during its approach and in the final instants before a strike. However Kane knew that she could only begin to understand the hunters' strategy from a bird's-eye perspective, and to do that she would have to team up with an experienced falconer . Taking advantage of academic contacts, Kane linked up with Robert Musters – a falconer from The Netherlands who works regularly with biomechanics to study bird flight – and his 2.5-year-old goshawk, Shinta. ‘Robert is an inventor and engineer and he designed the helmet that Shinta wore,’ says Kane, who supplied Musters with the tiny spy camera that was mounted on the bird's head. However, once Shinta was released into the wild Musters had no control over where she flew or what she filmed, ‘She would film whatever she encountered’, chuckles Kane. After sifting through several hours of hunting footage, Kane found 16 short pursuits to investigate with undergraduate researchers Andrew Fulton and Lee Rosenthal. Manually analysing the motion of background objects in the bird's vision and the position of the target during her approach, Kane was able to extract information about Shinta's trajectory in the majority of attacks and the evasive action taken by the rabbit or pheasant that was in her sights. Explaining that goshawks usually spy out their victims from a vantage point before launching an attack, Kane describes how Shinta first made a beeline towards her prey by holding the victim in the centre of motion of her gaze to minimise the time to impact and optimise the surprise factor. Then, once the target had been startled and was running for its life, the goshawk switched to a pursuit strategy where she held the prey at a constant angle in her vision as she closed in. Kane explains that this allows the predator to intercept its victim in the fastest time while also masking the attacker's approach from the victim's perspective. However, once she was within striking range Shinta switched strategy again, flying parallel to the fleeing animal, which gave her time to decide when to strike. And when Kane compared Shinta's tactics with those of goshawks filmed by British falconers David and Adam Burns from the ground, she often saw the same pattern of behaviour as she had seen previously when the goshawks closed in for the kill. However, Kane adds that although she would expect goshawks to use this strategy in the majority of cases, she says, ‘you would expect them to use different strategies in certain circumstances’. Having identified the key components of the goshawk attack, Kane says, ‘One of the other things we wanted to study was how the prey try to evade capture’. Analysing the escape trajectories of the rabbits and pheasants that successfully eluded capture, Kane, Fulton and Rosenthal realised that the survivors made a sharp sideways turn away from the predator. ‘In our videos you could see that only the sideways motion was effective at breaking the visual fix’, says Kane. Adding that there is no way that a rabbit or pheasant could usually out run or out manoeuvre super agile goshawks, Kane suggests, ‘Maybe what they are trying to do is counter the sensory abilities of the predator. They are trying to take advantage of the way the predator does its visual guidance to escape’. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd Research Article: Suzanne Amador Kane, Andrew H. Fulton and Lee J. Rosenthal When hawks attack: animal-borne video studies of goshawk pursuit and prey-evasion strategies J Exp Biol 2015 218:212-222. ; doi:10.1242/jeb.108597 Anne B. Clark, Ph.D. Biological Sciences Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 13902 1-607-777-6228, Fax -777-6521 C. 607-222-0905 Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you--Wendell Berry. -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Rough-legged Hawk-Dryden area
At 840 am, spectacularly beautiful light morph Rough-legged Hawk sailing through snowflakes going WSW across Ferguson Road, just where it leaves Irish Settlement road and continues E to Dryden. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Northern Goshawk Fingerlakes National Forest, Schuyler Co.
Hopefully this is not taking this outside the interest of many on the list but: I am curious to know the evidence on reduced nesting success in goshawks, in part because it is really important to know what such evidence would look like. John, can you direct those of us who might want to follow up to publications, people, organizations? Thanks, Anne On Jan 16, 2015, at 2:07 PM, John and Sue Gregoire wrote: Heartly concur John. Count me as a bander who has both noted this and had research muddled by such exact descriptions. john -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 N 42 26.611' W 76 45.492' Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ Conserve and Create Habitat On Thu, January 15, 2015 16:03, John Confer wrote: HI Folks, The barn door is open or the cat is out of the bag, BUT I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT DESCRIBING LOCATIONS OF N GOSHAWK WHEN THEY ACT SOMEWHAT AS IF THEY HAD A TERRITORY. Northern Goshawk are known among banders who climb to hawk nests to frequently abandon a nest, especially early in the nesting cycle, although not so much after the young have hatched.Individual birds can become accustomed to human disturbance at a low level and provide an exception. Other birds that rarely see humans may well abandon a nest if disturbed. At this time of year, they probably haven't started laying and, even if the bird is considering nesting nearby, at this time of the year the bird might just move away. However, if they did start to nest and someone visited the well described site a couple months from now, the bird might abandon eggs. I know there is an excitement in seeing a good bird, and it is very nice to share providing a very good motivation to share a siting with others, e.g., the Schofield Short-eared Owls, which do not seem to be at all disturbed by humans watching them in a car. Other species of birds may have reduced nesting success if people visit them, and goshawk are known to be so affected. Discretion in individual circumstances is advised. Cheers, John On 1/15/2015 11:14 AM, Donna Scott wrote: Where is Foster Pond, please? Sent from my iPhone Donna Scott On Jan 14, 2015, at 6:19 PM, Joshua Snodgrass cedarsh...@gmail.com mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com wrote: I went birding at Foster Pond this afternoon, because high twenties feels like spring compared to the last few days. Past the frozen pond and down Backbone trail I ventured into the brushy field to get a better look at some waxwings when I flushed a Northern Goshawk from low cover. Life Bird! She (I'm guessing based on the size) perched in a small tree and posed for a long time. Excellent views. Adult with a bright eyestripe. I took pictures until my hands and toes went numb. She never flew away. As I was returning to the trail two Common Ravens flew over calling. Awesome Day! Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/123875591@N03/16096262487/in/photostream/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/123875591@N03/15662257883/in/photostream/ Sorry I didn't post earlier, but I have a dumb phone. Good birding! Josh -- *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* Welcome and Basics http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME Rules and Information http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES Subscribe, Configuration and Leave http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm *Archives:* The Mail Archive http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html Surfbirds http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds BirdingOnThe.Net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html *Please submit your observations to eBird http://ebird.org/content/ebird/!* -- -- *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* Welcome and Basics http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME Rules and Information http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES Subscribe, Configuration and Leave http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm *Archives:* The Mail Archive http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html Surfbirds http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds BirdingOnThe.Net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html *Please submit your observations to eBird http://ebird.org/content/ebird/!* -- -- 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/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
[cayugabirds-l] Inside the circle, outside the basin
Today (Jan 2, 1520h) for the first time in weeks, had a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds in our woodsy patch S of our house/feeders at 147 Hile School Road, Freeville. Never saw them at the feeders earlier in the day. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] West Hill crow roost?-or not
They may have returned to North Campus to roost at the end. At 430-45 pm, there was a steady stream of crows coming E across the living units on Jessup Road and filling the woods of the Cornell Golf Course between Hasbrouck Community and Mockley House, as well as the trees on the S border of A-Lot. My rough counts of partly seen trees and sky-flow suggested 6-8 thousand. They swirled around for a bit until after 5pm, the dense treetop groups in woods E of Hasbrouck slowly erupting upward again and moving W back across Pleasant Grove Rd into both deciduous and coniferous trees in the campus and residential area bounded by Pleasant Grove, Jessup, Dearborn, Kelvin, Wait and Thurston. Birds were still decorating trees along A-lot, but were NOT going into Jessup Woods proper. In other words, they stayed in somewhat lit areas near buildings. I left around 520pm and it was pretty dark. No birds were moving very far west or south at that point, only swirling up and turning back into North Campus trees. Two of our 5 radioed crows were among them, based on radio signals, but I never saw a tagged bird---too diluted by untagged birds! So---late counters in Jessup Road area might get the best count. And if people do record large flocks of crows, be sure to record the time and direction of movement...that way we can probably put the observations together for an accurate count. my 2 cents! Anne On Dec 31, 2014, at 4:19 AM, Dave Nutter wrote: On my bike ride to Stewart Park yesterday about 3pm I noticed about a hundred high-flying CROWS coming from the North Campus/Cayuga Heights area and headed WEST over the valley presumably to roost, but I don't know where. It's worth keeping an eye out for them on the count tomorrow. --Dave Nutter -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Apples for breakfast-Red-bellied Woodpecker
This morning, before it was seen at the feeder, the male Red-bellied Woodpecker that frequents our suet was eating a frozen brown apple still hanging on a tree. It was drilling into it and extracting bites. Fruit is frequently mentioned as part of their diet, but I hadn't before seen one eating apples, especially not frozen brown ones. Carbs a little limited at this time of year?! Anne Clark (147 Hile School Rd, Freeville) -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] C Loons on lake
Loons, ducks, grebe, etc. all wonderful! But about that crow: I suspect from your description that it has crow droppings smeared down its primaries, acquired as it perched directly below another crow in a communal roost. I get reports during the winter of tagged crows, always seen with white tags. When there are pictures, it is always a smear of feces. Kids, don't walk under a roost at home. On Nov 13, 2014, at 3:46 PM, Donna Scott wrote: Approximately 150 COMMON LOONS up down, offshore, in Cayuga Lake off Lansing Station Rd in Lansing, many nearer west shore. Accompanied by several gulls trying to steal food. Also 10 BLACK DUCKS, 5 MALLARDS 1 HORNED GREBE that was close to my beach for a good look. At least 1 FOX SPARROW still in front yard under spruce tree along with 8 Juncos, 4 BLUE JAYS 4 A. CROWS. One Crow had white areas on rear part of folded wings, rather as if its feathers had been scraped down to structures underneath the black parts. Donna Sent from my iPhone Donna Scott -- 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/ -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] bald eagle adult? and juv-Freeville
Over field SE of my house, 147 Hile School Road, right over wood lot at Ed Hill and Hile School. 1 is a juvenile, the other doesn't look fully adult (or is molting). Juve following the more adult one, finally joining it in a large dead tree overlooking the field. Two ravens, regulars and here since early morning, resumed loud kwonking while the eagles were in flight. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Male Harrier-Stevenson Rd
at about 8 AM, a beautiful female Harrier was working the field along Stevenson Rd at Dodge Rd, working N and NE across the field E of the Compost Facility driveway. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] barn swallows
I see hundreds of tree swallows, mixed with barn swallows, over mown fields during August. On Aug 29, 2014, at 11:14 AM, Tobias Dean wrote: Our barn swallows left yesterday, some may have left a few days earlier but there was a core group that waited until sometime during the day to depart. I had counted 3 individuals in the spring, there may have been more that straggled in. A couple of weeks ago I counted around 40 individuals, though that may be under the actual group that breeds in our out buildings. It is always a sad day not to see them in the morning, though that is the annual cycle. Godspeed to them over the Gulf of Mexico, and many thanks for keeping our yard relatively bug free. I was curious about their cousins, the tree swallows. They arrived before the barn swallows, took up nest boxes away from the buildings and hunted along with the barnies. At some point in the summer they disappeared, and I noticed a few individuals in the last few days near the barn swallows. Where did the tree swallows go for the summer? Toby Dean, North Danby -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] goose poop an issue at interior of Myers Park
Border collies, coyote effigies, etc can indeed move them, but temporarily to somewhere else local. This effort looks ready to replicate the eternal cycle of geese in Binghamton that move/ are moved from Otsiningo Park to BCC to Binghamton University playing fields and back. At least we provide them with a little exercise. I wonder what would happen if a bunch of bushes in planters were installed. I have never seen flocks of geese resting in a complex bushy habitat. These could be moved if needed, but might break up the unbroken appearance of the groupy, poopy greensward. Probably wouldn't work for the people. Anne On Aug 22, 2014, at 9:16 PM, Donna Scott wrote: The public users of Myers Park (and the Lansing Highway Dept.) would balk at leaving the grass 9 inches long! We may not like it, but the culture is such that Myers Park grass has to be mowed short. I think they will have to go with 15-18 inch high goose fences and Border Collies. But then maybe all these geese will end up in Stewart Park where it is already poopy enough! Donna Scott - Original Message - From: Paul Schmitt To: Meena Madhav Haribal ; CAYUGABIRDS-L ; Donna Lee Scott Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 9:05 PM Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] goose poop an issue at interior of Myers Park The large airports have learned to stop cutting the grass so short. I believe over 9 inches discourages them. But that goes contrary to the American ideal, eh? Paul Schmitt From: Meena Madhav Haribal Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 6:41 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L ; Donna Lee Scott Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] goose poop an issue at interior of Myers Park I have not read the article, but I feel lawns are nuisance. So if you have lawn then the geese love to be on the lawn! Just my thoughts. Meena Meena Haribal Ithaca NY 14850 42.429007,-76.47111 http://haribal.org/ http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ Ithaca area moths: http://tinyurl.com/kn6q2p4 Dragonfly book sample pages: http://www.haribal.org/140817samplebook.pdf From: bounce-117763609-3493...@list.cornell.edu bounce-117763609-3493...@list.cornell.edu on behalf of Donna Scott d...@cornell.edu Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 4:58 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] goose poop an issue at interior of Myers Park See article about nuisance of CANADA GEESE in the mowed lawn areas at Lansing's Myers Park. http://www.lansingstar.com/around-town/10960-goose-poop-threatens-myers-park-attendance Members of the informal group Friends of Salt Point (FOSP) discussed this issue a little at yesterday's regular meeting with Town of Lansing's Recreation Director, Steve Colt. Steve is a member of Friends of Salt Point and is looking for humane ways to get the geese to go somewhere else. He has found a fair amount of information on this topic that he shared with Candace Cornell, me, and the other members of FOSP who are all Lansing residents. Donna Scott Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY d...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crows that hunt?
Crows will try to catch, kill and eat small vertebrates that they come across. Yes indeed, they are hunting all the time when they are foraging on the ground,in the sense that they are searching for live food like beetles, larvae (beetle or otherwise), earthworms and also, when they encounter them, small snakes, small rodents like voles, and shrews. They are NOT specialized at killing and usually use some sort of stab at, flip it-jump back, etc technique to kill small rodents without getting bitten themselves. Not sure how they kill snakes, but the only time I watched one with a garter snake, they held it down with feet and stabbed. So they search broadly for hidden prey and use very generalized techniques for capturing and killing anything they find. Their gardener-friendly eating of beetle and other larvae was noted many years ago, when it was calculated that they WAY offset any direct crop damage that they were accused of. cheers, Anne On Jul 22, 2014, at 10:26 AM, Richard Tkachuck wrote: We appear to have a crow family in our yard--two young that mew begging for food. While watching them, I think I saw an adult snag a vole and then eat it. It did not share with a young. A little while later I saw the same adult with a small (maybe 6 inch) snake in its beak. Ultimately, this was given to one of the young which swallowed it head first. Question, do crows hunt for live food? Richard Tkachuck -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fallen Pileated Nesthole Tree
Those maple leaves look quite fresh as if added recently, not during the nestling period. Certainly the leaves are so big that they must be recent. So we might hypothesize that squirrels moved in as the pileated young moved out? anne On Jul 11, 2014, at 10:39 AM, Suan Hsi Yong wrote: Walking this morning through the Mulholland Wildflower Preserve at Six-Mile Creek, I found partially-toppled the dead tree that had hosted the pileated woodpecker nest earlier this year. I found the hole and got to peek in (with my phone) to find some interesting interior decorations. Photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204339627908791.1073741829.1172377296type=1l=54608fdca7 Suan -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Not birds-but FIREFLIES tonight
It is wild out there...flashing of several kinds, low and high in trees. Give that it is hard to see birds right now, it is well worth a look outside for this pre-4th display. Vic Lamoureux put a similar alert out for Broome, on the Bluewing list. Apparently this is THE night so far if you are a firefly. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] East Hill osprey
Through the 1990s, ospreys used to appear occasionally out at the Cornell Pond Unit 1 and forage in the lake area there. (Am betting they still do--I am not there to see) I remember standing in my waders, taking out my video camera with its fully exposed 2 hrs of parental feeding at a redwing nest, only to have a hunting osprey swoop in. It was hunting clearly and gave me just time to wonder if I should (or could) rewind a short bit of tape and tape over whatever unknown feeding data there were. I stood there with my dilemma, not doing anything and then, too late to act, watched as it elegantly captured a quite large fish and flew off. Anne On Apr 22, 2014, at 9:19 PM, Candace Cornell wrote: Thank you for reporting your osprey sightings—Has anyone been able to see the nest they are building in the BTI area? Geo said Apparently the promise of owning Beebe Lake as a mostly private fishing reserve outweighs the longish commute! Ospreys are usually not territorial about their fishing grounds because fish are a moving resource that can't be easily defended. Their nests, however, are stationary and are well-guarded by the adults as is the airspace around the nest. If there is a nest near BTI, it is not very far from Beebe Lake or Cayuga Lake as the osprey flies. Ospreys prefer to live within 3.1 miles (3 km) of abundant food sources, but will travel further if they must. As Marie pointed out, in areas with limited resources, some ospreys will travel as far as 12 miles between their nests and food source. The limiting resource for ospreys in our area is adequate nesting sites. Since sturdy large, dead trees or tall live trees with open tops located out in the open and close to adequate food resources are rare, ospreys must depend on people to build osprey platforms.or take their chances nesting on utility poles and light fixtures. Eyes to the skies! Candace On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 8:12 PM, Marie P. Read m...@cornell.edu wrote: I think Osprey are prepared to go quite a distance from where they nest to where they fish. At Mono Lake (which has no fish) they fly sometimes 10 miles one way to freshwater lakes to find food, repeating this several times a day when they are feeding young. There are 10 or so pairs that nest on Mono Lake's offshore tufa towers, which provide nest sites safe from terrestrial predators. They find nest material much closer though. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com Author of Sierra Wings: Birds of the Mono Lake BasinA new book coming May 2014 http://marieread.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/BOOKS/GccYTIzOzsYA/IbcMn4rPRp58 From: bounce-114721412-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-114721412-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Asher Hockett [veery...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 4:55 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] East Hill osprey I wonder more about the selection of a nest site distant from the fishing grounds. Is this a common thing among them? On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 4:47 PM, Meena Madhav Haribal m...@cornell.edumailto:m...@cornell.edu wrote: Hi all, Today I saw at least three trips of osprey from behind BTI to Beebe lake and back once with fish and once with stick. It seems it is a quite some distance to go fishing and nest material collecting. -- 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/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] white-eyed vireo--Jessup Woods
Today about 1430, an immaculate white-eyed vireo foraged about 3 feet from me, in the sunlit shrubs at the N-most path into Jessup Woods from the Frisbee Golf course N of Alot. Sounds camera-worthy? My camera was in the car...I was just checking for a crow's nest. (Which is a-building in the SW most white pine in the copse of mixed conifer/deciduous trees at the N end of the playing fields West of Jessup Woods.) And a brown creeper whispered up and down sunlit trunks on my way back to Alot, very very close. The camera was still in the car. 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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] osprey pair courting over Jessup Woods
Today about 11-1130, a pair of ospreys, one clasping a 6-8 inch fish with both feet, circled, giving high calls, and repeatedly alighted on the playing field lights just W of the Woods and N across Jessup Rd from the Purcell Center. They moved off toward the north, appearing to stay for a while almost to Pleasant Grove Place (from my vantage point in Alot). After a bit, the one with the fish flew S toward me (still closer to PL. Grove Pl) giving high cries again, and suddenly another was flying fast after it. For a moment, I thought it was its fast flying mate, but it was an adult bald eagle. It very handily caught up, the osprey dropped the fish, the eagle caught it, and beat its way west (essentially toward the Lake, I guess). Anne Clark -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Merlin-30th March
A picturesque male merlin was atop a small spruce on the CU golf course, peering downward---just E of the red pine copse that sits on the boundary between ICC and Cornell Golf courses (NW of Bluegrass x Warren Rds). It was a less than picturesque day yesterday and I got no pictures. But it was fun to see it through my scope, as I was looking fruitlessly for crows in that vicinity. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Tundra swan pair visits Stevenson Rd Compost
Today around 1300, a pair of tundra swans was walking around on the ice of the pond at the Compost Facility. One had a strongly drooped left wing. But as i sat, getting my camera out, they took off and they both flew well, south, then turning west toward the Lake. Not a match for the many swans others have seen, but an unusual (first for me) bird at the Compost! Song sparrows also singing out there. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] crows nesting
Not too early...Kevin found a crow on Yellow Barn road incubating this past weekend and there are crows building all over Cayuga Heights. The family at the end of Sapsucker Woods Rd and Hanshaw is probably nearing completion of their nest. The peak of many years for starting incubation is about 5 April. However, they often build well before starting incubation--cradle before baby. That said...we are particularly interested in nests in rural areas. Anyone who has one, please send Kevin or I locations, off list, especially if we can band the nestlings. ALSO, anyone seeing tagged birds in their yards, or building anywhere--a note please! We lost about 70+ tagged or known birds during the last two summers (Aug-October), due to West Nile virus and we expect our younger survivors (2-4 year olds--red, grey or dark green tags) to have lots of breeding opportunities. Thanks, anne On Mar 20, 2014, at 12:11 PM, Susan Fast wrote: What I assume are two of our Yard crows have been working on a nest for about a week. It's approx. 60-70 feet up in a white pine and I can see parts of the nest from our kitchen. Earlier today, one carried a mouthful of twigs to the site, then repeated this. They took a break for a couple hours and just now I watched one gathering coarse dead grass from the Yard. After taking a wad of this to the nest, it dropped down and got another mouthful; but spit this out. It walked to another spot, pulled up another mouthful, and spit that out too. It finally got a small wad of what appeared to be the center stem from hickory leaves(which it was under), and delivered that to the nest. This seems a little early, but what do I know? Steve Fast Brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Inebriation in birds
This may be of interest to the discussion. I cannot find it now, but there was one other common berry (Serviceberry? I think not) connected with waxwing suicides against glass. We have had regular deaths on (stupid) reflecting glass (-my hawk shapes do help) when the birds ate off one tree that I believe as service berry. Now the tree has been sacrificed to an underground water system, problem solved. Anne Vet Med Int. 2010; 2010: 818159. Published online Dec 9, 2010. doi: 10.4061/2010/818159 PMCID: PMC3005831 Feeding Behavior-Related Toxicity due to Nandina domestica in Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) Moges Woldemeskel* and Eloise L. Styer Author information ► Article notes ► Copyright and License information ► Go to: Abstract Dozens of Cedar Waxwings were found dead in Thomas County, Georgia, USA, in April 2009. Five of these were examined grossly and microscopically. Grossly, all the examined birds had pulmonary, mediastinal, and tracheal hemorrhages. Microscopically, several tissues and organs were diffusely congested and hemorrhagic. Congestion and hemorrhage were marked in the lungs. Intact and partly digested berries of Nandina domestica Thunb. were the only ingesta found in the gastrointestinal tract of these birds. Due to their voracious feeding behavior, the birds had eaten toxic doses of N. domestica berries. N. domestica contains cyanide and is one of the few berries readily available at this time of the year in the region. The gross and microscopic findings are consistent with lesions associated with cyanide toxicity. This paper for the first time documents toxicity associated with N. domestica in Cedar Waxwings. On Mar 6, 2014, at 3:57 PM, John Confer wrote: Clearly, the FAA is not acting in a responsible manner. The IC campus has numerous ornamental cherry trees, some very close to the center of campus and in locations with heavy human traffic. Cedar Waxwing flocks, occasionally as large as several hundred, eat the berries on these trees in late fall and on spring return in early spring. If you squeeze the berries, they sure do smell like an alcoholic fruit drink. Without any scientific evidence, I've always assumed that it was fermented. Supporting the fermentation possibility is that 1. The birds eating the fermented berries can be absurdly tame, allowing nearly a hundred students to walk by with 2 to 15 m as class changes. 2. A great many of the birds kill themselves against the nearby plate glass windows, far more than I would expect if they weren't flying while under the influence. I suppose I have seen at least 20 dead below windows. 3. Even more convincing, I have seen an additional 10-20 lying dead beneath the trees. I never thought of alcohol poisoning, which now seems possible. In several instances the birds had berries half swallowed in their throat or in the gap of their mouth. I thought they got drunk and then suffocated themselves. Keven mentioned the major selective pressure against eating fermented berries and drunken behavior. Similarly, there have been fatal consequences among students on our campuses due to drinking in the last several years, yet students do continue to get smashed (a quite appropriate word). I guess that for waxwings, the choice at some time and place may be starvation or drunkenness. John On 3/6/2014 12:56 PM, Weinberg, Kathy C. wrote: Besides, the FAA will not allow the birds to fly with elevated blood alcohol levels. Kathy C. Weinberg Jenner Block LLP 1099 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001-4412 | jenner.com (202) 639-6868 | TEL (214) 673-1300 | MOBILE (202) 661-4930 | FAX kweinb...@jenner.com Download V-Card | View Biography Mail Attachment.jpeg CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING: This email may contain privileged or confidential information and is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). Any unauthorized use or disclosure of this communication is prohibited. If you believe that you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete it from your system. From: bounce-112957669-62235...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-112957669-62235...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dave Nutter Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2014 12:20 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Inebriation in birds I am just speculating, but my thoughts are: * The drying process would preserve the fruit because the yeasts might be unable to function without water (I surmise), just as the bacteria cannot function with low water and high sugar concentrations (my understanding of why drying preserves fruit). * Any alcohol in the fruit would be as apt to evaporate as the water, or maybe more so, ethanol boiling at a lower temperature than water. * The birds would need water to reconstitute and digest the concentrated fruit. When I eat very dry food, my stomach hurts unless I also
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crows on South Hill
These groups are winter roosts, and they are nothing new in crow life. Despite what urban residents sometimes think, crows didn't start gathering when we set out cities for them to use. Roosting in groups at any time of year may offer safety in numbers from night predators, such as Great Horned Owls. In winter, birds living in northern areas that usually have constant snow cover for months do migrate south--Canada, areas of New England. Crows don't necessarily have a particular area they migrate TO. They may go as far as an area that is usually ok for foraging, perhaps one that they are familiar with from previous migrations. There they form flocks that are made up of migrants as well as wide-foraging locals. If it gets unusually snowy and cold, they may move further south. (We really don't know much of the repeat migratory routes of individual crows. We do know that birds tagged in Ithaca in winter are then seen on territories in Canada, VT, New Hampshire in summer, and that some birds RAISED in Ithaca have been observed or shot in winter, in such places as Maryland, West VA, and Pennsylvania, as well as in Cortland, Auburn, Geneva) In the winter flocks, birds are foraging in open fields and off familiar areas. During foraging, flocks offer some safety in numbers to detect predators in day (hawks, hunters, whatever). At night the flocks flock up still more in places that offer good roosting sites, which probably includes wind breaks, places from which owls can be detected at night. So they are probably gathering both for safety in numbers and also because they all agree on what makes a good site. Cities may offer fewer predators, but also the lights may allow them to see the predators. Finally roosting in flocks that include birds that have sampled food sources widely may allow birds to find new food sources, perhaps by following the most assured and directed birds leaving the roost. So--Upstate NY has its own crows and is ideally positioned for northern crows--so flocks become big. They like the agricultural fields interspersed with trees and lots of running water sources (which may be important in cold winters)...and we also offer lots of smaller cities, with large groups of lit trees in their downtowns or college campuses. These seem to be attractive. Mid-late March is the start of the breeding season and flocking crows will be returning to their breeding latitudes. Our Ithaca pairs are already calling on territory during daytimes. As I say, some of this story is surmised from the patterns, not pinned down with hard data on individuals! We know what our tagged birds do, when we can follow them. But we would love to have gps data coming in from our birds, such as the snowy owls and golden eagles give their researchers. Bring on the Tiny Tags! Anne On Mar 4, 2014, at 7:19 AM, Sue Rakow wrote: I observed the murder of crows on Sunday evening. It was stunning. I would like to know more about why they gather in such large groups. Are they on the move or are they local? Can anyone help me understand? Thanks. Sue Rakow -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Merlin at East Hill Plaza
Hi Meena and List FYI, red tags are our 2012 cohort. Might be 6V DBAR12, raised across Judd Falls from the Herb Gardens. We are particularly on the lookout for 6V's bands-only 13 year old dad, P2 DBAR00, who has only a pair of color bands (light bluish and greenish--both faded) on right leg. We suspect that most of the DBAR family succumbed to West Nile last summer...at least all 2013 young and P2 disappeared soon after the young were confirmed fledged, around the time that our first WNV victims were turning up. 6V's siblings disappeared or died of WNV in 2012...the one found dead on territory was confirmed WNV+. So we know that WNV carrying mosquitoes were in the Mundy Garden-Herb Garden area that the DBAR family was using. The losses were sufficiently broad and heavy on breeding adults last year that we have very few families present on their 2012-2013 territories this winter. Thus, as we get closer to breeding season, Kevin, Leah Nettle (lnett...@binghamton.edu, list member) and I will appreciate any sightings of banded and/or tagged birds--to us directly is fine, so the List in general is not bothered. Thanks everyone, Anne On Feb 20, 2014, at 9:51 AM, Meena Madhav Haribal wrote: Hi all, As the bus was entering the plaza, I noticed a dark bird chasing a smaller bird. It circled around and I think it got its prey and then it headed towards East Hill cemetery. I think it was a Merlin. I also saw a No. Mockingbird sitting in the willows at the junction of Mitchell and Pine Tree road. Just now a red-tagged crow was being followed by a non-tagged crow heading towards Vet School. Meena Dr. Meena Haribal Boyce Thompson Institute Ithaca NY 14850 Ph: 607-3011167 http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ http://haribal.org/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] pair o Brown-headed Cowbirds--Freeville
9 Feb 14 In contrast with the ongoing discussions of lakes freezing, a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds (as in one male, one female) arrived twice to my feeders at 147 Hile School Road. My observations were separated by about 3 hours and both birds were there both times. They were of course, very fluffed and looked a lot heftier than their summer selves. The other feeder birds were our regulars: a male Red-bellied Woodpecker, a female Hairy Woodpecker, a passel of Black-capped Chickadees, one Tree Sparrow and 2-3 Mourning Doves. (The feeder went unfilled 9 Jan til Saturday, so these were the alert locals). Anne Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Video of Auburn crows
Those thousands surely would be reassuring if I were a crow worried about being The One to be eaten by The Owl tonight! Lottery chance converging on zero. Fortunately for Ithaca's attitude toward crows, the flights into Ithaca roost(s) do not compare. :) Anne On Jan 29, 2014, at 9:43 PM, John and Fritzie Blizzard wrote: This video of Auburn crows (click on the word link below) is just a tiny bit of what we see each evening as foraging crows return to Auburn to roost. It's an unbelieveable sight. Think the flights in Ithaca can compare? Fritzie The link to watch it on YouTube. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] a passle of snow buntings-Hanshaw Rd
At about 1300 today 31 Dec 13, there was a flighty, flickering flock of 200-250 snow buntings working back and forth on the S side of Hanshaw road, near the closest woods line, a short distance East of the SPCA. Absolutely beautiful--cannot imagine picking out one and keeping my eye on it. They were distant and only sometimes landed where could be scoped, but I looked enough and took sufficient pictures to satisfy myself that there were no larks among them. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: [GeneseeBirds-L] Duck Hunting Rules and enforcement
Am I not reading tables correctly? Doesn't the table show just snow goose and Canada goose hunting season now, with ducks having ended Dec 15? If so, why are hunters all tucking in at the end of the Lake? And why is it so concentrated right now, since Snow Geese have been legal since Oct 1? This shows duck hunting as extending Oct-Dec15? I am confused. On Dec 30, 2013, at 9:19 AM, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: For those interested…a similar conversation was happening on GeneseeBirds-L. Sincerely, Chris T-H Begin forwarded message: From: Michael and Joann Tetlow mjtet...@frontiernet.net Subject: [GeneseeBirds-L] Duck Hunting Rules and enforcement Date: December 29, 2013 8:54:23 PM EST To: geneseebird...@geneseo.edu Cc: 'Joann Tetlow' tetlo...@gmail.com Here is a link to Migratory Bird hunting regulations. http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4047.html Section Q addresses the illegality of not retrieving carcasses as follows: q) Wanton waste of migratory game birds. No person shall kill or cripple any migratory game bird pursuant to this section without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the bird, and retain it in his actual custody, at the place where taken or between that place and either: (1) his automobile or principal means of land transportation; (2) his personal abode or temporary or transient place of lodging; (3) a migratory bird preservation facility; (4) a post office; or (5) a common carrier facility. · So seeing any hunter leaving dead birds warrants a call to the DEC environmental conservation officer at the following: TIPP DEC is a 24-hour telephone hotline that is also referred to as Turn in Poachers and Polluters. It is answered by live dispatchers. The TIPP phone number is1-800-TIPP DEC (1-800-847-7332). Callers may request to file a complaint anonymously. I have also called 911 and asked for the DEC officers but would rather leave that number for human emergencies. Hope for good, safe hunters and keep your head down until January 13th. Mike Tetlow p.s. here is the link to the seasons and bag limits: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/2.html I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter. SPAMfighter has removed 512 of my spam emails to date. Do you have a slow PC? Try a free scan! ___ GeneseeBirds-L mailing list - geneseebird...@geneseo.edu https://mail.geneseo.edu/mailman/listinfo/geneseebirds-l -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: [GeneseeBirds-L] Duck Hunting Rules and enforcement
Aha--of course. I just never think of living in the western region of anything, since leaving CA. All explained. Thanks, everyone else who has also answered. On Dec 30, 2013, at 10:01 AM, Kevin J. McGowan wrote: You’re reading the wrong table. The seasons vary among the different DEC regions of the state. We’re in the Western region, and Duck season ran 26 Oct – 8 Dec, then started up again for 28 Dec – 12 Jan. See table at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/2.html Kevin From: bounce-111404908-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-111404908-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Anne Clark Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 9:31 AM To: Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: [GeneseeBirds-L] Duck Hunting Rules and enforcement Am I not reading tables correctly? Doesn't the table show just snow goose and Canada goose hunting season now, with ducks having ended Dec 15? If so, why are hunters all tucking in at the end of the Lake? And why is it so concentrated right now, since Snow Geese have been legal since Oct 1? This shows duck hunting as extending Oct-Dec15? I am confused. On Dec 30, 2013, at 9:19 AM, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: For those interested…a similar conversation was happening on GeneseeBirds-L. Sincerely, Chris T-H Begin forwarded message: From: Michael and Joann Tetlow mjtet...@frontiernet.net Subject: [GeneseeBirds-L] Duck Hunting Rules and enforcement Date: December 29, 2013 8:54:23 PM EST To: geneseebird...@geneseo.edu Cc: 'Joann Tetlow' tetlo...@gmail.com Here is a link to Migratory Bird hunting regulations. http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4047.html Section Q addresses the illegality of not retrieving carcasses as follows: q) Wanton waste of migratory game birds. No person shall kill or cripple any migratory game bird pursuant to this section without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the bird, and retain it in his actual custody, at the place where taken or between that place and either: (1) his automobile or principal means of land transportation; (2) his personal abode or temporary or transient place of lodging; (3) a migratory bird preservation facility; (4) a post office; or (5) a common carrier facility. · So seeing any hunter leaving dead birds warrants a call to the DEC environmental conservation officer at the following: TIPP DEC is a 24-hour telephone hotline that is also referred to as Turn in Poachers and Polluters. It is answered by live dispatchers. The TIPP phone number is1-800-TIPP DEC (1-800-847-7332). Callers may request to file a complaint anonymously. I have also called 911 and asked for the DEC officers but would rather leave that number for human emergencies. Hope for good, safe hunters and keep your head down until January 13th. Mike Tetlow p.s. here is the link to the seasons and bag limits: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/2.html I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter. SPAMfighter has removed 512 of my spam emails to date. Do you have a slow PC? Try a free scan! ___ GeneseeBirds-L mailing list - geneseebird...@geneseo.edu https://mail.geneseo.edu/mailman/listinfo/geneseebirds-l -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Moving the Christmas Count Date Earlier
My observations from alternative scheduling strategies: I participate in the count around Binghamton. It is scheduled on a weekend before Christmas and is not always easy for folks, depending on such variables as the last dates at Binghamton University as well as holiday events. To keep it on a weekend, the date has to flex, which makes some years worse than others for counters. And it makes it harder to plan ahead. The Jan 1st date seems like a good one for participation because it can be a set date, no matter the year. Anne On Dec 30, 2013, at 10:32 AM, Carol Schmitt wrote: I agree with Sandy. The Jan. 1st date for the count has its origins with Doc Allen, I believe. He chose it since everyone would have a day off anyway and this has worked for years. All of our data is based on this date so I would think that consistency would have value. (Kevin?) Until recently, waterfowl numbers on Jan. 1st were tremendous; it is the current hunting season that is effecting us. I want to stick with our traditional date. We might possibly have more student participation if we picked another weekend, but many people leave school earlier in December than you might think. Also, those weekends before Christmas are much in demand for other holiday parties, etc. (certainly true for our household, so we’d be unlikely to participate in the future) and I think we’d create more of a problem. I hope we can make some change on the hunting regulations at the south end of the lake and improve the situation in that way. Carol Schmitt -Original Message- From: Sandy Podulka s...@cornell.edu To: Cayuga List Cayugabirds-L@cornell.edu Sent: Mon, Dec 30, 2013 10:04 am Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Moving the Christmas Count Date Earlier Moving the Christmas Count earlier would certainly make it impossible for us and many local families to participate--there are too many conflicting required school or work, or other social events the two weeks before Christmas. In addition, the compilation dinner would not be well-attended, and I think that is an important event bringing many local birders together--it's a nice way to start the new year. Sandy At 07:49 AM 12/30/2013, you wrote: I'll stick my neck out and resurect the suggestion that we change our Christmas count date. It would be great to add the many students and holiday travelers to our group of counters. Maybe the second or third Saturday of December. Laura Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu On Dec 29, 2013, at 10:52 PM, Dave Nutter nutter.d...@me.com wrote: Perhaps the line of fire proximity of people buildings was the reason the DEC police called in the gunners who were in the SW corner of the lake tied to a tree along the shore of Treman. I saw in the background 2 adults and a child on the beach of the west shore, associated with the first house, a large new one. I'd like to petition the DEC to have the south end of the lake, say the portion within the City of Ithaca, which does not allow firing guns, off limits to hunting. --Dave Nutter On Dec 29, 2013, at 08:47 PM, Anne Clark anneb.cl...@gmail.com wrote: It sounds as if some of these folks might be illegally close to buildings, although I suppose they argue that their guns are pointing down the lake. On the other hand, in the park area, trails and inlets make a complex problem for claiming that nothing could be in the line of fire when shooting at ducks flying in and over. Do they really stop firing when the ducks swing toward shore? Per the DEC hunting regulations Question: How far from a building do I have to be to discharge my firearm? Answer: You cannot discharge a firearm or bow within 500 feet of any school, playground, occupied factory or church. You cannot discharge a firearm or bow within 500 feet of a dwelling, farm building, or structure unless you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent. This does not apply to the discharge of a shotgun over water when hunting migratory game birds and no dwelling, public structure, livestock, or person is in the line of fire. On Dec 29, 2013, at 5:07 PM, Kenneth V. Rosenberg wrote: I birded at East Shore Park on Saturday mid-day, and at Stewart Park this morning -- I must say that I have never seen so much hunting pressure at the south end of the lake. I want to say clearly that I am not against legal duck hunting in well managed areas (and I buy a Migratory Bird Stamp to support wetland conservation), but what is going on this year does not seem to be sustainable or an appropriate use of such a large public space. Boats with hunters and decoys were anchored right under the trees at the Swan Pen at Stewart Park, at the tip of the red lighthouse jetty, at the wooden buoy marker, on the beach at Hogs Hole, and along East Shore
Re: [cayugabirds-l] weekend birds, hunting pressure
It sounds as if some of these folks might be illegally close to buildings, although I suppose they argue that their guns are pointing down the lake. On the other hand, in the park area, trails and inlets make a complex problem for claiming that nothing could be in the line of fire when shooting at ducks flying in and over. Do they really stop firing when the ducks swing toward shore? Per the DEC hunting regulations Question: How far from a building do I have to be to discharge my firearm? Answer: You cannot discharge a firearm or bow within 500 feet of any school, playground, occupied factory or church. You cannot discharge a firearm or bow within 500 feet of a dwelling, farm building, or structure unless you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent. This does not apply to the discharge of a shotgun over water when hunting migratory game birds and no dwelling, public structure, livestock, or person is in the line of fire. On Dec 29, 2013, at 5:07 PM, Kenneth V. Rosenberg wrote: I birded at East Shore Park on Saturday mid-day, and at Stewart Park this morning -- I must say that I have never seen so much hunting pressure at the south end of the lake. I want to say clearly that I am not against legal duck hunting in well managed areas (and I buy a Migratory Bird Stamp to support wetland conservation), but what is going on this year does not seem to be sustainable or an appropriate use of such a large public space. Boats with hunters and decoys were anchored right under the trees at the Swan Pen at Stewart Park, at the tip of the red lighthouse jetty, at the wooden buoy marker, on the beach at Hogs Hole, and along East Shore -- yesterday there was an additional boat cruising the center of the lake to chase duck flocks. Needless to say there was not a single spot for ducks to rest safely anywhere in the southern quarter-mile or so of Cayuga Lake (and probably north past Myer's Point as well), and any flock that circled around over the south end of the lake (no matter how high) was shot at. I don't know if DEC would consider that proper management of this important waterfowl wintering area. This seemed pretty different from the past few years when a few hunters kept the duck flocks moving around but there was plenty of place for them to rest -- notably along the Stewart Park shoreline, which was not available today. This activity will undoubtedly affect the numbers of waterfowl on this year's Christmas Bird Count on Wednesday (wasn't much to count today). If this trend continues in future years, I strongly recommend that the Cayuga Bird Club move its count to the days prior to the late hunting season -- this slight straying from tradition will probably yield more accurate numbers of local waterfowl populations. In spite of the hunting, I did manage to see a few distant LONG-TAILED DUCKS and a single WHITE-WINGED SCOTER far to the north of East Shore Park, and a flock of 12 RUDDY DUCKS, along with HORNED and PIED-BIILED GREBES, COMMON LOON, and 3 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS -- all decent CBC birds if they can hang in there. There were also TUNDRA SWANS around this morning -- 2 on the ice at Stewart Park east end when I arrived, and a flock of 40-50 in the center of the lake way out. Later in the morning, as I was scouting around the Farmers Market and Community Gardens, several small flocks of swans passed over Ithaca heading south. Yesterday, at Taughannock Falls State Park, there were 2 (MYRTLE) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS with chickadees at the lakeshore near the south end of the park. Let's hope some birds survive the next deep freeze, KEN Ken Rosenberg Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2412 607-342-4594 (cell) k...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] K33 and A21
Follow up on Trumpeter Restoration Project mentioned by Kevin--all yellow wing tags appear to come from Ontario banding. What isn't immediately clear is their numbering system since 2008 (when lots of these were apparently put on). http://honeyharbour.net/reporting-trumpeter-swan-sightings/ has a downloadable info/reporting sheet for tagged swans from the Ontario restoration project as of May 2013. http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/csp-trumpeter-watch.html has lots more trumpeter watch info and places to report any trumpeter sightings, but especially those well south of us. Also there are some associated pictures, but these look like a brood that must have been banded close to when K33 was banded...assuming banding in alpha-numeric order. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tlM1p0n_Cs/Up5rsblkCtI/DI8/UqJ8rvPmdOA/s1600/IMG_1761.JPG If the two are sticking together and adults, perhaps they are a pair? anne On Dec 27, 2013, at 9:40 AM, Kevin J. McGowan wrote: Those look like clear Trumpeters to me. I believe the yellow tags come from the Ontario introduction program. Kevin From: bounce-111360161-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-111360161-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Suan Yong Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 9:20 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] K33 and A21 My Christmas day tour of some recent snowy owl spots - Ovid, Aunkst, Martin, Potatoes - found none, though there was a nice gathering of birders at the Potatoes building braving the cold together. In the Union Springs Mill Pond were two swans with yellow wing tags (K33, A21) as has been reported earlier in the month, and at risk of becoming the boy who cries trumpeter, I think that's what these are: http://m.flickr.com/photos/50094151@N03/sets/72157639067923424/ Have the Union Springs regulars been seeing these, and has anyone reported the tags to figure out where they may have come from? Thanks. Suan P.S. For those keeping track, the conclusion from my last possible trumpeter photos from Stewart Park is a tundra (thanks Lee Ann and Kevin). I failed to mention then that that bird did not look noticeably bigger than the other, FWIW. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Bird strikes-new research
suggesting work on limiting airport area food sources--research done in Perth Australia. Source: Coghlan, M.L. et al. 2013. Metabarcoding avian diets at airports: Implications for birdstrike hazard management planning. Investigative Genetics doi: 10.1186/2041-2223-4-27. To read a more general write up of this paper, you can go to Conservation Mag online: http://conservationmagazine.org/2013/12/bird-guts-contain-clues-reducing-plane-crashes/ Anne Anne B. Clark Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you--Wendell Berry. -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Stevenson Road Compost-Horned Larks
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/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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Bluebirds near Freeville
0800 A flock of 4-5 E. bluebirds, in the company of a Carolina wren, working their way close around my house this morning, on Hile School Rd. I have no feeders or other food sources yet, so they presumably like the shrubbiness mixed with open areas. Beyond that, it was still winter: a flock of goldfinches, one bluejay foraging in yard. At ca. 0730, 20 American crows out of a probable roost N of Ed Hill Rd. Yesterday a rough-legged hawk visited the area around neighbor's gut pile across Hile School Rd from my house, to which American crows responded by diving straight down over and over. This seemed a stronger response than they have given to the 2+ red-tailed hawks also visiting regularly. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] T.Vultures kettle
I checked every Turkey Vulture of 45 or more that I saw in 1.5 hours on Stevenson Road or at the Compost Facility and can report with fair confidence that there were no Black Vultures seated or in the air. Hard to say how many total, because the ebb and flow up there was constant. Anne On Oct 12, 2013, at 4:04 PM, Donna Scott wrote: At least 60 Turkey Vultures flying rather low in a couple kettles over the woods near Ludlow Road (runs north-south), which is between Rt. 34B and Lansing Station Road, in Lansing. Having just spent a lot of time hoping to see the female Blue Grosbeak (w/ no luck), I don't have time to look for a Black Vulture in the kettle. Many of these birds have been seen in the same area for a few days. Also, have seen our local flock of adult and juvenile Wild Turkeys (about 14-15) in the vicinity of the corn field of the upper part of Lansing Station Rd. a couple times this week. Donna Scott Donna L. Scott Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY 14882 d...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Monarchs a Nighthawk
Color of monarchs triggered memory of a paper I just saw: 1. Title: Forewing pigmentation predicts migration distance in wild-caught migratory monarch butterflies Author(s): Hanley, Daniel; Miller, Nathan G.; Flockhart, D. T. Tyler; et al. Source: BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Pages: 1108-1113 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art037 Published: SEP-OCT 2013 You cannot get access without having a subscription or going through a university library, but here is the abstract. Probably more than most wanted to know, but if you would like a pdf, let me know on the side! Surprisingly, little is known about how the environment influences the production of the iconic orange coloration of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Previous research under controlled laboratory conditions has shown that the temperature during larval development influences the color of monarch wings, where females raised in warm conditions had a greater proportion of melanization, whereas males raised in warm conditions had a lower proportion of melanization. These melanin-based colors have been found to increase flying ability in Lepidoptera, and recent experiments have found that monarchs with redder forewings flew greater distances than monarchs with less intense coloration. We examined whether wild-caught monarchs captured in the Great Lakes region exhibited geographic polyphenism by using stable isotopes to estimate natal origin, and hence rearing temperature, spectrophotometry to measure forewing coloration, and image analysis to estimate shape. We found that monarchs from the Gulf Coast were more melanized than monarchs from the Great Lakes, and southern male monarchs were more saturated than northern male monarchs. This supports previous research suggesting that colors that absorb more solar energy allow for greater flying ability but contradicts the patterns we expected based on natal temperature. Interestingly, this effect of color on migration distance was independent of wing shape. We provide the first evidence that the coloration of wild monarchs influences their migration ability over a continental scale, and we suggest that these differences in color may benefit the cohort of monarchs destined for long-distance migration to their wintering ground. On Sep 17, 2013, at 1:44 PM, John and Fritzie Blizzard wrote: Only one monarch all summer now, within an hr., I've seen 6 They appear to be darker in color than I recall so does that mean they are this summer's hatch? All in a S-SW flight. Beautiful, thrilling, rewarding sight! Need to go to Seneca Meadows! Coming down from the garden a few minutes ago I glanced up, looking for more monarchs when, coming right overhead, was a COMMON NIGHTHAWK, also heading south. Anyone still have humming birds? Last saw ours 6 Sept. gleaning bugs from the cosmos buds blossoms. No frost here this a.m. ... just HEAVY dew. Fritzie Union Springs -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Red-shouldered hawk
Today 2 Sept 2013, about 1330 h, a red-shouldered hawk circled over Ithaca Country Club and Pleasant Grove Cemetery, calling loudly. It disappeared to the east across the golf course. Lighting was not with me and my view of the bird was brief, but the underparts were light, not reddish, so I assume it was a juvenile. I gather the calls are associated with alarm, not just territoriality. They were certainly loud, repetitious and attention getting. Nevertheless, three well-known crows who were watching me and my car made no moves to mob it, nor did they even give a heads up call. Curious. Anne Clark -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Black Vultures continue at Compost
1330h 3 Black Vultures were preening and looking generally as sleek as a vulture can on the N end of the wooden paddock fence, E of the Stevenson Rd Compost mounds. One disappeared on me but the other 2 sat and rested after preening in about the same spot for the next hour. I didn't count, but about 25 Turkey Vultures were sprinkled on trees, fences, mounds. One charming juvenile Turkey vulture was there, looking wonderingly around. (Why do the Turkey Vulture leg colors vary so much...from barely pink to brilliant red like their heads?) Other than that, It was a 5 big-black-bird day during my watch of crows: Besides the two vultures, there were American Crows (ca 75 or less on mounds), Fish Crows (a few including tagged 06), and at the end, the ravens were calling, I thought I heard a juvenile begging and one (pretty sure juvenile--in flight) flew into the compost as I was leaving. To be more complete: Ring-billed Gulls of all ages, a juvenile Herring Gull and 2 juvenile Great Black-Backed Gulls, Mama Mallard with her now duck-like ducklings... 5G BYWY13 (AMCR) had some adventures in foraging, but that goes beyond general interest. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] A contact please to report crow deaths
Hi David et al, You may send email alerts to either of my addresses: aclark at binghamton.edu, or anneb.clark at gmail.com. I would be interested in hearing if dead crows are appearing in nearby towns, yes. And by the way, we are also in that season when I would love to hear about any flocks of crows that include wing-tagged birds on fields in the general area around Ithaca...or anywhere! Thanks, Anne On Aug 26, 2013, at 6:45 PM, dfsu...@verizon.net wrote: Anne Clark requested reports of dead crows - if interested in reports from Town of Springport, on Cayuga Lake, please provide an email address and I would contribute. David Suggs dfsu...@verizon.net -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] West Nile Virus..again
Dear CayugaBirds list, We have now several crows dead of West Nile Virus in the Cayuga Heights area and others have come into Veterinary Pathology from across our region. For Kevin, my grad students and I, it is REALLY important that we know about the actual deaths (versus disappearances or dispersals) of birds in our study population, which is centered in but certainly not limited to Cayuga Heights and Cornell Campus areas. So again, we ask for your help in noting and alerting either Kevin or I to the location (and tags/bands, if tagged or banded) of any Ithaca area crows seen acting sick or (being) dead. Those quick emails have been invaluable in past. And if you discover such a bird in your yard, please call or email and one of the Crow-Groupers will try to get there to check it out and remove it as appropriate or possible. This also means that catbirds, bluejays, robins, and raptors may die or be seen sick. The first positive bird this summer was a Wild Turkey in Michigan! And it also means that we humans should avoid dusk and dawn mosquito bites--long-sleeved shirts and pants when listening to evening or night migrants! Thanks so much, Anne Clark (222-0905) -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Red-headed Woodpeckers at May's Point
Back in the 80's when I was living in SW Michigan (near Kellogg Biological Station, in Delton, MI), a pair of red-headed woodpeckers brought their fledglings every year to eat mulberries at a productive group of trees. More unusual that they would take them to protein-needy nestlings (albeit very late nestlings). But robins in the same Michigan property fed their nestlings on mulberries. Anne Clark On Aug 20, 2013, at 6:51 PM, Paul wrote: Spent about three hours watching the Red-headed Woodpeckers at May’s Point this morning. Very active until about 10 am. Saw an interesting sequence when a Merlin made a pass at the nest cavity,, actually several passes to which the adult RHW responded with loud calls and some defensive attacks. Thereafter, the pair were on sentry duty, one in an adjacent cavity watching south and the other to the north in a tree along the river. The Merlin was in the area for about 5 minutes. They stayed on alert for about 20 minutes longer before resuming activity. More interesting was a discovery on what they are bringing into the nest cavity. (Have not yet seen chicks at the opening. Has anyone?) While sometimes, I can see that they are bringing insects such as dragonflies, at other times it appeared to be round objects. Did not seem possible to be acorns. Now, I’ve posted some images on my blog (http://birds-n-blooms.blogspot.com/) which show an adult bringing wild grapes to the cavity. There are ripe grapes on the vines in the area. On my first visit (July 24), I recorded an adult picking Woody Nightshade berries from vines at the base of dead trees to the north east of the nest tree. Had not expected woodpeckers to be eating fruit. Paul Schmitt -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] meadowlark question
I would agree on the first broods being out and fly-worthy by now, most likely. And second or later broods are probably generally less successful, at least in such birds as Red-winged Blackbirds that actually do NOT raise two broods around here, although they may try-try-again as many as 4 times. Are Eastern Meadowlarks known to fledge and rear two broods? I wonder. In any case, now is much less likely to have an impact on successful, likely-to-survive young birds. Out my way, near Freeville, massive cutting of fields happened in 2nd week of June and I am pretty sure that redwings lost many broods, directly to mowing or indirectly to the hawks, crows and others (even Killdeer?) who immediately recruited to the fields. It was not an early year for redwing nesting, from what I could tell, and the parents were going in and out of specific sites still when the mowing happened. I had not seen any fledglings. So not only is there not single magic date, that date changes from year to year... Anne On Jun 27, 2013, at 6:45 AM, Geo Kloppel wrote: First brood is probably fledged, but Eastern Meadowlarks may raise two broods, and in New York State Meadowlark eggs have been seen as late as August 1st (BBA). So there's no magic date by which -Geo On Jun 26, 2013, at 9:38 PM, Alicia Plotkin t...@zoom-dsl.com wrote: A meadowlark was singing on territory in neighbor's hayfield at least by April 28th this year. I heard him regularly, early in the day, for over a month and then my schedule changed so I do't really know if he still is singing there mornings or not. To my surprise, our neighbor just asked me if 'those birds of yours have finished with their nests' because he has been waiting to mow (!), but he says he can't wait much longer or his machinery will jam. A little research suggests that from first egg to fledging is under 30 days - so would it be safe to say that the meadowlarks should be finished nesting and it's OK to mow there now? BTW, I'm pretty sure there aren't any bobolinks are in that field - the only male we had this year seems to have left after the field across the road was mowed late last month. :-(The sad thing is that even just ten years ago we had scores of bobolinks and maybe a dozen male meadowlarks, as well as grasshopper more common grassland sparrows, and usually harriers, nesting on this one half mile stretch of road, but agricultural uses of the land have changed and now there is only this tiny remnant holding on ... So would really like to make sure this last meadowlark male his harem have had the chance to finish nesting, but not prolong it to the point where my neighbor doesn't want to do this in future years. Is it safe to tell him to go ahead and mow? -- 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/ -- -- 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/ -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] dead yard birds and WNV monitoring
Dear Cayuga-listers, Asking for your help in noting and giving me a call/email on any dead or sick yard birds such as robins, cardinals, catbirds, grackles...or others. As some of you may remember, last year brought another outbreak of West Nile virus. This hit the Cayuga Heights area crows particularly hard, but also registered nationwide as the worst for human cases. Michigan already has its first WNV case in a bird, a wild turkey. In collaboration with a colleague in vet pathology/ DEC, we want to determine the beginning of WNV hitting birds in Tompkins and surrounding counties. In the last 3 days, I have had a series of calls about dead birds in Binghamton. As far as I can tell, they included an older fledgling robin, fledgling grackles, another sick robin, and two independent cases ofl blue birds, probably bluejays. The robin I picked up was a fairly advanced fledgling, but too far gone to test. In summary, I would appreciate any word of unusual finds of dead or sick birds, especially in residential areas. Thanks, Anne Anne B. Clark 607-222-0905 -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] oriole behavior
I wonder if anyone can comment on the usual description of oriole nesting as only the female weaves the nest. I have a youngish adult male (slightly graded color in his breast, a bit of edging on back feathers, but pretty brilliant overall) at my house near Freeville. He has been defending territory for weeks. No female seen hanging with him, although I thought I saw one or two fly through earlier. But starting 2 weeks ago, the male was landing in one particular spot and I soon realized he was carrying material in his bill...short tree flower stems mostly, I thought. And slowly a nest has emerged. It is n't very pendulous, being more tucked into a spot with fine branches. It looks typically woven from the side I can see. So--I think he built it himself. If I am wrong, he started it and a female finished it and is always inside! Does anyone know of males building in the absence of females? The only other oriole using the tree is an even younger, but definite male. They chatter at each other, and the younger one has tried a few song fragments. The original male drives him off sort of, but they also associate more peacefully. The second is showing no signs of interest in the nest site. I have seen associations between young and mature male redwinged blackbirds on the mature male's territory, an uneasy relationship, but the mature male seemingly not wasting time continually driving the other off. This is how I would characterize these two. So--comments? I have pictures of males, nest including, I think, as he was beginning to make it. 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Flattened birds
My late colleague Jack Christian documented barn and tree swallows taking the low spread-wing posture, exposing their wings fully, on metal barn roofs on hot summer days. I also saw a few instances. One possibility is that direct heat helps drive out feather parasites and exposure to UV and heat may decrease bacterial load on the feathers. Actual sunning for body warmth seems very unlikely because, like an anting bird in the sun, they often pant and look, if anything, heat stressed. So I favor the interpretation that they are trading off their own excessive heating against what it might do against arthropod or bacterial parasites. I love the mousebird story--they are truly strange and wonderful little birds that I only partly appreciated when I lived in South Africa so long ago. Anne On May 31, 2013, at 7:01 PM, Suan Hsi Yong wrote: On May 12, our SFO group at Arnot saw a brown creeper do the same pose but vertically on a trunk, remaining fully camouflaged when doing so. I wish I had my camera then. Anyhow, I assumed it was sunning itself, a reasonable assumption on that cool day (40s-50s). The fact that your gnatcatcher did it on this 90-degree day makes one wonder if something else is going on. In South Africa I saw a speckled mousebird sunning itself in what I thought was an odd posture: http://suan-yong.com/s.africa.php?s=Mousebirdsk=101618 I later learned that this was common behavior for mousebirds and helps warm the stomach to digest the leaves it eats (digesting leaves is slow and inefficient and tends to work best in cow-sized beasts with multiple stomachs, not easy to pull off in a bird, though the hoatzin has managed it). Suan -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Myers, Fri 5/24 PM
FYI--to confirm a trajectory: Broome Co folks, on Bluewing list, reported more than 8 Semi-palmated Sandpipers (and more with time) as well as 6 Dunlin and 4 Semi-palmated Plovers at the Tri-Cities airport this morning. anne On May 24, 2013, at 7:18 PM, Jeff Gerbracht wrote: After work. I stopped by the compost piles. 4 Dunlin. A few Least Sandpiper= s and 24 Semi Sands. Biggest count of Semi Sandpipers I've seen in Tompkin= s County. They seem to have appeared en mass today Jeff On Friday, May 24, 2013, Mark Chao wrote: Wanting to ride our wave of recent luck a little longer, Tilden and I returned to Myers Park in Lansing on Friday afternoon at about 4:30 PM. We don’t think we saw anything particularly rare, but the birding was fun and challenging. Immediately upon arrival, Tilden exclaimed with surprise and had his optics up in a split-second. Then he paused, relaxed, and pointed out a CASPIAN TERN, a species we haven’t seen at rest so far this year. I shared a little of his shock to see that big red bill after scanning gull after gull these past couple days on that beach! Again we saw two SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and by this time the DUNLIN contingent had swelled to at least four birds. I could swear that I also saw a yellowlegs fly to the tip of the spit (big, slim gray shorebird with a white tail) but I couldn’t find it there a few seconds later. Even more puzzling were 15 little shorebirds that I think were SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. They all had black legs. Their bills all were completely straight but also quite sharply pointed. Upperparts were much more brown than gray (though not brightly rufous), with a lot of dark-centered feathers. All had very fine streaks on the breast. My instincts were nagging me the whole time that they were Least Sandpipers that somehow all showed dark legs (I wondered whether the extreme cold had anything to do with it). In the end, though, I concluded that analytic ID should trump impressions in this case, largely because I haven’t closely studied Semipalmated Sandpipers in breeding plumage, nor gotten a very good sense of variation in bill shape with this species. The field marks do seem to add up, on the whole. (I feel certain that these birds weren’t larger Calidris species, nor rare stints. They did not have white rumps.) Mark Chao -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Jeff Gerbracht Lead Application Developer Neotropical Birds, Breeding Bird Atlas, eBird Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2117 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Hummingbird
Hummingbird reported down here in Castle Creek yesterday, on Broome listserv On May 1, 2013, at 8:48 AM, Laura Stenzler wrote: Hi all, On Sunday, Braam Bezuidenhout had a hummingbird coming to his feeders, as well as an Oriole. This is in the Ellis Highlands, east of Ithaca and off Ellis Hollow Rd. I just learned of this, therefore the late posting. Laura Laura Stenzler Lab Manager Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd. Ithaca, New York 14850 Office: (607) 254 2141 Lab:(607) 254 2142 Fax:(607) 254 2486 l...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Prairie warblers off Hunt Hill Rd and Hunt Grove Pl.?
I COULD be mistaken as always--I don't trust my audio-identifications-- but am pretty sure it was two Prairie Warblers singing (loudly) on or near Hunt Grove, the dead end just off Hunt Hill Rd off Ellis Hollow Rd. Nice scales over and over. Doesn't seem like a prairie warbler habitat, although there is open field S of Hunt Hill there. Jon Weeks just reported one, his first, in Broome today. Anne B. Clark, Ph.D. Biological Sciences Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 13902 1-607-777-6228, Fax -777-6521 C. 607-222-0905 -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Observations of American Robin and Virginia Rail at Lab of O
When I was filming robins and following nests back in Michigan many years ago, grackles were major nest predators on eggs and nestlings...until the grackles settled down with their own nests and incubatory responsibilities, after which predation by grackles dropped off. (Chipmunks and snakes and other things took over at that point.) anne On Apr 25, 2013, at 9:32 PM, Meena Madhav Haribal wrote: Hi all, After a hectic day in the lab I had to go and pick up my car from the Auto works. As it looked a beautiful day, I headed to lab of because I wanted to photograph Kip's barn pond with Kip's barn reflection. Unfortunately, the vision I and several artists had seen a few years ago is no more to be seen. It is over crowded by the invasive European alder around the pond! sad :-( I was reflecting about the loss of beautiful site when I saw a female robin her mouth full of some garbage, no not actually but some stuff she had picked up from the rocks on the pond and land in a fork of the tree. Then she arranged the load in the nest and with her feet she pressed it down and rearranged a bit and flew off to get more of the same. Every time she got back she placed the material and pushed it with her feet more making a more than foot deep depression in the cup. While doing so she was harassed several time by the pesky Grackles. They actually came very close to the nest. Most of the time the male chased them away. Once she herself gave a chase to two of them and seemed very annoyed with them. I am not sure what the grackles were after, whether the nesting material or the spot itself as they also next in a similar location. Male watched them from a long distance and would run after the grackles if they headed towards the nest. I was glad at lest he did this. Female was very determined, in spite of several attacks she continued to fly to locations where she would collect good material needed for the nest. She raised the nest by an inch or so in half an hour. In between she would weave the long strands of plant material along the edge. I also took the video. Hopefully sometimes I will put it together It was amazing how well she worked weave the cup! I have seen many nests contain long pieces of plastic material. Some time as long as strips that are 8 to 10 inches long and two four inches wide. I was hoping to check some nests for the plastics to see how they incorporate them But alas not much time available I guess now. While watching the nest building, also heard fairly continuously Virginia rail doing its tik tik tik call and twice I heard it kidick kidick call. That was great relaxing session in the evening1 Cheers meena Meena Haribal Ithaca NY 14850 http://haribal.org/ http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] swallow activity over Fall Creek at Caldwell/Forest Home
Viewed from the bridge over Fall Creek at Forest Home this afternoon, small clouds of mixed swallows were doing impossible-looking acrobatics in the nippy air--certainly Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows, but probably others. I couldn't see well in the light at the time and they kept zooming up very high. Couldn't see anything flying for them to eat, though. Anne B. Clark -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fw: [bluewing-group] Banded ring-billed gull
cool. Kevin and I have both spotted banded and tagged herring gulls in Ithaca--they came from Newfoundland! I think I might be able to find the source here..If those are the last two and first digits, then there will be no problem figuring out who banded it. Try googling ring billed gulls banding. (I will give it a go, and see if it is the same people, but the leg bands are differently configured) In any case, it can be reported at the USGS Bird Banding lab site. Anne On Mar 23, 2013, at 7:02 PM, david nicosia wrote: Anyone know of a ring-billed gull study? see below. - Forwarded Message - From: Glenn Wilson wil...@stny.rr.com To: Bluewing-group bluewing-gr...@googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 11:02 AM Subject: [bluewing-group] Banded ring-billed gull Barnes Noble parking lot. Right foot silver band says94-0 and. 22. Red/pink on left foot. Glenn Wilson www.WilsonsWarbler.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups bluewing-group group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bluewing-group+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] American Tree Sparrows in song
Having read the guides, males in a flock of American Tree Sparrows at the Stevenson Road Compost Facility are singing--- in late winter before the spring migration (All About Birds) . An unfamiliar song for me, but very sweet. The flock was hanging in the low shrubbery at the two-track that goes north where the road into the mounds makes an abrupt right/east turn. I have encountered a flock of 10+ along the drive several times this winter. Not a glorious mass of goose and swan, but extremely spring-y! 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/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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crows mobbing Great Horned Owl on nest
that any owl residing near the massive crow roost, or who came to visit, would have easy eating. Maybe the crows make a special effort to clear owls from the crow roosting neighborhood, but the roost is so obvious that I wonder how much good it would do. In the crow nesting season, of course, the crow female and young are stuck and vulnerable. Again, the crows have a good reason to try to drive an owl away, but I would think that a Great Horned Owl can still travel a long distance to hunt, and a crow nest which I can see in a tree during the day is probably similarly obvious to the owl at night. The crow nesting season starts after the owls are well underway. Do crows choose not to nest near Great Horned Owls? I bet the owls' hunting ranges so large as to encompass several crow nests anyway. I assume that the harassment of owls has some direct benefit in terms of predation reduction, but I doubt it's very large. I think either crows harass owls so much because that's one of the few things they can do to reduce predation when they can afford the time and energy, or else there are other benefits, such as getting to know what a Great Horned Owl looks like, or showing off for other crows, or crow family bonding, or being generally useful to the crow flock, or socializing, or getting exercise, or even having fun. Crows' lot looks very frustrating - and dangerous - regarding Great Horned Owls. I sympathize with the crows, too, but also I find their situation more complex and hard to figure. --Dave Nutter On Feb 16, 2013, at 03:18 PM, Anne Clark anneb.cl...@gmail.com wrote: Right--and come mid-April, some person might just pick up a partly eaten, headless, tagged female crow under her nest and think...it was her first nest--what a short life, only 5 years, her nestlings gone, too! She could have had 6 more years at least, or more. Boredom probably doesn't describe why the crows leave off (have seen them harrying owls for at least 6 hours)...nor a lack of memory for why they start over the next day. The crows aren't moving on...they are trying to move a dangerous thing out of their neighborhood, where their own kids need a chance at life. Yup--I took the bait. The story is all in your perspective, but I always find US interesting in siding with the one who has the kids at the time! Holding no grudges against owl-lovers, Anne On Feb 16, 2013, at 2:05 PM, Mona Bearor wrote: I'll be thinking of your explaination when I visit the nest again, and I'll be watching for that owl to sigh and plan its nightly menu! Mona Bearor So. Glens Falls, NY On 2/16/2013 12:21 PM, nutter.d...@me.com wrote: I think this is the sort of crap that Great Horned Owls have to put up with, and they get used to it. I suspect that what you saw is probably the pattern. Every day some crow discovers the owl, still in the same place on its nest, and raises the alarm, just as it would for an owl roosting in a new spot every day. All the other crows join in for awhile, so the whole crow community is aware of its presence, and the younger crows learn, We don't like these guys. When they're satisfied and bored with lack of reaction from the owl on the nest, they move on. The owl sighs, reminds itself to eat some of those bastards come nightfall, and continues incubating, brooding, or guarding its young. --Dave Nutter On Feb 15, 2013, at 06:29 PM, Mona Bearor conservebi...@gmail.com wrote: Yesterday morning I observed about 50 crows mobbing a Great Horned Owl on a nest. It made me wonder if the crows could make the owl abandon the nest with repeated harassment, or if they would just give up after a while. I had an appointment so I couldn't stick around too long, but did watch this behavior for over 20 minutes non-stop. The owl was still on the nest today. Any thoughts on this? Mona Bearor So. Glens Falls, NY -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crows mobbing Great Horned Owl on nest
Right--and come mid-April, some person might just pick up a partly eaten, headless, tagged female crow under her nest and think...it was her first nest--what a short life, only 5 years, her nestlings gone, too! She could have had 6 more years at least, or more. Boredom probably doesn't describe why the crows leave off (have seen them harrying owls for at least 6 hours)...nor a lack of memory for why they start over the next day. The crows aren't moving on...they are trying to move a dangerous thing out of their neighborhood, where their own kids need a chance at life. Yup--I took the bait. The story is all in your perspective, but I always find US interesting in siding with the one who has the kids at the time! Holding no grudges against owl-lovers, Anne On Feb 16, 2013, at 2:05 PM, Mona Bearor wrote: I'll be thinking of your explaination when I visit the nest again, and I'll be watching for that owl to sigh and plan its nightly menu! Mona Bearor So. Glens Falls, NY On 2/16/2013 12:21 PM, nutter.d...@me.com wrote: I think this is the sort of crap that Great Horned Owls have to put up with, and they get used to it. I suspect that what you saw is probably the pattern. Every day some crow discovers the owl, still in the same place on its nest, and raises the alarm, just as it would for an owl roosting in a new spot every day. All the other crows join in for awhile, so the whole crow community is aware of its presence, and the younger crows learn, We don't like these guys. When they're satisfied and bored with lack of reaction from the owl on the nest, they move on. The owl sighs, reminds itself to eat some of those bastards come nightfall, and continues incubating, brooding, or guarding its young. --Dave Nutter On Feb 15, 2013, at 06:29 PM, Mona Bearor conservebi...@gmail.com wrote: Yesterday morning I observed about 50 crows mobbing a Great Horned Owl on a nest. It made me wonder if the crows could make the owl abandon the nest with repeated harassment, or if they would just give up after a while. I had an appointment so I couldn't stick around too long, but did watch this behavior for over 20 minutes non-stop. The owl was still on the nest today. Any thoughts on this? Mona Bearor So. Glens Falls, NY -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Banded-tagged herring gull
!330 Sunday 11 Feb 13 Stevenson Road compost piles: Herring gull with a tan tag (at least on rt wing) reading X28 in black letters, an orange left band reading Z3 and a second 2 letter/number combo farther around that I didn't get, and a USGS or silver metal band on the right. Gull had full grey back, but a mixed black/red spot on bill. Have plenty of pictures. I recall seeing a message about banded gulls earlier last fall, but am not finding the details. If anyone knows specifically who to contact, please let me know. Otherwise I am googling it! Anne Anne B. Clark, Ph.D. Biological Sciences Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 13902 1-607-777-6228, Fax -777-6521 C. 607-222-0905 -- 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/ --
Re:[cayugabirds-l] [bluewing-group] bad bird seed revisited
Re the milo seed--yes, there was an interesting publication based on a feeder-food preference study set up through the Citizen Science program at CLO to document what seeds were preferred. That was when the clear geographic difference in use of milo was documented. Interesting--some of the same species, such as mourning doves, were involved across a wide range. But Eastern ones didn't like milo, Central ones did, as I recall. I will try to find the study. Anne On Jan 3, 2013, at 11:01 AM, Glenn Wilson wrote: I just talked with the manufacturer of Garden Treasure bird seed distributed by Lowes. The highlights for me were: Pretty much all Thistle feed comes from Myanmar, Ethiopia, or India. There is a trade embargo against Myanmar now so current seed comes from Ethiopia or India. Every companies feed that comes into the US goes through one of two cleaning plants, one on each coast. I’m not too clear on the process these plants perform but I know they heat the seed and attempt to remove chaff. From there, these two plants sell to seed manufacturers or in this case, importers. I was told the problem I am most likely having is mold due to the seed’s moisture and 1) plastic packaging, and 2) temperature cycling. We are in the process of trying to track down the date code of the bad seed and have it removed from the shelves. He was Very knowledgeable and Very kind. One other interesting tidbit I gleaned from the conversation, although Milo is a less-expensive filler seed up north here, it is a preferred seed in Arizona where many of the birds are ground feeders. Glenn Endicott, NY www.wilsonswarbler.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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Fwd: seed preferences
Answers and links! (I think this went just to me by mistake) Begin forwarded message: From: Anne Marie Johnson annemariejohn...@frontiernet.net Date: January 3, 2013 5:37:11 PM EST To: Anne Clark anneb.cl...@gmail.com Subject: Re: seed preferences The seed preference test Anne referred to was conducted by CLO in the early 1990s. The research was reported in the Lab's newsletter, BirdScope (which has since morphed into Living Bird News). You can see the articles here: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Autumn1994/spt94084.htm http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter1995/milo95091.htm http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter1995/seedpref95091.htm Anne Marie Johnson On 1/3/2013 12:30 PM, Anne Clark wrote: Re the milo seed--yes, there was an interesting publication based on a feeder-food preference study set up through the Citizen Science program at CLO to document what seeds were preferred. That was when the clear geographic difference in use of milo was documented. Interesting--some of the same species, such as mourning doves, were involved across a wide range. But Eastern ones didn't like milo, Central ones did, as I recall. I will try to find the study. Anne On Jan 3, 2013, at 11:01 AM, Glenn Wilson wrote: I just talked with the manufacturer of Garden Treasure bird seed distributed by Lowes. The highlights for me were: Pretty much all Thistle feed comes from Myanmar, Ethiopia, or India. There is a trade embargo against Myanmar now so current seed comes from Ethiopia or India. Every companies feed that comes into the US goes through one of two cleaning plants, one on each coast. I’m not too clear on the process these plants perform but I know they heat the seed and attempt to remove chaff. From there, these two plants sell to seed manufacturers or in this case, importers. I was told the problem I am most likely having is mold due to the seed’s moisture and 1) plastic packaging, and 2) temperature cycling. We are in the process of trying to track down the date code of the bad seed and have it removed from the shelves. He was Very knowledgeable and Very kind. One other interesting tidbit I gleaned from the conversation, although Milo is a less-expensive filler seed up north here, it is a preferred seed in Arizona where many of the birds are ground feeders. Glenn Endicott, NY www.wilsonswarbler.com -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Mob of crow (or is it called death of crow?)
And the irony is the murders often form when (the crows fear that?) a crow is threatened... They don't go after prey in flocks; they group in response to THEIR predators, immediate or potential. Anne On Jun 1, 2012, at 3:35 PM, Marie P Read wrote: Perhaps there is some logic behind it. Hm... While I do love the old poetic terms for animal gatherings, I tend to agree with Kevin. After all, many birds kill and eat other animals , so why crows should be singled out as the only murderers in the bird world I don't know. No-one seems to get bent out of shape when our noble Peregrine Falcon nails some hapless shorebird. Or our charismatic Great Horned Owl nails a bunch of baby Peregrines in their nest, come to think of it. How come THEY don't have such nicknames. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com Now on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Read-Wildlife-Photography/104356136271727 From: bounce-61033880-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-61033880-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Kevin J. McGowan [k...@cornell.edu] Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 2:43 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] Mob of crow (or is it called death of crow?) It's a flock. Murder is an insulting term, poetic or not. Kevin -Original Message- From: bounce-61033781-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-61033781-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of John Wobus Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 2:25 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Cc: John Wobus Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Mob of crow (or is it called death of crow?) Meena wrote: (or is it called death of crow?) Murder of crows is the old poetic phrase. Perhaps there is some logic behind it. John -- 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/ -- -- 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/ -- -- 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/ -- -- 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/ --
