Re: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs
It's worth a mention that there is raptor flyway through Sandy Hook, NJ, which points migrants in the direction of western Long Island. I experimented with spring hawk watching at Fort Tilden years ago and noted Ospreys, Harriers, and Kestrels, in particular, coming across the ocean crossing from Sandy Hook. Soaring hawks are typically more reluctant to cross in this area. Turkey Vultures were certainly under represented considering their abundance at Sandy Hook. But they certainly show up on the island. I also spent my share of days hawk watching at Sandy Hook and I can't remember seeing a Black Vulture. The logical thing to do was check recent results to see if that has changed. As of yesterday, 2 had been recorded for the season. Of course, Sandy Hook is not the only place a Lond Island Black Vulture could come from. From my experience with hawk watching in general, Black Vultures are not noticeably migratory. Even though we would consider them southern birds, there is no obvious exodus of them from the north in the fall. Putting 2 and 2 together, I don't see northbound migration written all over these sightings. But it's something to keep an eye on. Ironic how Black Vultures and ravens get into the same conversation. It harkens back to the days when they came from opposite directions to meet at places like Hook Mountain. Steve Walter Bayside, NY - Original Message - From: Mike To: NYSBirds Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 10:55 PM Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs Prince Edward Island (Canada) is hosting its 3rd ever Black Vulture for the past week or so. http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery10 Mike Cooper Ridge, LI, NY - Original Message - From: Kevin J. McGowan To: NYSBirds Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 10:26 PM Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs From: bounce-5471614-3714...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-5471614-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Angus Wilson Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:13 PM To: NYSBirds Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs . The Times They are A-Changin': This is an exciting time for students of bird demography, what with Common Raven's building nests in Queens (unimaginable a few years ago), and Sandhill Cranes now a frequent sight in much of the state. Maybe Black Vultures will continue to expand and nest on Long Island also? The perennially question to ponder is why these changes are happening. At a recent Queens County Bird Club meeting somebody suggested the expansion of Common Raven into low-lying areas might be to fill a niche created by the effects of West Nile Virus on American Crow populations. I don't know if there is data to support this, but the idea is an interesting one. Perhaps vultures would also benefit from the increased availability of carrion (e.g. road kill) that isn't being snapped up right away by a super abundance of crows? Interesting things to ponder. But it is appropriate to point out that Common Raven has undergone a HUGE range expansion in New York (and elsewhere) in the last 20 years, as evidenced by the recent NY breeding bird atlas data, well before the appearance of West Nile Virus (WNV). The raven went from being a "wilderness" specialist to being present in 35% of the blocks in the state. It was missing only from the lowlands of the Ontario plain and the coastal regions. I believe that in the raven species account I suggested that it would soon reach those areas too. The raven trend is bigger than New York, occurring before WNV, and in areas that were not really affected by the disease. Not to say that WNV couldn't play a role, but ravens don't seem to have much regard for crows anyway, pretty much doing whatever they damned well please. Fish Crows, on the other hand, might be taking advantage of the American Crow die-back. They seem to do pretty well in areas with American Crows, but they definitely are submissive and might be kept out of potential breeding areas that the WNV effect would open up to them. (Fish Crows are only half as susceptible to WNV as American Crows.) Black Vultures also have been increasing in NY for a while (not present at all in the 1980-85 atlas). But as the Atlas species account (ahem, also written by me) points out, they have not really expanded out of the rocky southeastern part of the state since moving into there. Despite some criticism (!), in the Atlas accounts that I wrote I attempted to speculate on what past trends might mean for future distribution patterns. Black Vulture was a toss up. Its history indicated that it should continue spreading, and its wide habitat tolerance and huge distribution outside the US would suggest that it should be capable of inhabiting the entire state. And yet, after it appeared here it never seemed
[nysbirds-l] WNY Dial-a-Bird 25 Mar 2010
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 03/25/2010 * NYBU1003.25 - Birds mentioned - Submit email to dfsuggs localnet com Thank you, David - [UPDATE - Saturday, March 27, Willie D'Anna will lead a BOS field trip to the Lake Ontario Plains. Meet at 8 AM at the Tops Market in Wrights Corners, north of Lockport on Route 78 at Route 104. The trip will last through the day, and visitors are always welcome.] BARNACLE GOOSE Red-throated Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Egret Tundra Swan Wood Duck Long-tailed Duck Ruddy Duck Osprey Red-shouldered Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Peregrine Falcon Ruffed Grouse Sandhill Crane Wilson's Snipe Little Gull Tree Swallow Common Raven Northern Shrike Fox Sparrow Red-w. Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Purple Finch Pine Siskin - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 03/25/20010 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report:Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs at localnet com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Website: www.BOSBirding.org Thursday, March 25, 2010 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. BARNACLE GOOSE was the highlight of reports received March 18 through March 25 from the Niagara Frontier Region. March 17 through at March 21, a BARNACLE GOOSE in and around the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. First discovered in a large flock of CANADA GEESE on the Forrestall Flats, north of Chestnut Ridge Road at Route 63, and relocated at nearby Ring-neck Marsh and north of the refuge on Fletcher Chapel Road, east of Route 63. A species of Greenland and Western Europe, the BARNACLE GOOSE has been traveling with CANADA GEESE and does not have a leg band, suggesting this is a wild vagrant. The BARNACLE GOOSE was one of at least 19 waterfowl species in the Iroquois Refuge and area, including 50 TUNDRA SWANS in the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Ring-neck Marsh, and small numbers of CACKLING GEESE at several locations. Nearby at the Town of Oakfield gypsum ponds, 4 RUDDY DUCKS. Also a NORTHERN SHRIKE, north of the refuge in Shelby. SANDHILL CRANES this week - two over the Eden exit of the New York State Thruway, and a single SANDHILL CRANE over Cayuga Pool in the Iroquois Refuge. In Wyoming County this week, a COMMON RAVEN and 2 ROUGH- LEGGED HAWKS on Route 77 north of the Village of Arcade. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK also in the Cattaraugus County Town of Randolph, and another ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK plus RED-SHOULDERED HAWK in the Iroquois Refuge. March 20, 143 RED-NECKED GREBES on Lake Ontario off the Towns of Somerset and Yates, with lesser numbers of RED- THROATED LOONS and HORNED GREBES. March 23, 2 GREAT EGRETS arrived at the Motor Island heronry in the upper Niagara River. Other arrivals and migrants this week - OSPREY at Allegany State Park, a pair of WOOD DUCKS in a yard pond in North Tonawanda, WILSON'S SNIPE along Chestnut Ridge Road in the Iroquois Refuge, TREE SWALLOW at the Oakfield gypsum ponds, at a feeder in the Town of Holland - FOX SPARROW, female RED-W. BLACKBIRD, PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKIN, and at several locations, EASTERN MEADOWLARKS. Also this week - a RUFFED GROUSE specimen by the road in Holland. PEREGRINE FALCON atop the Winspear Avenue chimney on the UB Main Street Campus. And, 6 LITTLE GULLS at the Lewiston docks on the lower Niagara River. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, April 1. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
RE: [nysbirds-l] Golden Eagles
To support Matt's thoughts, I personally have noticed Golden Eagles the past few winters in small numbers from Berkshire Co. in western MA from Late Nov. to March, and all of these birds have been near the Taconic Mountain Range and all of them have been moving west towards NY. Of course, they've been noted further east in MA, probably originating from the Quabbin Reservoir in the middle of the state. Perhaps there is some route being established between wintering grounds in NY and the Quabbin Reservoir? Also, Bald Eagles breed and winter regularly near my house in SW Mass (though it's still unclear whether they are year-round residents or other birds from somewhere are coming in) and for the first time since I've been in that area (6 years or so), a Juvenile bird was IDd based on leg band to be from NY. Could this be more potential evidence for shifting winter distributions in eagles in general? Young birds are young birds, and this was just one of them, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but taking a look at Quabbin Reservoir's Eagle records might provide some useful and interesting information. Best,Jacob DruckerAshley Falls MA/Manhattan > From: grosb...@clarityconnect.com > To: nysbirds-l@cornell.edu > Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:00:35 -0400 > Subject: [nysbirds-l] Golden Eagles > > Helllo all, > > Obviously tangential to this discussion, wintering Golden Eagles appear to > be on the increase in the > southern half of NY. I wonder how increased carrion might play into this as > well and yes, Golden > Eagles do take carrion quite readily. While they have vanished from the > state as a breeder, I do still > holdout some smidgeon of hope that this bird will also breed again in the > state. While cliffs with open > country remain a limiting factor for nesting, particularly in the > Adirondacks where they once nested, I > have always somewhat thought that the southern half of the state, > particularly the more open areas > west of the Catskills, could prove inviting for this regal predator. > Contrary to popular belief, this bird > will nest in trees and on towers (towers are also obviously on the > increase), but this hasn't been > documented in the east. Additionally, this bird, like many of our raptors, > has been on a continued > increase at many eastern hawkwatches over the past decade or so. > > Matt > > Original Message: > - > From: Joan E. Collins jecoll...@twcny.rr.com > Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:15:37 -0400 > To: shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu, NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu > Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs > > > Great discussion! > > Regarding the Common Raven range expansion in NY between Atlases... During > this same time period, the coyote population in our state has greatly > increased and now ranges throughout NY. Many people have commented over the > past decade that the coyote and raven range expansions appear to be > correlated. Common Ravens can't rip open the thick skin of mammals, and are > closely associated with wolves, coyotes, and large cats within their N. > American ranges (feeding on the remains left by these carnivores). Ravens > are also known to lead carnivores to potential food sources. I have been > hiking for 8 years with 2 large dogs, and they respond to Common Raven > vocalizations, which I have always found fascinating - and ravens follow my > dogs when we hike. Anyway, the coyote range expansion may be another > possible factor in the Common Raven range expansion. > > I completely agree with Kevin that Common Ravens show no regard for crows > and do "whatever they damned well please"! March is the month when Amer. > Crows viciously go after ravens - generally, the ravens show little, or no, > reaction or change of behavior - kind of like a human brushing away an > annoying fly. Several years ago, I watched a Common Raven face-off with a > Red-tailed Hawk on a branch. The raven dwarfed the hawk and held its bill > above the hawk's beak in a threatening manner (at the time, there were many > ravens in trees surrounding the hawk, making the most fascinating > vocalizations that I ever heard from this species - including the dog-whine > sound). It was a reminder that ravens are huge, powerful, and extremely > bright birds. Also, early this past decade, a Common Raven attacked an > adult Golden Eagle outside our Long Lake house (in May!) - the vocalizations > coming from both birds during the fight were remarkable! (Golden Eagles are > the arch enemy of ravens.) Ravens do seem to rule the skies of the North > Country. It will be interesting to see if they continue to expand and > increase across the state. In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting > bird species to observe. > > Joan Collins > Potsdam & Long Lake > > -Original Message- > From: bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu > [mailto:bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra > Sent: Thursday, March 2
[nysbirds-l] Golden Eagles
Helllo all, Obviously tangential to this discussion, wintering Golden Eagles appear to be on the increase in the southern half of NY. I wonder how increased carrion might play into this as well and yes, Golden Eagles do take carrion quite readily. While they have vanished from the state as a breeder, I do still holdout some smidgeon of hope that this bird will also breed again in the state. While cliffs with open country remain a limiting factor for nesting, particularly in the Adirondacks where they once nested, I have always somewhat thought that the southern half of the state, particularly the more open areas west of the Catskills, could prove inviting for this regal predator. Contrary to popular belief, this bird will nest in trees and on towers (towers are also obviously on the increase), but this hasn't been documented in the east. Additionally, this bird, like many of our raptors, has been on a continued increase at many eastern hawkwatches over the past decade or so. Matt Original Message: - From: Joan E. Collins jecoll...@twcny.rr.com Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:15:37 -0400 To: shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu, NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs Great discussion! Regarding the Common Raven range expansion in NY between Atlases... During this same time period, the coyote population in our state has greatly increased and now ranges throughout NY. Many people have commented over the past decade that the coyote and raven range expansions appear to be correlated. Common Ravens can't rip open the thick skin of mammals, and are closely associated with wolves, coyotes, and large cats within their N. American ranges (feeding on the remains left by these carnivores). Ravens are also known to lead carnivores to potential food sources. I have been hiking for 8 years with 2 large dogs, and they respond to Common Raven vocalizations, which I have always found fascinating - and ravens follow my dogs when we hike. Anyway, the coyote range expansion may be another possible factor in the Common Raven range expansion. I completely agree with Kevin that Common Ravens show no regard for crows and do "whatever they damned well please"! March is the month when Amer. Crows viciously go after ravens - generally, the ravens show little, or no, reaction or change of behavior - kind of like a human brushing away an annoying fly. Several years ago, I watched a Common Raven face-off with a Red-tailed Hawk on a branch. The raven dwarfed the hawk and held its bill above the hawk's beak in a threatening manner (at the time, there were many ravens in trees surrounding the hawk, making the most fascinating vocalizations that I ever heard from this species - including the dog-whine sound). It was a reminder that ravens are huge, powerful, and extremely bright birds. Also, early this past decade, a Common Raven attacked an adult Golden Eagle outside our Long Lake house (in May!) - the vocalizations coming from both birds during the fight were remarkable! (Golden Eagles are the arch enemy of ravens.) Ravens do seem to rule the skies of the North Country. It will be interesting to see if they continue to expand and increase across the state. In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting bird species to observe. Joan Collins Potsdam & Long Lake -Original Message- From: bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:50 AM To: NYSBirds Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs Curiously, statewide trends and recent Long Island trends stand in remarkably different relationship for each of the big black carrion-eaters under discussion. When Griscom analyzed the status of Turkey Vulture in 1923, this species was common in the highlands of northern New Jersey but poorly distributed in mainland NYS and a rare visitor to LI, with most LI records from the western (e.g., Brooklyn) or eastern (e.g., Orient) ends. Over the remaining eight decades of the 20th Century, this bird underwent a vast northward expansion, spreading across most of mainland NYS--but retaining its LI status (scarce and irregular) with astonishing fidelity. Few birds of any kind showed such a static pattern on LI over the same period--but for a bird whose status changes so much nearby, this stasis is particularly remarkable. It has only been over the last ten years or so that Turkey Vultures have finally moved onto LI in numbers, including winter roosts and proven breeding. The lag between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on LI in this case was >50 years. The early history of Black Vulture in NYS was mostly as a vagrant to LI. Again, it's status on LI remained static for a century while the species made news elsewhere. In contrast to its relative, however, Black Vulture's northward expansion on the mainland lagged behind Turkey Vulture's by at lea
RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs
Great discussion! Regarding the Common Raven range expansion in NY between Atlases... During this same time period, the coyote population in our state has greatly increased and now ranges throughout NY. Many people have commented over the past decade that the coyote and raven range expansions appear to be correlated. Common Ravens can't rip open the thick skin of mammals, and are closely associated with wolves, coyotes, and large cats within their N. American ranges (feeding on the remains left by these carnivores). Ravens are also known to lead carnivores to potential food sources. I have been hiking for 8 years with 2 large dogs, and they respond to Common Raven vocalizations, which I have always found fascinating - and ravens follow my dogs when we hike. Anyway, the coyote range expansion may be another possible factor in the Common Raven range expansion. I completely agree with Kevin that Common Ravens show no regard for crows and do "whatever they damned well please"! March is the month when Amer. Crows viciously go after ravens - generally, the ravens show little, or no, reaction or change of behavior - kind of like a human brushing away an annoying fly. Several years ago, I watched a Common Raven face-off with a Red-tailed Hawk on a branch. The raven dwarfed the hawk and held its bill above the hawk's beak in a threatening manner (at the time, there were many ravens in trees surrounding the hawk, making the most fascinating vocalizations that I ever heard from this species - including the dog-whine sound). It was a reminder that ravens are huge, powerful, and extremely bright birds. Also, early this past decade, a Common Raven attacked an adult Golden Eagle outside our Long Lake house (in May!) - the vocalizations coming from both birds during the fight were remarkable! (Golden Eagles are the arch enemy of ravens.) Ravens do seem to rule the skies of the North Country. It will be interesting to see if they continue to expand and increase across the state. In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting bird species to observe. Joan Collins Potsdam & Long Lake -Original Message- From: bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:50 AM To: NYSBirds Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs Curiously, statewide trends and recent Long Island trends stand in remarkably different relationship for each of the big black carrion-eaters under discussion. When Griscom analyzed the status of Turkey Vulture in 1923, this species was common in the highlands of northern New Jersey but poorly distributed in mainland NYS and a rare visitor to LI, with most LI records from the western (e.g., Brooklyn) or eastern (e.g., Orient) ends. Over the remaining eight decades of the 20th Century, this bird underwent a vast northward expansion, spreading across most of mainland NYS--but retaining its LI status (scarce and irregular) with astonishing fidelity. Few birds of any kind showed such a static pattern on LI over the same period--but for a bird whose status changes so much nearby, this stasis is particularly remarkable. It has only been over the last ten years or so that Turkey Vultures have finally moved onto LI in numbers, including winter roosts and proven breeding. The lag between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on LI in this case was >50 years. The early history of Black Vulture in NYS was mostly as a vagrant to LI. Again, it's status on LI remained static for a century while the species made news elsewhere. In contrast to its relative, however, Black Vulture's northward expansion on the mainland lagged behind Turkey Vulture's by at least several decades, and its occupation of the Hudson Highlands and nearby parts of mainland NYS took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. This distinction is very important because Black Vulture's trend toward increased occurrence on LI, which prompted this thread, has occurred more or less simultaneously with Turkey Vulture's, in very recent years. The lag between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on LI in this case was about 15 years. As Kevin notes, Raven was once almost extirpated from the eastern United States and was no more than scarce wilderness specialist in NYS for the first two-thirds of the 20th Century. Its expansion over the last several decades has been spectacular, e.g., a 500% increase in occupied blocks between the two atlases. Like both of the preceding species, Ravens have made news on LI during the last few years. Unlike them, however, this trend followed immediately upon its occupation of adjacent mainland areas, with no perceptible lag at all. Another hulking black carrion-eater probably deservers mention here. Bald Eagle's inter-atlas surge in NYS makes Raven's seem downright paltry, its confirmed blocks increasing 6,000%! Statewide observers prob
[nysbirds-l] Conesus Lake - Inlet
Location: Conesus Lake - Inlet Observation date: 3/25/10 7:45AM-9:20AM Notes: Drive around the Inlet--from West Swamp Road, Guiltner Rd, and ending at entrance on Sliker Hill Rd; Bald Eagle--one on the nest & one in the tree; Partial Albino Grackle seen in parking lot at Sliker Hill Road entrance Number of species: 27 Canada Goose 29 Wood Duck 5 American Wigeon 5 Mallard 2 Northern Shoveler 3 Ring-necked Duck 75 Bufflehead 5 Hooded Merganser 4 Great Blue Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 2 Bald Eagle 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Coot 3 Rock Pigeon 10 Mourning Dove 6 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 11 American Crow 4 Black-capped Chickadee 2 American Robin 40 European Starling 36 Song Sparrow 11 Northern Cardinal 5 Red-winged Blackbird 56 Common Grackle 13 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(_http://ebird.org_ (http://ebird.org/) ) Kelly Close Conesus, NY _byrdh...@aol.com_ (mailto:byrdh...@aol.com) K.. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs
Curiously, statewide trends and recent Long Island trends stand in remarkably different relationship for each of the big black carrion-eaters under discussion. When Griscom analyzed the status of Turkey Vulture in 1923, this species was common in the highlands of northern New Jersey but poorly distributed in mainland NYS and a rare visitor to LI, with most LI records from the western (e.g., Brooklyn) or eastern (e.g., Orient) ends. Over the remaining eight decades of the 20th Century, this bird underwent a vast northward expansion, spreading across most of mainland NYS--but retaining its LI status (scarce and irregular) with astonishing fidelity. Few birds of any kind showed such a static pattern on LI over the same period--but for a bird whose status changes so much nearby, this stasis is particularly remarkable. It has only been over the last ten years or so that Turkey Vultures have finally moved onto LI in numbers, including winter roosts and proven breeding. The lag between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on LI in this case was >50 years. The early history of Black Vulture in NYS was mostly as a vagrant to LI. Again, it's status on LI remained static for a century while the species made news elsewhere. In contrast to its relative, however, Black Vulture's northward expansion on the mainland lagged behind Turkey Vulture's by at least several decades, and its occupation of the Hudson Highlands and nearby parts of mainland NYS took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. This distinction is very important because Black Vulture's trend toward increased occurrence on LI, which prompted this thread, has occurred more or less simultaneously with Turkey Vulture's, in very recent years. The lag between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on LI in this case was about 15 years. As Kevin notes, Raven was once almost extirpated from the eastern United States and was no more than scarce wilderness specialist in NYS for the first two-thirds of the 20th Century. Its expansion over the last several decades has been spectacular, e.g., a 500% increase in occupied blocks between the two atlases. Like both of the preceding species, Ravens have made news on LI during the last few years. Unlike them, however, this trend followed immediately upon its occupation of adjacent mainland areas, with no perceptible lag at all. Another hulking black carrion-eater probably deservers mention here. Bald Eagle's inter-atlas surge in NYS makes Raven's seem downright paltry, its confirmed blocks increasing 6,000%! Statewide observers probably don't appreciate how oddly scarce this species remained on LI through most of the 20th Century, even as its status was changing so radically in nearby mainland areas. Admittedly, the broader trends for this species are far more complex than those described above, with regional breeding populations, those breeding far to the north, and also wanderers from the south each experiencing its own roller-coaster fortunes and contributing to LI occurrence. Even so, one gets the impression from reading the books that Bald Eagle's LI status didn't vary greatly from Griscom's time (1923) to Cruickshank's (1942) to Bull's (1964) to the late 20th Century (personal experience), except that it was probably even scarcer here during and after the DDT era (60s-90's). Although I know this doesn't do justice to this species' comnplex history, I can say without doubt that there has been an abrupt increase in the occurrence of Bald Eagles on LI and in RI during the last ten years, as compared to the 80s and 90s. Like all of the preceding, Fish Crow expanded as a breeder in NYS between the two atlases, but unlike any of the others, Fish Crow initially moved into southeastern NYS in an equitable fashion, occupying both the Hudson Valley and LI over a century ago. Given its ubiquity on LI throughout my own experience, I'm not sure if it has increased here very much over the past ten years, but my hunch is that it has increased at least somewhat. Fish Crow has expanded greatly in southern mainland RI over the last decade. Last, and perhaps most important from an ecological point of view, is the case of American Crow. It is very difficult to quantify the status of this abundant and truly ubiquitous bird, but the impacts of West Nile Virus in the early years of the past decade have been much publicized. Even giving due allowance to the difficulties of counting crows owing to vagaries of their local movements and roosting patterns, I'm convinced that this species is much less numerous today than ten years ago in the areas I know best--LI and southern mainland Rhode Island. In these areas, at least three long-standing roosts of +10,000 birds simply seem to have vanished. Even if many of those birds have moved a few tens of miles away or shifted to a more dispersed distribution, the followi
[nysbirds-l] Conesus Lake-Inlet
Location: Conesus Lake - Inlet Observation date: 3/25/10 7:45AM-9:20AM Notes: Drive around the Inlet--from West Swamp Road, Guiltner Rd, and ending at entrance on Sliker Hill Rd; Bald Eagle--one on the nest & one in the tree; Partial Albino Grackle seen in parking lot at Sliker Hill Road entrance Number of species: 27 Canada Goose 29 Wood Duck 5 American Wigeon 5 Mallard 2 Northern Shoveler 3 Ring-necked Duck 75 Bufflehead 5 Hooded Merganser 4 Great Blue Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 2 Bald Eagle 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Coot 3 Rock Pigeon 10 Mourning Dove 6 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 11 American Crow 4 Black-capped Chickadee 2 American Robin 40 European Starling 36 Song Sparrow 11 Northern Cardinal 5 Red-winged Blackbird 56 Common Grackle 13 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(_http://ebird.org_ (http://ebird.org) ) Kelly Close Conesus, NY _byrdh...@aol.com_ (mailto:byrdh...@aol.com) -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Osprey
FOS March 25th in Greene County flying north over the Hudson River 1/2 mile south of the Village of Athens. Larry Federman Greene County Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hudson-Mohawk Birdline for 24 March 1020
This is a summary of the Birdline reports for the week ending March 24, 2010 Report your sightings in New York's Hudson-Mohawk Region to birdl...@hmbc.net. Ninety-two species were reported this week including 23 waterfowl species. The most-reported species were Common Merganser (10 reports), Song Sparrow (8), Green-winged Teal (7), Bald Eagle (7), American Woodcock (7), Tree Swallow (6), Killdeer (5), Fox Sparrow (5) and Eastern Phoebe (5). Most interesting reports: WHITE-WINGED SCOTER: Coxsackie Boat Launch 3/21. BLACK SCOTER: Coxsackie Boat Launch 3/18. HORNED GREBE: Coxsackie Boat Launch 3/20; SE Columbia County 3/21. GREAT CORMORANT: 4-mile Point 3/21; Cheviot 3/21 (3), 3/22. BLACK VULTURE: Columbia County 3/21. GOLDEN EAGLE: Greenport 3/22. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK: Lock 19 3/21. ICELAND GULL: Coxsackie Boat Launch 3/21. RUSTY BLACKBIRD: Tomhannock 3/21; Columbia County 3/21 (5); Vischer Ferry 3/18, 3/21. EVENING GROSBEAK: Gansevoort 3/22. Other highlights: Mute Swan: Cheviot 3/21. Gadwall: Vischer Ferry 3/21 (3); Tomhannock 3/21. Blue-winged Teal: Vischer Ferry 3/23 (2). Northern Shoveler: Vischer Ferry 3/21 (6); 4-mile Point 3/21 (6). Canvasback: Cheviot (?) 3/21. Greater Scaup: Collins Lake 3/24 (4). Lesser Scaup: Niskayuna 3/19 (2); Cheviot 3/21; Brunswick 3/21 (2). Ruddy Duck: Vischer Ferry 3/18 (4); Coxsackie Reservoir 3/21 (2). Common Loon: Niskayuna 3/18 (2). Pied-billed Grebe: Cheviot 3/21. Wilson's Snipe: Coxsackie Grasslands 3/21 (3). Great Horned Owl: Voorheesville 3/16. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: Meadowdale 3/21. Northern Flicker: Five Rivers 3/20; 4-mile Point 3/21. Carolina Wren: Coeymans Hollow 3/21; Ann Lee Pond 3/23. Golden-crowned Kinglet: Brunswick 3/20, 3/21. Yellow-rumped Warbler: Coeymans Hollow 3/21. Field Sparrow: Five Rivers 3/20; East Greenbush 3/24. Eastern Meadowlark: Florida 3/18, 3/19. Purple Finch: Meadowdale 3/18, 3/21; East Greenbush 3/19 (3); Coxsackie Reservoir 3/21. Thanks to Phil Whitney (compiler), Larry Alden (Meadowdale), Nancy Castillo (W Saratoga Co.), Linda Eastman (Sacandaga Lake), Deb Ferguson (SE Columbia Co.),Rich Guthrie (Coxsackie Boat Launch, New Baltimore, 4-mile Point), John Hershey (Clifton Park, Vischer Ferry 3/21, Lock 19), Nancy Kern (Cheviot 3/21, Columbia Co., Ghent), Bill Lee (Vischer Ferry 3/18, Florida 3/19, Princetown, Collins Lake 3/24), Anne Magee (Niskayuna 3/18), Larry Main (Vischer Ferry 3/23), Barb Putnam (Gansevoort), Bob Ramonowski (Five Rivers 3/20), Will Raup (Cheviot 3/21, 4-mile Point , Coxsackie Boat Launch 3/21, Coxsackie Grasslands, Stanton Pond, Alcove Reservooir, Coeymans Hollow), Jeffrey Scherer (Voorheesville), Alan Schroeder , George Steele (Florida 3//18), Sue Stewart (Burnt Hills), Scott Stoner (Colonie, Albany), Alan Schroeder Brad Walker (Brunswick), Tom Williams (Niskayuna 3/19, Five Rivers 3/20, Tomhannock, Ann Lee Pond), and Chad Witko (Cheviot 3/22, Claverack, Greenport). -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings in Potsdam
3/25/10 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.) Fifty-seven Bohemian Waxwings are perched in a tree behind our home in Potsdam this morning! Other than finding a few mixed in with Cedar Waxwings on Jan. 1st, this is the only observation I've had this year. They appear to be feeding in the buckthorn vegetation. The sun is shining and I had lovely views through our scope - beautiful birds. I posted this to Northern NY Birds last night: A Wilson's Snipe was winnowing behind our house yesterday evening (3/24/10) - the earliest arrival date I've noted in the North Country. Joan Collins Potsdam & Long Lake -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
