[nysbirds-l] The 2017-2018 CBC is just around the corner!

2017-11-01 Thread Carena Pooth 
Hello CBCers! 

 

It's that time of year again!  The next CBC runs from December 14, 2017
through January 5, 2018.

 

If you are a CBC compiler/coordinator, please help us build an accurate
2017/2018 Christmas Bird Count schedule.to help get as many volunteers
involved in the count as possible. I'll post your information as soon as I
get it!  Although the Audubon website will eventually have the information,
a lot of people refer to the CBC calendar on the NYSOA website at
http://www.nybirds.org/ProjCBC.htm.

 

All I need is the following information, which you can send by simply
replying to this email. Alternatively, you can fill out the form on the
NYSOA website at any time - go to http://www.nybirds.org/ProjCBC.htm and
click on the link in the turquoise-colored box at the top of the page.

 

Name of CBC circle 

4-letter ID of CBC circle

CBC date  

Contact Name  

Contact email  

Contact phone number 

 

Thanks!

 

Carena Pooth

New York State Ornithological Association (NYSOA)

www.nybirds.org  

www.nysyoungbirders.org  

 



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[nysbirds-l] Leucistic Common Grackle

2017-11-01 Thread Steve Walter 
It's that time of year when the great flock descends upon my neighborhood in
Queens. When I was driving back to the house, the Common Grackle flock was
conveniently around the 76th Ave. parking lot in Alley Pond Park. So why not
look them over just in case there might be something with a yellow head
mixed in? No such look of course, but I did come across a leucistic one at
the edge of the flock, where I could get pictures. I can't help but wonder
if it's the same one that I saw while doing the local CBC a few years ago. I
never did photograph that one, as the weather was darker that day than
today, so I hadn't even taken a camera out. But now I do have pictures of a
leucistic Common Grackle. If you're interested in seeing what that looks
like (leucistic birds are interesting to some - there's even an article in
the last Birding magazine), I posted a picture at my web site
http://stevewalternature.com/ (click the Birds tab, then Recent Work). 

 

Since it's not a count day, I didn't make an effort to do that. 3000 is
often the estimate I go with. And believe it or not, they're not an
automatic for the count. They roam around, usually all together, and not
necessarily in covered habitats. But for today, they were quite a sight
spread across the relatively undisturbed ball fields. In the process of
taking that in, I came across a group of 7 American Pipits. Pipits here are
not unprecedented, but it's still cool to see grassland birds touching down
in a suburban neighborhood. Also present were about 25 Chipping Sparrows.
They do nest here. Since I don't often bird on the ball fields, I don't know
if these are migrants or they have been here all along. I bring this up
because it's been such a terrible sparrow migration so far. A big question
in my mind is whether it's been the wind patterns affecting the visible
migration or they are just late this year. 

 

 

Steve Walter

Bayside, NY


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[nysbirds-l] Heckscher State Park

2017-11-01 Thread Sy Schiff 
Joe Giunta and I (Sy Schiff) went to Heckscher SP after a brief stop at Jones 
Beach (20 + Surf Scoter still in inlet seen from parking lot and a Lesser 
Black-backed Gull on West End lot). 

Field #7 at Heckscher was filled with large puddles and is surrounded with 
grassy lawn, perfect shorebird habitat. Except for Merlin, Cooper’s and 
Red-tailed Hawks scaring the birds, viewing was close up from the car.
Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpiper, Long-billed 
Dowitcher. No Golden Plover seen.

Field #6 also had a large puddle in the picnic area, no shorebirds except 
Killdeer but Canada Geese, Mallard, Black Duck, Gadwall, Green and Blue-winged 
Teal.

Sy

Sent from Mail for Windows 10


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[nysbirds-l] Possible Black-bellied Whistling Duck Avon DEC Pond, Livingston County

2017-11-01 Thread Wasilco, Mike R (DEC) 
I just had a bird fly out of the roosting geese at the pond here at the Avon 
DEC office that my first impression was that it was a weird goose with a 
chestnut colored body with black toward the rear, pink bill, and black wings 
with a prominent white stripe down the greater and lesser coverts on the upper 
wings.  Looking in my bird guides the only thing that matches that color 
pattern is Black-bellied Whistling Duck, but my impression was that this bird 
was closer to the size of a small goose than a duck.  The bird circled the pond 
a couple of times before flying off to the north in same direction and the 
goose flocks were departing.  Also present on the pond were ~4,000 Canada Geese 
and a single Snow Goose.

Michael R. Wasilco
Regional Wildlife Manager, Division of Fish and Wildlife

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd., Avon, NY 14414
P: (585)226-5460 | F: (585) 226-6323 | mike.wasi...@dec.ny.gov

www.dec.ny.gov | [cid:image002.gif@01D01928.215FD820] 
  | [cid:image001.gif@01D01927.D33C0790] 



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