[nysbirds-l] Monk Parakeet nest Massapequa, Nassau County
Finally - I've been hearing and occasionally seeing Monk Parakeets in my backyard in Massapequa, favoring the tall oaks in the area, and occasionally hearing them on route 107. I just found a nest on route 107 in Massapequa, on a telephone pole. Route 107 is exit 29 from the Southern State Parkway: go right or south at the light if you're driving east, and after about 1/2 a mile there will be a small shopping center on the right, with an ad for Enzo's pork deli. The nest is near the southern end of the shopping center, just before the gas station, roughly opposite the bagel shop - good bagels while you wait -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Sunken Meadow SP- new arrivals (9-23-10)
There were a few new arrivals at Sunken Meadow State Park this morning. My hike, from 8:10am-10:30am, started at the dirt lot located at the northwest corner of the abandoned Field 2. There was a small flock of 7 White-throated Sparrows with an adult White-crowned Sparrow in the mix. Other sparrows observed were several Song and a few Chipping. On Tuesday there was a Lincoln's sparrow reported from this location by Ken Fuestel. A Cooper's Hawk was patrolling the area. One Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was flying from tree to tree as was a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Purple Finches were on the move this morning. I had one flock of 16 flyover heading west, another flock of at least 30 birds a little while later, and finally about 20 birds gorging themselves on chokecherries along the park road. Also along the park road were 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1 Empidonax flycatcher sp, several Eastern Phoebes, and Eastern Wood-Pewees. The Inner Marsh trail had my first-of-the-seasonBrown Creepers(2 birds), 1 Nashville warbler among 7 warbler species, a Marsh Wren(actually seen very well perched on phragmites), 1Swamp Sparrow, 1 Spotted Sandpiper flyby, 2Green-winged Teal, 19+Wood Ducks, 1 White-eyed Vireo, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk that was actively chasing 5 or so Blue Jays back and forth across the stream. Next I headed to Field 3 where there were 3 Chimney Swift flyovers, 1 Osprey, American Black Ducks, and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Vinny Pellegrino picasaweb.com/vinnypelle East Northport, NY "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." -Henry David Thoreau -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Linnaean Society Meeting Announcement
THE LINNAEAN SOCIETY OF NEW YORK SPEAKERS PROGRAM Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010, 7:30 p.m. The American Museum of Natural History, Linder Theater Speaker: Richard Schodde, former Curator and Director of the Australian National Wildlife Collection Subject: Australasia – The End or the Beginning of Modern Birdlife Australasia, the global antipodes, has some of the most unusual birds in the world: flightless emus and kiwis, swans that are black, fowls that build incubators for hatching eggs, a raft of parrots and cockatoos, and lyrebirds, bowerbirds and birds-of-paradise of exquisite plumage and remarkable display. Yet many of its birds, particularly its songbirds, are of conventional form, like the thrushes, warblers, wrens and flycatchers of the northern hemisphere. So it was thought throughout almost the whole 20th century that Australasia, originally an avian vacuum, was colonized in waves by immigrant Eurasian bird stocks over the last 5-10 million years. Those that arrived first diverged the most, isolated by sea from the rest of the world. For them it was the end of the line on land. Recent fossil, biogeographic and molecular evidence now suggests that the opposite is true. The growing body of data indicates that Australasia, as part of the ancient southern supercontinent Gondwana, was the source of many of today’s modern groups of birds, not just emus and parrots, but also the songbirds, today the largest and most successful ordinal group of birds in the world. The talk will trace the development of these ideas and the evidence on which they are based, and explain why most of the root lineages of songbird evolution survive today in the montane rainforests of New Guinea. Richard Schodde received his Ph.D. in 1970 from the University of Adelaide. He is the author or coauthor of numerous scientific papers and books including The Encyclopedia of Birds. A Complete Visual Guide (with Fred Cooke) published in 2006. In 2009 Schodde was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his contribution to the natural sciences, particularly ornithology. The meeting is open to the public, without charge. Please join us for what promises to be a very exciting talk. Enter the Museum at West 77th Street. If you would like to meet Dr. Schodde prior to the talk, join us at Pappardella's Restaurant, 75th Street and Columbus Avenue at 6 p.m. The reservation will be in the name of Alice. Alice Deutsch, Vice President -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Alley Pond Paark Philadelphia Vireo
Alley Pond Park23 Sep Joe Giunta and I (Sy Schiff) birded from 9:00 to noon on a very dull birding day. The sun was out and the weather was superb. We saw, at most, 15 warblers, but 7 species. Listers can run up big lists without seeing many birds. The 2 previously reported SOLITARY SANDPIPERS were on the edge of Little Alley Pond. On the way back to the car, after our morning exercise (not much birding), we found a PHILADELPHIA VIREO in the middle to upper canopy along the trail that enters near the Winchester Ave. parking lot. The last bird of the morning was our target bird. Good end to a lovely morning. Sy -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Winter Finch Forecast 2010-2011
Hello all, See Ron Pittaway's forecast below. Instead of a big forecast from me, I will give a few tweaks as to what I think will take place here in CNY and points southward. As Ron states, I think we'll see the biggest Redpoll invasion here in the northeast including NY since at least 2007-08 --at least a few should make into the Catskills and northern PA and a few might even make it to Long Island. Unlike Ron, I do think some Evening Grosbeaks will also come with the redpolls into at least central NY, Catskills, and northern PA. Look for Evening Grosbeaks at traditional high elevation feeders in the area -- These two species often irrupt together. Frugivores, other than Robins, will be scarce --berry crops are pretty good around here so I wouldn't be shocked if Robins and Cedar Waxwings are relatively common through winter months. RB Nuthatches will be plentiful at feeders this year and a good push should be witnessed south on Long Island and into the Carolinas as well. Look for just a sprinkling of Pine Siskins and Purple Finches to be present, with many more Purple Finches to be found to the south of CNY into the Carolinas. As stated in an earlier post by me, conifer cone crops are poor across the NE and SE (second year in a row across NY which is relatively rare), so I don't expect many crossbills around at all --If we get any crossbills, it will be late in the season in Jan-April. Next year however, should be a different story for crossbills and siskins though!! Enjoy Ron's forecast, it's always a good read. cheers, Matt WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2010-2011 From: Jean Iron Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:49:29 -0400 WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2010-2011 This winter's theme is that some finch species will irrupt into southern Canada and the northern United States, while other species will remain in the north. As an example, Common and Hoary Redpolls will move south whereas Pine Grosbeaks will stay in the north. See individual finch forecasts below for details. Three irruptive non-finch passerines are also discussed. KEY FINCH TREE CROPS Key trees in the boreal forest affecting finch abundance and movements are white and black spruces, white birch, and mountain-ashes. South of the boreal in the mixed coniferous/deciduous forest region, white pine and hemlock are additional key finch trees. Other trees play a lesser role, but often boost or buffer main seed sources. These include tamarack (American larch), balsam fir, white cedar, yellow birch and alders. SPRUCE: White spruce cone crops are very good to excellent across the northern half of the boreal forest in Canada, except Newfoundland where crops are poor. However, spruce crops are much lower in the southern half of the boreal forest and poor in the mixed forest region of central Ontario such as Algonquin Park. The spruce crop is good to very good in central and northern Quebec, but generally poor in Atlantic Canada and northeastern United States. Spruce cone abundance is very good in the foothills of Alberta and eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in Canada, but poor in the southern half of British Columbia and in Washington State. A bumper white spruce cone crop in southern Yukon attracted high numbers of White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins this past summer and they may remain there through the winter. Spruce crops are generally poor in the Atlantic Provinces, New York State and New England States. WHITE PINE: Cone crop is spotty with scattered good to excellent crops across Ontario. White pine crops are low in Atlantic Canada, New York and New England States. HEMLOCK: Cone crop is poor in Ontario and elsewhere in the East. WHITE BIRCH: Crop is poor across the boreal forest of Canada and in central Ontario, but birch crops are much better in southern Ontario south of the Canadian (Precambrian) Shield. MOUNTAIN-ASH: Berry crops are generally excellent across Canada and Alaska, but poor in Newfoundland. INDIVIDUAL FINCH FORECASTS Forecasts apply mainly to Ontario, but neighboring provinces and states may find they apply to them. PINE GROSBEAK: The Pine Grosbeak breeds in moist open habitats across northern Ontario. It is most common in northeastern Ontario which receives more precipitation than northwestern Ontario (Peck and Coady in Atlas of Breeding Birds of Ontario 2007). Most Pine Grosbeaks should stay in the north this winter because the mountain-ash berry crop is generally excellent across the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska, except for a poor crop in Newfoundland. The feeders at the Visitor Centre in Algonquin Park usually attract Pine Grosbeaks even in non-flight winters. If Pine Grosbeaks wander into southern Ontario they will find good crops of European mountain-ash berries and ornamental crabapples. PURPLE FINCH: This finch winters in the north when the majority of deciduous and coniferous seed crops are abundant, which is not the case this year. Most Purple Finc
[nysbirds-l] WNY Dial-a-Bird 23 Sep 2010
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 09/23/2010 * NYBU1009.23 - Birds mentioned --- Please submit email to dfsuggs localnet com --- YEL.-CR. NIGHT-HERON Pied-billed Grebe Great Egret Green Heron Wood Duck Redhead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Sora American Coot Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plove Sanderling Wilson's Snipe Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Red-bellied Wdpkr. Yellow-b. Sapsucker Red-br. Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren Golden-cr. Kinglet Ruby-cr. Kinglet Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Philadelphia Vireo Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-s. Warbler Magnolia Warbler Bl.-thr. Bl. Warbler Yellow-r. Warbler Bl.-thr. Green Warb. Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Scarlet Tanager Rose-br. Grosbeak White-thr. Sparrow Baltimore Oriole - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 09/23/2010 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report:Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs localnet com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Website: www.BuffaloOrnithologicalSociety.org Thursday, September 23, 2010 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. YEL.-CR. NIGHT-HERON was the highlight of reports received September 16 through September 23 from the Niagara Frontier Region. On Lake Erie, the YEL.-CR. NIGHT-HERON continues at the west end of Dunkirk Harbor. First reported August 9, and still present on September 20. Warbler migration fades in late September, but 15 warblers species were still at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo this week. Also at Tifft, a rare in fall YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO on September 19. Other species at Tifft this week - YELLOW-B. SAPSUCKER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, RED-BR. NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, CAROLINA WREN, WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET, RUBY-CR. KINGLET, VEERY, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, GRAY CATBIRD, BROWN THRASHER, SCARLET TANAGER, WHITE-THR. SPARROW, ROSE-BR. GROSBEAK and BALTIMORE ORIOLE, plus numerous WOOD DUCKS, PIED-BILLED GREBE, GREAT EGRET, GREEN HERON and SORA. Across Fuhrmann Boulevard from Tifft Nature Preserve, a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER in the area of the Small Boat Harbor. September 17 off LaSalle Park in Buffalo, first report of 2 REDHEADS, with HOODED MERGANSER, COMMON MERGANSER, AMERICAN COOT and a SANDERLING. In Cattaraugus County, September 18, 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN- PLOVERS plus BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and 15 WILSON'S SNIPE along Route 62, across from the Countryside Gravel Ponds in the Town of Dayton. September 22, 10 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS over Elmwood and Forest in Buffalo. Also this week - at the Botanical Gardens and South Park Lake in South Buffalo, 4 RED-BELLIED WDPKRS. and 5 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS. And, a PINE WARBLER on the grounds of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, September 30. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC 9/19-23
Northern Wheatear was found today (9/23) in Connecticut, which has done well on that species: http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org/Week-of-Mon-20100920/021527.html http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org/Week-of-Mon-20100920/021543.html The above are merely the first & most recent reports on the N.Wheatear sightings on the CT list. White-tailed Kite, lingering 7+ weeks at Stratford and occasionally at Milford Point, Connecticut. N.B. - An adult Fork-tailed Flycatcher has been photographed on Wed. 9/22 at Belfast (mid-coastal) Maine, with an additional note that the folks on the road "don't want to be swamped with visitors" - and yes, with that town lying right on a main route, it would attract plenty of us, if it sticks & gets re-seen. A 'regularly-occurring' rarity on the east coast - and obviously, with that sort of bird, the faster word gets out the more birders may get to see - and of course many of these, as with Scissor-taileds, may be young birds not showing all that tail extension (as this latest sight does)... http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds/browse_thread/thread/ecd2fd08769f77d5# (Interestingly, a modestly-belated report came in on the Newfoundland Canada bird list, for a Fork-tailed Flycatcher seen there, on 9/19 - and apparently just for 15 minutes at the location where that far-eastern (Atlantic Canada) bird was photographed.) The 15 minutes-&-gone is a bit of a rapid departure but is a bit more typical rather than a long-staying easy-to-relocate bird of this species in N. America. Ron Pittaway's traditional Winter Finch Forecast for this winter of 2010 into 2011: http://mailman.hwcn.org/pipermail/ontbirds/Week-of-Mon-20100920/025247.html This is the original version as put forth and then archived at the Ontario Birds list. - - - Manhattan larger parks: Riverside & Central, N.Y. City - Some of the smaller parks also have been getting good variety as a strong indication of good migration lately, with a dozen or more warbler species as an example of this collectively seen in parks from 42 Street to lower Manhattan over the past week. A report from "uptown" areas that took in such excellent fall sites as Fort Tryon & Inwood Hill Parks would also likely show off this good movement in just this one sliver of the megalopolis that we call Manhattan island. Also sometimes of interest can be Carl Shurz Park on the East River not far from the west-most end of Long Island Sound - it may be most productive first thing in the morning & in the seasonal peak migration periods. As is relatively typical and common to this time of the year around here (the greater northeastern region of North America, that is) there have been tremendous flights of migrants over the last few nights - and days. Millions of birds have moved through and over our state, actually tens of millions in the few days of this week. The Broad- winged Hawk migration is fully underway with most of the active watch sites in the region reporting multiple thousands going south and likely more yet to be seen in the next week or so as a definitive push of 5-digit proportions seems not to have materialized at most (any?) northeastern watches - yet. Most of the other regularly-seen diurnal raptors have been building in numbers, as well. This weekend certainly looks great for overall migratory activities throughout. I will see if the cold front affects what's seen in the Amazonian regions of Brazil ;-) - there for a few weeks! I hope to read a lot of good reports for the region upon my return to the states. --- Sunday-Thursday, 19-23 September, 2010 Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - The flow of migrants has continued here as well, with perhaps especially heavy flow over and thru on 20 & 21 September, that is last Sunday & Monday, as noted by multiple "early-birders", and some who also lingered long. The flavor of seasonal movement also acquired a taste of Autumn (officially beginning shortly before midnight but really the first full day is now, this Thursday, 23. On Wednesday, in addition to the other 17 warbler species collectively reported in the park, a "here-now & gone- next-minute" Yellow-breasted Chat made a brief daring appearance in the north woods, up along the east ridge foot trail well north of the Loch & although sought a bit more, not relocated around that isolated area of the woods. A number of flurries &/or hot-spots offered multiple migrants, many in super-close views at and around mid-day times, in areas from the Meer to the Loch, on Wednesday. A nice collection of thrushes was available for viewing in the north woods areas by today, 23 Sept. with Veery the "least-likely" among all Catharus thrush to linger late into a fall season, one in the north end, and multiples of many others including a few early-ish Hermit Thrus
[nysbirds-l] Hudson-Mohawk Birdline
This is a summary of the Hudson-Mohawk Birdline reports for the week ending September 22, 2010. Report your sightings in New York's Hudson-Mohawk Region to birdl...@hmbc.net One-hundred nine species were reported this week including 18 warbler species. Most-reported species were Ruby-throated Hummingbird (8 reports), Great Blue Heron (8), Solitary Sandpiper (6) and Magnolia Warbler (5). Best birds of the week: BLACK VULTURE: Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/20; Glenmont 9/20 (3). GOLDEN EAGLE: Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/20. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK: Palenville 9/19 (2). AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER: Cohoes Flats 9/22. COMMON NIGHTHAWK (late!): Meadowdale 9/22 (5). PHILADELPHIA VIREO: Vischer Ferry 9/16. AMERICAN PIPIT: Myosotis Lake 9/16, 9/18 (5), 9/19 (16). GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER: Rensselaerville 9/16. TENNESSEE WARBLER: Partridge Run 9/18; Guilderland 9/19. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER: Rensselaerville 9/16; Brunswick 9/19. Other notable sightings: American Wigeon: Vischer Ferry 9/16 (2+). Northern Pintail: Vischer Ferry 9/16 (2). Common Loon: Green Lake 9/20; Stoner Ponds 9/20 (2). Great Egret: Vischer Ferry 9/16. Osprey: Brunswick 9/15; Rensselaerville 9/16; Myosotis Lake 9/16, 9/18. Bald Eagle: Ferry Drive 9/16; Myosotis Lake 9/18. Northern Harrier: Brunswick 9/15, 9/20; Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/21 (2). Peregrine Falcon: Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/16; Myosotis Lake 9/19. Semipalmated Plover: Myosotis Lake 9/16, 9/18. Greater Yellowlegs: Myosotis Lake 9/18. Lesser Yellowlegs: Vischer Ferry 9/16 (10); Myosotis Lake 9/18. Pectoral Sandpiper: Myosotis Lake 9/16 (2), 9/18 (2). Yellow-billed Cuckoo: Rensselaerville 9/16. Great Horned Owl: Melrose 9/18. Yellow-throated Vireo: Saratoga 9/21. Common Raven: Rensselaerville 9/16. Tree Swallow: Brunswick 9/21 (2). Winter Wren: Rensselaerville 9/16. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Partridge Run 9/18 (4); Brunswick 9/19-21. Brown Thrasher: Vischer Ferry 9/20. Northern Parula: Ferry Drive 9/16; Partridge Run 9/19. Black-throated Blue Warbler: New Salem 9/17; Partridge Run 9/19 (4); Guilderland 9/21. Blackpoll Warbler: Guilderland 9/19 (2); Brunswick 9/19, 9/20. Louisiana Waterthrush: New Salem 9/17. Mourning Warbler: Rensselaerville 9/16. Wilson's Warbler: Partridge Run 9/18. Canada Warbler: Guilderland 9/19. Lincoln's Sparrow: Rensselaerville 9/16; Brunswick 9/20, 9/21. Indigo Bunting: Brunswick 9/21 Purple Finch: Rensselaerville 9/16.? Thanks to Phil Whitney (compiler), Steve Abrahamsen (Saratoga), Larry Alden (Meadowdale), Dave Baim (New Salem), Jackie Bogardus (Melrose), Gerry Colborn (Rensselaerville), Larry Federman (Palenville), Mark Fitzsimmons (Glenmomt), Chris Grossman (Vischer Ferry 9/20), Rich Guthrie (Green Lake, Stoner Ponds), John Hershey (Myosotis Lake 9/18, Vischer Ferry 9/16, Ferry Drive, Cohoes Flats), Bill Lee (Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/16, 9/21); Anne Magee (unionville), Ellen Pemrick (Colonie), Bob Ramonowski (Schenectady), Jim Ries (Myosotis Lake 9/16, Lake George), Alan Schroeder (Guilderland), Marlene Vidibor (Ghent), Brad Walker (Brunswick), T. Lloyd Williams (Partridge Run, Myosotis Lake 9/19) and anonymous (Helderberg Hawkwatch 9/20). -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --