A couple days ago at lunch, my FOY RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET appeared in the trees behind the lab, only ‘chirring’ one syllable of the song while foraging up high.
Yesterday morning, I set out at around 7am to pick up SWAMP SPARROW in the field east of the north parking lot and found one easily only about 100’ in from the chain, sitting rather higher than normal (15’ on a small sapling rather than 3’ on the reeds) and loudly trilling and showing his colors in the breaking daylight. Since my FOY yard CHIPPING SPARROW arrived yesterday afternoon, I wanted to confirm I hadn’t fooled myself so went back again today and found what I am pretty sure is the same SWSP on the same tree still singing. On the way to that field yesterday, I encountered the (a) Ruby-crowned in full glorious song (I think this is maybe my favorite bird song of this region: it’s so ecstatic!), this time down low foraging on a bush about 6’ from me, ruby crown somewhat erected, just off the footbridge from the second parking lot to the lab. Today, after checking the field, I moved to the top end of that north parking lot where I heard very faintly what sounded like Meadowlark song. With the Starlings busily calling and building nests in the power tower behind me and all the early morning Rt 13 traffic noise, I listened and heard it again, so scanned the airport fence but saw nothing. Then a large bird flew up from ‘below’ Rt 13 (must have been in the ditch or dropoff on the other side) and I followed it flying away. Was it? Couldn’t tell but another same sized bird joined up, the two furiously chased each other down the runway, TURNED (yes!) and flew back toward me, battling along the way like fighter jets, TURNED their glorious yellow EASTERN MEADOWLARK bellies to the morning sun in my full binoc view and confirmed that I can still hear the odd faint sound if I am paying attention. After their battle, they dropped back out of sight on the other side of 13. Nice start to a Spring day! ChrisP ______________________ Chris Pelkie Information/Data Manager; IT Support 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/ --
