Hi All,
I had a great morning of sound recording and birding in the Shindagin
Hollow area this morning (16 May 2010). After the wind started to pick
up around 9:30, I decided to explore a bit, and eventually stopped at a
fairly large shrubland area along Braley Hill Road. As soon as I got
out of the car, I noticed a sound that I did not immediately
recognize--a fast-paced series of even buzzy notes. Unfortunately, the
bird went quiet before I could record it at all or track it down. But,
I did hear it long enough to realize what it was, based on the quality
of the song--a singing CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. I have very little field
experience with this species, but am used to hearing recordings of it in
which the bird sings rather slow, two-noted songs like this:
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/42229
The bird I heard, though, was giving faster, 4 or 5 noted songs like this:
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/42235
This bird was clearly in the Susquehanna River drainage, rather than in
the Cayuga Lake Basin, but I thought that some might be interested in
trying to take a look for it. I can't figure out the exact coordinates
of the spot, but it was a large shrubland area on the west side of
Braley Hill Road, about two miles north of the junction with Pleasant
Valley Road.
I spent most of my morning along Bald Hill School Road, which was very
birdy. And the overall diversity of warblers that I encountered in my
wanderings was fairly impressive:
Tennessee
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided
Black-throated Blue
Yellow-rumped
Black-throated Green
Blackburnian
Pine
Prairie
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush (Leonard Rd.)
Mourning Warbler (2)
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler (several)
Canada Warbler (1)
With the exception of the first two, I believe that all of the others
breed in the area, along with a few additional species.
Other birds of interest to me were my first singing EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE
of the year, many VEERY, SCARLET TANAGERS and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS,
and a briefly singing BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.
Good birding,
Matt Medler
Ithaca
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