Re: [nfc-l] Ajo, AZ flight last night
Bill and others interested, Here is a PDF reprint of a paper from the Auk (Vol. 126, Number 3) that shows Red-faced and Graces flight-calls Andrew and I recorded several years back.Best,MikeMichael LanzoneSomerset, PAmlanz...@gmail.comNice flight across the Mexican–Arizona border region last night. It always amazes me how late spring migrants are crossing the border in the west (and probably the east as well). I recall camping along the border in Cabeza Prieta NWR back in ~1997 and hearing a steady flight of Swainson’s Thrush on several nights in early June. What’s intriguing to me about last night’s flight is the variation in bandwidth of the “zeep” notes. As far as I know, Yellow Warbler is the only migrant small passerine in the west that gives a classic zeep flight note. The psychedelic warbler flight call poster that Andy Farnsworth put together back in 2006 tends to support this, though the Painted Redstart call portrayed is suggestive of a zeep. Not shown in that poster are the flight calls of Grace’s and Red-faced Warblers, but my recollection on hearing flight notes from those species back in the early 90s is that they give high thin notes and not zeeps. The flight calls from Ajo, AZ last night can be downloaded from oldbird.org and viewed with GlassOfire or Raven. Bill E -- NFC-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- 05_Lanzone_08-187.pdf Description: Adobe PDF document
Re: [nfc-l] Austin, Tx - Hourly count - Through May 7, 2012
Hi All, I forgot to mention that the link I provided for Cochran's work is for the transmitters he is using but it talks about a different project. For the acoustic study he analyzed the same channel for calls instead of counting wing-beats. These transmitters have 2 channels, one a tracking signal and the other the audio stream. Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 11:26 AM, Michael Lanzone wrote: > Jessie and Mike, I will answer both of your posts in more detail later > when I have time, but to my knowledge there has only been one person to > collect definitive data on call rates of birds during nocturnal migration > (from know individuals). It was on was on Swainson's Thrushes where he had > a transmitter attached to it during nocturnal migration transmitting back > to a vehicle to be recorded via radio. I saw a partial manuscript on this > several years ago, I hope it gets published, its an invaluable study. Here > is a short excerpt from Cochran's study- > http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/inhsreports/sep-oct97/migrants.html > > One of the published papers out there dealing with this is the Farnsworth > et.al. paper- "A comparison of nocturnal call counts of migrating birds > and reflectivity measurements on Doppler radar" > > Mike > > Michael Lanzone > mlanz...@gmail.com > > > > > On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 11:14 AM, Mike Farmer wrote: > >> Thanks everyoneI wish there was a central place for all your >> knowledge for us newbies to peruse. It would make getting started >> easierbut maybe less fun in the floundering? >> >> I’ve had this discussion with a bunch of people just starting to record >> or who have given up after attempting to record. It seems to be a >> naturally progression that newby’s like myself take. First, we are amazed >> at how well the detectors will find such small packets of energy above the >> background noise. Then we go into near depression because a beautiful OVEN >> bird zeep is some how missed. Then horror that my big night of 500 calls >> could have been 750 if I would just wade through 20,000 false positives >> instead of 3,000. >> >> The OLDBIRD detectors and Raven Pro detectorto name the only two I >> have usedare amazing detectors. State of the art for what they do. >> But the background noise is varying so rapidly and randomly that some calls >> are missed and false detection are many. >> >> It is at this point that the newby must decide. What am I trying to >> do? For me, I finally realized that I want as unbiased a sample of the >> birds calling over my house as I can get and I want a sufficient sample. >> A good number, that is. I’m not so concerned that I get every call that >> my mic hears as long as I don’t miss OVEN birds at a higher rate than CCSP, >> for instance. But I also don’t want just 10% of the calls because >> although that may be good enough for the many CCSP, it may not be enough >> OVEN birds calls to analysize. >> >> Notice that I said that I want an unbiased sample of the birds >> calling.not that I am getting an unbiased sample of the birds flying >> over my house. Sure, I would want that but apparently you professionals >> haven’t even determined what the call rate of each species is. So we >> newbies have to realize that we are in no way counting how many birds fly >> over our house. Right? Do I have that right? >> >> But when I read your professional papers and talk to the gurus like BIll >> Evans, I see that we can talk about changes in the proportion of the calls >> of each species.At least until you professionals give us more ways to >> crunch the statistics. >> >> Sorry for the mini-rant. I think newbies should be less frustrated by >> missed calls than we just naturally seem to be. The pursuit of perfection >> should not be the enemy of the good. >> >> -Mike Farmer >> -Oldbird and Raven Pro detectors are greatnewbies, use them! >> >> *From:* Lewis Grove >> *Sent:* Friday, May 11, 2012 8:26 AM >> *To:* Andrew Albright >> *Cc:* Mike Farmer ; NFC-L >> *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Austin, Tx - Hourly count - Through May 7, 2012 >> >> Hi Andrew and all, >> >> Automated detection of calls is a tricky business, though it is >> relatively easy to figure out the proportion of calls that you are actually >> pulling out - just count calls manually, screen by screen and then see how >> many your detectors find. We looked at 90 different random 15-minute >> segments from three different recording sites, using multiple observers to
Re: [nfc-l] Austin, Tx - Hourly count - Through May 7, 2012
Jessie and Mike, I will answer both of your posts in more detail later when I have time, but to my knowledge there has only been one person to collect definitive data on call rates of birds during nocturnal migration (from know individuals). It was on was on Swainson's Thrushes where he had a transmitter attached to it during nocturnal migration transmitting back to a vehicle to be recorded via radio. I saw a partial manuscript on this several years ago, I hope it gets published, its an invaluable study. Here is a short excerpt from Cochran's study- http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/inhsreports/sep-oct97/migrants.html One of the published papers out there dealing with this is the Farnsworth et.al. paper- "A comparison of nocturnal call counts of migrating birds and reflectivity measurements on Doppler radar" Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 11:14 AM, Mike Farmer wrote: > Thanks everyoneI wish there was a central place for all your > knowledge for us newbies to peruse. It would make getting started > easierbut maybe less fun in the floundering? > > I’ve had this discussion with a bunch of people just starting to record or > who have given up after attempting to record. It seems to be a naturally > progression that newby’s like myself take. First, we are amazed at how > well the detectors will find such small packets of energy above the > background noise. Then we go into near depression because a beautiful OVEN > bird zeep is some how missed. Then horror that my big night of 500 calls > could have been 750 if I would just wade through 20,000 false positives > instead of 3,000. > > The OLDBIRD detectors and Raven Pro detectorto name the only two I > have usedare amazing detectors. State of the art for what they do. > But the background noise is varying so rapidly and randomly that some calls > are missed and false detection are many. > > It is at this point that the newby must decide. What am I trying to > do? For me, I finally realized that I want as unbiased a sample of the > birds calling over my house as I can get and I want a sufficient sample. > A good number, that is. I’m not so concerned that I get every call that > my mic hears as long as I don’t miss OVEN birds at a higher rate than CCSP, > for instance. But I also don’t want just 10% of the calls because > although that may be good enough for the many CCSP, it may not be enough > OVEN birds calls to analysize. > > Notice that I said that I want an unbiased sample of the birds > calling.not that I am getting an unbiased sample of the birds flying > over my house. Sure, I would want that but apparently you professionals > haven’t even determined what the call rate of each species is. So we > newbies have to realize that we are in no way counting how many birds fly > over our house. Right? Do I have that right? > > But when I read your professional papers and talk to the gurus like BIll > Evans, I see that we can talk about changes in the proportion of the calls > of each species.At least until you professionals give us more ways to > crunch the statistics. > > Sorry for the mini-rant. I think newbies should be less frustrated by > missed calls than we just naturally seem to be. The pursuit of perfection > should not be the enemy of the good. > > -Mike Farmer > -Oldbird and Raven Pro detectors are greatnewbies, use them! > > *From:* Lewis Grove > *Sent:* Friday, May 11, 2012 8:26 AM > *To:* Andrew Albright > *Cc:* Mike Farmer ; NFC-L > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Austin, Tx - Hourly count - Through May 7, 2012 > > Hi Andrew and all, > > Automated detection of calls is a tricky business, though it is relatively > easy to figure out the proportion of calls that you are actually pulling > out - just count calls manually, screen by screen and then see how many > your detectors find. We looked at 90 different random 15-minute segments > from three different recording sites, using multiple observers to find the > total number of calls present. > > Basically, depending on the software package and the parameter > combinations you use (SNR and occupancy are the big ones other than having > your time and frequency bounds correct), you can get wildly different > proportions, ranging from near zero to near 100% of calls. I can't > remember the exact numbers but I believe Tseep-x finds something just shy > of 50% of the warbler/sparrow calls present in a file. Other factors come > in to play here too - background noise (insects) particularly. > > Hopefully all of this data (there's a lot) will someday see the light of > day in a journal - it's overdue. > > Lewis > > > On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 8:19 AM, Andrew Albright < &g
Re: [nfc-l] May 3/4th - biggest East Coast migration night of the year?
The last several nights in Somerset County, PA have been really good for listening. Last night was on par with call rate to Monday night here, but it was still really good Tues and Wed nights too. I had many periods with over 20 calls/min! I have been hearing a large proportion of sparrows still here, on Monday and Tuesday nights Grasshopper, Song, and White-throated were fairly common. Wed and Thursday nights Warblers were a bit more dominant in the mix too. I did a quick blog post for those interested where I posted one of the GRSP flight calls I recorded a few nights ago- http://www.nemesisbird.com/2012/05/grasshopper-sparrow-migration/ Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 11:55 PM, Andrew Albright wrote: > When I checked the weather a few days ago, it looked like tomorrow > (Friday) night could be really big. However, I just checked the radar and > it looks like the whole Eastern half of the US is on fire with migration. > I stuck my head outside and heard a decent number of calls per minute > (5-10). Plus it's a full moon. > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] roll call!
I am recording in Somerset, PA this spring. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 12:27 PM, Rob Fergus wrote: > I finally got serious and purchased an Oldbird 21c mic and this weekend > started recording with Easy Hi-Q Recorder in my backyard in Hunterdon > County, New Jersey. This is an exurban residential area in western NJ > about ten miles from PA and the Delaware River. I am less than half a mile > south of Hoffman Park which has breeding grassland birds such as Bobolink > and Grasshopper Sparrow, and just over a mile south of Spruce Run, one of > the largest reservoirs in NJ. > > Strong WNW winds the last two nights probably didn't provide good > conditions for migration. I'm still getting set up, and plan to spend > today figuring out how to run the detection programs on my recordings. > > Right now I've got the mic strapped to a chair in my backyard. Once I get > all the software and hardware figured out I'll mount it more permanently on > my chimney. > > Look forward to comparing results from around NJ and the rest of the night > flying universe :-) > > Rob Fergus > Union Township, Hunterdon Co, NJ > http://birdchaser.blogspot.com > > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors
One thing I forgot to mention that when I read Jason's post reminded me of it, when I counted in Veracruz in 2001, one of our largest Broad Winged Hawk days we still had very high (hard time seeing them with unaided eye) Broad-wings at sunset. It would be very interesting to figure out when raptors decide to make these after dark migrations, either to initiate before sunrise or continue on after sunset. Its obvious that in some cases they have no choice, like when they are crossing the gulf, but it makes sense that when the optimum conditions for migration are encountered they may opportunistically extend the normal hours they are migrating. In the case of these Broad-winged Hawks we all wondered at the time when they would have come down to a level to roost, when the thermals stopped or when it became too dark to see... Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 9:51 AM, Jason Guerard wrote: > All, > > First, fantastic images! I wonder if these are thew fist images of kites > during their nocturnal migration? > > Just a couple observations to add to the discussion. > > When I was doing some work with Project Puffin on Seal Island NWR, back > in 2002 I think, I saw an adult Bald Eagle headed seemingly out to sea at > sunset/twilight. Seal Island is about 20 miles south east of the coast of > Rockland Maine. Not sure where this bird was headed, I assume Isle Au > Haut. > > Additionally, in my couple of seasons counting hawks in Cape May, I > observed on a few occasions stratospheric Northern Harriers just after > first light. To me this seems indicative that they engaging in some sort > of nocturnal movement. Others seen that would have been moving in the dark > include the expected, Peregrines and Osprey. > > Jason Guerard > > -- > *From:* Michael Lanzone > *To:* Ted Floyd > *Cc:* Magnus Robb ; Michael O'Brien < > tsw...@comcast.net>; Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes ; > NFC-L > *Sent:* Friday, March 2, 2012 8:48 AM > > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors > > Hi All, > > Since we are on the discussion of night migrants raptors... one of our > Golden Eagles started moving a little over an hour before sunrise in the > spring last year. Our transmitters are programmed to start collecting data > at sunrise, this one malfunctioned and was recording data 24 hours a day. > Good thing, made us reevaluate when we should be collecting data! I often > wondered if golden's moved during dark hours as we have them on our > camera traps well before first light and after sunset but of course those > birds did not have telemetry units on so we had no way to know if they > roosted there. A golden eagle is not a species you typically expect to > move during dark hours, but they apparently will. > > One other question that came up in the thread about night calling raptors, > yes many raptor species will call throughout the night. Of the species > nests I have monitored over the years I have heard Osprey, Peregrine > Falcons, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, and Kestrels calling at night (in many > cases in the middle of the night). > > Best, > Mike > > Michael Lanzone > mlanz...@gmail.com > > > > On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 8:16 AM, Ted Floyd wrote: > > ** > Hi, all. > > Here's a paper with some relevance to the current discussion: > > Decandido, R., R. O. Bierregaard, Jr., M. S. Martell, and K. L. Bildstein. > 2006. Evidence of nocturnal migration by Osprey *(Pandion haliaetus)* in > North America and Western Europe. Journal of Raptor Research 40:156–158. > > > Ted Floyd > tfl...@aba.org > > Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado, USA > > > > -- > *From:* bounce-41634266-9667...@list.cornell.edu [mailto: > bounce-41634266-9667...@list.cornell.edu] *On Behalf Of *Magnus Robb > *Sent:* Friday, March 02, 2012 1:47 AM > *To:* Michael O'Brien > *Cc:* Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes; NFC-L > > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors > > I have sometimes heard Peregrines while recording nocturnal migration, and > I know that Sergey Gashkov in Tomsk, Siberia has also recorded them. > However, there is no guarantee that these Peregrines were migrating. Here > in Portugal, our Peregrines are resident. I have also seen at least one > from the Arctic during the non-breeding season, and F p calidus are > probably regular migrants in small numbers. However, I would guess that the > sounds I have heard are from local birds interacting while hunting numerous > migrating Turtle Doves, with the help of streetlights or moonlight. > > cheers, > > Magnus > > > On 2 Mar 2012, at 2:26:14, Michael O'Brien wrote: > > Chris, > &g
Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors
Hi All, Since we are on the discussion of night migrants raptors... one of our Golden Eagles started moving a little over an hour before sunrise in the spring last year. Our transmitters are programmed to start collecting data at sunrise, this one malfunctioned and was recording data 24 hours a day. Good thing, made us reevaluate when we should be collecting data! I often wondered if golden's moved during dark hours as we have them on our camera traps well before first light and after sunset but of course those birds did not have telemetry units on so we had no way to know if they roosted there. A golden eagle is not a species you typically expect to move during dark hours, but they apparently will. One other question that came up in the thread about night calling raptors, yes many raptor species will call throughout the night. Of the species nests I have monitored over the years I have heard Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, and Kestrels calling at night (in many cases in the middle of the night). Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 8:16 AM, Ted Floyd wrote: > ** > Hi, all. > > Here's a paper with some relevance to the current discussion: > > Decandido, R., R. O. Bierregaard, Jr., M. S. Martell, and K. L. Bildstein. > 2006. Evidence of nocturnal migration by Osprey *(Pandion haliaetus)* in > North America and Western Europe. Journal of Raptor Research 40:156–158. > > > Ted Floyd > tfl...@aba.org > > Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado, USA > > > > -- > *From:* bounce-41634266-9667...@list.cornell.edu [mailto: > bounce-41634266-9667...@list.cornell.edu] *On Behalf Of *Magnus Robb > *Sent:* Friday, March 02, 2012 1:47 AM > *To:* Michael O'Brien > *Cc:* Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes; NFC-L > > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors > > I have sometimes heard Peregrines while recording nocturnal migration, and > I know that Sergey Gashkov in Tomsk, Siberia has also recorded them. > However, there is no guarantee that these Peregrines were migrating. Here > in Portugal, our Peregrines are resident. I have also seen at least one > from the Arctic during the non-breeding season, and F p calidus are > probably regular migrants in small numbers. However, I would guess that the > sounds I have heard are from local birds interacting while hunting numerous > migrating Turtle Doves, with the help of streetlights or moonlight. > > cheers, > > Magnus > > > On 2 Mar 2012, at 2:26:14, Michael O'Brien wrote: > > Chris, > > Those photos are amazing! And they brings up an interesting general > question about nocturnal migration by raptors. How much do they move at > night? In Cape May I see plenty of evidence of at least limited nocturnal > movement. We regularly see American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and > Northern Harriers present in numbers (sometimes already high overhead) at > first light when they were not present the day before. Also I have seen > Osprey and Peregrine head out in apparent migration flight over Delaware > Bay well after sunset. But the only nocturnal flight call I have heard from > a raptor was from an Osprey which gave acouple of "tew" calls overhead a > good two hours before sunrise. I wonder if others have seen or heard > evidence of nocturnal migration by raptors. > > thanks, > Michael > > Michael O'Brien > Victor Emanuel Nature Tours > www.ventbird.com > -- > *From: *"Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes" > *To: *"NFC-L" > *Sent: *Thursday, March 1, 2012 4:01:22 PM > *Subject: *Re: [nfc-l] Night Migrating Raptors > > Below is a link of a few pictures I managed to capture of a couple of the > individuals. Unfortunately, due to our operations, I was not able to take > time for extensive documentation. It was a very neat spectacle to have > witnessed. Some details are at right of the album at the link, below. > > https://picasaweb.google.com/112522159565855378380/NightMigratingRaptors > > Sincerely, > Chris T-H > Currently at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, aboard the M/V Emily Bordelon. > > > > On Mar 1, 2012, at 4:41 AM, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: > > Although these birds weren’t making vocalizations, but it has been > really cool to witness. > > I’m on the M/V Emily Bordelon about 150 miles WNW of Tampa, FL, working on > recovering oceanographic research instruments. We’re conducting 24-hour > operations with deck lights blazing. from approximately 07:10 to 07:25 GMT > (02:10 to 02:25 AM EST) the deck crew and I observed at least three > simultaneous SWALLOW-TAILED KITES, 1 Laughing Gull, and a single OSPREY > approach the vessel during an extended
Re: [nfc-l] FW: [GeneseeBirds-L] News of note: massive Blackpoll Warbler kill in West Virginia
This was a human error we were told, see email snippet below- "bird kill in Barbour/Randolph Counties at Laurel Mt. Wind facility. You probably already heard. 500 some birds. Human error. Person left lights on at substation. Foggy night. Rich said a press release will be issued within the month." Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 3:43 PM, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: > Does anyone know anything about this Warbler kill in West Virginia? Could > this have been prevented with a NFC detection system or was it simply the > fact that structures are there (moving or not)? Was it aviation > lighting-type that contributed (strobe/non-strobe/red/white, etc.)? > > ** ** > > Would appreciate any input (on-list is okay). > > ** ** > > Thanks! > > > Sincerely, > Chris T-H > > ** ** > > -- > > Chris Tessaglia-Hymes > > Listowner, NFC-L > > Ithaca, New York > > c...@cornell.edu > > NFC-L – Archives<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > > > NFC-L – Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME>** > ** > > NFC-L – Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES>* > *** > > NFC-L – Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* geneseebirds-l-boun...@geneseo.edu [mailto: > geneseebirds-l-boun...@geneseo.edu] *On Behalf Of *Laura Kammermeier > *Sent:* Thursday, October 27, 2011 3:32 PM > *To:* GENESEEBIRDS-L > *Subject:* [GeneseeBirds-L] News of note: massive Blackpoll Warbler kill > in West Virginia > > ** ** > > > The abundant Blackpoll Warblers migrating o'er the lakefront this year made > big news both here and in other regions. Betsy Brooks reported "It has been > a record-breaking Blackpoll Warbler season at BBBO ... today we banded > another 21, bringing our total this fall to an amazing 705. The previous > high for fall had been 383 banded in 2008. The numbers appeared to be > slowing down around Oct 4 but began building again on Friday Oct 7." > (listerv, Oct. 10th). > > ** ** > > Tragically, it seems a massive kill of these warbler happened at a wind > farm in West Virginia. > > ** ** > > While I have not vetted this kill information from primary sources, this is > copied by Kimberly Kaufman, exec. director of Black Swamp Bird Observatory > on her Facebook wall, and was indeed on the PA listserv. > > ** ** > > How senseless. Birders need to be on top of the wind farm issue and help > them get properly sited away from major migration corridors. > > ** ** > > My heart goes out the banders who may have held some of these warblers in > their hands and wished them well on their migration. > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > Laura Kammermeier > > Honeoye Falls > > ** ** > > ** ** > > * * > > A recent post to the PA Birds ListServ. > > --- > > > Blackpoll Warblers killed in West Virginia > > > Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:08:00 -0400A massive kill at AES Laurel Mtn wind > project in West Virginia 2 weeks ago: 500 - 600 migrating blackpoll warblers > were killed by wind turbines. This was confirmed by Craig Stihler of DNR > in Elkins, WV (304-###-0245) Blackpoll warblers are endangered in PA - we > have the southern-most breeding population. I hope we did not lose our > nesting blackpoll warblers in this tragic incident. From the PGC: "Blackpoll > warblers (Dendroica striata) are very rare and locally distributed nesting > birds in Pennsylvania. Confirmed nesting has been confined to the Dutch > Mountain wetlands in State Game Lands 57 of western Wyoming County. These > boreal conifer wetlands are part of the Important Bird Area #48. There have > been other reports of territorial blackpoll warblers elsewhere in northern > Pennsylvania, but no nesting confirmed." > > This tragic incident is further proof that our mountains should not be > developed for industrial wind energy. Laura JacksonEverettBedford County > Killdeer [Kermit Henning ] > > --> > > ** ** > > ** ** > > http://digest.sialia.com/?rm=message;id=317262 > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_S
Re: [nfc-l] Hermit Thrush flight calls on ground
I have heard Hermit Thrush give a call like that, interestingly I have also heard Gray-cheeked, Swainsons, and Veery give an alternate "flight" call note. These notes sounds a bit harsher and blurry or jumbled in quality, if that makes sense. At least Swainson's and Gray-cheeked have more than one call variation like this. I first heard these calls while I had them in the hand while I was recording flight calls in captivity at Powdermill (Auk 126-3: 511-519). I could never get them to make the calls while in the cone for a recording, always while I had them in the hand transferring them to the cone. Swainson's calls almost sounds like a "grrring" sound added to the calls and a bit shorter. Ethan, what you posted sounds very much like what I have heard form Veerys. Bill Cohran has recorded the other call I have heard from Swainson's I think, he told me he had one when I described the call to him. I have since heard all these calls at night, without having hearing them beforehand I would not have know what they were, although I have since heard calls similar to a few of these on the breeding grounds, so I bet they would be in the Macaulay Library if someone had the time to look there! Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 3:56 PM, Michael O'Brien wrote: > Alll, > > This has been a fun thread spun off Jeff's original post. But I have to > say, what really caught my attention from listening to his video clip was > that second call note which has a distinctly burry quality. To my ear, it > sounds very similar to a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I don't recall ever hearing > a Hermit Thrush give a call like that. Has anyone else? > > thanks, > Michael > > Michael O'Brien > Victor Emanuel Nature Tours > www.ventbird.com > -- > *From: *"Jeff Wells" > *To: *"Nocturnal Flight Call ListServe" > *Sent: *Tuesday, October 11, 2011 5:09:41 PM > *Subject: *[nfc-l] Hermit Thrush flight calls on ground > > > Yesterday morning I was out in my suburban yard in south-central Maine > watching a nice morning flight of birds moving over and through when I began > hearing the “chuck” call of a Hermit Thrush from the neighbor’s backyard. > Soon it began alternating between the “chuck” call and the drawn-out “whee” > nocturnal flight call. I went inside to get my camera to record it (my > recording gear was packed away) and by then it had flown up across the > street into the top of a tree. At that point it began just doing the flight > call with no more of the “chuck” call and then it moved to another taller > tree 100 yards away where it stayed and continued doing the call for a bit > before suddenly stopping. It may have flown away or it may have just stopped > calling and dropped down somewhere nearby but I never saw or heard it again. > > > > I was able to get some of the calls on some video clips, one of which I > posted up on my YouTube channel for anyone interested. I think I have some > recordings of Hermit Thrushes interspersing the nocturnal call into songs > during the breeding season and I know I have a recording of a Swainson’s > Thrush doing that. > > > > Anyway, you can hear the calls on the video titled “Hermit Thrush giving > nocturnal flight call” at: http://www.youtube.com/birdconservation > > > > Interestingly, the second call it gives on the video is much burrier than > what I think of as normal and some of the calls seem a bit shorter than what > I am used to hearing at night. > > > > Jeff Wells > > Gardiner, Maine > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your obs
Re: [nfc-l] Hermit Thrush flight calls on ground
I think I may still have the original tape, although I don't think I have a cassette player anymore ;) Would be great to re-release the original tape in CD format Bill! Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 2:44 PM, Kenneth Victor Rosenberg wrote: > Man, we're old! > > Although the CDRom is the way to go for learning and studying, it was > Bill's careful narrative and logic that helped to solidify these calls in > your brain. Look for this ancient medium on eBay. > > KEN > > > Ken Rosenberg > Conservation Science Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 607-254-2412 > 607-342-4594 (cell) > k...@cornell.edu > > On Oct 12, 2011, at 12:48 PM, Bill Evans wrote: > > As a reflection on Steve Jobs passing, I posted the cover of the > "Nocturnal Flight Calls of Migrating Thrushes" cassette tape to the Facebook > nocturnal flight calls group last week. The pic, included here, was made in > Minneapolis on a friend's Apple MacIntosh Plus computer in 1986. The "thrush > tape" was completed in 1989 and offered to birders via the the classified > adds of ABA's "Winging It" bulletin in early 1990. As I recall, the > tape sold for $15 and over 400 were produced. Most of the tracks were > duplicated on the Flight Calls CDRom. ~Bill E > > > > > - Original Message - > *From:* Kenneth Victor Rosenberg > *To:* Jeff Wells > *Cc:* NFC-L > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 12, 2011 10:21 AM > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Hermit Thrush flight calls on ground > > I wonder if Bill Evans could re-release the "thrush-tape" that Jeff is > referring to on CD (or podcast?) -- that is still probably the best primer > for learning the basic thrushes, and lot of us got started with that tape! > > KEN > > > Ken Rosenberg > Conservation Science Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 607-254-2412 > 607-342-4594 (cell) > k...@cornell.edu > > On Oct 12, 2011, at 9:38 AM, Jeff Wells wrote: > > Yes, and remember Bill's classic thrush tape in which he had, if I am > remembering correctly, both Wood Thrush and Bicknell's Thrush singing on the > breeding grounds and interspersing the flight calls in the song? That was > such a great tape! > > Last year when I was in northern Quebec I had Gray-cheeked doing this as > well but I could never record it. > > Fun stuff! > > Jeff > > Jeff Wells > International Boreal Conservation Campaign > Boreal Songbird Initiative > > > On Oct 11, 2011, at 9:46 PM, "Kenneth Victor Rosenberg" > wrote: > > Jeff et al. > > I have fairly frequently heard Hermit Thrush giving it's nfc on the ground > at first light -- especially in early winter, often interspersed with > "chuck" notes just as you describe. I have also heard both Swainson's and > Wood Thrush giving what sounds like the nfc interspersed with song. I > believe that this is one of the ways that Bill Evans first figured out all > the thrush calls -- by matching them to calls heard in various contexts > during the day and visually confirmed. > > KEN > > > Ken Rosenberg > Conservation Science Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 607-254-2412 > 607-342-4594 (cell) > k...@cornell.edu > > On Oct 11, 2011, at 5:09 PM, Jeff Wells wrote: > > Yesterday morning I was out in my suburban yard in south-central Maine > watching a nice morning flight of birds moving over and through when I began > hearing the “chuck” call of a Hermit Thrush from the neighbor’s backyard. > Soon it began alternating between the “chuck” call and the drawn-out “whee” > nocturnal flight call. I went inside to get my camera to record it (my > recording gear was packed away) and by then it had flown up across the > street into the top of a tree. At that point it began just doing the flight > call with no more of the “chuck” call and then it moved to another taller > tree 100 yards away where it stayed and continued doing the call for a bit > before suddenly stopping. It may have flown away or it may have just stopped > calling and dropped down somewhere nearby but I never saw or heard it again. > > > I was able to get some of the calls on some video clips, one of which I > posted up on my YouTube channel for anyone interested. I think I have some > recordings of Hermit Thrushes interspersing the nocturnal call into songs > during the breeding season and I know I have a recording of a Swainson’s > Thrush doing that. > > Anyway, you can hear the calls on the video titled “Hermit Thrush giving > nocturnal flight call” at: <http://www.youtube.com/birdconservation> > http://www.youtube.com/birdconservation > >
Re: [nfc-l] Thoughts on equipment
I frequently use my iPhone for both field recording and recording nocturnal migration. I made an adapter from which I can attach a shotgun mic to for field recording, or a a number of different microphones for nocturnal recording. There are also a number of different recorders out there, but I find the biggest challange is there is not an app yet that you can set to rrecord everyday at a specified time. If anyone is interested I can get the info together on how to make the connector and post tot the list, I would also be happy to make some for people too if you sent me cash to cover the parts! Another option that I hope to make available to everyone very soon is an open source project I have been working on for a nocturnal recorder. It will be fairly cheap (between $200-400) depending on the options like solar charging and hard drive capacity, but it will be a great option for this kind of recording. I have used the design at various places over the last several years succefully, but a few bugs still need to be worked out to make it a bit more user friendly, I hope to be able to do that soon! I will keep everyioe posted on its progress. The end result will be a small unit that you can leave in the field to record, length of time you will be able to leave these unattended will only be dependent on hard drive size installed. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 3:58 PM, Scott Laurent wrote: > The true value of NFC monitoring will be realized when there are many > monitoring stations located around the world. One limiting factor is the > cost of the equipment. I was wondering if anyone has investigated the > possibility of use the Apple iPhone or IPod Touch as a recorder? > > I think there are some reasons why this might be an excellent platform for > NFC. First, it is ubiquitous. You can get a device almost anywhere. Second, > the cost is far lower than a custom made device for recording because of the > economy of scale involved with this platform. Third, there already exist > many of the components necessary to do remote monitoring including extended > life batteries, weatherproof cases, etc. > > The iPhone is being used by journalists for recording interviews, > videotaping, etc why not use it for field biology? I would welcome a > discussion on this, why it would or would not work, what hurdles need to be > overcome. > > Scott Laurent > > On Sep 27, 2011, at 7:36 AM, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes > wrote: > > Hi Dan, > > ** ** > > I'll take a stab at these images: > > ** ** > > ** ** > > The first three images (“Unknown [clip2]”, “Unknown [clip4, A]”, “Unknown > [clip4, B]”) all look like faint Savannah Sparrow night flight calls. > > ** ** > > The fourth image (“SAVS?”), looks like a perfect Savannah Sparrow night > flight call. > > ** ** > > The fifth image (“PIWA? SAVS?”) is likely another Savannah Sparrow night > flight call (versus Pine Warbler), in part, because of the faint harmonic > visible. > > ** ** > > The sixth image (“Wood Thrush?”) does look pretty good for Wood Thrush.*** > * > > ** ** > > Seventh image (“upsweep”) seems most likely to be from a Northern > Waterthrush. > > ** ** > > Image number eight, (“Wood Thrush NFC?”) looks like it could be a faint > Wood Thrush flight call. > > ** ** > > Image number nine (“BLBW?”) is probably a Blackpoll Warbler. > > ** ** > > Lastly, image number ten (“Unknown NFC”) looks good for a shortened or > faint White-throated Sparrow night flight call. > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > Anyone have differing suggestions for these clips? > > ** ** > > Thanks and good night listening! > > > Sincerely, > Chris T-H > > ** ** > > -- > > Chris Tessaglia-Hymes > > Listowner, NFC-L > > Ithaca, New York > > c...@cornell.edu > > NFC-L – Archives<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > > > NFC-L – Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME>** > ** > > NFC-L – Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES>* > *** > > NFC-L – Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > > ** ** > > ** ** > > -Original Message- > From: bounce-38088825-9327...@list.cornell.edu [mailto: > bounce-38088825-9327...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dan Poalillo > Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 6:34 PM > To: Nocturnal Flight Call Listserv > Subject: [nfc-l] An observation and ID help > > ** ** > > So far this 'fall' migration I have heard almost no c
Re: [nfc-l] another large flight over Ithaca
I just came inside after listening for over an hour in Somerset, PA and pretty much the same heavy calling here. Huge flight, sometimes at about 100 calls per minute. Many thrushes here, but unlike in Ithaca, I predominately heard warblers and sparrows. Can't wait to look at the file in the am! Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Sep 22, 2011, at 11:23 PM, Kenneth Victor Rosenberg wrote: > Hi all, > > Yet another massive flight over Ithaca tonight -- in fact one of the largest > flight I can remember over my house. I did a 30 minute count BETWEEN 10:30 > AND 11, and it was almost too overwhelming for my "naked ear." I counted 390 > "thrush" calls, with often a layering of multiple calls on top of each other > as wave after wave of thrushes passed over nearly continuously. A pretty > careful count of 22 GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSHES, about 40 WOOD THRUSH, about 20 > calls inflected enough to be ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (I'm never real confident > with those), and only 2 that I'd call VEERY -- the rest were SWAINSON'S > THRUSHES. Not as many warbler/sparrow notes as the other night, and > interestingly almost none of the short "tsip" notes I was hearing then -- but > rather more high, slightly buzzy "zeeep" notes I associate with Cape May > Warbler. One long, high "ssep" was a good candidate for > Grasshopper/Nelson's Sparrow. > > That's about all I could do by ear -- disappointed to hear no cuckoos, > herons, or shorebirds in the mix. Hopefully the recorders did a better job of > documenting tonight's flight. > > KEN > > > Ken Rosenberg > Conservation Science Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 607-254-2412 > 607-342-4594 (cell) > k...@cornell.edu > > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Gray-Cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush?
Andrew, To me this seems more like a Gray-cheeked Thrush. When I was at Powdermill in SW PA we routinely got Bicknell's in the fall (~10-20/ year). In Somerset, PA last fall I recorded several too, but have not fully analized the data yet to know exactly how many. This fall I have not heard any while listening, but I have not looked at any recordings yet to see if they are on them, it seems a bit on the early side though. The furthur east in PA the more likey you are to get them, our costral sites get quite a few and they decrease quickly as you head inland. To me this call fits Gray-cheeked pretty well. They can peak at 4.5, in fact we analyzed a lot that did. I have not done any stats specifically on Gray-cheek calls, but they are fairly variable in my experiance. Usually Bicknell's jump right out at you, they are quite a biut higher, peaking above 5kHz, and sometimes nearly to 6kHz. They also drop quickly after the peak before a deceding slope pattern. Gray-cheekeds can drop fast initially too in some of their variations, but its not as high and the drop is shorter in duration, also they still have a more averaged arched slope in the decent of their calls after the peak. The peak of Gray cheeked in some birds can also happen after the first third to in some cases half of their calls almost arching to and away from the peak, whereas the Bicknell's (at least in the calls I have seen) always peaks very early before the first quarter then decending evenly there after. Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 11:13 PM, Andrew Albright wrote: > Early this morning, I recorded a nfc that's seems in between > Gray-Cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush. I checked through the archives of > this list and this topic doesn't seem to have been discussed to death. > > BAYESIAN INFERENCE > With several days of nice Northeast winds, I figured that Bicknell's > Thrush was possible to record in southeastern PA. Pennsylvania doesn't > have any ebird records of Bicknell's but New Jersey and Maryland seem > to be all in early October. Wilson and Watts, 1997 show that > Bicknell's is possible in the general area, but unlikely on Sept 19th. > Same with Birds of Pennsylvania with banding records starting on > Sept 20th. > > > SONAGRAM ANALYSIS > Gray-cheeked Thrush is much more common in general and on September 19th. > > The main sonagram of interest peaks over 4.5 kHz and nothing I can > find for Gray-cheeked are much more than 4.0 kHz. > Shape - seems to suggest Bicknell's from most published recordings > (except for the nocturnal page on the nfc CD) > > In the second set of sonagrams, I made a composite of 4 nfcs > 1) A nfc that looks like Gray-Cheeked Thrush, especially if I increase > the "y" axis of time. > 2) The main sonagram of interest (shown above). > 3) This call was right after the possible Bicknell's and I didn't cut > it out. It was weak but sounded like a Swainson's and maybe looks > more like Wood Thrush. > 4) Lastly is another higher pitched call that's seems like it may be > Gray-cheeked (except for the "M" shape). > > > EAR ANALYSIS > Listening to the nfc CD's recordings of Bicknell's and Gray-Cheeked > has me leaning toward Bicknell's. But this is pretty subjective and > maybe only because of the higher pitched recording. > > > Sincerely, > Andrew Albright > Maple Glen, PA > > > Weblinks to sonagrams of Gray-Cheeked and/or Bicknell's > > http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdcalls/species/Thrushes/Gray-cheeked%20Thrush%20%28Catharus%20minimus%29/ > > http://www.nightmigrants.com/main/page_species_calls_graycheeked_thrush.html > http://pjdeye.blogspot.com/2009/02/thrush-calls.html (Recording of > Bicknell's in S.E. Pennsylvania) > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re:[nfc-l] "fall" migration
Hi All, I just realized I used the signature without my address! This was in Somerset, PA, sorry! Mike Michael Lanzone Somerset, PA mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:51 AM, Michael Lanzone wrote: > Hi all, > > Those of us in the east, although it seems a bit to early yet, its not to > early to be listening for nocturnal flight calls. For the last 2-3 weeks I > have had many decent nights of overflight. I have not listened for long, but > on several nights I had many birds per minute. Some of the species included > Yellow Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded > Warbler, American Redstart, Chipping Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslows > Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Veery. Most numerous calls > were from Yellow Warblers followed by Canada Warbler and then Chipping > Sparrow. > > Good listening, > Mike > > Michael Lanzone > mlanz...@gmail.com > > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nfc-l] "fall" migration
Hi all, Those of us in the east, although it seems a bit to early yet, its not to early to be listening for nocturnal flight calls. For the last 2-3 weeks I have had many decent nights of overflight. I have not listened for long, but on several nights I had many birds per minute. Some of the species included Yellow Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, Chipping Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslows Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Veery. Most numerous calls were from Yellow Warblers followed by Canada Warbler and then Chipping Sparrow. Good listening, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Nocturnal Calls This morning
In south central PA (Somerset) there was fairly heavy calling activity between 10:30-12:30am. There was a fairly significat fallout during the night early am hours of Fri/Sat here. A lot of those birds were still around in decent numbers yesterday, and things were fairly quiet this am, so I suspect a lot of the birds that fell out the last several days with the rain here moved out between showers last night. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone mlanz...@gmail.com On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 9:20 AM, Bill Evans wrote: > From 10PM-4AM last night I only recorded two "chips" (Chestnut-sided and > Canada types) from my residence ~6 miles south of Ithaca, so I suspect > that few of the migrants indicated on PA NEXRADs last night were making it > this far north -- perhaps a complex fallout zone across the southern tier of > NY and northern PA this morning. > > Bill E > > - Original Message - > *From:* david nicosia > *To:* NFC-L@cornell.edu > *Sent:* Monday, May 16, 2011 8:53 AM > *Subject:* [nfc-l] Nocturnal Calls This morning > > Woke up at 4 am this morning and was not that tired > so decided to sit out on my deck and see what kind of > migration was taking place. I checked the radar and there > was fairly heavy migration south of my location with > much less farther north. Cloud ceilings were very low > as occasional fog clipped the top of the trees on > the hill where I live. Winds were from the north as > we were north of a frontal system. Migrants were > likely descending as they ran into lower cloud ceilings > and north winds? Anyway, the calls were low and > quite loud but the numbers were not that impressive > at least compared to fall. > > I had the following in 40 minutes of listening: > > 4 veeries, 4 swainson's thrushes, 3 wood thrushes, > 1 bobolink, 2 solitary sandpipers and 19 unidentified > zeeps, chips and zitswarblers/sparrows?? That is > a total of 33 calls in 40 minutes...almost 1 per minute. > > Dave Nicosia > Johnson City, NY > > > > > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > > -- > *NFC-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_WELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC_RULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Any warblers known to double zeep?
Hi Andy, >From a very very quick cursory look there are several birds calling. One set >looks like bay breasted and a yellow or blackpoll and the next 2 other zeep >possibly yellow or blackpoll. Species IDs are just first impression looking >over David LaPumas shoulder. I can look in greater detail after I am able to >sit at a computer, but It looks like a minimum of 3 individuals. Talk to you soon, Mike On Sep 6, 2010, at 11:59 AM, Andy Martin wrote: > Recorded this set of "zeeps" over my house early Sat morning. Sounds > like a bird is making a "zeep-zeep" call. Anyone seen this before? Or > maybe its just a coincidence of timing among a group of 3-4 birds > passing over head. Not sure I would have noticed if it had happened just > once but fact that occurs again a few seconds later makes it seem a > little more odd. > > Andy Martin > Gaithersburg, MD > apmart...@comcast.net > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html > 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > <090510,123AM-Double Zeep2.mp3> -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3
Hi Erik, If I understand you correctly, your saying you haven't heard them at night, but are making the assumption that the calling rate is "probably not much less frequently than other thrushes, buntings, warblers,tanagers, orioles, and sparrows." I am just curious how you are coming to that conclusion. At least here and our other stations (from Erie, PA to southern Appalachians) there is a big difference in calling rate between those species, and Robins seem to be on the extreme low end compared with their relative abundance during migration. I'd be curious to hear some other thoughts/experiances with Robins. Best, Mike Sent from my iPhone On Apr 13, 2010, at 1:05 PM, Erik Johnson wrote: Along the gulf coast in the fall, I have witnessed large pre-dawn movements of American Robins that are returning north after presumably realizing that they are over water (the Gulf) as daylight approaches. This return flight can last up to one hour after sunrise, although it typically peaks just before sunrise. I have always assumed this means they were traveling south in the dark hours of the night. I have played around with some nocturnal recording, but have yet to get a flight call of a robin in the spring or fall - about 30 mi north of the Gulf in south-central Louisiana. If they do call, it's probably not much less frequently than other thrushes, buntings, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and sparrows, at least based on my local experience here. Cheers, Erik Johnson S Lafayette, LA ejohn33 AT lsu.edu On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 11:54 AM, Ted Floyd wrote: Hi, all. I ponder this question a lot. In all my experience in Colorado, I have heard exactly one (1) flight call from a robin that seemed to be an on- the-go nocturnal migrant. (For comparison, I've heard more flight calls from nocturnal-migrant Western Grebes and Eastern Kingbirds in Colorado.) I've flushed a lot of robins by night, but that doesn't really count. In Boulder County, Colorado, then, I'd say that robins are practically silent as nocturnal migrants, or they simply do not migrate by night. I frequently see (and hear) heavy, medium-altitude robin passages that go strong right to around sundown, but then the flights suddenly end at nightfall. Daytime "Vis Mig" of American Robins is striking (visual and audible) in the Front Range region of Colorado, comparable to the heavy daytime flights of Common Grackles in early spring. Ted Floyd tfl...@aba.org Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado From: bounce-5534264-9667...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-5534264-9667...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Michael O'Brien Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 1:59 PM To: Jeff Wells Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu Subject: Re: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3 Jeff, I'm interested in your assertion that American Robin is strictly a diurnal migrant. Perhaps that is true in some areas, but in Cape May it certainly is not. We regularly see massive American Robin flights at night, in fall at least. These flights often continue or resume in the first few hours of the morning and again in the last hour or so of the day. During particularly heavy flights, the movements may continue longer into the day, but my estimation is that the bulk of the movement always takes place at night. I find their behavior to be much like that of Bobolink, only they seem to be less vocal. It would be interesting to know what others have observed and if the situation is different elsewhere. My guess is that the main difference, if any, is that robins call more frequently in certain situations and fly more quietly in others. good listening! Michael O'Brien - Original Message - From: "Jeff Wells" To: NFC-L@cornell.edu Sent: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 2:42:45 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3 I started my automated recording station for the season here in Maine on Thursday night, April 1st. Although there were few calls each of the last three nights, the numbers increased a little each night from about 10 the night of the 1st to about 30 last night. There were a few Hermit Thrushes the first night, 6 the 2nd and 12 the night of the 3rd. There were a few Killdeer each night, a Wood Duck, and 4-10 sparrows each night with Song and White-throat plus a couple that may be American Tree Sparrow and a junco or two. A few other items of interest: -several nights had Herring Gull calls in the middle of the night that I assume are night migrating birds; -several nights had the squeal flight calls of American Robins around midnight. Although I sometimes have what I assume to be local on- the-ground robins sing and give ground alarm calls in the middle of the night, they don't give the squeal calls. The acoustics of the recorded squeal calls also seem more like birds overhead. I suspect that, as
Re: [nfc-l] blue icicle
Hi all, I got a lot of questions about the Blue Icicle. Sorry I should have explained what it was! It is a mic preamp that is powered via the USB voltage (5v). It is nice as when mounted close to the microphone it reduced the noise in the line caused by a long run of an unbalanced XLR or other mic cable. The evans style mic works great, but it is also unbalanced, for a lot of my setups I have no issues at all, however there are some that are near radio stations or simply get the hum in the line. By using this mic preamp and running a 25ft USB cable from the icicle (housed in a waterproof housing in the bucket) to the computer It completely eliminates the noise. The only downside to this mic is you need to adjust the gain before you put up the bucket as it is on the icicle. I simply adjust it about 3/4 of the way up and then adjust the volume on the computers mic input to fine tune. I also use this mic now in autonomous recording units, and it has worked well. Here is a link to the Blue Icicle- http://www.buy.com/prod/icicle-xlr-to-usb-converter/q/listingid/52757425/loc/101/208972092.html Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 6:25 PM, leste...@fuse.net wrote: > what is blue icicle? > > -- > Sent from my Verizon Wireless mobile phone > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html > 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] mic setup
David, I also use the MP-13 on many of my setups, but like I had talked to you about, with the blue icicle you can elimanate a lot of the noise associated with the traditional EK3029c setup by placing in near the microphone. The Evans style mics are not balanced and unless they are built special it is hard to do. For the engineers out there on this list ;) what we really need is a circuit like bills original one that is balanced AND powered by +48v phantom power! Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Jeff Wells wrote: > I have always used the Rolls MP13 and have found it very reliable and > durable. > > > > Jeff > > > > *From:* bounce-5534450-9874...@list.cornell.edu [mailto: > bounce-5534450-9874...@list.cornell.edu] *On Behalf Of *David La Puma > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 06, 2010 4:32 PM > *To:* nfc-l@cornell.edu > *Subject:* [nfc-l] mic setup > > > > Hey All- > > A group of us in Cape May are going to be building some personal recording > setups in the next week(s). I'm interested in what others are using in their > personal setups, especially the mic element (we're ordering the Knowles > EK3029c, but I noticed that Knowles is making several new(?) water-proof > models), pre-amp (currently I'm going with an Blue Icicle XLR->USB to go > directly into a laptop, but considering the Rolls MP13 to go directly to my > stereo receiver), and recording device (recorder, computer, etc.; for now > I'll be going into my MacBookPro, but will probably get a dedicated > computer... some of us are more interested in simply having it stream into > our home stereo, so we can listen in real-time). > > Anyone want to share their setup, pros/cons, and experiences? > > Cheers > > David > > > David A. La Puma, Ph.D. > Postdoctoral Associate – Ecology, behavior and conservation of migratory > birds > New Jersey Audubon Society > 600 Route 47 North > Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 > Office: 609.861.1608 x33 > Fax:609.861.1651 > > Websites: > http://www.woodcreeper.com > http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com > > Photos: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodcreeper > > > > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3
Hi All, We do occasionally pick up robins on some of our recordings, but they are few and far between in the night hours (pre 3am) and that is on well over 20k hours of recordings here and in the Appalachians. I tend to hear many more from 3-5am. However, on several occasions here I have observed (visually) on top of Laurel Ridge in PA and Backbone Mtn and Allegheny Front in MD and WV robins during the middle of the night, one time 100s of them flying low in the middle of the night. They were largely silent, I may have heard ~5 calls of 5-600 birds, but may have certainly masked by the high calling rate that night. These birds were forced low because of fog and there was a heavy flight those nights with a lot of flight calling activity, and these spots were lighted and I could readily ID many of the birds coming over with binoculars and naked eye. Almost all of our recording stations are not lit and we purposely do not record in lighted areas as that does inflate call rates, however it would be interesting to compare some of these locations with the darker ones, a study that I had talked about last year, possibly by this fall I can get a few more stations online to do such a comparison. I wonder if robins either call less nocturnally, fly much higher, coastal effects cause a higher calling rate and/or their calls are softer and may be masked by thrushes. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Jeff Wells wrote: > Maybe but you would think that under certain conditions with low cloud > cover, etc., that over the years I would have picked them up. Maybe it is > one of those things that happens more often late and early in the year when > I am not recording as much….. > > > > Jeff > > > > *From:* Michael O'Brien [mailto:tsw...@comcast.net] > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 06, 2010 4:29 PM > > *To:* Jeff Wells > *Cc:* NFC-L@cornell.edu > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3 > > > > Maybe the robins over your station are typically too high to be heard in > the middle of the night. Just a thought. > > > > Re terns, I have also only herd Caspian. I have heard them both spring in > and fall inland, but I don't recall ever hearing them along the coast. > > > > Michael > > > - Original Message - > From: "Jeff Wells" > To: "Michael O'Brien" > Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu > Sent: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 4:08:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: RE: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3 > > Very cool! Makes sense when you see large numbers of robins flying over in > the early morning hours that they would be birds that have been moving at > night. Funny though that over the years I don’t recall picking up any within > the 10 PM-2 AM window that I think of as indicating birds moving through the > night as opposed to in the early morning hours when it is not as clear > whether they just started migrating or are descending. > > > > Speaking of birds that move through the night but are not as readily > detected, have any of you picked up terns other than Caspian Tern migrating > at night? It’s obvious that they migrate at night based on the way they just > appear one morning in a location but it seems like you don’t hear them. > Though at least Caspian Terns in the fall when they have still-dependent > young regularly call back and forth with the trailing young birds at night. > > > > Jeff > > > > *From:* Michael O'Brien [mailto:tsw...@comcast.net] > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 06, 2010 3:59 PM > *To:* Jeff Wells > *Cc:* NFC-L@cornell.edu > *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] Night flight call station results-Maine-April 1-3 > > > > Jeff, > > > > I'm interested in your assertion that American Robin is strictly a diurnal > migrant. Perhaps that is true in some areas, but in Cape May it certainly is > not. We regularly see massive American Robin flights at night, in fall at > least. These flights often continue or resume in the first few hours of the > morning and again in the last hour or so of the day. During particularly > heavy flights, the movements may continue longer into the day, but my > estimation is that the bulk of the movement always takes place at night. I > find their behavior to be much like that of Bobolink, only they seem to be > less vocal. It would be interesting to know what others have observed and if > the situation is different elsewhere. My guess is that the main difference, > if any, is that robins call more frequently in certain situations and fly > more quietly in othe
Re: [nfc-l] UK flight calling
Hi all, Thanks for the feedback from all of you that responded on the list and privately! Some of you were wondering when specifically I listened, well, last night between 2- 2:30am and then again 5-6am, however I think it was too breezy here and I did not hear anything at all. But the night before when there was some calling activity I listened some at about 3am and then heard mostly shorebirds plus some unknown spp. I then listened between about 5:30 and and 6:30 am, it was still dark out, have not civil twilight was 6:50. I heard most of the calling in this period. Some calls were either Song or Mistle Thrush not sure which, I am wondering now if they really move nocturnally much at all though. From my observations of both species the last several days, in habit they seem very similar to our American Robin, which will sometimes move pre-dawn, most of the time they move early am though and will vocalize heavily sometimes in the hour before sunrise. The vocalizations I heard were similar to song/mistle flight notes I heard while observing these spp. here the last several mornings. The Willow Warbler ID was purely a guess, but it sounded virtually identical to the call I heard in the field that day and was fairly close overhead. A single rising "tuwee", but as I found out today Chiffchaff have a similar call to this too which they do give in flight. I was also curious about this as I had heard sylvids did not call at all at night, and it could be that the call I heard was from some other species all together that I am not familiar with. Much to learn for sure, that is why I am so excited to be here and have the opportunity to listen a bit while I am here! I did not get any recordings yet as I failed to bring the right UK converter for my computer, but I got one today! I will be traveling to Scotland tomorrow for about 5 days before working my way over to the Swiss/Italian alps to do some recording in mountain passes there, should be interesting! I will let all of you know what I find/record. I would be interested to hear more from others with there observation over here too! On a side note, I noticed over here there seems not to be very good radar coverage. It could just be that I am not finding the right sites though, but I was looking for just simple reflectivity to gauge migration intensity vs what I was hearing. Is there doppler radar in Europe? Talk to you all soon, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 4:47 PM, Magnus Robb wrote: > Hi Mike, > At this time of year in much of the UK, Song Thrushes should still be the > dominant thrush, but Blackbirds and Redwings will be starting to join > them. With a lot of luck you might hear a Ring Ouzel, but this is not a > common thrush. Oddly enough, Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare don't seem to call > much at night. Nobody I've asked has ever head more than the odd call at > dusk or dawn, even at times when many were moving through. Has anyone in > this group heard them at night? > > As for other passerines, relatively few European ones seem to use flight > calls at night, which partly explains the relative lack of interest in night > flight calls over here. Most of what you hear comes from the three species > of thrush I mentioned first. Among the passerines I've definitely heard > flying over at night are: Skylark, Woodlark, Tree Pipit, Snow Bunting and > Ortolan. A Willow Warbler at night sounds unlikely, as none of our warblers > call much in flight (except Cisticolas). Did you get a recording? > > I live in Portugal where there are huge numbers of Pied Flycatchers passing > through just now. I've been out several nights trying to find out whether > they have nocturnal flight calls, but so far without any conclusive results. > What I have learned however is that I am hearing a few passerine flight > calls that I can't yet identify. I have a good knowledge of the calls of > most western European species by day, so perhaps some are using different > calls at night that I've simply never heard. In short, lots to learn for us > Europeans too! > > Besides passerines, you are of course likely to hear lots of shorebirds, > and geese as the autumn progresses. Which species you hear will depend very > much on where you are. > > Feel free to send me some of your UFO recordings. I'm keen to puzzle > and learn about what else is flying over at night... > > cheers, > > Magnus Robb > > > On 27 Sep 2009, at 22:1501, Michael Lanzone wrote: > > Hi all, > > Last night I heard my first flight calling overseas. Currently I am in > Chester, England and had a decent number of migrants this morning. Not sure > what to expect for numbers her
[nfc-l] UK flight calling
Hi all, Last night I heard my first flight calling overseas. Currently I am in Chester, England and had a decent number of migrants this morning. Not sure what to expect for numbers here, but I was hearing 8-10 thrushes per minute during the peak, typically less though. I am guessing Song/ mistle Thrush, also had what sounded like Willow Warbler, many unknown. Will need to learn more night flight calls here! Had a number of shorebirds pass over as well, greenshank, lapwing, redshank, green sandpiper?, golden plover, etc. Looking forwrd to the next several weeks in Europe! Any advice from any of you as to what you are hearing this time of year? I will be mostly in UK for the next week, then spending most the rest of my time in France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy. I also hope to spend some time in the alps listening to nocturnal migration, possibly col de bretolet. Anyway, be interestd in what to expect and some sample calls if any of you have them to share! I am doing some recording so will hopefully have something good to share as well. Talk to you all soon, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com Sent from my iPhone -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] When does night end?
At Powdermill for analysis we use civil twilight Best, Mike Sent from my iPhone On Sep 27, 2009, at 3:18 PM, Harry Lehto wrote: Hi, in discussing night flight calls I am a bit confused about the concept of "night". Astronomically, I have no problem with the true night, and the various twilights. If the limit of "night" is taken at sunset/sunrise, then various day birds fall into the category of night flight calling birds even if they are not proper night migrants. Tits (chikadees), crows and finches start to vocalise before well sunrise, during the civil twilight, and gererally they do not crowd the sky in the deep hours of the night. There appears also to be an assymetry between dusk and dawn. During the same light conditions the duirnal birds at dusk tend to be much quiter than at dawn, so this is not that miuch of a problem in the evening. My question is when do you guys consider the night over? Regards Harry hle...@utu.fi Finland -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [nfc-l] Moonwatch question
Good point Erik, usually all the migrating birds I am seeing in PA are going in generally the same direction, but often high birds will be going one direction and low birds another ( like upper se, lower sw), but some of the watching I have done along the gulf coast and atlanic birds were flying in every direction, likely resulting from a lot of confused birds circling or heading back inland when they hit the coast. Birds hitting these barriers will often fly back a few miles inland if they are not ready to cross, or head againt the wind if they are course correcting. Good discussion! Best, Mike Lanzone Sent from my iPhone On Sep 4, 2009, at 7:31 AM, Erik Johnson wrote: David et al., All the birds are flying the same direction while other critters have random flight paths. Is this really a safe assumption? Last night I did some moon watching and the majority (just barely) of birds were headed westish. But others were flying south, some northeast, etc. I was fairly confident these were birds and not bats, but Mike made a good point about optics (I was using 10x binocs) and wasn't videoing so I have no way to prove to myself (or you guys) what I was seeing. In any case, I checked out the radar and there was decent volume, but the radial velocity had a trend of movement to the SW, but with a lot of scatter. Again, were these birds? I think so. Perhaps variation in the direction of movements is more apparent where I am along the gulf coast where topography and bird ecology (water-crossing avoidance vs not; trans-gulf vs circum-gulf; etc) significantly alter the behavior of individual birds. I can imagine that farther north birds are pretty much bombing south (although no doubt topography and ecology are important there, too). I have had similar experience listening to call notes - where you can pick out birds going in all directions. So I think this phenomenon is real, at least here. Happy listening, Erik Johnson S Lafayette, LA (~40mi N of the Gulf of Mexico) ejoh...@lsu.edu On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 5:30 AM, David Mozurkewich wrote: On Fri, 2009-09-04 at 02:53 -0600, Ted Floyd wrote: I should think that, given distant and fleeting views of such animals, there's the potential to over-count birds by accidentally counting bats and moths. Any pearls of wisdom on this one? Ted, All the birds are flying the same direction while other critters have random flight paths. This eliminates most false alarms and is good enough except when the birds are a minority of your detections. -- David Mozurkewich Seabrook, MD USA -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
[nfc-l] Moonwatch
Hi all, Thanks to all of you that took part last night. I am going to post all the results soon, was without Internet most of the day, so I will get to it as soon as I can. Possibly we can try this again fri or sat night if any of you are interested! Tonight is a but busier if any of you have a chance to take a look. Best, Mike Sent from my iPhone -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] Interesting early papers on moonwatching
Thanks for bringing that up Jay, no need to try to ID for this. By the way, might be easier to break up the 5 minutes into 2 2.5 minute periods so you can take a blink break! Sent from my iPhone On Sep 2, 2009, at 9:03 PM, Jay K wrote: Michael, I assume this is just a count of birds and not specific species? I never just watched the moon but I figure it is nearly impossible to determine species unless they happen to call? I may try here in San Diego this evening, but our migration events are frustratingly minimal coastally. I did take in a nice migration at Liberty State Park, near Jersey City NJ yesterday morning - Veery, Swainson's, Cape May Warbler, BTGs, Wilson's, Ovenbird, etc. I miss those flights from the east... Jay Keller -Original Message- From: Michael Lanzone Sent: Sep 2, 2009 8:57 PM To: nfc-l@cornell.edu Subject: Re: [nfc-l] Interesting early papers on moonwatching Hi all, A number of you have indicated that you would like to participate so I am just sending some very brief instructions for anyone that wants to participate. I am thinking that if possible between 10-11 and 11-12 we could watch at least 2 times during the hour for 5 minutes. Only could bird that actually go through the lighted part of the moon, but you can note others that you see in your field of view. I will be doing this 4 times per hour 5 minutes each time, starting at 9:00 pm. If you can only do this once for 10 minutes that will be ok too. This is fairly informal now, hopefully in the future it can become more. You should record the time(s) you begin and end, your location- closest town or lat/long, # birds that pass the moon (and bats too if you see any), other observations, and optics used. Send me your results and I will post to the list once I compile. Possibly in October we can get more people to join in! Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 7:30 PM, Michael Lanzone wrote: Hi all, Tonight is supposed to be clear across much of the east and also a full moon, so was wondering if anyone was interested in trying to coordinate some kind of formal moon watch tonight. I was thinking for starters to get this off the ground possibly we could pick an hour or two tonight were we watch for 5 minute intervals 4 times an hour?? Anyone have any ideas on this or interested in trying to get something going? Hopefully for October we can have something a bit more formal, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to get this started, anyone game?? Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 3:20 AM, David La Puma >wrote: I just wanted to pop my head in and say "thanks" to those who put this list together (Chris? Andrew?). I'm stoked to be a part of it now. I'd love the opportunity to work on a project combining moon watching with radar and flight calls. As Mike said, "Let's do it!" in the meantime, I'll be posting nightly radar and migration interpretations for NYC and NJ on www.woodcreeper.com , so come check it out and contribute your FC observations to the discussion. Cheers David David A. La Puma, Ph.D. Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources Online Teaching Portfolio: http://www.woodcreeper.com/teaching Lockwood lab: http://rci.rutgers.edu/~jlockwoo <http://rci.rutgers.edu/%7Ejlockwoo > Websites: http://www.woodcreeper.com http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodcreeper On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Andrew Farnsworth < andrew.farnswo...@gmail.com> wrote: FYI - I think there was a 1950 paper too, though I cannot remember. . .When everyone is ready, it is high time that we replicate Lowery and Newman (1966). With today's technology for synthesizing information, we could do it in a much more timely and large scale manner, AND we could combine it with FC and radar data in a way not possible in the 60s. . . Best, Andrew On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 07:20, Ted Floyd wrote: Hi, all. I was recently contacted by somebody who's preparing an obituary for William A. Rense, a leading solar physicist of the 20th century. Here's one of his publications: Rense, W.A. 1946. Astronomy and ornithology. Popular Astronomy 54(2):55-73. The article presents all the calculations necessary for "moonwatching," that is, for determining the number of birds on nocturnal migration within a given volume of sky. And, interestingly, this article precedes by several month's George Lowery's
Re: [nfc-l] Interesting early papers on moonwatching
Hi all, Tonight is supposed to be clear across much of the east and also a full moon, so was wondering if anyone was interested in trying to coordinate some kind of formal moon watch tonight. I was thinking for starters to get this off the ground possibly we could pick an hour or two tonight were we watch for 5 minute intervals 4 times an hour?? Anyone have any ideas on this or interested in trying to get something going? Hopefully for October we can have something a bit more formal, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to get this started, anyone game?? Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 3:20 AM, David La Puma wrote: > I just wanted to pop my head in and say "thanks" to those who put this list > together (Chris? Andrew?). I'm stoked to be a part of it now. I'd love the > opportunity to work on a project combining moon watching with radar and > flight calls. As Mike said, "Let's do it!" > > in the meantime, I'll be posting nightly radar and migration > interpretations for NYC and NJ on www.woodcreeper.com , so come check it > out and contribute your FC observations to the discussion. > > Cheers > > David > > David A. La Puma, Ph.D. > Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources > > Online Teaching Portfolio: > http://www.woodcreeper.com/teaching > > Lockwood lab: > http://rci.rutgers.edu/~jlockwoo <http://rci.rutgers.edu/%7Ejlockwoo> > > Websites: > http://www.woodcreeper.com > http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com > > Photos: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodcreeper > > > > > > > On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Andrew Farnsworth < > andrew.farnswo...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> FYI - I think there was a 1950 paper too, though I cannot remember. . >> .When everyone is ready, it is high time that we replicate Lowery and Newman >> (1966). With today's technology for synthesizing information, we could do >> it in a much more timely and large scale manner, AND we could combine it >> with FC and radar data in a way not possible in the 60s. . . >> >> Best, >> Andrew >> >> On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 07:20, Ted Floyd wrote: >> >>> Hi, all. >>> >>> I was recently contacted by somebody who's preparing an obituary for >>> William A. Rense, a leading solar physicist of the 20th century. Here's >>> one of his publications: >>> >>> Rense, W.A. 1946. Astronomy and ornithology. Popular Astronomy >>> 54(2):55-73. >>> >>> The article presents all the calculations necessary for "moonwatching," >>> that is, for determining the number of birds on nocturnal migration >>> within a given volume of sky. And, interestingly, this article precedes >>> by several month's George Lowery's famous 1946 paper on the same topic >>> (Auk 63:175-211). Lowery and Rense were colleagues, actually, so this >>> isn't a disputed-priority thing. But it's interesting how we remember >>> the famous Lowery paper, not the original Rense article. (Even though >>> Rense's appeared in a relatively high-profile venue. Auk... Popular >>> Astronomy... Please.) In a sense, this is also a tribute to Lowery's >>> commendable interdisciplinary outlook on science and nature. >>> >>> What's also cool about the Rense article is that it reminds us that all >>> of this had basically been worked out 40+ years earlier, during a >>> brief--and virtually completely forgotten--"golden age" of research on >>> nocturnal migration. Moonwatching techniques are well described in >>> papers published in 1902 (Bull. Wisc. Nat. Hist. Soc.), 1906 (Popular >>> Astronomy), and again in 1906 (Auk). >>> >>> (During that brief period of serious professional interest in the topic, >>> there is an intriguing paper--by one Henry H. Kopman--on, among other >>> things, the flight calls of wood-warblers. Farnsworth in a previous >>> life...) >>> >>> Anyhow, I thought some folks would be interested. I'll let y'all know >>> when the Rense obit. is published. >>> >>> Best, >>> Ted >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> --- >>> >>> Ted Floyd >>> Editor, Birding >>> >>> --- >>> >>> Please support the American Birdi
Re: [nfc-l] Your experience with recordings you've made of Gray-cheeked and Bicknell's Thrush
Hi Matt, >From what you described it would be a little tough, but it sounds like a Bicknell's Thrush, peak is a bit low. Without seeing it, based on the peak I would not put it as a positive ID. They generally always start around 3.5 to 4kHz and peak about 5.5 -6kHz, and have a longer less descending trail/tail in their typical call. In our recordings Gray-cheeked almost never get above 4kHz (+/- 0.1kHz) in their peak and the "tail" drops faster. The length of the tail is sometimes longer in Bicknell's, but that is very variable, I think more so than the frequency variation. Generally, the rule of thumb is if it stays between 3-4kHz its a Gray-cheeked, if its totally above 4Khz peaking around 5.5 to 6kHz its a Bicknell's. Where is your recording station located in WV, in Summit Point? Generally, the closer to the coast the more you'll get, but we do get many here. In 04 I think we had many more for some reason. I would expect you to have them there (possibly more than us) as you are a bit east of us. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 4:12 PM, Matt Orsie wrote: > Hello All, > I was curious as to what you've seen as frequency ranges between > these two species? I've recorded nocturnal calls more off than on since > 2003 and have only seen one or two of what I've called Gray-cheeked > Thrush peak out over 4khz during that time. Most peak out around 4khz > and taper off between 3-3.5khz within 75ms or so. > > I do have one recording that tops off at 4.6khz and takes over 100ms to > wind down. I've wondered for a few years if this could possibly have been > a Bicknell's. > > I know there is overlap but I was still curious to what you have seen as > extremes or averages in your recordings? > > Thanks, > Matt Orsie > Summit Point, WV > > -- > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > > http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] NFC Detectors and Equipment?
Hi All, Even though we use Raven and XBAT to analyze our recordings, we also still use GlassOFire to sort the clips as is a quicker and more efficient than sorting within Raven. You will find with any program using settings for export you will have files of slightly different lengths as you usually export the selection with a user selected buffer (or fixed in the case of tseep), and since the detected part of the call (often detectors do not detect the whole call, just a small piece), or even whole calls are different lengths the sizes will all be different. It is possible to get files of uniform length in Raven, but I do that by editing the selection table. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 9:27 AM, David Martin wrote: > I agree with Eric that work flow is a major consideration, and GlassOFire > is also a key tool for me. I set it up so that I see 36 sonograms on the > screen at a time (2400 x 1600 twps). At these settings I can easily > separate the obvious noise and the calls, and I can clear out the katydids > and rain pretty fast. Some calls are clearly recognizable, but many are too > indistinct to identify. I use Raven to verify the id's. > > One problem is that the sound files produced by Tseep-x are not all the > same length. GlassOFire works well with the majority of images. But, if > the file is long, GlassOFire compresses the image to fit the frame size, and > the calls are hard to recognize. If the call also is faint, it looks like a > smudge in the sonogram. If the file is short, GlassOFire stretches the > image. For me stretching has usually not been a problem. There are > occasional cases where the file is greatly stretched and it is obvious that > it has no useful content. > > In my view, it would help if detectors like Tseep-x and Thrush-x produced > files of uniform length. Then the image size in GlassOFire could be matched > to the file length. > > I still have to work on using the detector in Raven. > > David Martin > > > > At 10:06 AM 8/22/2009, you wrote: > > Erik Johnson wrote: "What's also frustrating is that I get a TON of trash > clips - many more than birds clips." > > To be clear, I'm a hobbyist with limited time, so I use detectors > *assuming* it will give acceptable results more quickly than > viewing/listening to sound files directly. > > Unfortunately, as Mike Lanzone points out, Trash-versus-Bird is one > trade-off when using detectors. However, this trade-off can be mitigated by > an efficient tool to sift through the trash. For the this discussion, I'll > say the software detection process has two major phases: the software > detection itself, and then the human classification phase (trash versus > bird). > > Not sure if others agree, but as others work to improve the detectors, I > think a quick win is an improved tool for the 2nd phase, wheat-vs-chaff > classification. > > For example, last night I ran a file through a Raven detector graciously > forwarded by Mike Powers. Examining the results with Glass-of-Fire, I > labelled one sound out of 200+ detections as a bird (same as when I used > Tseep/Thrush against the file). This was quick and painless. > > However, individual review of Raven detections revealed I *incorrectly* > labelled 7 bird calls as Noise in Glass-of-Fire. This is because > Glass-of-Fire stretches spectrograms to a pre-defined size, rendering the > bird calls visually unrecognizable. So, the detector found birds, but the > efficient classifier was inaccurate. > > Manual review of each Raven detection was accurate, but highly > inefficient: viewing hundreds of selections one-at-a-time is slow and > tedious. The bounding boxes effectively hide short sounds. Keeping or > deleting good/bad selections from the selection list is error prone. > > Glass-of-Fire is a great format: view page-fulls of spectograms, and > quickly classify them with key combos. A great improvement would be to > present spectrograms without stretching. To use Raven detections with a > Glass-of-Fire style viewer, it would be helpful to see more sound around the > Raven detection. For example, in the case of a longer bird call it > successfully detected part of the call, without selecting the whole sound. > In the case of a short call, it's difficult to understand what you're > looking at without seeing more context around the sound. > > Regardless, I think increased efficiency during human classification should > allow current detectors to flag even more sounds, catching more bird calls > along with the trash. > &
Re: [nfc-l] Engineers - chime in? Adaptive Noise Cancellation
I will look to see if we do.. Sent from my iPhone On Aug 24, 2009, at 9:54 AM, Thomas Fowler wrote: > > Hi Everyone, > > I am an engineer chiming in. > > I have used this technique to clean up a signal. Technically, it is > pretty simple to subtract out a "noise" signal. > The hard part is getting a signal which is the exact "noise" you > want to subtract. By exact I mean it has > the equivalent gain, and timing and spectral content. If it is in > the same frequency band as the target signal things > get more difficult in a hurry. Does anyone have multiple channel > recordings where the noise shows more prominently > on one channel while the target bird shows better on another > channel? I have Labview and can read *.wav files. I would > be willing to spend some time messing with this if someone can > provide a appropriate file. > > TomF > retired Cornell Bioacoustics Engineer. > > > At 01:00 AM 8/22/2009 -0400, you wrote: >> Okay, last post for the night >> >> The more I read about this, the more and more it sounds really cool. >> >> So, you software and hardware engineer people out there - what do >> you think? Can it work to better clean up night flight call data >> collection? Heck, this could get you closer to that 90-95% positive >> detection figure we'd all like to see. >> >> http://plaza.ufl.edu/badavis/EEL6502_Project_1.html >> >> Sincerely, >> Chris T-H >> >> Chris Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: >>> I think the idea with adaptive noise cancellation is this: >>> >>> you have a dual microphone system. One channel is the primary >>> channel (collecting the target sounds). The second channel is the >>> "noise collection" channel. Through some mathematical algorithms, >>> you subtract the noise collected in the "noise" channel from the >>> primary channel (e.g., a different microphone aimed at collecting >>> the cricket sounds or the katydid sounds, perhaps using a slightly >>> lower gain setting, so as not to pick up distant flight calls >>> being collected in the primary channel). The resulting signal in >>> the primary channel should have reduced cricket and katydid >>> sounds. Well, that's the theory, I guess. >>> >>> Here's an older paper abstract from 1975. Current technology can >>> probably do this adaptive noise filtering in very real-time. >>> >>> http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=1451965 >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> Chris T-H > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] Adaptive Noise Cancellation
It's worth playing with... I would be worried about loosing thrushes and other spp in 3-5kHz range in the mix though, but if it worked well would solve a huge problem. Mike Sent from my iPhone On Aug 21, 2009, at 10:09 PM, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: Aha! I did a little searching. It looks like it is possible to cancel out the unwanted sounds, real-time. My first result was this, which describes adaptive noise cancellation technology: http://www.developer.com/java/other/article.php/3599661 Sincerely, Chris T-H Chris Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: So, the question is: can the unwanted cricket and katydid sounds be removed from the audio channel at the time of sound acquisition, real-time, such that their acoustic signatures are minimized or eliminated altogether from the collected sound data prior to an automatic detector batch process? Sincerely, Chris T-H Michael Lanzone wrote: No software we have worked with gets near 100%. I have toyed around with templates that got 95% of the calls, and detectors can get ~90%, but more commonly get in the 60-80% range. In Louisiana with the insects it would be on the low end of this. Katydids and such are problematic for detectors... Best, Mike Sent from my iPhone On Aug 21, 2009, at 7:43 PM, Erik Johnson wrote: Hi All, I've been recording from my home in south Louisiana with set-ups like Chris and David over the last few years. I've been using the oldbird software (tseep, etc), but only get about 20% of the flight calls that I would otherwise detect by ear (and visually on spectrographs). Not only is the detection software missing many calls, it's also underestimating the richness that I could get. In one of my best fall nights I more than doubled the species richness by listening through the entire night compared to running it through the software. What's also frustrating is that I get a TON of trash clips - many more than birds clips. I've tried to filter out background noise (which is mostly insects and air conditioning units) before running the file through the auto-detect software, but it doesn't change the results much. I haven't toyed with the other programs that have been mentioned in this threat, but as I understand it, they also don't get near 100% - or am I wrong - it sounds like this technology improving quickly. This list serve is giving me new inspiration to hook up the mic this fall and to play around with more settings and programs. I'm eager to see the upcoming manuscript and to hear everyone's thoughts on this subject! Happy listening, Erik Johnson Lafayette, LA ejoh...@lsu.edu -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html -- -- = Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes TARU Product Line Manager and Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 Voice: 607-254-2418, FAX: 607-254-2460 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp mailto:c...@cornell.edu = -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] NFC Detectors and Equipment?
Hi All, I will post some specifics when I am looking at the data, but we did run comparisons between XBAT, Raven, and Tseep. Breifly, first step was to benchmark Bill's software. Then we ran detectors in XBAT and Raven using 140 different setting to look at site based and detector based variables that impact accuracy and efficiency, and which parameters are most important, i.e., which variables (site, weather, insects, etc.) influenced the behavior of the detector settings (SNR, Occ, Sep, etc) the most. We now are prepareing a manuscript that describes in detail the results from this work. It is not totally straightforward as depending on your site and what your doing with the data, different detector settings may work better or worse for you. Generally accuracy and efficiency are inversly related to each other, so picking a setting that is midline may be best for most, but not all. In any case it was a ton of work that Emma, Lewis, Amy and I have been trying hard to get "out the door" as quickly as possible. More soon! Talk to you all soon, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 5:51 PM, Andrew Farnsworth < andrew.farnswo...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > There is much fodder for discussion here, but I'll need to keep this > brief - if I can, I'll reply at length to all the additional questions > that Chris posed in a previous email in this vein, but it probably > won't be until later in the weekend. > > David, I am pleased to hear that you are using the SongMeter. Cornell > has been working with Ian to develop a next generation "SongMeter" > unit, called the SoundCache, which we are now using. It's a wonderful > device, and it has many useful features as you mentioned. If any of > you are using these, Mike, Anne, and I may be able to provide some > useful suggestions about how to program the units, battery life, > storage space, etc. I won't bore all of you with that now, but if > there is interest, we can provide info! > > Re:detectors - there is precious little information available on the > full range of behavior of the energy detectors available to us, but I > know for certain that Powdermill Avian Research Center (Mike, Emma, > Lewis, do you want to chime in here?) has worked recently on > evaluating Raven, XBAT, and Oldbird-style detectors. Cornell has done > some work on this as well. Some of these results have been presented > at professional societies and my hope is that there will be a > forthcoming manuscript or two on exactly this topic. There are > differences among these different detectors, though that's a more time > consuming email better saved for later. > > More on this thread later - no doubt others will chime in as well! > > Best, > Andrew > > On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 17:28, David Martin wrote: > > I'm going to be very interested in other's responses to Chris' questions. > > > > This is my third fall recording NFCs. For the last two I was doing it > at > > home, feeding the mic input to my home computer and recording with Easy > Hi-Q > > Recorder. > > > > This year I added a second mic at a nature center. There is no power at > > the site, and I needed standalone recorder. Rather than kludge something > > together I bought a SongMeter SM1-M (wildlifeacoustics.com). Kind of > > pricey, but every other approach I could think of added up to the same > cost > > or more. You can set the SongMeter to record on whatever schedule you > want. > > It saves the data to an SDHC card. It provides power to the mic. > > > > The mic is based on Bill Evan's flowerpot design using the Knowles > element, > > but I put it on a government surplus mast to get it above some of the > insect > > noise. > > > > I've been using Bill Evan's tools Tseep-x and Thrush-x along with > GlassOFire > > to sort the data. I've been working in an unsystematic way to > > estimate how well Tseep-x and Thrush-x work. It's obvious that they > miss a > > lot sounds, but by far most of them are too faint for me to be confident > of > > the identity of the caller, anyway. > > > > I just got Raven 1.3 and I'm thinking of running some comparisons with > > Bill's tools. Has anyone done that? > > > > My biggest problem at home is katydid calls. I can sort through them > pretty > > fast using Glassofire, but it is a pain. > > > > David Martin > > http://naturebits.org > > > > > > > > > > -- > > NFC-L List Info: > > http://www.NortheastBirding.
Re: [nfc-l] Interesting early papers on moonwatching
Lets do it!! Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Andrew Farnsworth < andrew.farnswo...@gmail.com> wrote: > FYI - I think there was a 1950 paper too, though I cannot remember. . .When > everyone is ready, it is high time that we replicate Lowery and Newman > (1966). With today's technology for synthesizing information, we could do > it in a much more timely and large scale manner, AND we could combine it > with FC and radar data in a way not possible in the 60s. . . > > Best, > Andrew > > > On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 07:20, Ted Floyd wrote: > >> Hi, all. >> >> I was recently contacted by somebody who's preparing an obituary for >> William A. Rense, a leading solar physicist of the 20th century. Here's >> one of his publications: >> >> Rense, W.A. 1946. Astronomy and ornithology. Popular Astronomy >> 54(2):55-73. >> >> The article presents all the calculations necessary for "moonwatching," >> that is, for determining the number of birds on nocturnal migration >> within a given volume of sky. And, interestingly, this article precedes >> by several month's George Lowery's famous 1946 paper on the same topic >> (Auk 63:175-211). Lowery and Rense were colleagues, actually, so this >> isn't a disputed-priority thing. But it's interesting how we remember >> the famous Lowery paper, not the original Rense article. (Even though >> Rense's appeared in a relatively high-profile venue. Auk... Popular >> Astronomy... Please.) In a sense, this is also a tribute to Lowery's >> commendable interdisciplinary outlook on science and nature. >> >> What's also cool about the Rense article is that it reminds us that all >> of this had basically been worked out 40+ years earlier, during a >> brief--and virtually completely forgotten--"golden age" of research on >> nocturnal migration. Moonwatching techniques are well described in >> papers published in 1902 (Bull. Wisc. Nat. Hist. Soc.), 1906 (Popular >> Astronomy), and again in 1906 (Auk). >> >> (During that brief period of serious professional interest in the topic, >> there is an intriguing paper--by one Henry H. Kopman--on, among other >> things, the flight calls of wood-warblers. Farnsworth in a previous >> life...) >> >> Anyhow, I thought some folks would be interested. I'll let y'all know >> when the Rense obit. is published. >> >> Best, >> Ted >> >> >> >> >> >> >> --- >> >> Ted Floyd >> Editor, Birding >> >> --- >> >> Please support the American Birding Association: Click on >> http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=884482 to search the internet. >> >> Check out the American Birding Association on FaceBook: >> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22934255714 >> >> Check out the American Birding Association on Twitter: >> http://twitter.com/abaoutreach >> >> Please visit the website of the American Birding Association: >> http://www.aba.org >> >> -- >> NFC-L List Info: >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES >> -- >> > > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] migration over NB
No, you weren't dreaming! Call counts like that are uncommon most places, but on good nights along the coast I have heard nights like you described during fall migration many times. Last night looked particularly good (on radar) where you were and combine that with a low ceiling and/or coastal influence and call rates go way up. Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Beaudreault, Jean < jean.beaudrea...@snclavalin.com> wrote: > Hello all, > > Yesterday night, when I finished my shift at the plant at about 11PM, I was > walking to the parking lot and I could hear many flight calls. Since I don"t > know them I just thought I would count them to see how many birds were > passing by. There were so many calls that I could not keep up counting > them. My estimate is 120 calls a minute. This lasted from 11 untill I left > at 11h45. I was just wondering if I was dreaming there or is that something > possible. > > The site is along the sea, close to St-John, New-Brunswick. > > Unfortunately today is my last day at this site, I'll be back home > tomorrow. > > Jean Beaudreault > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html --
Re: [nfc-l] NFCs in Caroline
Hi Steve and others, Last night I think was the best we have had here yet this season, at least one of our mics was recording 5-10 calls per minute. Early not a lot though as we had some showers in the area, it picked up later around 11:30pm or so. I am anxious to check our ridge station (on Laurel Mtn) as radar was ~25dBz there and that often gets a lot more activity than here with these conditions. It will have to wait till I get back from AOU though :( Best, Mike Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 9:44 PM, Steve Kelling wrote: > Hello, > I've been listening for the past 30 minutes and am hearing a steady stream > of Veerys passing over. I've heard around 100 Veery calls. I've also heard > what I believe were Yellow Warbler type, Chestnut-sided Warbler type, > Ovenbird, Savannah Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak, as > well as many unidentifiable calls. I also heard a Eastern Screech Owl > whinny. > > I started listening around 2110 on Tuesday 11 August 2009 > I'm listening to the output of a microphone within a parabolic reflector > pointed at the night sky. > I'm located in the town of Caroline about 12 miles SE of Ithaca NY. > > Steve Kelling > > > -- > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES --
Re: [nfc-l] NFCs in Caroline
I decided to do a quick sort of one of our stations today after seeing Steve's post. I had much the same as Steve in the 8 hours I looked at, except not quite as many Veery yet. Also of note were the large numbers of Louisiana Waterthrush, likely ~1/4 of the hundred+ calls last night were made up of LOWAs. Also of note, decent numbers of Chestnut-sided for so early, usually we don't think of them as early "migrants", but I wonder how many move short distances (1-30mi +/-?) to molt... I hesitate to say molt migrant as this does not fit the traditional definition we think of in the western U.S. ... We get large groups of many warbler species this time of year that move into the research area and banding areas we often think are just moving down slope from Laurel Mountain to the secondary growth and swamp/pond areas to molt, but it I wonder if they came from furthur away than we think after consistently hearing and recording overflight of these same 7-10 or so spp that we catch in molt (and do not breed in banding area) from mid July on or so every year. Also on the recordings last night were several Black-throated Blue, Chipping Sparrow(s), possibly Tennessee, Cerulean, and Blackburnian, and many others I have not taken the time to sort through yet. Also, pretty much what were catching in the banding area lately. Seemed peak movement last night was between 11 and 12 and then again between 1:30 to 3am. Another clear night tonight, some light movement on radar, so hopefully a decent night! These recordings were from our banding station mic (pic at http://www.westol.com/~banding/EarlyFall2008.htm) located at Powdermill Avian Research Center, located on the 2,200-acre biological field station of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in the Laurel Highlands region of southwestern Pennsylvania ~60mi ESE from Pittsburgh. Michael Lanzone Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Avian Research Center 1847 Route 381 Rector, PA 15677 724.593.5521 Office mlanz...@gmail.com On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 7:52 AM, Steve Kelling wrote: > Hello, > > Last night appeared to be the first real movement of Veery that I've > recorded this fall. I have not had a chance to look at the entire night > (that will take awhile), but between 10:15 PM and 10:45 PM I recorded 15 > Veery flight calls, which was 14 flight calls more than I have recorded on > any night previous I've looked at this fall. My sense (based on the timing > of the calls) that these may have come from 3 birds, but I'm really not sure > of this. > > In reviewing previous year's recordings, it appears that between the 3-6 > August is when, based on the number of NFCs I record, the major Veery fall > migration begins. By the 3-4 week in August I have recorded up to 500 Veery > calls in a night. > > I also recorded what I believe are, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, > Northern Waterthrush, Canada Warbler, and Indigo Bunting during that same 30 > minute period. > > > These records are from the town of Caroline, @ 12 miles south east of > Ithaca NY. > > Steve Kelling > > -- > NFC-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES > -- > -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES --
