While working in the garden, I identify many different common birds by song, without looking up. We have bluebirds, tree swallows, barn swallows, mourning doves, red wing blackbirds, house wrens, mockingbirds, robins and many others. Today I heard a song I didn't quite recognize at first, and then suddenly thought, 'that sounds like a bobolink'. The next thought was that it is probably the mockingbird. Then I mentioned it to Mary Jean and she said, 'well there is a dark bird on the pasture fence what has some white patches on it'. We have about 2 acres fenced for pasture and sure enough, there were two bobolinks on the fence. They flew down into the grass and back up to the fence several times and then headed off. Not sure if they'll be staying around, but it was great to have seen them during their visit, if they were just passing through. The nearest field with breeding bobolinks that I'm aware of is about 2 miles away.
Marty =========================================== Marty Schlabach m...@cornell.edu 8407 Powell Rd. home 607-532-3467 Interlaken, NY 14847 cell 315-521-4315 =========================================== -- 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/ --