Re: [cayugabirds-l] Two Oregon Juncos and other recent highlights

2013-12-17 Thread Kenneth V. Rosenberg 
Hi all,

After receiving comments from wiser and more cautious birders, I need to revise 
my recent post about Juncos -- as indeed I should not have been so quick to 
call them both "Oregon" Juncos. Individual and geographic variation in juncos 
across North America is notorious, and the limits of various subspecies, as 
well as the taxonomy of the whole group is far from settled. The bird in Groton 
on Saturday, photographed by Tim Lenz at: 
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15968478, is still thought to be a 
"good" Oregon, primarily based on the concave gray hood contrasting with the 
orange-pink flanks. The Seneca Falls bird that I photographed on Monday 
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/kvr2/11412831514/in/photostream/), however, might 
be within the range of variation for an immature female Slate-colored Junco, or 
(more likely?) represents an intergrade to some degree between Slate-colored 
and Oregon, which is fairly frequent. In fact, pinkish birds that have been 
seen pretty regularly in the East have been debated for years, as some are 
hastily called Oregon (as I did) or are considered to be "Cassiar Junco" – 
thought to be from an intergrade population in British Columbia and Alberta. If 
you want to read more on this topic, you could check out the lengthy blog 
discussion at: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID.html – although this 
discussion is 10 years old, it covers most of the basic arguments and refers 
specifically to birds like the one we saw on Monday (with links to additional 
photos). It is both fascinating and humbling to realize how poorly we 
understand (in terms of modern taxonomy, genetic studies, and identification 
limits) one of North America's most abundant species.

for now, though, I will officially retract my report of Oregon Junco from the 
Montezuma CBC (and will clean up my eBird checklist and flickr site).

KEN


Ken Rosenberg
Conservation Science Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
607-254-2412
607-342-4594 (cell)
k...@cornell.edu

On Dec 17, 2013, at 9:42 AM, Kenneth V. Rosenberg 
mailto:k...@cornell.edu>> wrote:

[Clearly something happened to by CayugaBirds post last night -- this is what I 
had meant to send]

In the past 3 days I've found two OREGON JUNCOS - the very rare western form of 
Dark-yed Juno -- near Groton on Booth Rd. on the Cortland CBC on Saturday, and 
this morning on Doolittle Rd in the Kenmore Estates neighborhood on the east 
side of Seneca Falls on the Montezuma NWR CBC. Both birds were at or under 
feeders with other juncos and sparrows. Both birds were probably young female, 
very dull as Oregons go, but with obvious dark gray hood contrasting with 
orange-pink flanks, and also a reddish brown back. Link to the Seneca Falls 
bird digiscoped with an iPhone are here: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kvr2/11412831514/in/photostream/

The Summerhill area of the Cortland CBC was otherwise very quiet-- in fact the 
fewest birds I've ever seen up there in the spruce groves and other woods along 
Lick St. Average flock size of Black-capped Chickadee (responding to 
screech-owl mobbing playback) was only 3-4 birds, when usually it is 10-15 
birds. There were more birds at feeders closer to Groton, and the only other 
highlight was an adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW at the same feeder on Booth Rd. as 
the Junco. I have not seen any posting of the overall Cortland CBC results.

On the Montezuma CBC (Monday) morning, 4 of us covered the northwest corner of 
Cayuga Lake and shoreline -- but were disappointed to find that the entire 
north end of the lake was frozen and there was no open water within the CBC 
count circle. The only waterfowl we had for the day was a small flock of Canada 
Geese flying overhead. We did pick out a very distant SNOWY OWL on the ice, 
being mobbed by crows (possibly better seen from Cayuga on the east side?). and 
the usual 6-7 BALD EAGLES also resting on the ice. I also picked out a 
first-cycle ICELAND GULL commuting north with other gulls in the morning. Best 
birding was on Demont Rd. on the south side of the Seneca Canal west of Mud 
Lock -- aggregations of birds near feeders among the trailer community there 
included a (MYRTLE) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a WINTER WREN.

The highlight, though was the OREGON JUNCO, under a feeder in the "Kenmore 
Estates" neighborhood off E Bayard Ave. on the east end of Seneca Falls across 
from the Chiropractic College. I also look forward to seeing how this Christmas 
Count did overall.

On the way back to Ithaca, we cruised along Sheldrake and found 2 WHITE-WINGED 
SCOTERS and 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS among the hundreds of Canada Geese, Am Black 
Ducks, and Mallards. When we passed Hogs Hole, I could see the large flock of 
waterfowl including many swans, gleaming in the afternoon sun, so I headed back 
there and scanned from the first parking spot on Rt. 89. I counted 53 TUNDRA 
SWANS (has anyone looked for Trumpeters in this flock? At one point I thought I 
h

[cayugabirds-l] Snowy Owl Seybolt Rd Seneca Falls

2013-12-17 Thread Dave K 
On crown of field on West side of Seybolt Rd. straight West from the 
intersection of Williamson.
~1/2 mi North of yesterdays sighting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/105424358@N06/11424089956/
  
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RE: [cayugabirds-l] Snow Goose history

2013-12-17 Thread Kevin J. McGowan 
Very cool.  Google Maps' Distance Measurement Tool says 3386.87 km, or 2,104.5 
miles.  (Or 30,866 football fields; or 16,836 furlongs. Look under the Map Labs 
link in the left column).

Kevin


From: bounce-50734-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
[mailto:bounce-50734-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dave Nutter
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:16 PM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Snow Goose history

Last Thursday on my return from enjoying views of a couple of Snowy Owls in 
Seneca County, I drove NYS-89 along Cayuga Lake, and opposite Ernsberger Road 
(Seneca County Road 128) a saw a raft of SNOW GEESE, nearly all of the white 
flavor and a couple thousand strong, not far offshore. I scanned them awhile, 
unsuccessfully, for Ross' Goose, but I did note a bird with a yellow neck 
collar "TC57", which I reported to the USGS bird banding lab (easy: just google 
"report bird band". I received a reply today. This female Greater Snow Goose 
was an adult (hatched in 2010 or earlier) when she was banded on 11 August 2011 
on the south plain of Bylot Island in Nunavut, Canada. This is off the 
northeast coast of Baffin Island, about 2000 miles almost due north of us, and 
about 450 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I estimated distances using a 
National Geographic atlas Chamberlin Trimetric Projection map and a ruler. If 
anyone cares to be more accurate, the banding location was 73.1, -79.8. 
Bylot Island is the same area where the same researcher, Gilles Gauthier, has 
banded some other Snow Geese whose collars I have reported in spring further 
north on Cayuga Lake. Some of his collared birds I have reported were also 
banded at a migration stopover along the St Lawrence River.

--Dave Nutter
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[cayugabirds-l] Snow Goose history

2013-12-17 Thread Dave Nutter 
Last Thursday on my return from enjoying views of a couple of Snowy Owls in Seneca County, I drove NYS-89 along Cayuga Lake, and opposite Ernsberger Road (Seneca County Road 128) a saw a raft of SNOW GEESE, nearly all of the white flavor and a couple thousand strong, not far offshore. I scanned them awhile, unsuccessfully, for Ross' Goose, but I did note a bird with a yellow neck collar "TC57", which I reported to the USGS bird banding lab (easy: just google "report bird band". I received a reply today. This female Greater Snow Goose was an adult (hatched in 2010 or earlier) when she was banded on 11 August 2011 on the south plain of Bylot Island in Nunavut, Canada. This is off the northeast coast of Baffin Island, about 2000 miles almost due north of us, and about 450 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I estimated distances using a National Geographic atlas Chamberlin Trimetric Projection map and a ruler. If anyone cares to be more accurate, the banding location was 

	
		
		
	
	73.1, -79.8. Bylot Island is the same area where the same researcher, Gilles Gauthier, has banded some other Snow Geese whose collars I have reported in spring further north on Cayuga Lake. Some of his collared birds I have reported were also banded at a migration stopover along the St Lawrence River. --Dave Nutter
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[cayugabirds-l] Two Oregon Juncos and other recent highlights

2013-12-17 Thread Kenneth V. Rosenberg 
[Clearly something happened to by CayugaBirds post last night -- this is what I 
had meant to send]

In the past 3 days I've found two OREGON JUNCOS - the very rare western form of 
Dark-yed Juno -- near Groton on Booth Rd. on the Cortland CBC on Saturday, and 
this morning on Doolittle Rd in the Kenmore Estates neighborhood on the east 
side of Seneca Falls on the Montezuma NWR CBC. Both birds were at or under 
feeders with other juncos and sparrows. Both birds were probably young female, 
very dull as Oregons go, but with obvious dark gray hood contrasting with 
orange-pink flanks, and also a reddish brown back. Link to the Seneca Falls 
bird digiscoped with an iPhone are here: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kvr2/11412831514/in/photostream/

The Summerhill area of the Cortland CBC was otherwise very quiet-- in fact the 
fewest birds I've ever seen up there in the spruce groves and other woods along 
Lick St. Average flock size of Black-capped Chickadee (responding to 
screech-owl mobbing playback) was only 3-4 birds, when usually it is 10-15 
birds. There were more birds at feeders closer to Groton, and the only other 
highlight was an adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW at the same feeder on Booth Rd. as 
the Junco. I have not seen any posting of the overall Cortland CBC results.

On the Montezuma CBC (Monday) morning, 4 of us covered the northwest corner of 
Cayuga Lake and shoreline -- but were disappointed to find that the entire 
north end of the lake was frozen and there was no open water within the CBC 
count circle. The only waterfowl we had for the day was a small flock of Canada 
Geese flying overhead. We did pick out a very distant SNOWY OWL on the ice, 
being mobbed by crows (possibly better seen from Cayuga on the east side?). and 
the usual 6-7 BALD EAGLES also resting on the ice. I also picked out a 
first-cycle ICELAND GULL commuting north with other gulls in the morning. Best 
birding was on Demont Rd. on the south side of the Seneca Canal west of Mud 
Lock -- aggregations of birds near feeders among the trailer community there 
included a (MYRTLE) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a WINTER WREN.

The highlight, though was the OREGON JUNCO, under a feeder in the "Kenmore 
Estates" neighborhood off E Bayard Ave. on the east end of Seneca Falls across 
from the Chiropractic College. I also look forward to seeing how this Christmas 
Count did overall.

On the way back to Ithaca, we cruised along Sheldrake and found 2 WHITE-WINGED 
SCOTERS and 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS among the hundreds of Canada Geese, Am Black 
Ducks, and Mallards. When we passed Hogs Hole, I could see the large flock of 
waterfowl including many swans, gleaming in the afternoon sun, so I headed back 
there and scanned from the first parking spot on Rt. 89. I counted 53 TUNDRA 
SWANS (has anyone looked for Trumpeters in this flock? At one point I thought I 
heard "Whooping-Crane-like" trumpeting calls, but am not confident w variation 
in swan vocalizations). Also more than a thousand REDHEAD in the usual tight 
flock, but with several hundred RING-NECKED DUCKS (large number for winter) and 
LESSER SCAUP, smaller numbers of GREATER SCAUP, 2 RUDDY DUCKS, 6-8 GADWALL, and 
2 AM WIDGEON. Further out on the lake, I spotted a tight flick of 18 
LONG-TAILED DUCKS associating with a loose raft of mergansers and gulls -- 
these included several males with long tails. This flock took off while I 
watched and flew north up the lake -- this is also perhaps the largest flock of 
this species I have seen in winter in Ithaca.

KEN

Ken Rosenberg
Conservation Science Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
607-254-2412
607-342-4594 (cell)
k...@cornell.edu


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