[cayugabirds-l] Deer/redwing

Curious activity this a.m. in our field on 89 near Boy Scout Camp, T-burg. A deer was in field when I spotted it but it looked strange. Something on head, antlers? No. Binox showed a Red Wing Black Bird on its head carefully picking something off deer's head, like the oxpeckers we saw in Africa.

[cayugabirds-l] waxwings and tulip trees

We have one tulip tree on our property, planted by a former resident perhaps 30 years ago. When we have Cedar Waxwings in the neighborhood, we often see them in this tree. The birds also frequent a Bradford pear that is within 50 feet of the tulip. Also a white ash that is another 50 feet fro

[cayugabirds-l] oranges

The first year we tried oranges, nobody noticed even though there were orioles in the neighborhood. Since then, we put the orange eighths on a platform usually reserved for mixed seeds. The orioles now feed on the oranges several times a day. Sometimes other species visit but they seem to be

[cayugabirds-l] Blue Grosbeak Not

My apologies. Jay, Jeff, Tim, and others came by to look for the grosbeak and found an Indigo Bunting. My ID was a bit hopeful I guess. Jay kindly said he would rather find a more common bird than miss a rare bird that went unreported.. Nonetheless, you all can now go back to counting warble

[cayugabirds-l] Blue Grosbeak

We have a male BLUE GROSBEAK in our back yard, foraging among the sparrrows and finches for what appears to be dandelion seeds. This morning, Shirley saw two blue colored birds in the front yard but could not ID them. Possibly the same as the Blue Grosbeak. Bill McAneny, TBurg -- Cayugabirds

[cayugabirds-l] Us too!!

First hummingbird about 7:30 pm to H.B. feeder. Shirley McAneny -- 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-

[cayugabirds-l] tree swallow

This morning, our first-of-yearTree Swallow was inspecting one of our bluebird boxes. Unfortunately, it is the same box that the bluebirds have chosen for their nest. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There are over a dozen boxes to choose from, and Tree Swallows have chosen o

[cayugabirds-l] female redwing

A female Redwing Blackbird joined 3 males at our feeder this am about 9am. I don't recall seeing anything on the listserv about the arrival of the females. If I were as dedicated as Dave Nutter, I would go to eBird to get a definitive answer. But it is Sunday morning, I am lazy and my back h

[cayugabirds-l] E. Meadowlark

Those of you who are familiar with the tall perch erected in our meadow may be interested that an E. MEADOWLARK sat there for several minutes about 9:45 this a.m. This is a YFE (yard first ever) for us. Today is very birdy here, with lots of birds pairing up, chasing brides, and looking at nes

Re: [cayugabirds-l] snowbirds

Nancy's observation is timely. The same happened here today, but our number was smaller, only 10 juncos. Still, that's double our usual number. Bill McAnenyT'Burg - Original Message - From: Nancy W Dickinson To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2012 4:10 PM Sub

[cayugabirds-l] horned larks

A half dozen Horned Larks followed the snow to Cayuga View Rd in TBurg this afternoon. Previously, with zero snow, there had been zero HLarks. The wind blows across the corn fields and leaves little lark tidbits on the shoulders of the road. Bill McAneny, tburg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: ht

[cayugabirds-l] broken bill loon

I seem to recall a loon photo a couple of years ago where the bill was visibly fractured and the lower mandible was just hanging down. Does anyone else remember that? Maybe that's just a mis-memory like a lot of my memories these days. The photo emailed today would have predated that one and

[cayugabirds-l] Gary K. and R L hawks

Shirley and I were driving N on rte 89 about noon today and passed a Rough-leg perched on a power pole near Interlaken. He said he was waiting for Gary, and did we know what was delaying him? We went on to Montezuma which started out quiet and got quieter as the rain started. Saw nothing unu

[cayugabirds-l] merlins

A couple of years ago, a merlin took a bluebird on the wing just east of T'Burg on Cayuga View Rd. Also a couple of years ago, we had Rock Doves in our barn (squatting squabs?) and along came a Cooper's hawk and wiped them out over the length of a week. That is a better size comparison between

[cayugabirds-l] rough-legged hawk

Seen about 3pm on the east side of Cayuga View Rd about 100 yds from Rte 89 near Trumansburg. Flew up to a nearby tree branch as my car approached, so I got a good look (no binox) at its dark back and tail and the striking white slash across the base of the primaries. When it flew further away

Fw: [cayugabirds-l] Dead Birds - Mulberry Tree

When we lived on Long Island, there was a big mulberry tree in front of our house. When the berries fell to the round and stayed there a while, they would ferment. The mourning doves would then come around and get staggering drunk. However, I don't remember ever seeing a dead bird under the t

[cayugabirds-l] Field Sparrow in TBurg

Will wonders never cease. Another migrant gets lost and finds TBurg. Today it was a Field Sparrow on and beneath the feeder. We have not seen this species here in several years. Bill and Shirley McAneny, TBurg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME htt

[cayugabirds-l] common migrants

Spring has arrived between the lakes. This a.m. there were at least two White-crowned Sparrows and two female Purple Finches at our feeders. The Siskin is still among the 20 Goldfinches and about 4 pairs of Barn Swallows are making nests in the barn. One Baltimore Oriole (one of the two yeste

[cayugabirds-l] B. Orioles

Two male BALTIMORE ORIOLES showed up at the feeder this morning, attracted no doubt by the pieces of orange that Shirley had supplied. These were followed by at least a half-dozen CEDAR WAXWINGS in a crabapple tree. No crabapples of course but probably some bugs on the new leaves. It has been

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Many Siskins

We have one siskin, but this is not a complaint. That is one more than we had all winter. This one was on a niger feeder in the company of about 20 Goldfinches. Until I added seed to the feeder yesterday, I was getting about 5 goldfinches. No Orioles or R-B grosbeaks here yet. No warblers e

[cayugabirds-l] female redwing

I don't recall any postings of female REDWINGED BLACKBIRDS but we had our first this season on our feeder this morning. Nice to see her again. Bill McAneny, TBurg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARC

[cayugabirds-l] grackle

We just had our first common grackle of the spring on our feeder. This was right after a male Cardinal in a rush of testosterone flew smack into another Cardinal on the feeder. The other Cardinal is solid wood and painted bright red. He did not move from the spot where he sits day and night,

[cayugabirds-l] a little raft of redheads

A raft of redheads showed up today in a spot I have not seen them before. The raft, about 300 in number, is tucked into the beach on the south side of Taughannock point. They can be seen from Rte 89 as you drive north to the park entrance. A few Canada Geese are nearby, but no other species s

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Aurora Bay / Union Springs and waterfowl count question

Marie and others, On Jan. 15, Jess Miller and I had the "redhead raft" in the southwest corner of the lake. It was stretched along the west shore for quite a distance, so we had to count from several overlooks. Allowing for the fact that there were parts of the raft we could not see, we arrri

[cayugabirds-l] larks, buntings

For the past two days, maybe more, there has been a mixed flock of about 25 birds along the shoulders of Cayuga View Rd (Trumansburg) between Rte 89 and Rice Rd. Most of the birds are Horned Larks but 3 or 4 are Snow Buntings. None appear to be longspurs or pipits. Bill McAneny, TBurg -- C

[cayugabirds-l] desparate Red Tail

We have had a Cooper's Hawk buzzing the local feeder population for a couple of days, so when the feeder birds scattered about an hour ago, I looked out expecting to see the Coop finally successful. What I saw was a RED TAILED HAWK swooping by the kitchen window and flying away clutching a Mour

[cayugabirds-l] brown creeper

Those of you on the east side of the lake may pooh-pooh this report because you see BROWN CREEPERS all the time. But in ten years on the west side , today is the first time we have seen one. It was working up and down a big maple in our side yard in mid-afternoon today. The tree has a suet fe

[cayugabirds-l] Dave Nutter and redpolls, in that order

We are a truly favored birding community to have as our birding conscience and constant recorder the incomparable Dave Nutter. Dave would probably be the only one to deny that, but the rest of us are richer because of his daily reports of the birds in the Basin. So to his complete embarrassmen

[cayugabirds-l] Bald Eagle

Wow ! At 2:10, an adult BALD EAGLE flew over our field, just above the tree tops. Headed for Shelldrake. That's a first for us. We don't keep a yard list but this might be a great time to start one, even if we never add another bird. We are along Rte 89 one mile north of Taughannock Falls.

[cayugabirds-l] Eider

About 2:30 this afternoon, I paid a visit to Stewart Park. A fellow from near Canandaigua (Dave Morris?) said he had not seen the eider. I was setting up my scope and he yelled to me from the boat house that the eider was back in the unfrozen part of the creek. We viewed it from the path NW o

[cayugabirds-l] C. Grackle

About 10:20 this a.m. there was a COMMON GRACKLE on our feeder. It picked at a few seeds, then left into the wind. Bill McAneny, Trumansburg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.m

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Downy eating oranges

Laura (and others), We have oranges out for the orioles and we have had a Red-bellied Woodpecker coming in to eat. He then carries off whole piecesof the orange. A piece is one-eighth of an orange the way Shirley cuts one up. The orioles have much better manners and eat only at the feeder.

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Grassland birds - East Hill Rec. Way/Pine Tree Rd.

Larry (and others), We have a 5-acre grassy field. When we moved here 10 yrs ago, I asked someone at the lab what the minimum size might be to attract nesting grassland species. The answer was about 50 acres. I don't know if there is more recent information on the size, but perhaps this is a

[cayugabirds-l] balt.oriole

This mornings yard birds: highlights are a male B. ORIOLE inspecting branch tips for a suitable spot to hang a nest. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on the lawn. Sharply marked White-Throated Sparrow near the feeders. Yesterdays arrivals: four BARN SWALLOWS in and out of one of the barns. Upset with m

[cayugabirds-l] chippie

A very sharp CHIPPING SPARROW arrived at our feeders about 1:30 today. It amazes me to realize my chippie and my sapsucker arrived on the same day as Laura's. Usually several days seem to elapse before new arrivals work their way north in Seneca Co. I am elated. Bill McAneny T'Burg -

[cayugabirds-l] sapsucker

We have a 2010-first Y-B SAPSUCKER on the pagoda tree in our back yard this a.m. If Laura also had one, there may be others that arrived in the region last night. I am not always happy to see a sapsucker here. A few years ago, they drilled so many holes in some of our young birches that the t

Re: [cayugabirds-l] House sparrow @ nesting box

We have about 18 boxes up around our field. We have had no predation so I just let the house sparrows have a box or two. If I find the sparrows to be too aggressive I may empty their nest box and force them to start over. All our boxes are erected in pairs so the bluebirds can choose an empty

[cayugabirds-l] phoebe, tree swallow

Two spring birds here at the farm this a.m. First, a PHOEBE flew into a tree next to the house, then a TREE SWALLOW landed on the perch in the field. Both are first sightings for us this year. Bill McAneny, T'Burg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

[cayugabirds-l] raven, others

Yesterday in the early afternoon I saw a RAVEN in our field poking through the long grass looking for a meal. IT reminded me that last Friday I heard a RAVEN call. I looked out towards the lake in hopes of seeing a raven fly-by, which happens occasionally. Our place is about halfway between t

[cayugabirds-l] ravens

We live just about halfway between Taughannock Creek and Trumansburg (or Frontenac) Creek. Ravens sometimes fly back and forth between the creeks. Today seemed to be one of those days. While I was pruning our apple tree, I could hear (but not see) one or two Ravens calling to the south of us

[cayugabirds-l] snow buntings, horned larks

Late this a.m.(Sat.) there were 15 HORNED LARKS on Falls Rd not far from Grove Cemetary. This afternoon (Sat.) on Jacksonville Rd and S. of Agard Rd Shirley and I saw about 2 dozen SNOW BUNTINGS. Couldn't get close enough to ID any other species consorting with them. We stopped for a couple

[cayugabirds-l] Coopers

Sunday a little after 4pm, I was on Seneca St. at Rte 13 waitng for the red light to change. On the NE corner there is a house with some large yew bushes (or other evergreens). On top of one of the yews there was a COOPER"S HAWK trying to get at something inside the bush. The light changed so

[cayugabirds-l] Holiday robins

Christmas morning gifts---About three to four dozen ROBINS blanketing our yard. Hard to count because they are everywhere and moving around constantly. At least one E. BLUEBIRD in with them, looking overwhelmed. Our best wishes to all of you. Bill and Shirley McAneny, T'Burg -- Cayugabirds-

[cayugabirds-l] yardbirds

Other correspondents have mentioned AM ROBINS and TREE SPARROWS. There were 8 ROBINS in our yard 2 days ago (Monday) and one TREE SPARROW at the feeders this morning. Other recent yard birds: 17 AM GOLDFINCHES on Sunday. 30 C. WAXWINGS on Monday. Bill and Shirley McAneny, T'Burg -- Cayuga

Re: Wilson's Phalarope

Joe's message reminds me that Shirley and I were at May's Point Pool yesterday about 3pm looking for the Wilson's phalarope. People who were there when we arrived had scoped the bird, but there also was a couple from Long Island whom we had not seen for 20 years. While we were catching up on o

E.Kingbirds

+Yesterday about 3pm, I stopped along Cayuga View Rd east of T'Burg to watch a large flock of starlings amid the cornstalks. Probably 500 or so birds, but may have been more out of sight in the corn. One common grackle with them. Brave. Then I checked out 5 Barn Swallows on the power lines a

Siskin update

To those interested, our daughter on Whitetail Dr off E. King Rd, Ithaca, is still seeing a few siskins daily. Yesterday there were 4. She is only putting out nyger & water & seeing just goldfinches & the siskins. Shirley McAneny -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/Cayug