Re: [cayugabirds-l] Snows on the ice and flying - Mud Lock

2014-03-25 Thread J. Sullivan
Thousands of Snows at Mud Lock on ice and flying directly overhead.  Thrilling.

Jae 

 On Mar 25, 2014, at 1:37 PM, John and Fritzie Blizzard 
 job121...@verizon.net wrote:
 
 Thousands of snows  a few Canadas on the ice out from Frontenac Park ... to 
  beyond, north  south of the island since 10 this a.m.  still there now at 
 1:30 p.m..
  
 Woodies, etc. on Mill Pond.
  
 Fritzie
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crows on South Hill

2014-03-04 Thread J. Sullivan
MUSTER .

Would that be only used among us locals?

Jae 

 On Mar 4, 2014, at 11:02 AM, Linda Orkin wingmagi...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 Sue, thanks for enjoying the list and for being so eager to learn.  All of us 
 who admire, respect and enjoy crows are trying to retire the collective noun 
 of murder as it can either imply that crows are evil or that they should be 
 murdered.  Another term could be Congress of crows (which in this day and age 
 can also be pejorative) or can also be a Muster.  Which would seem 
 appropriate especially at this time of year as they gather or when they all 
 raucously mob a Great-horned Owl.  I like Muster, the definition is apropos.  
 
 Keep watching!!!
 
 Linda Orkin
 Ithaca, NY
 
 
 On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 10:52 AM, Sue Rakow sue.ra...@gmail.com wrote:
 This is very helpful information! Thank  you so much for the complete 
 picture. I am learning so much from being on this list serve. I am very 
 grateful!
 Sue Rakow
 
 
 On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 8:26 AM, Anne Clark anneb.cl...@gmail.com wrote:
 These groups are winter roosts, and they are nothing new in crow life.  
 Despite what urban residents sometimes think, crows didn't start gathering 
 when we set out cities for them to use.  Roosting in groups at any time of 
 year may offer safety in numbers from night predators, such as Great Horned 
 Owls.  
 
 In winter, birds living in northern areas that usually have constant snow 
 cover for months do migrate south--Canada, areas of New England.  Crows 
 don't necessarily have a particular area they migrate TO.  They may go as 
 far as an area that is usually ok for foraging, perhaps one that they are 
 familiar with from previous migrations.  There they form flocks that are 
 made up of migrants as well as wide-foraging locals.  If it gets unusually 
 snowy and cold, they may move further south.  (We really don't know much of 
 the repeat migratory routes of individual crows.  We do know that birds 
 tagged in Ithaca in winter are then seen on territories in Canada, VT, New 
 Hampshire in summer, and that some birds RAISED in Ithaca have been 
 observed or shot in winter, in such places as Maryland, West VA, and 
 Pennsylvania, as well as in Cortland, Auburn, Geneva)
 
 In the winter flocks, birds are foraging in open fields and off familiar 
 areas.  During foraging, flocks offer some safety in numbers to detect 
 predators in day (hawks, hunters, whatever).  At night the flocks flock 
 up still more in places that offer good roosting sites, which probably 
 includes wind breaks, places from which owls can be detected at night. So 
 they are probably gathering both for safety in numbers and also because 
 they all agree on what makes a good site.  Cities may offer fewer 
 predators, but also the lights may allow them to see the predators.  
 Finally roosting in flocks that include birds that have sampled food 
 sources widely may allow birds to find new food sources, perhaps by 
 following the most assured and directed birds leaving the roost.
 
 So--Upstate NY has its own crows and is ideally positioned for northern 
 crows--so flocks become big.  They like the agricultural fields 
 interspersed with trees and lots of running water sources (which may be 
 important in cold winters)...and we also offer lots of smaller cities, with 
 large groups of lit trees in their downtowns or college campuses. These 
 seem to be attractive.
 
 Mid-late March is the start of the breeding season and flocking crows will 
 be returning to their breeding latitudes.  Our Ithaca pairs are already 
 calling on territory during daytimes.
 
 As I say, some of this story is surmised from the patterns, not pinned down 
 with hard data on individuals!  We know what our tagged birds do, when we 
 can follow them.  But we would love to have gps data coming in from our 
 birds, such as the snowy owls and golden eagles give their researchers.  
 Bring on the Tiny Tags!
 
 Anne
 
 On Mar 4, 2014, at 7:19 AM, Sue Rakow wrote:
 
 I observed the murder of crows on Sunday evening. It was stunning. I would 
 like to know more about why they gather in such large groups. Are they on 
 the move or are they local? Can anyone help me understand?
 Thanks.
 Sue Rakow
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 Don't ask what your bird club can do for you, ask what you can do for your  
 bird club!! ')_,/
 
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