[cayugabirds-l] Crows and toads

2023-04-17 Thread Geo Kloppel 
Speaking of migrations, the toads’ annual pool party at my pond in West Danby 
is in full swing, a good 2 - 3 weeks ahead of schedule. (Over the past 14 years 
I’ve come to expect their gathering to occur in the very last days of April / 
the first week of May)

For years the local Crows harvested toads in a gruesome slaughter right on the 
dike, slitting the poisonous skins and taking only some internal organ, perhaps 
the liver. In more recent years I’ve watched them carry off entire toads, 
presumably to conduct the evisceration elsewhere, perhaps even at nest-side. 
Yesterday I could tell that the Crows are well aware of the gathering, but I 
haven’t yet seen them take any toads. Perhaps it’s too early in their own 
breeding season for them to need this potentially poisonous resource?

The bears are up and about.

-Geo


--

Cayugabirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[cayugabirds-l] Crows eating toads

2014-05-09 Thread Geo Kloppel 
Toads are converging on my pond for their annual get together, which seems to 
correspond closely with the arrival of Whip-poor-wills in the Cayuga basin. And 
the Crows are beginning to collect the annual toll of toad-flesh for the 
privilege of crossing the dike. From the remains, it seems they're careful not 
to eat the skins.

-Geo 
--

Cayugabirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--