I returned to the field after lunch. I hadn't walked 30' in when the grass exploded with little birds. I recognized the call note of the AMER. PIPIT, and probably looked pretty klutzy as I tried to put the scope up, then down, meanwhile trying to extricate the binoculars from inside the heavy coat. They stayed in the field, however, where I flushed them twice more, mostly just to watch them flying. There were about 75.
In the next 45 minutes, 7 RED-TAILED HAWKS went over. Finally, as I scanned northish, the view field was filled with black spots. A flock of around 300 AMER. CROWS passed silently to the south. Stragglers emerged from the same direction and followed the main mass for the next ten minutes. Migrants? That's my opinion. I haven't seen a crow flock of that magnitude out here in several years. Steve Fast _____ From: bounce-110122873-9286...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-110122873-9286...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Susan Fast Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2013 12:39 PM To: 'CAYUGABIRDS-L' Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Golden eagle---Brooktondale I felt lazy today; it's also cold, so I went to the center of the large field across from my house to see what might go over. It's also south of Mt. Pleasant, so anything over there has got to come my way, just higher. I had put in enough time so that my thoughts were dwelling on a big, hot bowl of soup, when I noted a dark speck to the north. I watched this for some time, until it came close enough to become a RAVEN. Normally I don't bother looking to the south, why would I, but since I had spent a lot of viewing time on the raven, I glanced back and up and there, just passing directly overhead was another dark form. I needed only binocs to see this was an adult GOLDEN EAGLE. I did get it in the scope, but that's a hard angle. So I just watched it circling slowly until it vanished in the direction of Pennsylvania. I hung out for another half hour, seeing 1 RED-TAILED HAWK, and a few more CANADA GOOSE flocks, then headed for the soup. Steve Fast -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> The Mail Archive <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> Surfbirds <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> ! -- -- 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/ --
