[cayugabirds-l] Kestrels
While taking cat to vet through back roads of Lansing, on Holden Road between Brooks Hill Road and Storm road, I saw 4 kestrels on wires near the kestrel nest box on a pole that nyseg put up! Then I went east on Storm road & just past the woods on the left was a fifth kestrel on the utility wire! Donna Scott Lansing Sent from my iPhone -- 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] Kestrels
Just now on Ed Hill Rd Freeville, south on Hile School Rd, male on utility wire w/ lg. mouse or vole in talons! Yesterday male Kestrel on Scofield Rd near Buck/pleasant Valley rds. X (Lansing) And another on Asbury Rd. (W. dryden), not sure of gender. Donna Scott Lansing Sent from my iPhone -- 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] Kestrels, meadowlarks
This afternoon I saw three kestrels at three different places! -Lake rd south of king ferry winery (male). -Dixon Rd SE of Aurora (male) -Rt 34b by Fessenden farm, King Ferry. Light wrong to see sex. saw a singing Meadowlark south of King ferry winery near red barn & near kestrel there. And I am pretty sure I had 3 Meadowlarks on Lake Rd Aurora, near Longpoint Winery & down hill from there. Saw 2, heard them sing; heard third sing down hill from others! I found a lot of Bonapartes Gulls north of Long Pt. St pk, but by then lake was choppy & light was glaring, so could not find Little Gull. Got good views of nesting Bald Eagles at X of NY Rt 90 & Poplar Ridge Rd. Aurora. Killdeer & 5+ wild turkeys on Algerine rd on way home. A nice jaunt on Sunday afternoon. Donna Scott Lansing Sent from my iPhone -- 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] Kestrels
Pair of American Kestrels south of King Ferry Winery/Center rd/ corner of Lake Rd. Donna Scott Lansing Sent from my iPhone -- 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] Kestrels & Merlins on the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count
On Sat, Jan 4, 2020 at 12:02 PM Dave Nutter wrote: > Hi All, > > Those of you who are Cayuga Bird Club members may have seen an article in > January’s newsletter that was based on my quick report (below) about the > Ithaca Christmas Bird Count compilation on the evening of January first. I > gave the editor permission to use my report, with which he rapidly > completed and sent out the newsletter later that same evening after a long > day of birding. My name was on the article, but I did not write the > paragraph which incorrectly stated that there were no Kestrels reported. > However, I did hear some comments from the audience about the numbers of > small falcons, as was mentioned in that paragraph. > > As with many species this year, there was a low count of 2 American > Kestrels. Then the next species on the list, the closely related Merlin, > had one of the very few record high counts, a total of 5 birds. Lab > Director John Fitzpatrick recalled when Kestrels were common and Merlins > were a rarity. > My sincerest apologies to Dave for the mistake. Even though the accompanying list clearly shows the kestrel count at 2, somehow I was under the impression that it was one of the big misses of the day, and thought it worth mentioning. Thanks for the clarification. I likely confused it with peregrines, which we missed, though that miss isn't too surprising, I think. FWIW, my personal impression is that the high merlin count is noteworthy and likely accurate, given the relative frequency of merlin reports elsewhere in the area. The single-day kestrel low count on its own is probably not enough to draw conclusions. Suan -- 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] Kestrels & Merlins on the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count
Hi All, Those of you who are Cayuga Bird Club members may have seen an article in January’s newsletter that was based on my quick report (below) about the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count compilation on the evening of January first. I gave the editor permission to use my report, with which he rapidly completed and sent out the newsletter later that same evening after a long day of birding. My name was on the article, but I did not write the paragraph which incorrectly stated that there were no Kestrels reported. However, I did hear some comments from the audience about the numbers of small falcons, as was mentioned in that paragraph. As with many species this year, there was a low count of 2 American Kestrels. Then the next species on the list, the closely related Merlin, had one of the very few record high counts, a total of 5 birds. Lab Director John Fitzpatrick recalled when Kestrels were common and Merlins were a rarity. It was at least ironic to see this contrast. Were we seeing two population trend lines crossing as Kestrels decline and Merlins increase? If so, what is the relationship? Here’s my thoughts: First, it’s hard to draw firm conclusions from such small numbers. But Ithaca’s trends may well show up on other counts. Second, perhaps even those numbers need scrutiny. There were 2 Kestrels reported, 1 from Area 4 and 1 from Area 5. I think I heard Area 5 Leader Sandy Podulka say that their Kestrel was from Boiceville. I take that to mean Boiceville Rd, which extends less than a mile south from Slaterville Rd. The border between Areas 4 & 5 is Slaterville Rd. I don’t know the location for the Kestrel from Area 4, but my guess is that a winter territory for a single Kestrel might extend from the farm fields and hedges along Boiceville Rd north into the southeast corner of Area 4 where there is similar habitat along Midline, Slaterville, and Ellis Hollow Roads, allowing a single Kestrel to get counted in Area 4 & Area 5. The Merlin reports were: 1 from Area 5, 1 from area 7, 2 from area 8, and 1 from area 9. The only Merlin sighting location I know is Allan Treman State Marine Park for Area 7, where a Merlin might easily have its next stop or previous stop be across the Inlet in Area 8 or farther north along East Shore in Area 9. I suspect that the daily movements of a Merlin might cover a larger area than those of a Kestrel. Again, I wonder if 5 Merlins is an overcount. I am curious where all the Kestrels and Merlins were reported, so I welcome that information. Even if the numbers get adjusted, I would not be surprised if the local Kestrel population is decreasing while the Merlin population is increasing, but I don’t see how they would be directly related. Kestrels are birds of open countryside. Kestrels scan fields and weedy roadsides by perching on a wire or snag or hovering against the wind, then drop to the ground upon prey such as invertebrates or small mammals. I think the trends are for farms to convert hayfields to corn, for hedgerows and snags to be torn out, and for farms to be converted to suburbs, which would all be less suitable for Kestrels. Kestrels need a tree cavity or a nest box for nesting, and suburbanites are more apt to cut down a tree with a hole in it than to erect a nest box. I have also noticed that Kestrels are quite wary of people. You can drive past one on a wire, but they will flee if you try to take a photo. So, it would not surprise me that Kestrels are getting harder to find in the Ithaca area, where residential development is booming, and I suspect this is a widespread trend. Merlins used to be only a rare migrant here. They were birds that bred across Canada and wintered along the south and east coasts of the US. We see these Merlins accompanying (and trying to eat) the southbound shorebird migration at Montezuma NWR. But a few years ago Merlins branched out into a new habitat for them across NYS: residential areas. Merlins chase small birds for a living, and House Sparrows are a good food source, although other songbirds are fine, too. Falcons don’t actually build nests, but Merlins will wait for Crows to build a nest high in a tree, then chase off the crows and use the nest to raise their own young. And in my experience these Merlins are very tolerant of people watching them. Quite a few nests have been documented in the county, so it’s not a surprise that we are regularly finding multiple Merlins on the Christmas Bird Count. Kestrels, like other grassland birds, are in decline. Merlins, adapting to human residential areas, have increased and may continue to do so. But I don’t think the Merlins are directly competing with and supplanting the Kestrels, other than taking advantage of the way people change the habitat. That’s my take. I welcome comments from others as well as news about the locations of Merlins and Kestrels found on the count. Thanks. - - Dave Nutter > On Jan 1,
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Kestrels, Mt. Pleasant
American Kestrel migration is in progress. There is anecdotal information that they coincide with dragonfly migration, especially the Common Green Darner and Black Saddlebags ( Anax junius and Tramea lacerate; other species migrate as well). With kestrels, not all migrate but they do disperse. The females will begin settling into winter hunting territories which are quite a bit larger and less popular than those the males end up with. By this time young should have moved on. --- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Rd Burdett, NY 14818 42.443508000, -76.758202000 "Create and Conserve Habitat" On 2019-08-16 14:25, Eveline V. Ferretti wrote: > A group of 4 or so kestrels busy hunting seen this morning along Mt. Pleasant > Rd (close to the Midline end of Mt. Pleasant). Maybe a pair with fledglings? > Their hover flight lovely to watch in any case. > > Eveline Ferretti > Public Programs & Communication Administrator > Mann Library / Cornell University Library > e...@cornell.edu > 607-254-4993 > -- > CAYUGABIRDS-L LIST INFO: > Welcome and Basics [1] > Rules and Information [2] > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave [3] > ARCHIVES: > The Mail Archive [4] > Surfbirds [5] > BirdingOnThe.Net [6] > PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR OBSERVATIONS TO EBIRD [7]! > -- Links: -- [1] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME [2] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES [3] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm [4] http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html [5] http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds [6] http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html [7] 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] Kestrels, Mt. Pleasant
A group of 4 or so kestrels busy hunting seen this morning along Mt. Pleasant Rd (close to the Midline end of Mt. Pleasant). Maybe a pair with fledglings? Their hover flight lovely to watch in any case. Eveline Ferretti Public Programs & Communication Administrator Mann Library / Cornell University Library e...@cornell.edu 607-254-4993 -- 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] Kestrels
Meg reported that the Dutcher road Kestrels are back at the nest box. Dutcher road in Dryden. Carl -- 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] Kestrels at SSW
I started out just before sunrise to find some SWAMP SPARROWS from the airport lights access road south of Rt13. But just as I reached the third parking lot for the Lab I stopped to check the high tension poles and wires and in addition to a group of EUROPEAN STARLINGS, I spotted first one AMERICAN KESTREL on the top of the pole West of Kipps Barn, then another on top of the first pole East of the third parking lot, so close enough for good looks. While watching, it dove off the pole and intercepted a passing blackbird (probably Red-winged) but missed. Both birds did an in-flight correction and the Kestrel took another pass, but either decided the prey was too big or was just lazy or not THAT hungry, so headed off and landed atop a nearby pine. I did find lots of non-trilling Swamp Sparrows, sometimes competing for a bush or small tree by flying at each other but then perching long enough for good identification. Meanwhile, at least one SONG SPARROW landed on the same tree as two of the Swamps and sang loudly in their general direction. Walking back, I had singing WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and one of the Kestrels sat facing the rising sun in one of the tall trees West of the Barn, showing its glowing breast. ChrisP __ Chris Pelkie Research Analyst Bioacoustics Research Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 -- 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/ --
