This is a very interesting observation of migration by a species that is often regarded as a "permanent resident" but which actually undertakes large-scale movements. Patricia Lindsay and I tallied a conservative total of 24 House Finches at Orient Pt yesterday morning, during a fairly brief visit, including apparent migrants. We also saw four flocks of European Starlings flying across Plum Gut, from Plum Island to Orient Pt.
These observations underscore the advantages of (1) paying attention to all species, even the most familiar--intimate knowledge of the residents of one's local patches allows migrants to be distinguished more easily; and (2) looking for and recognizing the behavioral indicators of migration. Another species whose large-scale movements this fall might seem surprising is Northern Cardinal. Watch them carefully--they're just as good-looking as Evening Grosbeaks! Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________________ From: McBrien [[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 4:38 PM I tallied a robust 85 House Finches migrating along the bayshore today, ranging from single birds to flocks as large as nine. ________________________________ Washington Monthly<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2012/features/americas_bestbangforthebuck_co039461.php> magazine ranks the College of Staten Island as one of “America’s Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges” -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
