[cayugabirds-l] pecking order
Daily, downy, hairy, and red bellied woodpeckers feast on our suet. A pileated pair are rare visitors. The pileated woodpeckers definitely dominate the feeder. When one approaches for landing, all else flies. The hairy woodpeckers rule on a daily basis, aggressively forcing red bellies and downies away. While the hairy seems unperturbed by movement in our house, a shadow on any near window will cause the pileated to move to safety. Next in the pecking order would be the red bellies. A hairy will push a red belly off the suet, while a red belly will dominate a downy. If our shadows hit the sliding glass door close to the feeder, a skittish red belly will abandon his/her meal and head for the pine boughs. The smaller downy woodpeckers do not fly at our shadows, but are chased by larger neighbors. The nuthatches are wary, watching from a distance, then walking up the tree with the suet feeder is unoccupied. They are troubled by any movement in our house and depart quickly when a woodpecker lands. With the timid brown creepers, caution rules. They stay low, avoid the crowds, and glean the droppings of suet. Contrary to many bucolic paintings, I have never seen two species feeding together. Suet is survival. And just what does 'eats like a bird' supposed to mean? susan barr brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Leucistic duck on Factory St. Pond
All: This is a picture of the duck that Dave mentioned that was around Stewart Park. This picture was from November 19th. http://picasaweb.google.com/fishoak/Birds#5405810352034722434 Enjoy! Paul Frritzie ( all), That sounds like a bird I've seen several times at Union Springs, Myers Point and Stewart Park. It looks to me like a leucistic female Mallard. I don't know whether it has some recent domestic heritage or is just a sport. I'm no expert on the subject, but offhand I didn't notice any pattern or color or shape to indicate it's a hybrid. Still, knowing Mallards, a hybrid is always a possibility with an odd duck. Sorry not to have answered the phone. I'm in Canada with the Cayuga Bird Club overnight field trip to Amherst Island. So far we've seen Snowy, Short-eared, Barred, Northern Saw-whet, and Boreal Owls. --Dave Nutter On Saturday, February 06, 2010, at 01:56PM, "John and Fritzie Blizzard" job121...@verizon.net wrote: Hi folks, John saw, without binox,a light colored duck on the Factory St. pond when he went for mail this morning. We went back down looked at the bird with the scope. It was rather cream colored all over with somemedium tan markings on shoulders wing tips. I say that rather hesitantly because the bird had it's head tucked under the wing it was angled away from me so determining where the darker markings were was not particularly easy. I believe from what I could see that the bill wasa light color. The duck was in a group of about 10 mallards over under the tree whose limbs hang in the water on the north edge of the pond so I suspect from the shape that it is a mallard altho' I couldn't see any curled feathers, as a male would have had, under the tail. Tried to call Dave Nutter ... (only one whose phone number I had along with me but got no answer) ... to have him post it in case any other birders were up this way. Kathy Strickland was birding around the lake with Lynn from Roch. but I couldn't get any reply from her on her cell phone. S. Maybe someone else will see it. Screechie had put in an appearance between the time John was there the time we went back down. Such a cutie!! The large raftsof Redheads were spread out down along the lake between Gully Rd the Aurora Post office. Canadas Goldeneye were in the rafts. Saw about 6turkeys just up Poplar Ridge Rd. 1/2 mi. then another 24 over along the woods east of Dixon Rd.. Nasty day to be out of the car or house. Thermometer in the car registered 14 degrees but the wind chill felt like -14 snow was blowing north to south across the roads.I'm glad I'm not down in my birthplace in the mountains west of Harrisonburg, VA nor at John's in Westminster, MD. today. The last few yrs.bothplaces havehad more snow colder weather than we've had here. Yep! As I said before, I'll take beautifulNY. Keep warm. Fritzie Blizzard -- Paul Anderson. GrammaTech, Inc.Tel: +1 607 273-7340 x18 mailto:p...@grammatech.com http://www.grammatech.com
Re: [cayugabirds-l] pecking order
This winter, unlike previous ones, we've been besieged by jays. I've counted, what I think is probably an extended family of 7 or so all fighting for control of the one platform feeder and/or the two cylinders in which I offer sunflower seeds. The jays seem to be top dogs, and it irks me, because I know they're just filling their crops and storing seeds somewhere where they'll forget about later. I have to fill the feeders that much more often. But I do love corvids, and they are fun to watch. I've noticed that they're not at the very top of the dominance hierarchy, however. They move aside quickly when the red-bellied lands on the feeder. Looking at the comparative armament, I don't blame the jays. We have fewer hairies, and they interact less frequently with the jays. The hairies and the downies do seem to prefer the suet to the seeds, whereas the red-bellieds take seeds from both the platform and the cylinders frequently. Tom V On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 7:30 AM, Marie P Read m...@cornell.edu wrote: Contrary to many bucolic paintings, I have never seen two species feeding together. Suet is survival. I have seen (and photographed) Downy and Hairy feeding together (in fact it's a photo I've strived for because it shows the difference between the two and points out how to tell them apart), but the Downies are definitely the more timid of the two. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com http://www.agpix.com/mari -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- A. Thomas Vawter, Ph.D. Prof. of Biology Environmental Science Chair, Biological and Chemical Sciences Herbert E. Ives Professor of Science Wells College Aurora, NY 13026 315.364.3269 tvaw...@wells.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Blue Birds Blow Flies
Good point, Dave. This procedure has been around for many years, and I've never seen it suggested that it's not legal, but you may be right. Dave Nutter wrote: Perhaps disturbing an active nest is technically illegal even if in this particular circumstance when done properly it is beneficial to the birds. The laws which a century ago ended the collection of eggs, nests, feathers, etc., without permits are still in effect. --Dave Nutter On Monday, February 08, 2010, at 01:41PM, Alan Mapes aama...@nycap.rr.com wrote: Kurt - Tell me why changing the nest is not good. I've done this for 20+ years, and find it increasing the survival of young very nicely. The adults will show concern while I remove the 10-12 day-old young from the nest, sweep out the box, and replace the nest with dry grass. But the parents go right back to feeding the young like nothing happened. I have yet to see any down-side to this procedure. Alan Mapes Delmar, NY Kurt Falvey wrote: Over the past few years (since I moved back from Texas) I have been buying a few cedar blue bird houses and every year we have several pairs of blue birds. Unfortunately all too often we find dead baby blue bird…even our friends 20 miles away thought about taking their houses down because they are tired of finding dead babies. In most cases blow fly larva were found under the nest. I have read about adding bay leaves under the nest, changing the nest out…which you are not supposed to do even though it works and I have tried the wire mesh thing which kind of worked. The problem with the wire mesh idea is you can’t effectively install it high enough above the bottom of a stand blue bird house. So this winter I have built all new blue bird houses adding about 5 inches to the height but installing the wire mesh where the bottom would normally be. This way the nest is far enough above the floor so if and when the blow flies fall to the bottom they won’t have anyway to get back to the nest. In addition I removed all the existing blue bird houses and reduced the hole size so blue birds will no longer be able to use them. We put those in the woods for chickadees, wrens, nuthatch, etc. So once and for all I will find out if the wire mesh idea really works. I will keep you posted. *Julie Kurt* *Broken Road Farms* *www.BrokenRoadFarms.com* -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re:[cayugabirds-l] Saw-whet Owl
It is very possible that it had been hit or tumbled by a car. I've seen at least 2 instances of birds being hit and sort of stunned by cars, both involving larger birds (Am. Crow and Ring-billed Gull) where the birds were stunned, but were able to recover after a short while. This can happen with window strikes as well, where a bird is stunned but will fly off after a few minutes. I'd say the Owl was very lucky that you stopped and startled it enough to get it to fly off the road Bill Baker - This message was sent using Endymion MailMan. http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
