[nysbirds-l] Mine Torne Rd. still closed?

[Andrew Block]

Does anyone know if Mine Torne Rd. at West Point is still closed to the public? 
 I assumed it was since I haven't seen mention of it since then many moons ago. 
 I'd love to go there again and see the goodies I used to over the years.  I 
rarely left the road since there was so much to see along it, plus I always 
wanted to avoid meeting up with military people.
Andrew
Andrew v. F. Block
Consulting Naturalist
20 Hancock Avenue, Apt. 3
Yonkers, Westchester Co., New York 10705-4780 
www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums
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[nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC, Sun. June 6, 2021: Wood Duck, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Cedwar Waxwing, American Redstart, Northern Parula

[Deborah Allen]

Central Park NYC
Sunday June 6, 2021
OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, Deborah Allen, m.ob. 

Highlights: Wood Duck, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Cedwar Waxwing, American Redstart, 
Northern Parula.

Canada Goose - 8
Wood Duck - 2 males turtle Pond (Deb - early)
Mallard - 6
Mourning Dove - 18
Chimney Swift - 6-10
Herring Gull - 5 flyovers
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Great Blue Heron - low flyover near Belvedere Castle
Great Egret - Lake
Barred Owl - continued - unprecedented in summer for the location
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - Ramble
Great Crested Flycatcher - pair summer House
Eastern Kingbird - 1 of pair Turtle Pond
Eastern Wood-Pewee - heard Weather Station
Warbling Vireo - 3 (1 Belvedere Castle, pair Upper Lobe)
Red-eyed Vireo - 2 in Ramble
Blue Jay - a few
American Crow - heard
Black-capped Chickadee - Evodia Field (feeder location)
White-breasted Nuthatch - male Mugger's Woods
American Robin - 20-30
Gray Catbird - 6-8
Northern Mockingbird - Belvedere Castle
Cedar Waxwing - 6-10
House Finch - 3
White-throated Sparrow 3 Mugger's Woods
Baltimore Oriole - 5
Red-winged Blackbird - 5-10
Common Grackle - 5-10 incl. juvenile fed by adult on the lawn next to Turtle 
Pond (Deb - early)
American Redstart - 3
Northern Parula - singing male - best looks at Willow Rock
Northern Cardinal - 5-10
--
At the Maintenance Field we found butterflies, a Red-banded Hairstreak and a 
female Spring Azure, with a Question Mark at Oak Bridge. Eastern Calligrapher, 
a kind of Syrphid Fly, was common this morning in open areas of the Ramble. 
--
A Prothonotary Warbler was reported at the Pool at the north end of Central 
Park late this afternoon via David Barrett's Manhattan Bird Alert @Bird 
CentralPark on twitter by @SEaswarNYC

--
Deb Allen 




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Re: [nysbirds-l] Barn Swallow question

[Joseph Wallace]

Thanks, Shane. I guess that's long been debated (e.g., do cats play?),
since almost all forms of play also have a "practice" aspect. I was telling
my swallow story to a friend in the D.C. area, and he described a pair of
foxes who had a den near his backyard. The kits would come out in the early
morning and play with the balls my friend's family had left in the
yard...but the play was pouncing, chasing etc. So I'd like to believe it
can be both.

Hope it's okay to continue this conversation here. (I find it fascinating!)
I/we can take it private if it's taking up too much space.
--Joe

On Sun, Jun 6, 2021 at 11:49 AM Shane Blodgett 
wrote:

> For birds that catch prey on the wing I wonder if this behavior is just
> for “fun“ or could also be seen as “practice.”
>
> Regards,
> Shane Blodgett
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jun 6, 2021, at 10:53 AM, Joseph Wallace  wrote:
>
> 
> Thank you all for your replies (here and directly to me) and the
> references. I love that feather-play is a "swallow thing." The one I
> watched varied its game, swooping in from all angles and approaches. Twice
> it flew almost straight upwards until it was perhaps fifty feet off the
> ground before releasing the feather.
>
> I'm intrigued by the fact that one of the earlier reports also specifies a
> large *white* feather; my guess is that, like yesterday's, it was a down
> feather, which would float in the air much more satisfactorily than a
> denser one.
>
> I write essays on nature for a local Audubon Society. I think my next
> piece will focus on bird play! Thanks again--
> Joe
>
> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:34 PM Brendan Fogarty  wrote:
>
>> Joseph and all,
>>
>> This behavior seems familiar, but I cannot say if I have seen it before
>> in person or in media. It is definitely documented; below is an excerpt
>> from Birds of the World online.
>>
>> "In Britain, 3 juveniles were observed apparently playing with large
>> white feather while in flight, repeatedly dropping it and catching it
>> before it reached the ground (1). Adults are also known to exhibit this
>> same behavior (2)."
>>
>> 1. Thompson, B. G. (1990). Behaviour of Swallows with feather. British
>> Birds 83:239
>>
>> 2. Turner, A. K. (2004). Family Hirundinidae (Swallows and Martins). In
>> Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and
>> Wagtails (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and D. A. Cristie, Editors), Lynx
>> Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
>>
>> Best,
>> Brendan Fogarty
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:23 PM Ardith Bondi 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> That is very cool! This is not exactly the same, but I was photographing
>>> a Tree Swallow at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area on Long Island last
>>> Tuesday with a 500 mm PF lens (think, short and light for a 500mm) on a
>>> Nikon D850 with a very loud shutter. I suddenly realized that the swallow
>>> was singing in response to the shutter. The more I pressed it, the more the
>>> bird sang. I tried a varied pattern to test it. When I finally stopped, the
>>> bird waited a second and then flew off. I had never experienced that
>>> before, either. I have watched penguins play in  Antarctica. Penguins climb
>>> up on things and jump off them just for fun. They’ll even do it with a
>>> buddy.
>>>
>>> Ardith Bondi
>>> NYC
>>> www.ardithbondi.com
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Jun 5, 2021, at 10:04 PM, Joseph Wallace  wrote:
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>> This is more about bird behavior than rarity, so apologies if it's o/t,
>>> but I watched a swallow engage in extraordinary (to me) behavior at Croton
>>> Point Park in Westchester today. It started when I spotted something white
>>> drifting slowly towards the ground: a large, downy feather. Just as I
>>> focused on it, a Barn Swallow snatched it out of the air with its beak. I
>>> expected the bird to head off to its nest, but instead it dropped the
>>> feather...and then circled and snatched it out of the air again.
>>>
>>> For the next few minutes, I watched the swallow repeatedly release the
>>> feather, do wide loops around it--sometimes feinting in its direction--and
>>> then pluck it out of the air. Twice it let the feather land on the grass,
>>> retrieving it once while on the wing and once by landing beside it. Finally
>>> the swallow did head off, I imagine to line its nest at last.
>>>
>>> I'd never seen swallows engage in play, but I can't see how this was
>>> anything else. Has anyone else here ever witnessed something like this?
>>> Thanks--Joe Wallace
>>> --
>>> *NYSbirds-L List Info:*
>>> Welcome and Basics 
>>> Rules and Information
>>> 
>>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
>>> 
>>> *Archives:*
>>> The Mail Archive
>>> 
>>> Surfbirds 
>>> ABA 

Re: [nysbirds-l] Barn Swallow question

[Shane Blodgett]

For birds that catch prey on the wing I wonder if this behavior is just for 
“fun“ or could also be seen as “practice.” 

Regards,
Shane Blodgett

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 6, 2021, at 10:53 AM, Joseph Wallace  wrote:
> 
> 
> Thank you all for your replies (here and directly to me) and the references. 
> I love that feather-play is a "swallow thing." The one I watched varied its 
> game, swooping in from all angles and approaches. Twice it flew almost 
> straight upwards until it was perhaps fifty feet off the ground before 
> releasing the feather. 
> 
> I'm intrigued by the fact that one of the earlier reports also specifies a 
> large *white* feather; my guess is that, like yesterday's, it was a down 
> feather, which would float in the air much more satisfactorily than a denser 
> one.
> 
> I write essays on nature for a local Audubon Society. I think my next piece 
> will focus on bird play! Thanks again--
> Joe
> 
>> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:34 PM Brendan Fogarty  wrote:
>> Joseph and all,
>> 
>> This behavior seems familiar, but I cannot say if I have seen it before in 
>> person or in media. It is definitely documented; below is an excerpt from 
>> Birds of the World online. 
>> 
>> "In Britain, 3 juveniles were observed apparently playing with large white 
>> feather while in flight, repeatedly dropping it and catching it before it 
>> reached the ground (1). Adults are also known to exhibit this same behavior 
>> (2)."
>> 
>> 1. Thompson, B. G. (1990). Behaviour of Swallows with feather. British Birds 
>> 83:239
>> 
>> 2. Turner, A. K. (2004). Family Hirundinidae (Swallows and Martins). In 
>> Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and 
>> Wagtails (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and D. A. Cristie, Editors), Lynx 
>> Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
>> 
>> Best,
>> Brendan Fogarty
>> 
>> 
>>> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:23 PM Ardith Bondi  wrote:
>>> That is very cool! This is not exactly the same, but I was photographing a 
>>> Tree Swallow at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area on Long Island last 
>>> Tuesday with a 500 mm PF lens (think, short and light for a 500mm) on a 
>>> Nikon D850 with a very loud shutter. I suddenly realized that the swallow 
>>> was singing in response to the shutter. The more I pressed it, the more the 
>>> bird sang. I tried a varied pattern to test it. When I finally stopped, the 
>>> bird waited a second and then flew off. I had never experienced that 
>>> before, either. I have watched penguins play in  Antarctica. Penguins climb 
>>> up on things and jump off them just for fun. They’ll even do it with a 
>>> buddy. 
>>> 
>>> Ardith Bondi
>>> NYC
>>> www.ardithbondi.com
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
> On Jun 5, 2021, at 10:04 PM, Joseph Wallace  wrote:
> 
 
>>> 
 This is more about bird behavior than rarity, so apologies if it's o/t, 
 but I watched a swallow engage in extraordinary (to me) behavior at Croton 
 Point Park in Westchester today. It started when I spotted something white 
 drifting slowly towards the ground: a large, downy feather. Just as I 
 focused on it, a Barn Swallow snatched it out of the air with its beak. I 
 expected the bird to head off to its nest, but instead it dropped the 
 feather...and then circled and snatched it out of the air again. 
 
 For the next few minutes, I watched the swallow repeatedly release the 
 feather, do wide loops around it--sometimes feinting in its direction--and 
 then pluck it out of the air. Twice it let the feather land on the grass, 
 retrieving it once while on the wing and once by landing beside it. 
 Finally the swallow did head off, I imagine to line its nest at last.
 
 I'd never seen swallows engage in play, but I can't see how this was 
 anything else. Has anyone else here ever witnessed something like this? 
 Thanks--Joe Wallace
 --
 NYSbirds-L List Info:
 Welcome and Basics
 Rules and Information
 Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
 Archives:
 The Mail Archive
 Surfbirds
 ABA
 Please submit your observations to eBird!
 --
>>> --
>>> NYSbirds-L List Info:
>>> Welcome and Basics
>>> Rules and Information
>>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
>>> Archives:
>>> The Mail Archive
>>> Surfbirds
>>> ABA
>>> Please submit your observations to eBird!
>>> --
> 
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
> Welcome and Basics
> Rules and Information
> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
> Archives:
> The Mail Archive
> Surfbirds
> ABA
> Please submit your observations to eBird!
> --

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Please submit your observa

Re: [nysbirds-l] Barn Swallow question

[Joseph Wallace]

Thank you all for your replies (here and directly to me) and the
references. I love that feather-play is a "swallow thing." The one I
watched varied its game, swooping in from all angles and approaches. Twice
it flew almost straight upwards until it was perhaps fifty feet off the
ground before releasing the feather.

I'm intrigued by the fact that one of the earlier reports also specifies a
large *white* feather; my guess is that, like yesterday's, it was a down
feather, which would float in the air much more satisfactorily than a
denser one.

I write essays on nature for a local Audubon Society. I think my next piece
will focus on bird play! Thanks again--
Joe

On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:34 PM Brendan Fogarty  wrote:

> Joseph and all,
>
> This behavior seems familiar, but I cannot say if I have seen it before in
> person or in media. It is definitely documented; below is an excerpt from
> Birds of the World online.
>
> "In Britain, 3 juveniles were observed apparently playing with large white
> feather while in flight, repeatedly dropping it and catching it before it
> reached the ground (1). Adults are also known to exhibit this same
> behavior (2)."
>
> 1. Thompson, B. G. (1990). Behaviour of Swallows with feather. British
> Birds 83:239
>
> 2. Turner, A. K. (2004). Family Hirundinidae (Swallows and Martins). In
> Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and
> Wagtails (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and D. A. Cristie, Editors), Lynx
> Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
>
> Best,
> Brendan Fogarty
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:23 PM Ardith Bondi  wrote:
>
>> That is very cool! This is not exactly the same, but I was photographing
>> a Tree Swallow at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area on Long Island last
>> Tuesday with a 500 mm PF lens (think, short and light for a 500mm) on a
>> Nikon D850 with a very loud shutter. I suddenly realized that the swallow
>> was singing in response to the shutter. The more I pressed it, the more the
>> bird sang. I tried a varied pattern to test it. When I finally stopped, the
>> bird waited a second and then flew off. I had never experienced that
>> before, either. I have watched penguins play in  Antarctica. Penguins climb
>> up on things and jump off them just for fun. They’ll even do it with a
>> buddy.
>>
>> Ardith Bondi
>> NYC
>> www.ardithbondi.com
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jun 5, 2021, at 10:04 PM, Joseph Wallace  wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> This is more about bird behavior than rarity, so apologies if it's o/t,
>> but I watched a swallow engage in extraordinary (to me) behavior at Croton
>> Point Park in Westchester today. It started when I spotted something white
>> drifting slowly towards the ground: a large, downy feather. Just as I
>> focused on it, a Barn Swallow snatched it out of the air with its beak. I
>> expected the bird to head off to its nest, but instead it dropped the
>> feather...and then circled and snatched it out of the air again.
>>
>> For the next few minutes, I watched the swallow repeatedly release the
>> feather, do wide loops around it--sometimes feinting in its direction--and
>> then pluck it out of the air. Twice it let the feather land on the grass,
>> retrieving it once while on the wing and once by landing beside it. Finally
>> the swallow did head off, I imagine to line its nest at last.
>>
>> I'd never seen swallows engage in play, but I can't see how this was
>> anything else. Has anyone else here ever witnessed something like this?
>> Thanks--Joe Wallace
>> --
>> *NYSbirds-L List Info:*
>> Welcome and Basics 
>> Rules and Information 
>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
>> 
>> *Archives:*
>> The Mail Archive
>> 
>> Surfbirds 
>> ABA 
>> *Please submit your observations to **eBird*
>> *!*
>> --
>>
>> --
>> *NYSbirds-L List Info:*
>> Welcome and Basics 
>> Rules and Information 
>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
>> 
>> *Archives:*
>> The Mail Archive
>> 
>> Surfbirds 
>> ABA 
>> *Please submit your observations to **eBird*
>> *!*
>> --
>>
>

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