No sooner did Reuben leave us this morning than White-crowned sparrows arrived at the feeders. We usually get about a month's stopover in spring and again in fall. Chipping Sparrows very few now so we expect Tree Sparrows shortly. A few Purple Finch remain and our local Red-breasted Nuthatch is settling in for her winter stay. Many Ruby-crowned and a few Golden-crowned Kinglets are here along with the Phoebes who seem reluctant to leave. Cedar Waxwing numbers are increasing.
I wish I still had ears that worked like Reuben's as he heard all of the above less the EWCS. The industrial level dairy that surrounds us has taken more woodlot, probably 20 acres by now, and more hedgerows so we must not look very enticing to migrating Saw-whets. Thus far this is the most sleepy migration we have ever had here since the early part of this century with but one owl banded. Happy for John Confer, only 30 miles or so SE of us, who in much better habitat surrounds appears to be doing better. From Saw-whet reports, many have gone an Easterly route through NE . All in all, none of the banding group from Nova Scotia through the mid-Atlantic are very happy and not getting their QPQ for lost sleep. It was a very poor reproduction year up north so the majority of movers are adult birds. John -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Rd Burdett, NY 14818 42.443508000, -76.758202000 "Create and Conserve Habitat" -- 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/ --
