Hi Cayugabirders, With this bright morning and the forecast of warm weather for the weekend, it seems that spring may finally be ramping up. Many signs of the coming season are already here, especially in the wooded hills in our state forests. Forested slopes echo with the hesitant staccato beat of drumming Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and the jumbled notes of Louisiana Waterthrush song reverberate along rocky streams. Winter Wrens herald the warming weather with their impossibly bubbly song, and the thumping of Ruffed Grouse hums through the landscape. It’s a great time to be a birder.
If you’re interested in seeing these species, and many more, a great way to do so is through Avicaching! (ebird.org/content/ebird/avicaching/<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/avicaching/>) Avicaching is a good excuse to get out into the trails and forests around Ithaca, exploring new areas, seeing some fun species, all while contributing to the knowledge of our local birds. In addition, the more that you Avicache, the higher your chance to win a pair of Zeiss binoculars! Importantly, between now and the end of June your local birding can help us understand more about the effects that roads have on birds and bird surveys. Roadside bias is an important element of any research conducted on birds, and Avicaching is helping us understand these biases. All you need to do to help is go birding! 25 people have taken part already, contributing more than 650 checklists—you can see the stats and map of locations here: http://ebird.org/ebird/avicache/home. This weekend should bring a host of new arrivals into town if the forecast holds true—a push of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Palm, Pine, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, some additional Louisiana Waterthrushes, and many more tidings of spring! If you make it out to appreciate these returning species, consider checking out an Avicache or two—who knows what you’ll find! Wherever you go, I hope that you find some good birds. See you in the field. Best, Ian -- Ian Davies eBird Project Coordinator Ithaca, NY i...@cornell.edu<mailto:i...@cornell.edu> http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/uropsalis/ -- 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/ --
