[cayugabirds-l] Burdick Hill and Ladoga Park Roads, Sat 2/8
Late Saturday morning, my son Tilden and I made a short birding outing in Lansing. Along Burdick Hill Road, we had long, frame-filling scope views of an adult female light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK perching on one of the short spruces near the house on the corner of North Triphammer Road. A minute later and a few hundred meters to the west, we watched in surprise as a female NORTHERN HARRIER flew right at a Red-tailed Hawk (one of at least four along the road), forced it to the ground, and then lifted off again and cruised the fields. Our luck with raptors continued at Ladoga Park Road, where we saw a BALD EAGLE, past its third year but not quite an adult, feasting on a bloody duck carcass. Immense numbers of surviving waterfowl abided on the water nearby - many of all of our common Aythya species (CANVASBACKS especially abundant - I don't think I'd ever before seen so many on the southern half of the lake), one elusive LONG-TAILED DUCK, some COMMON GOLDENEYES, some flyby BUFFLEHEADS, a few HORNED GREBES, and some Mallards. I was sure I saw one a CACKLING GOOSE in among the hundreds of Canada Geese, but I didn't manage to show it to Tilden or to refind it definitively. Birds were much less abundant and diverse at the marina and off Myers Park. Mark Chao --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com -- 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] Cardinals eating snow
I just took several pictures of a male Cardinal eating snow with his beak covered, very cute. He did this several times and would then scrape it clean and start all over again. Sent from my iPhone On Feb 8, 2014, at 1:52 PM, "Meena Madhav Haribal" wrote: > Hi all, > I just watched cardinals eating snow. First, I saw a male cardinal on the > snow, I thought he looked very cute so I was praising his beauty. Then I > thought may be snow is too deep for him get up. Just then he started eating > snow. When he face was up, his beak was covered with snow. So I ran down to > my car to get the video camera out. By the time I came up and set up my > camera, he had his last bite (?) of snow and flew up to a branch still his > beak covered with snow. As I was watching him, I saw another bird down > slightly hidden in the branches. It turned out to be his partner who was also > eating snow. She too was satiated after a few minutes and joined the male. > Then they both flew away together. > It was a very cute behavior to watch and birds looked adorable! > > Cheers > Meena > Meena Haribal > Ithaca NY 14850 > 42.429007,-76.47111 > http://haribal.org/ > http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ > > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to 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] Cardinals eating snow
Hi all, I just watched cardinals eating snow. First, I saw a male cardinal on the snow, I thought he looked very cute so I was praising his beauty. Then I thought may be snow is too deep for him get up. Just then he started eating snow. When he face was up, his beak was covered with snow. So I ran down to my car to get the video camera out. By the time I came up and set up my camera, he had his last bite (?) of snow and flew up to a branch still his beak covered with snow. As I was watching him, I saw another bird down slightly hidden in the branches. It turned out to be his partner who was also eating snow. She too was satiated after a few minutes and joined the male. Then they both flew away together. It was a very cute behavior to watch and birds looked adorable! Cheers Meena Meena Haribal Ithaca NY 14850 42.429007,-76.47111 http://haribal.org/ http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ -- 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] Field Trip Sunday
I think the following is apropos: From a column by Rick Marsi in the Ithaca Journal--- "One stares at manure with mixed feelings. On the positive side, a swath of freshly spread manure can turn a farmer's field into a songbird harvest table. As for negatives, manure is manure, and driving through the countryside seeking it out for the sole purpose of staring at buntings walking through it makes a birder wonder, at times, if other avocations require such forays toward the peculiar. 'I watched cow pies all February', is not the response folks expect when they ask how you've passed the winter. Being a birder demands you give that response sometimes. You must stay strong in your convictions. But who cares what people think. Have you followed a manure spreader yet this winter? Don't keep putting it off." The above, from Rick, touches at the heart (or is it the butt?) of Bob's proposed fieldtrip. I can personally attest to Bob's strong convictions. He is also peculiar. Note: some years ago, I spent 2 years on a research project using cow manure to generate methane. It was a hands-on job, if you get my drift. But I found cowpoop to be wonderful stuff, with it's own distinct "bouquet". It can get under your skin. S. Fast Farmcountry. On Friday, February 7, 2014 3:45 PM, bob mcguire wrote: I will lead another impromptu Cayuga Bird Club trip this coming Sunday. Meet at the Lab of O at 8 am. We will be back at around 2 pm. I plan to look for all the good winter birds. Beginning with gulls & grebes on the lake, a snowy owl (if anyone has not yet seen one), larks/longspurs/buntings in the fields, and then some ducks. I AM open to suggestions. Bob McGuire -- 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 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] Gulls looking for Breakfast
Meena's comment yesterday about the gulls reminded me of my commute in the 1970-80s from Spencer into Ithaca. The landfill (now closed) was located on Hillview Road in West Danby and the gulls were always flying overhead in what was a reverse commute. Best, Barbara Eden -- 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/ --