Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Last year while doing our weekly survey at the refuge, Jackie Bakker and I watched as a great blue heron patiently worked at swallowing a muskrat whole!! All that was left to go down were the feet- at which point the bird coughed the entire rat up and out.only to start over. At another time,

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

We watched a turtle grab a Pied-billed Grebe and pull it under. It got free and the turtle did it again. The second time, the Grebe flew away Glenn Wilson Endicott, NY www.WilsonsWarbler.com On May 31, 2020, at 2:40 PM, Linda Post Van Buskirk wrote:  Consider the snapping turtle as a

[cayugabirds-l] Grasshopper Sparrows are around

Hi, I think there are a lot more of these guys than people realize.  If you don't happen to know what a grasshopper sparrow sounds like, take a listen here - it's pretty distinctive.  At least in Lodi, Ovid & Romulus, many of

Re:[cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Are any of you considering a night-time attack when the ducks would have been asleep & not aware of danger from owl or weasel? I agree with Chris. Fritzie Bllizzard >> On May 31, 2020, at 11:53 AM, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes >> wrote: >> >>  Just throwing this out there as another

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

I can understand how a predator can get a bunch of chickens in a cage, but in the wild, after it got one, I think the others would fly away. So a predator getting them all seems unlikely to me. Am I missing something? Gary's suggestion here makes sense. Sandy At 02:29 PM 5/31/2020, Gary

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Consider the snapping turtle as a possibility. They have been known to attack mature ducks as well as to take ducklings, which is more common. From: bounce-124666854-3493...@list.cornell.edu on behalf of Gary Kohlenberg Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2020 2:29 PM To:

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

I hadn’t thought of Mustelid or Possum as Wes suggested as a culprit. As only one bird lost his head that could be predation after death. One other bird dead with head attached and another dying with possible neck issues makes the suggestion of botulism by Kevin Cummings and Morgan Hapeman

Re:[cayugabirds-l] Red headed woodpecker

Lucky you! Sent from my iPhone On May 31, 2020, at 1:50 PM, Donna Lee Scott wrote:  Mature, just seen in my back yard! So elegant. While an occasional one may have been here in the past, I have never been here to see it, so this is a pretty cool yard bird. Now I have seen all the local

[cayugabirds-l] Red headed woodpecker

Mature, just seen in my back yard! So elegant. While an occasional one may have been here in the past, I have never been here to see it, so this is a pretty cool yard bird. Now I have seen all the local woodpeckers in my backyard! Donna Scott Lansing Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List

Re:[cayugabirds-l] Red headed woodpecker

WWWOO! Sarah S. Blodgett 518-755-4933 Sarah Blodgett Photography  Facebook Instagram > On May 31, 2020, at 1:50 PM, Donna Lee Scott wrote: > >

[cayugabirds-l] Dawn Chorus: Have You Seen a Salmonberry Bird?

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/5/31/1947630/-Dawn-Chorus-Have-You-Seen-a-Salmonberry-Bird This was interesting to me as I enjoy etymology as well as how different cultures derive different names for the same thing. Chris Pelkie -- Cayugabirds-L List Info:

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

I would add opossum to the lineup of possible perpetrators..they too favor heads and will make quick work of your chickens. On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 12:28 PM Jody Enck wrote: > Hi Gary and all, > > So sorry you came upon this scene. However, it definitely does not sound > like a shooting

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Hi Gary and all, So sorry you came upon this scene. However, it definitely does not sound like a shooting incident. As a duck hunter myself, I will say that you would need to be within 5 or 6 feet (maybe less) in order to take the head off a duck via a shot. At even 10-12 feet, the shotgun

RE: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Hi all, Gary’s description of one of the Mallards sounded reminiscent of botulism. Paralysis of the neck muscles leads to an inability to hold the head above water, resulting in drowning. Perhaps the head removal from one of the others reflected scavenging behavior or predation on a

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Just throwing this out there as another possibility: weasel or ferret. This is, as I understand it, classic kill method used by these Mustelids. They’ve been know to kill off an entire flock of chickens in a night, severing heads with minimal disruption to the rest of the body. Thoughts?

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Devastating news. Each time I have gone down there I have enjoyed seeing that group of bachelor mallards. What a sick act. Gary, will you be contacting the DEC? I want so much to do something but what can we do? I am gutted. Melissa On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 11:07 AM Sandy Podulka wrote: > That

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

That is also one of my favorite places! I have seen 4 male Mallards in that small pond consistently this spring (but not today, and I guess I now know why). I have no idea what could kill so many birds in such an odd way except a hunter, or maybe a group of hunters--I would think an owl

[cayugabirds-l] Murder most Fowl - Saturday 5/30

Saturday I walked with my daughter down Shindagin Hollow Rd., in the State Forest, to the intersection with Gulf Creek Rd. for exercise, fun and to show her the area. It was very birdy and beautiful as usual especially the beaver pond at the bottom of the hill. This place always reminds me of