[nysbirds-l] Frank Melville Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch
The first night (August 27) at the Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch started with a bang with 243 nighthawks being seen in 139 minutes. We also saw a RT hummingbird and at the end of the night several nighthawks came down low to feed over the north pond along with two dozen chimney swifts and a red bat. On August 28, 96 nighthawks were recorded in 141 minutes. August 29 - 34 in 135 minutes August 30 - 17 in 135 minutes Tonight, August 31, 81 birds were counted in 135 minutes. Two nighthawks fed low over the north pond during the last 6 minutes of the count, followed by an immature Bald Eagle that flew over the pond continuing southeast. John Turner Patrice Domeischel Directions to Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch: Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 62 (Nicolls Road). Take Nicolls Road north to the end where it joins State Route 25A in a T-intersection (you'll go past signs to Stony Brook University and go under the LIRR trestle right before the intersection). Make a right on SR 25A heading east for just a few hundred yards. Make a left at the next light, heading north on Main Street. Take this to the end passing through three stop signs) At the fourth stop sign look left and you'll see the stone bridge, in front of you is a post office. Make a right and park in one of the many parking spots lining the south side of the road. -- 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] Frank Melville Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch
The first night (August 27) at the Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch started with a bang with 243 nighthawks being seen in 139 minutes. We also saw a RT hummingbird and at the end of the night several nighthawks came down low to feed over the north pond along with two dozen chimney swifts and a red bat. On August 28, 96 nighthawks were recorded in 141 minutes. August 29 - 34 in 135 minutes August 30 - 17 in 135 minutes Tonight, August 31, 81 birds were counted in 135 minutes. Two nighthawks fed low over the north pond during the last 6 minutes of the count, followed by an immature Bald Eagle that flew over the pond continuing southeast. John Turner Patrice Domeischel Directions to Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch: Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 62 (Nicolls Road). Take Nicolls Road north to the end where it joins State Route 25A in a T-intersection (you'll go past signs to Stony Brook University and go under the LIRR trestle right before the intersection). Make a right on SR 25A heading east for just a few hundred yards. Make a left at the next light, heading north on Main Street. Take this to the end passing through three stop signs) At the fourth stop sign look left and you'll see the stone bridge, in front of you is a post office. Make a right and park in one of the many parking spots lining the south side of the road. -- 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] Mourning Doves and wasps, Croton Point Park
Hope it's okay to post an intriguing behavior involving a far-from-rare species...apologies if it's too off-topic. I was in the midst of an early-morning walk when I saw about eight Mourning Doves foraging together on the dry grass of a mowed lawn. I scanned the group with my binoculars, idly hoping there might be a Collared-Dove among them. Nope, all Mournings...and dozens of large black wasps (about half the size of Cicada Killers) rising and falling a foot or two over the grass. The flock, tightly packed, was foraging entirely within the periphery of a ground-digging wasp colony, stepping right over the holes the wasps had made; neither the birds nor the insects seemed especially perturbed by this, each one leaving the other alone. Finally the flock, startled by something else, flew off, and the wasps' behavior didn't change at all. A cursory internet search hasn't turned up any stories about commensal or other relationships between Mourning Doves and any wasp species, so I'm left wondering what I was seeing. Was it coincidental, and the wasps (unaggressive like Cicada Killers) were just waiting for the birds to leave? (It didn't look coincidental--it was a big lawn, and this the only dove flock.) Do the wasps confer some kind of protection for the doves from hawks and other predators? If so, what do they get in return that causes them to allow the birds to tromp all around them? I love asking questions like this, and wonder if any of you have ever seen something similar. Thanks! --Joe Wallace -- 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] Mourning Doves and wasps, Croton Point Park
Hope it's okay to post an intriguing behavior involving a far-from-rare species...apologies if it's too off-topic. I was in the midst of an early-morning walk when I saw about eight Mourning Doves foraging together on the dry grass of a mowed lawn. I scanned the group with my binoculars, idly hoping there might be a Collared-Dove among them. Nope, all Mournings...and dozens of large black wasps (about half the size of Cicada Killers) rising and falling a foot or two over the grass. The flock, tightly packed, was foraging entirely within the periphery of a ground-digging wasp colony, stepping right over the holes the wasps had made; neither the birds nor the insects seemed especially perturbed by this, each one leaving the other alone. Finally the flock, startled by something else, flew off, and the wasps' behavior didn't change at all. A cursory internet search hasn't turned up any stories about commensal or other relationships between Mourning Doves and any wasp species, so I'm left wondering what I was seeing. Was it coincidental, and the wasps (unaggressive like Cicada Killers) were just waiting for the birds to leave? (It didn't look coincidental--it was a big lawn, and this the only dove flock.) Do the wasps confer some kind of protection for the doves from hawks and other predators? If so, what do they get in return that causes them to allow the birds to tromp all around them? I love asking questions like this, and wonder if any of you have ever seen something similar. Thanks! --Joe Wallace -- 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/ --
