[nysbirds-l] Joyful, joyful !
After attending the 1100 Mass today, while walking to my car, I looked up and saw a single Turkey Vulture ( could it have been "Lonesome George") making its way in an easterly direction. My immediate thought was that I was being rewarded with a "legal" reason to send this post to wish all on our listserve a joyful and healthy Christmas Season, which continues through the New Year ! Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC - Sun., Dec. 24, 2017 - Rusty Blackbird, Fox Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Cooper's Hawk
Central Park, NYC - Sunday, December 24, 2017 OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, Deborah Allen, m.ob. Highlights: Rusty Blackbird, Fox Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, & Cooper's Hawk. Canada Goose - 200+ (at least 170 on the Reservoir, others on the Lake) Wood Duck - 2 males (the Pond & Reservoir) Northern Shoveler - at least 100 (around 70 Reservoir, 4 Turtle Pond, 26-30 or more on the Lake) Mallard - 178+ (162 Reservoir, 16 Turtle Pond, others on the Lake) American Black Duck - 2 Reservoir American Black Duck x Mallard - 1 Reservoir Bufflehead - 10 (6 male, 4 female Reservoir) Hooded Merganser - 3 (female Reservoir, pair Turtle Pond) Ruddy Duck - around 120 Reservoir Mourning Dove - 12 (1 Evodia Field, 11 Great Lawn) American Coot - 9 (8 Reservoir, 1 at the Pond) Ring-billed Gull - at least 250 Reservoir Herring Gull - at least 35 Reservoir plus at least as many flyovers Great Black-backed Gull - 19 Reservoir Cooper's Hawk - flying away from the feeders Red-tailed Hawk - Boathouse (early - visiting birders from the UK) Blue Jay - 8 American Crow - flyover flock of 5 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3 (pair Willow Rock/Oven, 1 Locust Grove) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Locust Grove Downy Woodpecker - male at feeders Black-capped Chickadee - 2 Evodia Field feeders Tufted Titmouse - Swampy Pin Oak/Summer House Meadow White-breasted Nuthatch - 4 Willow Rock (Vicki Seabrook) Brown Creeper - 2 (Shakespeare Garden (Vicki Seabrook) & Evodia Field) Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2 (Hallett Sanctuary, Evodia Field) Hermit Thrush - Hallett Sanctuary American Robin - at least 10 Locust Grove (still some crab apples around) House Finch - 20 (3 Upper Lobe, 17 Evodia Field) American Goldfinch - 3 (2 Mugger's Woods (Gillian Henry), 1 Evodia Field) Fox Sparrow - 4 Mugger's Woods White-throated Sparrow - 30-50 Dark-eyed Junco - 2 (Evodia Field, Locust Grove) Common Grackle* Rusty Blackbird - female at Turtle Pond (the same bird tweeted by Andrew Durso on Dec. 12) Northern Cardinal - several locations *A big thank you to Xander Vitarelli. One of the birders visiting from France found an injured Common Grackle, which Xander delivered to the Wild Bird Fund after our stop at the south end of the Reservoir. Yesterday evening (Dec. 23) Bob, et al, found a gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl in Inwood Hill Park (north end of Manhattan). Follow us on twitter @DAllenNYC & @BirdingBobNYC. Deb Allen www.birdingbob.com -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC Results
The 68th annual Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir Christmas Bird Count (Ulster County) was conducted on Saturday, 16 December 2017, under relatively pleasant weather conditions. Collectively it was another exceptionally productive count, following last year's record-breaking number of species. Pending review of several unusual species for this count circle, a tentative new high total of 87 species were found on count day, plus an additional 2 species during the count week period (Mute Swan and Merlin), exceeding last year's record 84 species and well above our ten-year average of 76 species/year. Abundance also set a new record high, with 22,300 individuals greatly exceeding our previous high count of 16,092 birds in 2008 and our ten-year average of 13,242. The total number of individuals was greatly influenced this year by 5,811 Canada Geese, a number that was adjusted down by more than 1,000 birds in an attempt to reduce potential duplication from roving flocks; and an incredible 3,504 American Robins (2,027 recorded by just one field party). Our effort also set a new record high with 15 field parties, 44 field observers, and 4 feeder watchers contributing to the final numbers. Highlights include our first record of a Greater White-fronted Goose, nicely photographed in a field associating with a large flock of Canada Geese, advancing our 68-year cumulative to 147 species. Three species were recorded for only the second time in this count's history, a Golden Eagle observed in flight over the Farm Hub (our previous record in 1998), and a Canvasback (previously 3 in 1972) and one White-winged Scoter (previously 4 in 2011) on Ashokan Reservoir. A lone Eastern Phoebe was recorded for only the third time, and last appeared on this count in 2008. Two Peregrine Falcons (single individuals observed by two separate field parties) represent our fourth count record and a new high count; and one Long-tailed Duck was also our fourth count record for this species, absent from this count since 1975. (A Black Scoter was observed just outside the count circle and would have been a first count record, and photos of a possible Slaty-backed Gull are under review, with the gull currently listed as an unidentified gull species.) None of the species found on this year's effort set a new record low count. An additional 19 species were found in sufficiently high numbers to tie or set new record high counts (HC), with all of our regularly occurring woodpeckers detected in remarkably good numbers: Cooper's Hawk (16, eclipsing 12 in 2015) Red-shouldered Hawk (9, eclipsing 7 in 2014) Great Horned Owl (14, double the previous HC of 7 in 2014 and well above our 2.4 ten-year average) Barred Owl (7, tying the previous HC from 2010, double the ten-year average of 3.5) Red-bellied Woodpecker (141, well above the previous HC of 101 in 2016 and our ten-year average of 71) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (40, more than double our HC of 19 in 2016, four-times our ten-year average of 10/year) Hairy Woodpecker (45, surpassing 40 in 2014) Northern Flicker (47, nearly double our HC of 24 in 2015 and well above the 14.3 ten-year average) Pileated Woodpecker (33, edging out 31 from 2011 and 2014) (one Red-headed Woodpecker is always a good find, occurring for the 13th time on this count with a previous HC of 3 in 1984; and 158 Downy Woodpeckers just missed our previous HC of 161.) Northern Shrike (1, tying our previous high counts, our 8th overall record) Winter Wren (12, eclipsing 8 in 2012, well above our ten-year average of 3.2) Golden-crowned Kinglet (80, eclipsing 75 in 2009) Hermit Thrush (13, edging out 12 in 2013) American Robin (an amazing 3,504 birds, incomparable to our previous HC of 942 in 1998) Yellow-rumped Warbler (14, tying our HC from 1989) Fox Sparrow (11, surpassing 7 in 2015) White-throated Sparrow (984, more than double the 488 recorded in 2008) Song Sparrow (222, eclipsing 180 in 2012) American Goldfinch (495, well above our previous HC of 335 in 2014) A complete summary report will appear at a later date in the John Burroughs Natural History Society newsletter and on their website. Thanks to all of the participants for a remarkable effort, and once again this year a special thanks to Kyla Haber, Mark DeDea, and everyone that helped with preparing the food and facilities for the post-count compilation at Hasbrouck Park. Steve M. Chorvas Saugerties, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Townsend's Solitaire: Maybe?
Spent a short time at Tiffany Creek Preserve this afternoon. Caught a brief glimpse of a solitaire sized bird flying out of a juniper at the far end of the field. It disappeared into the unmowed vegetation never to be respotted. Will have to check back tomorrow. Coby Klein -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Tufted Duck, Santapogue Creek, Lindenhurst (Suffolk County)
There is a Tufted Duck mixed in with a Scaup flock at Santapogue Creek (Suffolk). The bird was near the island where the Long-billed Dowitchers are most frequently seen half way down Venetian Boulevard, towards Venetian Shores park. There are several small flocks of scaup spread out along the creek so some searching may be required. If people try for this bird it is important that they DO NOT enter the property of the small marina adjacent to the island. This is private property and the owner has been quite clear that birders should only view from the roadside. Of additional interest in the flocks present on site are Ring-necked Duck x Scaup sp hybrid and an apparent Tufted Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid. Despite having been absent during the freezing weather of last weekends Captree CBC, there are still a small group of Long-billed Dowitchers in the area. Pete Morris Sent from my iPhone -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] White Pelican, Playland Park, Rye
Present sleeping on rocks in Playland Lake at 9:30 AM. Sent from my iPhone -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
