Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from The Carolinas Birding List > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Saturday, March 13 at 05:49 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Fiery Aracari,©Jan Wilczur

13 Mar FW: Ring-necked Pheasant at Congaree National Park ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 13 Mar Fw: eBird Report - Lake Conestee , 3/13/10 [Jess Gorzo ] 13 Mar Piping Plovers at Seabrook Island ["Jim Edwards" ] 13 Mar Just when you think he's gone... ["Steve Wedge" ] 13 Mar New Yard Arrival, Soras at Ft Fisher and an ID question ["Amy" ] 13 Mar Baby Woodcocks [Linda Kolb ] 12 Mar Pinewood Lake--160 Rusty Blackbirds [John and Rhonda Grego ] 12 Mar First Bahamas Piping Plover Re-sighted!! [Peter Doherty ] 12 Mar First Bahamas Piping Plover Re-sighted!! [Peter Doherty ] 12 Mar Camp TALON (youth birding opportunity) (Georgia) [Steve Holzman ] 12 Mar Wilson's Plover [Paul Serridge ] 12 Mar Re: No Bachman's Sparrows in Longleaf Restoration Area [Norman Budnitz ] 12 Mar No Bachman's Sparrows in Longleaf Restoration Area ["John Fussell" ] 12 Mar Bachman's Sparrows in southern Croatan National Forest this winter ["John Fussell" ] 11 Mar field sparrows [Kevin Caldwell ] 11 Mar BW Wells Heritage Day Event March 27, 2010 ["birdranger" ] 11 Mar Re: Snow Goose in North Durham [Norman Budnitz ] 11 Mar Accipiter migration today? ["Mike Tove" ] 11 Mar Re: puffins at Cape Lookout, NC ["J. BRIAN PATTESON" ] 11 Mar Re: Fish Crows [] 11 Mar Snow Goose in North Durham [David Ross ] 11 Mar Holly Shelter Gamelands ["Mary McDaniel" ] 11 Mar Re: nesting by woodcocks in eastern North Carolina [Clyde Sorenson ] 11 Mar nesting by woodcocks in eastern North Carolina ["John Fussell" ] 11 Mar Ross's Goose returns... ["Bogey" ] 11 Mar Henderson Cty., NC ["wforsythe" ] 11 Mar Another Call for NC Breeding Bird Survey Observers [Ricky Davis ] 11 Mar Fish Crows [BLAYNE OLSEN ] 11 Mar Yard/Creek Birds ["Amy" ] 11 Mar Greater Scaup [Thierry Besançon ] 11 Mar puffins at Cape Lookout, NC ["John Fussell" ] 11 Mar Reddish Egret--Shackleford Banks [] 10 Mar Pinewood Lake [John and Rhonda Grego ] 10 Mar MORE: Congaree Swamp yesterday (reliable hearsay) ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 10 Mar Bird Behavior Photos From Saturday ["John Ennis" ] 10 Mar Western Grebe in Buxton, NC [jeff lewis ] 10 Mar Fwd: Gregg wetland PLUS? [] 10 Mar Hint of spring in the High Country ["J. Merrill Lynch" ] 9 Mar Re: Congaree Swamp today ["sparkleclark" ] 9 Mar Congaree Swamp today ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 9 Mar Gregg wetland PLUS? ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 9 Mar The perfect representation of.... ["KC Foggin" ] 9 Mar more new songs [Kevin Caldwell ] 9 Mar Re: Woodcock question [Nate Dias ] 9 Mar Woodcock question [Mark Kosiewski ] 9 Mar FOY Osprey [Henry Link ] 9 Mar Tree Swallow in Asheville, NC ["Jamie Harrelson" ] 9 Mar RE: If you really want to see snipe... ["Caroline Eastman" ] 9 Mar Balt Orioles, WEVireo, BGGnat, Prairie Warblers [jeff lewis ] 9 Mar Swallow-tailed Kites ["John Ennis" ] 8 Mar Nashville Warbler at Edisto Beach, SC [Robert Biller ] 8 Mar new winged things [Kevin Caldwell ] 8 Mar American wigeon at fountain lake [Aol ] 8 Mar Concord Mills Gregg wetland this afternoon ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 8 Mar Western Tanager still present ["John Fussell" ] 8 Mar small dark bird (response / corrections) [Desiderius Erasmus ] 8 Mar Tree Swallows, etc. Meck. Co. NC [Kevin Metcalf ] 8 Mar identify sp.? small dark bird (flock) Raleigh 27616 [Desiderius Erasmus ] 8 Mar Charleston Natural History Society Meeting Wednesday, March 10 [] 7 Mar Re: Snipe in the midlands of SC [John and Rhonda Grego ] 7 Mar Re: If you really want to see snipe... ["anne burke" ] 07 Mar If you really want to see snipe... [Clyde Sorenson ] 7 Mar Rock Pigeon Band ID--Racing Pigeon [John and Rhonda Grego ] 7 Mar barred owl at beaver marsh in Durham [Amy Nester ] 7 Mar Rock Pigeon band ID [John and Rhonda Grego ] 7 Mar Fwd: eBird Report - Bear Island , 3/6/10 [David McLean ] 7 Mar Fw: eBird Report - Lake Conestee Nature Park , 3/6/10 [Paul Serridge ] 6 Mar CBC Arizona trip:space available [] 6 Mar Bear Island WMA, SC [Elisa Enders ] 07 Mar Scaups and Blue-headed Vireo [Thierry Besançon ] 6 Mar Henderson Cty., N. C. ["wforsythe" ] 6 Mar Wilson's Snipe, Durham, NC [Robert Rowan Meehan ] 6 Mar Re: Question on Bird ID [jspippen ] 06 Mar Question on Bird ID [Andy Haines ] 5 Mar HBSP 3-5 ["Jack" ] 5 Mar Lake Conestee Named Important Bird Area ["Jeff Catlin" ] Subject: FW: Ring-necked Pheasant at Congaree National Park From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <Tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:49:13 -0500 The bird is – no doubt – a “plant” or escapee. These are Asian in origin, and like many partridge-like birds, are familiar exotic transplants as “game birds.” I heard and saw my first “feral” R-n Pheasant in the gardens behind Firenze’s Pitti Palace in Il Bel Paese’s Tuscany region. It was a memorable experience, and has stuck with me ever since. We also had quite a few sightings in the Milwaukee, WI, area on roadways nr stocked gamelands. 7;^) Tomm "the cunning linguist" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Why I Like Babies" - an haikuiku Why I like babies: They're unadulterated; Humans at their best; As good as they'll ever be, Laconic, to boot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ From: Tomm Lorenzin [mailto:Tomm AT 1000plus.com] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 17:15 To: 'Kathleen_O'Grady AT nps.gov'; 'jrgrego AT mindspring.com'; 'sparkleclark AT earthlink.net' Cc: 'bill_hulslander AT nps.gov'; 'theresa_thom AT nps.gov' Subject: RE: Ring-necked Pheasant at Congaree National Park I wish that I was familiar with the park boardwalk enough to be more precise, but I’m not. All I can tell you is that 1. I followed boardwalk taking the first left to proceed clockwise on the loop (backwards, for most folks – trail note #s proceeding downward) in order not to be tailing a noisy group of ~ a dozen magpies (fieldtrip teens who would rather have been somewhere else). 2. I heard the sound coming from the left (outside the loop) – prolly 35-50m out, and 3. It was heard about one-half to two-thirds of my 3-hr trek over the loop. And 4. That was at about 1300-1330 hrs. I only heard it at this one point in my walk. And the bird was giving only single notes (raucous honks) of what are usually multiple notes per call. Although I would have to review my recorded and stored notes (I keep notes on an Olympus WS-210S  DVR (Digital Voice Recorder)), I believe that I have the sound in the background of my notes. This miniature, hand-help DVR is VERY good at picking up bird sounds, although not quite good enough to make archive recordings for the Cornell Ornith. library. 7;^) Tomm "the REAL amateur" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + per puro diletto dello spirito + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Visit me online: http://www.1000plus.com/BirdSong/ From: Kathleen_O'Grady AT nps.gov [mailto:Kathleen_O'Grady AT nps.gov] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 15:40 To: jrgrego AT mindspring.com; tomm AT 1000plus.com; sparkleclark AT earthlink.net Cc: bill_hulslander AT nps.gov; theresa_thom AT nps.gov Subject: Ring-necked Pheasant at Congaree National Park Hello Tomm, Sparkle and John,         I just wanted to let all of you know that for well over a year Rangers,volunteers and campers here in the Park have been reporting a mystery sound. We have listened to mammal, bird and amphib tapes ( sick Fish Crows and racoon kits)to key out the sound. Many of the reports were heard later in the day and some at night and the "creature" appeared to be moving around  at times. When I saw the report of the Pheasant, you could have knocked me over with a feather. One of the people that had reported the sound listened to the Cornell website and he said that was what he had been hearing. Eureka! Thanks Tomm for visiting and helping us with this identification. Would you be able to let me know where you heard the bird? Enjoy the spring migration. Ranger Kathleen O'Grady = Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Lake Conestee , 3/13/10 From: Jess Gorzo <galaxycoff AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:26:21 -0800 (PST) I hung out near the Spanco Drive entrance to the park for about an hour in the late afternoon today, 3:30-4:30pm. Eventually, the predicted storm caught up with me so I had to leave; was hoping it would have held off until sunset. Location: Lake Conestee Observation date: 3/13/10 Number of species: 25 Canada Goose 2 Wood Duck 1 Mallard 2 Ring-necked Duck 3 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Turkey Vulture 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Mourning Dove 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Downy Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 1 American Crow 2 Tree Swallow 4 Tufted Titmouse 2 Brown-headed Nuthatch 2 American Robin 7 Northern Mockingbird 2 European Starling 6 Cedar Waxwing 12 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 Fox Sparrow (Red) 1 Song Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 7 Red-winged Blackbird 1 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Jessica Gorzo Subject: Piping Plovers at Seabrook Island From: "Jim Edwards" <Jim.Edwards AT furman.edu> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:11:46 -0500 Jane Chew and I had eight (8) Piping Plovers today on the north beach at Seabrook Island (Charleston Co., SC). There were also a good number of Red Knots across the river on Kiawah Island, along with lots of Black Skimmers. By the way, we had our FOY singing Yellow-throated Warbler back on 9 March, two days earlier than last year. Jim Edwards jim.edwards AT furman.edu Subject: Just when you think he's gone... From: "Steve Wedge" <w1es1982 AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:13:46 -0500 After not seeing him for over two weeks, I just saw "our" Baltimore Oriole perched in one of our dogwoods! Steve Wedge Mebane, NC Alamance Co. "I saw a werewolf drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's; his hair was PERfect!" -Warren Zevon If the above message appears, it came from Steve's Son of Laptop! Subject: New Yard Arrival, Soras at Ft Fisher and an ID question From: "Amy" <amyw AT fsow.org> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:48:11 -0500 Hi Everyone, After not seeing "my" male Painted Bunting for a week, I got up this morning to find him (I'm assuming it is the same bird) at one of my feeders. Then, much to my delight, another Painted Bunting joined him at the feeder--a green bird. Am I correct to assume that if the adult male was allowing this second bird at the feeder that it was probably a female? The second bird stayed quite a while before leaving and then returned again within fifteen minutes. Here's hoping that with the feeders and appropriate yard habitat by Whiskey Creek, they'll decide to stay and nest here over the summer! (PB's have nested out on the spoil island at the mouth of Whiskey Creek over the past few years, but never in the yard or neighborhood.) I went down to Ft Fisher yesterday and picked up a few more species I hadn't seen yet this year. I could have gotten a lot more, but I was too far from the mud flats that were teeming with peeps to identify them all accurately. As a result, I could only ID the big ones like the Marbled Godwits and Willets and Oystercatchers. A group of Short-billed Dowitchers touched down right in front of me, which was helpful, and the air was thick with Forster's Terns and gulls. I also spotted some Buffleheads and Red-breasted Mergansers. I went quietly mucking right along the fence around the pond behind the Aquarium and in return for wet feet, I was rewarded with the sight of not one, but two, Soras! I have never identified an Orange-crowned Warbler, but wonder if I found one yesterday: this bird's back was gray (with a tinge of greenish in the gray) and underneath it was a pale-ish dingy yellow (with just a vague hint of streaking) with brighter yellow on the undertail coverts. I can say for certain it wasn't a Palm or a Prairie, as it didn't have the facial patterns of either of those and it didn't engage in tail flicking. It most certainly wasn't a Yellow-rumped either. I can't say that I saw either the presence or absence of an eye line-which Orange-crowned are supposed to have. The other thing I did notice was that it had a vague suggestion of wingbars, but hardly enough to classify as wingbars. If it wasn't an Orange-crowned, any ideas what else it might have been? (Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture.) Cheers, Amy Williamson Wilmington, NC Subject: Baby Woodcocks From: Linda Kolb <rapahana4 AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:52:09 -0500 I need help...someone found a dead woodcock on the side of the road last night and picked up her four orphaned babies and brought them to my place of employment (for a cage and parakeet food!!!) I now have the babies and need to know of a bird rehabber in the upstate... Or if anyone has any ideas on how to keep them going. I think they are atleast a week old and are starting to get pin feathers on their wings. I have them in a set up with lots of leaf matter and worms(what the computer says). But they don't seem to be interested. I am leaving them alone in a quite area but I have not seen any sign of them turning over leaves and looking for food. HELP.... Linda Kolb Seneca, SC you can call me on my cell...864-247-1218 "There will be dogs. Also, Judy will be there, and Janis, too. Maybe they will sing a duet about roadtrips. But mostly there will be dogs--come rain or come shine." Peter Horst Subject: Pinewood Lake--160 Rusty Blackbirds From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:36:37 -0500 I swung by Pinewood Lake again this morning. It's still drained and had the same general set of shorebirds as last time. No Greater Yellowlegs this time, but there was an immature Bald Eagle perched on a stump. I counted the Rusty Blackbird flock there a couple times and saw approximately 160 birds. I still have the sense that the flock could be bigger--I hope to visit it a couple times this weekend. John Grego Columbia SC Subject: First Bahamas Piping Plover Re-sighted!! From: Peter Doherty <leasttern AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:15:09 -0500 Greetings, all: They are coming. The initial resighting of a Piping Plover marked on February 17, 2010 on Andros Island was made and photographed in Duval County, FL today by Pat Leary. It is ~440 air miles between those points. A picture and additional information will be posted on the First Landing blog at www.cvwo.org. Peter Doherty leasttern AT hotmail.com Subject: First Bahamas Piping Plover Re-sighted!! From: Peter Doherty <leasttern AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:15:09 -0500 Greetings, all: They are coming. The initial resighting of a Piping Plover marked on February 17, 2010 on Andros Island was made and photographed in Duval County, FL today by Pat Leary. It is ~440 air miles between those points. A picture and additional information will be posted on the First Landing blog at www.cvwo.org. Peter Doherty leasttern AT hotmail.com _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/ Subject: Camp TALON (youth birding opportunity) (Georgia) From: Steve Holzman <steve_holzman AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:03:49 -0800 (PST) Hi, Folks: Do you know a teenager who is into birding? Do you know one whom you'd like to introduce to birding? If so, then you'll want to know all about Camp TALON (Teen Adventures Learning Ornithology and Nature). It's a week-long (June 5-11) camp for teens who are interested in birds and nature. Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Ornithological Society, and Atlanta Audubon Society, this year's Camp TALON will kick off with a Saturday night get-together at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield before spending the week based at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island. We'll be birding at Harris Neck NWR, Altamaha WMA, Little St. Simons Island, Ft. Stewart, Sapelo Island, and Jekyll Island. Besides becoming a better birder, camp participants will learn about bird migration, conservation, census techniques, photography, journaling, and more. For additional details, including registration and scholarship application forms, see the announcement at: http://www.gos.org/conservation/2010CampTALON.html Bob Sargent GA Ornithological Society Macon, Bibb County Subject: Wilson's Plover From: Paul Serridge <paulserridge AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:35:37 -0800 (PST) 2 Wilson's Plovers (one seen, another heard) and 2 Piping Plovers (neither was banded) at the south end of Litchfield Beach this afternoon. They were on the mud flats on the inland side of the point. Other birds in that general location: Black Skimmer (100+) Short-billed Dowitchers (50+) Dunlin (30+) Western S/P (few) Forster's Terns (no other tern species) Herring, Laughing and Bonaparte's Gulls Horned Grebe (~20 feeding in the surf with Bonaparte's Gulls). N. Gannet (several diving) Red-throated Mergansers (50+) On Wednesday there were literally hundreds of Red-throated Loons on the ocean all along S. Litchfield Beach with only one or two Common Loons and about 20 Red Knot at the extreme end of the point. Paul Serridge Greenville, SC Subject: Re: No Bachman's Sparrows in Longleaf Restoration Area From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:42:55 -0500 What does the Forest Service do when they "bed" a site? How does this affect the wire grass and the Bachman's? Norm On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 11:32 AM, John Fussell wrote: > As part of the Croatan National Forest Bachman's Sparrows surveys (I've > reported on this morning), I decided one morning to also check for Bachman's > Sparrows at a site that is being managed for restoration of longleaf pine. > > This area--at the intersection of Millis and Pringle roads--was a longleaf > (or longleaf-pond) pine savanna until about 1970 when it was clearcut and > converted (by the Forest Service) to a bedded loblolly pine plantation. >  About 10 years ago, the loblolly plantation (which was dying off due to > hurricance and pine beetle damage) was cleared off and a longleaf pine > plantation was established on the site.  In an effort to enhance survival of > the planted longleafs, the Forest Service re-introduced bedding to the site. >  The new beds were very wide and very deep, and resulted in destruction of > most of the remaining wiregrass on the site (wiregrass that had survived the > ca. 1970 bedding). > > I did not find any Bachman's Sparrows at this site. > > This is not surprising, considering that there is now very little wiregrass > remaining on the site. > > John Fussell > Morehead City, NC > jfuss AT clis.com > > > > -- Norm Budnitz Orange County North Carolina Subject: No Bachman's Sparrows in Longleaf Restoration Area From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:32:22 -0500 As part of the Croatan National Forest Bachman's Sparrows surveys (I've reported on this morning), I decided one morning to also check for Bachman's Sparrows at a site that is being managed for restoration of longleaf pine. This area--at the intersection of Millis and Pringle roads--was a longleaf (or longleaf-pond) pine savanna until about 1970 when it was clearcut and converted (by the Forest Service) to a bedded loblolly pine plantation. About 10 years ago, the loblolly plantation (which was dying off due to hurricance and pine beetle damage) was cleared off and a longleaf pine plantation was established on the site. In an effort to enhance survival of the planted longleafs, the Forest Service re-introduced bedding to the site. The new beds were very wide and very deep, and resulted in destruction of most of the remaining wiregrass on the site (wiregrass that had survived the ca. 1970 bedding). I did not find any Bachman's Sparrows at this site. This is not surprising, considering that there is now very little wiregrass remaining on the site. John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: Bachman's Sparrows in southern Croatan National Forest this winter From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:43:19 -0500 Several times this winter I searched for Bachman's Sparrows in the southern Croatan National Forest, in the vicinity of Millis Road, Pringle Road, and Dudley Road. Most of the sites where I searched were burned over in the past year, some during the large wildfire (and intentionally set backfires) that occurred about late July 2009. (I previously reported on the first three surveys I did back on 27 January.) My surveys were done between 13 January and 1 March. Most of the surveys were done within the last hour before sunset or the first hour after sunrise, and winds were generally light during the surveys. I played tapes to elicit birds to call. (In winter, when Bachman's aren't singing, they are very inconspicuous. They stay on the ground most of the time, and, I might add, can run very fast--you're not likely to flush one at random.) Just about all the sites I checked for Bachman's Sparrows have at least medium covers of wiregrass. Most of the sites have never been bedded for silviculture, and one area that was bedded (about 40 years ago) still has a medium cover or wiregrass. The main reason I did the surveys was simply to see if there might be a significant wintering population of Bachman's in the area this year, a year in which much of the surveyed area had been burned over in the previous 12 months. On my surveys I located a total of 51 individuals. Considering the extent of area I covered and the extent of area I didn't cover, I think it is reasonable to conclude that literally hundreds of Bachman's Sparrows overwintered in the area this year. Pretty interesting for a species that we once assumed was rare or absent this far north in winter. John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: field sparrows From: Kevin Caldwell <mtssea AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:27:36 -0800 (PST) Field sparrows opened up today, both adjacent to our property and the next ridge over. I always look forward to their first song day. Equally as fun were two winter wren males testing out their songs on different mini-ridges within our tract early this a.m. They won't breed at this low elevation however and will move up to higher elevations in 5 to 6 weeks, but it is nice to hear two at the same time. Kevin Caldwell Marshall NC / Madison Co 2000 ft elevation Subject: BW Wells Heritage Day Event March 27, 2010 From: "birdranger" <cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:46:05 -0500 Cbirders, Wake Audubon is leading a bird hike at this event. This unique area is ONLY open for guided tours. Mark your calendars for our 7th annual BW Wells Heritage Day, Saturday March 27, 2010 from 9am - 5pm. BW Wells retirement site out at Falls Lake, Rock Cliff Farm, is only open for guided tours, so don't miss this opportunity. There will be a wide variety of tours and hikes (geology, wildflowers, history, bird watching, canoe tours, etc) in addition to children's games and activities. The NC Botanical Gardens will have seed giveaways and plant raffles. Check out the schedule on the web at http://bwwells.org/hday Hope to see you there! Brian Bockhahn Falls Lake State Park Ranger cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net Subject: Re: Snow Goose in North Durham From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:45:44 -0500 (Hi Dave) A month or so ago, someone reported a lone Snow Goose hanging out with Canada Geese on Milton Rd, not too far north of your bird. Might be the same bird. Norm On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 5:22 PM, David Ross wrote: > A lone Snow Goose has been hanging around with a few Canadas at the pond > between the North Durham Branch of the Public Library and Carrington Middle > School in Durham NC. > This afternoon the geese were walking on the grass near the public library. > > Please be sensitive to the fact that the pond is located at a school. > -- > David Ross > Durham, NC > www.CostaRicanFrogs.com > www.CostaRicanBirds.com > www.theBirdZoo.com > www.TinkFrog.com > > > -- Norm Budnitz Orange County North Carolina Subject: Accipiter migration today? From: "Mike Tove" <mtove AT deltaforce.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:52:43 -0500 Hey all, This afternoon, I saw 3 Cooper's Hawks flying (separately) over north Raleigh in the space of about 5 minutes. I've been seing a lot more Accipiters over the last few days (just by driving around) than normal; mostly Cooper's although I did have at least one Sharpie. The question is - Are these birds migrating north or are they breeding birds (Cooper's at least) getting up in the air for courtship? Either way, it doesn't matter; I like Accipiters. Mike Tove Cary, NC Subject: Re: puffins at Cape Lookout, NC From: "J. BRIAN PATTESON" <patteson1 AT embarqmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:15:57 -0500 John, I guess that's no too bizarre, considering there has been some swell and a push of rather cold water down the beach this month. I remember a trip about five years ago when we had several puffins just a few miles offshore; the closest was just two miles off Frisco as I recall. I wish I had some trips now, but we are overhauling an engine. I'm looking forward to spring. At least it feels like it today. The winter trips we ran this year sure felt like winter, especially the one with snow on Feb. 13! That's the last day I saw a puffin around here, but I've only been to sea twice since then. Brian Patteson Hatteras, NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Fussell" To: "carolinabirds" Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:07 AM Subject: puffins at Cape Lookout, NC > On Tuesday, Keith Rittmaster photographed 2 puffins on the ocean at > Cape Lookout, in the vicinity of the rock jetty. > > John Fussell > Morehead City, NC > jfuss AT clis.com > > > Subject: Re: Fish Crows From: <scompton1251 AT charter.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:43:42 -0800 Birders, I've been noticing the distinctive nasal calls of the Fish Crow all around Greenville,SC for about a week. I heard none this winter. Steve Compton Greenville,SC ---- BLAYNE OLSEN wrote: > Fish Crows have returned to the campus of Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC) they greeted me this morning with their distictive call. Anne Olsen Anne & Blayne Olsen bolsen187 AT verizon.net Subject: Snow Goose in North Durham From: David Ross <dlrossjr AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:22:23 -0500 A lone Snow Goose has been hanging around with a few Canadas at the pond between the North Durham Branch of the Public Library and Carrington Middle School in Durham NC. This afternoon the geese were walking on the grass near the public library. Please be sensitive to the fact that the pond is located at a school. -- David Ross Durham, NC www.CostaRicanFrogs.com www.CostaRicanBirds.com www.theBirdZoo.com www.TinkFrog.com Subject: Holly Shelter Gamelands From: "Mary McDaniel" <marmac1 AT bellsouth.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:36:01 -0500 We will be in the Wilmington area in April and wondered if any of you have birded the Holly Shelter gamelands. A friend told us that we might be able to see Red- cockeded Woodpecker as well as carnivorous plants. Is this true? Many thanks, Mary McDaniel North of Charlotte on Beautiful Mountain Island Lake Subject: Re: nesting by woodcocks in eastern North Carolina From: Clyde Sorenson <clyde_sorenson AT ncsu.edu> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:03:31 -0500 I have pictures of pre-fledge young from the Green Swamp I took back in 1986. I also participated in banding nesting females and their young in eastern Wake county for several years with Andy Ammon, his wonderful bird dogs, and Phil Doerr. Re: Displaying for 6 months- Hormones, hormones, hormones! Actually, it may be related to frequent nest failure... Clyde Sorenson John Fussell wrote: > Late last year, there was some discussion about how much (or how > little) woodcocks nest in eastern North Carolina. > > I know of only a couple of instances in which nests or small young > have been found in my area, but it is the case that woodcocks display > regularly as late as late April around here. > > I looked back over old spring counts and see that our highest woodcock > count was in 1975 when we found 10 birds on 26 April. I'm sure these > were all birds that were displaying. (If I remember correctly, there > was a nice full moon that morning before daylight.) > > I always thought it was strange that these birds display from November > (late November at least) through April. > > John Fussell > Morehead City, NC > jfuss AT clis.com > > > Subject: nesting by woodcocks in eastern North Carolina From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:58:05 -0500 Late last year, there was some discussion about how much (or how little) woodcocks nest in eastern North Carolina. I know of only a couple of instances in which nests or small young have been found in my area, but it is the case that woodcocks display regularly as late as late April around here. I looked back over old spring counts and see that our highest woodcock count was in 1975 when we found 10 birds on 26 April. I'm sure these were all birds that were displaying. (If I remember correctly, there was a nice full moon that morning before daylight.) I always thought it was strange that these birds display from November (late November at least) through April. John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: Ross's Goose returns... From: "Bogey" <bogey AT sc.rr.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:46:23 -0500 to the service road behind Denny's and Taco Bell in Surfside, SC off Highway 17 Bypass and Rt. 544 across from the Wal-Mart shopping center. Pouring down rain, heavy traffic. It was following a Canada across the road into an empty lot. It might be the same one reported earlier this winter. Jerry Kerschner Murrells Inlet, SC Subject: Henderson Cty., NC From: "wforsythe" <wforsythe AT morrisbb.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:49 -0500 Folks, A sign of spring is finally upon us in the mtns. of western North Carolina. At about 11:30 AM this morning, I found my first Pectoral S/P feeding with 2 Wilson's Snipe along a ditch on Hooper Lane. A short time later, I found 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS feeding about 30 yards off the edge of Hooper Lane in a section of a sod field that had been harvested some time ago. While Pecs usually show up about now, the plovers are my earliest ever by 6 days! Wayne Wayne K. Forsythe Hendersonville, N. C. 828-697-6628 wforsythe AT morrisbb dot net Subject: Another Call for NC Breeding Bird Survey Observers From: Ricky Davis <rdnc13 AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:20:46 -0500 Hi Folks This is another call (plea!) for people interested in running a NC BBS route. The main qualification is that you can identify by sound the birds along the route. I probably record 80-90% of the birds on the route by sound. Each route is 50 3-minute stops, each .5 mile apart, covering 24.5 miles. I always look forward to running my routes each year. You never know what you might turn up, and you are doing very important Citizen Science! There are 89 active routes in NC and currently 13 routes are vacant. I would really like to get most of these assigned. The more routes run, and the more consistent yearly running of these routes, is what makes the whole BBS effort important in monitoring populations of our breeding birds. The following routes need an assigned observer! Iredell County Area 217 Sheffield - Starts NW Iredell County runs east in N Davie County 310 Ostwalt - Starts at Ostwalt (S of Statesville) runs east in Rowan County Greensboro Area 015 Climax - Starts in Climax in extreme S Guilford County runs S-SE in Chatham County 226 Monticello - Starts in extreme SE Rockingham County runs SE-E through Guilford and Alamance Counties 233 Ashland - Starts extreme SW Caswell County runs N-NE-E to above Yanceyville Fayetteville Area 206 Roseboro - Starts extreme SE Cumberland County runs eastward in Sampson County Roanoke Rapids Area 231 Jackson - Starts extreme N Northampton County near Margarettsville runs southward to below Jackson 305 Rheasville - Starts in W Roanoke Rapids runs S-SW in Halifax County Goldsboro Area 213 Genoa - Starts just S of Goldsboro runs S-SE in Wayne Count and into N Duplin County Jacksonville Area 203 Cypress Creek - Starts W Onslow County runs westward in Duplin County 317 Belgrade - Starts NE Onslow County runs east then southward in E Onslow County Hertford County Area 223 Lloyd Crossroads - Starts extreme SE Hertford County runs N-NW then southward into NE Bertie County Camden County Area 306 Old Trap - Starts S Camden County runs northward in county So please let me know if you are interested, or know someone else who might be, in doing a BBS route. Thanks, later, Ricky -- Ricky Davis Rocky Mount, NC RJDNC AT aol.com rdnc13 AT gmail.com Subject: Fish Crows From: BLAYNE OLSEN <bolsen187 AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:28:31 -0800 (PST) Fish Crows have returned to the campus of Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC) they greeted me this morning with their distictive call. Anne Olsen Anne & Blayne Olsen bolsen187 AT verizon.net Subject: Yard/Creek Birds From: "Amy" <amyw AT fsow.org> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:10:31 -0500 Hello Birders, The female Summer Tanager made an appearance at my suet feeder yesterday. I haven't seen the Painted Bunting in a few days, though. Still have one Ruby-throated Hummer and a couple of Baltimore Orioles, as well as all the expected woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Chickadees, Titmice, Jays, Red-wings, Grackles, Cardinals, etc. Still have White-throated, Song and Chipping Sparrows and the occasional Swamp Sparrow, as well as a few Am Goldfinches. And of course there are still plenty of Myrtles. Our little boat's been out of commission the past couple of months (repairs) and between that and the cold weather I haven't been out on the water or to Masonboro in quite a while (hope to remedy that soon!) The upshot is, I didn't see any Osprey in my neighborhood in January or February (though there are usually one or two out there in the mouth of Whiskey Creek or in the Waterway or Saltmarsh). One returned to my yard and stretch of creek on March 3rd, however, and on the 9th I had two making quite a racket. One was putting on quite a demonstration of its hovering skills, but since it all occurred over land, it wasn't actually fishing. It would swoop and then spread its tail and hover, and then do it again and again and again, all the while calling loudly. Made me wonder if it was a fella showing off for the newly arrived 2nd Osprey-a female, perhaps? Do Osprey display in this manner when they're getting ready to settle down to the business of nesting and raising babies? In the fine weather yesterday I also had a couple of Little Blues join two Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret behind the house. I know they're around, but the Little Blues haven't been present on my stretch of creek during the cold weather. Hoodies are still here, as cute as ever. I hope to get out and see some other things, maybe tomorrow or over the weekend. Does anyone have any tips on anything unusual that might be in New Hanover or neighboring counties? (Since I've been working part-time, I haven't had much chance to plump up my 2010 list-other than the Painted Bunting, Hummer and Summer Tanager, and a January bonanza that included Eiders, the Western Kingbird, a Sora and an Am Bittern, my list's pretty much just what you'd expect :-) ). Amy Williamson Wilmington, NC Subject: Greater Scaup From: Thierry Besançon <thi.besancon AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:20:08 +0100 Hi, Yesterday morning on Lake Crabtree (Wake county), I've still seen 25 Greater Scaups and 15 Lesser Scaups. Is the Greater Scaup a usual species on inland lakes in NC ? A Cooper's Hawk was also perched in a tree, close enough for a good picture :-) Best regards Thierry Besancon Raleigh, NC Subject: puffins at Cape Lookout, NC From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:07:03 -0500 On Tuesday, Keith Rittmaster photographed 2 puffins on the ocean at Cape Lookout, in the vicinity of the rock jetty. John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: Reddish Egret--Shackleford Banks From: jsocolar AT mail.com Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:08:29 -0500 My buddy Ben Dair (a non-birder) from Oregon and I spent last night on Shackleford Banks, where I struck out on Long-billed Curlew (as is becoming habitual for me) but saw a Reddish Egret (as is also becoming habitual for me). The egret was present both yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday). Tuesday also had a nice count of 41 Marbled Godwits. Ben snapped a decent pic of the Egret, which I'll pass along to Kent. Good Birding Jacob Socolar Subject: Pinewood Lake From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:02:17 -0500 I had noticed yesterday while traveling to Eastover that Pinewood Lake/Caughman's Pond on Garners Ferry Road was drawn down. I stopped by there this afternoon with my scope and set up under the bridge. Here's what I saw: Wood Duck-2 Hooded Merganser-2 Canada Goose-4 Great Blue Heron-2 Great Egret-4 Double-crested Cormorant-2 Least Sandpiper-24 Killdeer-20 Greater Yellowlegs-8 Wilson's Snipe-24 American Pipit-3 Rusty Blackbird-110 The Rusty Blackbird flock (with a few Red-winged Blackbirds mixed in) was growing as I left--I suspect it could be larger. John Grego Columbia SC Subject: MORE: Congaree Swamp yesterday (reliable hearsay) From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <Tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:20:50 -0500 I neglected to report Big Cola's (Columbia's) Sparkle Clark's assertion that she heard a Barred Owl earlier in the day before we met and chatted. 7;^) Cheers! Tomm "665" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost - - not quite - bad enough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ Subject: Bird Behavior Photos From Saturday From: "John Ennis" <johnxennis AT bellsouth.net> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:31:43 -0500 Last Saturday I visited a couple of friends in Sunset Beach for a morning of birding.it quickly turned into a bird behavior seminar conducted by the birds. I've seen it all before but never expected to see all in the same morning. At Twin Lakes, 30+ BC Night-Herons appeared to be sunning themselves and a huge flock of tree swallows also seemed to be sunning themselves. They were huddled together due to the cold.approx 36 degrees plus wind. Many other swallows were nearby, foraging over the water. Couldn't photo the Night-Herons w/o flushing the swallows. Tree Swallows: http://thebusinessbirder.com/SSBTreeSwallow030610.pdf An Osprey with a fish flew over our heads and landed in a dead pine just behind us.before I could turn around all heck broke loose.ducks and cormorants exploded off the lake and the osprey suddenly took off.flying away from us and it was quickly joined by an adult eagle in hot pursuit. The Osprey dropped its fish but the eagle missed catching it in mid-air.neither bird came back to get the fish from the top of the water. Unfortunately, most of my photos of this episode are not sharp or badly blurred. I saw the Osprey/Eagle action a couple of years ago at Sea Trail where the Osprey platforms are located. Saturday's eagle was probably the same eagle or its mate since there is an eagle's nest at another golf course that is nearby. Osprey & Eagle: http://thebusinessbirder.com/SSBOspreyEagle030610.pdf At Mary McDavit's, her Rufous Hummingbird visited the feeder several times. A number of birds were interested in her suet feeder and they stole the show. Two kinglets were displaying their red flag and a Blue-headed Vireo came in close. There was a Brown Creeper that appeared to be sunning itself on a large pine. I do not think I've ever seen a creeper stop creeping for such a long time. Brown Creeper: http://thebusinessbirder.com/CoastalCarolinaBirds/BRCR.pdf At Sea Trail, three pairs of Osprey were setting up their nests. One pair that seemed to candidates for matting behavior were in the distance so I snuck up closer and hid behind a wall and a holly tree at the wall's end. I peaked out; however, I was distracted by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that was at a right angle to my position. It flew directly at me at eye-level but veered away at the last second. I looked at the tree and then noticed the holly tree had sap wells. Dang! I wish I had had time to react and take that photo! The female Osprey was on the nest at the closest platform. This is the nest (and maybe the same pair) where we had observed ospreys mating in 2007 & 2008. Like in those years, the male Osprey was perched in a tree across from nest. Just as we turned our attention to that nest, the male flew over and mated with female. Duration was at least 20 seconds so he may have accomplished the mission. The male flew off twice as we watched and each time returned with nest material. We left quickly in case we were too close for their comfort. Osprey mating: http://thebusinessbirder.com/SSBOsprey030610.pdf While at Sea Trail, we watched 2 RT hawks overhead being mobbed by crows: http://thebusinessbirder.com/SSBMobbing030610.pdf I threw in a photo of the vireo on this slide. Badly backlit and I doubt I'll be able to improve; however, it is cute enough to share. Playing catch up with backyard snow on Feb 13: http://thebusinessbirder.com/BackyardSnow021310.pdf I have not seen this many birds "sunning themselves" before. If I've misinterpreted this behavior or overstated scientific fact, please let me know. Enjoy! John Ennis Leland, NC 910-371-9729 P Before printing this email or other documents, think about the environment. Go paperless! Subject: Western Grebe in Buxton, NC From: jeff lewis <jlewis_obx AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:11:43 -0800 (PST) Received (from a reliable source) a report last night of a Western Grebe seen yesterday at the old lighthouse site in Buxton, NC. Jeff Lewis Manteo, NC Subject: Fwd: Gregg wetland PLUS? From: Ron19536 AT aol.com Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:48:56 EST I replied to Thomm's request for location info, and I thought that other Carolina birders might find this info helpful. Therefore, I am forwarding the info to 'the list.' Happy Birding, Ron Davidson Charlotte, NC ____________________________________ From: Ron19536 AT aol.com To: Tomm AT 1000plus.com Sent: 3/10/2010 5:52:34 A.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: Re: Gregg wetland PLUS? Tomm, The pond where a lot of the ducks and other waterfowl can be seen is located in a very unlikely spot...right beside the main road, Concord Mills Blvd. (CMB) . The rather small pond is located at the main entrance to Concord Mills, in the grassy strip between CMB and the massive parking lot. I believe that the main reason that the waterfowl happen to favor this pond is because the pond is quite a bit lower than the road and the parking lot (almost invisible from road). It is therefore sort of 'hidden,' even though there are no trees, shrubs or other cover, leaving it actually out in the open and quite exposed. To find the pond: When you leave the HH Gregg store side of CMB, go directly across CMB. The 'hidden' pond will be on your right, literally within a few meters of CMB (and the entrance), which is one of the busiest roads in the state...go figure! By the way, I was there yesterday (14:00-15:00), and the Northern Shovelers, Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup, etc. were still on this pond. They are rather wary and were quick to flush (flushed from the pond's edge out to the middle of the pond), even though I tried my best to make my presence unseen. One of the drawbacks of there being no cover is that it is difficult for observers to be unobtrusive. Happy Birding, Ron Davidson Charlotte, NC In a message dated 3/9/2010 8:21:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, Tomm AT 1000plus.com writes: Others here have posted seeing waterfowl nr Concord Mills OTHER than behind the HH Gregg store. Would someone please Elucidate for me these other ponds/sites in the Concord Mills vicinity? Thanx! 7;^) Cheers! Tomm "665" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost - - not quite - bad enough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ Subject: Hint of spring in the High Country From: "J. Merrill Lynch" <jmerrilllynch AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:44 -0500 Carolinabirders: Finally, after one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recorded history, there is a hint of spring in the High Country. In the past day I've had both American Robin and Eastern Phoebe arrive and start to set up breeding territories; both of these species generally leave the area in the winter, at least on my farm. Not to be outdone, I've also had the first moths of the season, Morrison's Sallow (Eupsilia morrisoni) and Grote's Pinion (Lithophane grotei) at my porch lights flying in air temps in the upper 30's. And to top that off, the maple sap has finally started flowing and I've cooked up two batches of the finest maple syrup this side of Vermont! Still have about 80% snowcover but its been absolutely beautiful up here the past 5 days or so with temps getting up to low 60's yesterday. -- J. Merrill Lynch Echo Valley Farm Watauga County, NC Subject: Re: Congaree Swamp today From: "sparkleclark" <sparkleclark AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:40:49 -0500 Tomm, A few minutes after you left, a Yellow-throated Warbler AND a Black-and-White Warbler appeared. Glad you knew what that sound was...the Ring-necked Pheasant. Sparkle Clark sparkleclark AT earthlink.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tomm Lorenzin" To: "Listserv CarolinaBirds" Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:32 PM Subject: Congaree Swamp today > Best thing about the day was the fine Spring weather and NO BUGS. No > migrants yet, as far as I could determine. BUT, every WP except > Red-cockaded > was here in plain sight and sound. > > Red-shouldered hawk - flew to and alighted upon a large nest in tree > beside > boardwalk > Red-tailed Hawk (2) aloft > Am Kestrel on a wire beside Old Bluff Rd. just outside the park > Pine wblrs - several > Y-r wblrs - several > Chipping Sprw (2) > Wht-thr Sparrows - mostly flushed from beneath low brdwlks > N. Flkr (5) > Red-headed WP (6) one chattering madly > Pileated WPs (several heard all day - one seen > Red-bellied WP (3) > Dwny WP (1) > Hairy WP (1 - heard only) > Y-bellied Sapskr (heard and seen) > R-c Kinglets (several) > G-c Kinglets (1 - heard only) > C. ChkaD > T. Titms > Am Robins - hundreds in great ground-foraging flox > Brn-H Nuthatch > Wht-Br Nuthatch > Tky Vulture (aloft) > Blk Vulture (aloft) > And - of all things - a Ring-necked Pheasant heard calling, but not seen > > 7;^) > Cheers! > Tomm "665" Lorenzin > Mooresville, NC > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Almost - > - not quite - > bad enough > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ > > > Subject: Congaree Swamp today From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <Tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:32:48 -0500 Best thing about the day was the fine Spring weather and NO BUGS. No migrants yet, as far as I could determine. BUT, every WP except Red-cockaded was here in plain sight and sound. Red-shouldered hawk - flew to and alighted upon a large nest in tree beside boardwalk Red-tailed Hawk (2) aloft Am Kestrel on a wire beside Old Bluff Rd. just outside the park Pine wblrs - several Y-r wblrs - several Chipping Sprw (2) Wht-thr Sparrows - mostly flushed from beneath low brdwlks N. Flkr (5) Red-headed WP (6) one chattering madly Pileated WPs (several heard all day - one seen Red-bellied WP (3) Dwny WP (1) Hairy WP (1 - heard only) Y-bellied Sapskr (heard and seen) R-c Kinglets (several) G-c Kinglets (1 - heard only) C. ChkaD T. Titms Am Robins - hundreds in great ground-foraging flox Brn-H Nuthatch Wht-Br Nuthatch Tky Vulture (aloft) Blk Vulture (aloft) And - of all things - a Ring-necked Pheasant heard calling, but not seen 7;^) Cheers! Tomm "665" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost - - not quite - bad enough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ Subject: Gregg wetland PLUS? From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <Tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:20:47 -0500 Others here have posted seeing waterfowl nr Concord Mills OTHER than behind the HH Gregg store. Would someone please Elucidate for me these other ponds/sites in the Concord Mills vicinity? Thanx! 7;^) Cheers! Tomm "665" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost - - not quite - bad enough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ Subject: The perfect representation of.... From: "KC Foggin" <KCFoggin AT sc.rr.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 16:45:18 -0500 ....the bully-butts harassing my local bird population ;) http://upload.pbase.com/image/122618311 K.C. K.C. Foggin Socastee Myrtle Beach SC www.birdforum.net www.pbase.com/kcfoggin/nikon_d50_pages&page=15 I love my Kindle Subject: more new songs From: Kevin Caldwell <mtssea AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:57:58 -0800 (PST) Today brought phoebe and red-belly woodpecker song / quarring and a nice chance to watch two hairy woodpecker males fight it out of the lady from my porch. Kevin Caldwell Marshall NC / Madison Co. 2000 ft elevation Subject: Re: Woodcock question From: Nate Dias <offshorebirder AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:13:08 -0800 (PST) Interesting that Woodcocks in the mountains are still displaying - parents and chicks are being observed now in GA (see their Listserv) and I have seen mothers and their broods bopping around in mid-March on multiple occasions in the Francis Marion National Forest north of Charleston. Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC PS Woodcocks like to display in fields or open areas next to wet woods. ----- Original Message ---- From: Mark Kosiewski To: carolinabirds AT duke.edu Sent: Tue, March 9, 2010 1:55:17 PM Subject: Woodcock question At Mason Farm this past weekend, a friend and I managed to locate three displaying woodcocks at dusk. One of the birds landed within thirty feet of us, right on the path, and gave us great looks (as good as can be seen with diminishing light). I noticed that this particular bird bobbed its head, then made a faint gulping sound, before belting out the characteristic "peent." It seemed to me that he was "packing air," so as to give himself a more explosive sound. I figured somebody in this forum could explain what was going on. I believe certain species of birds (grouse, bitterns) store air while making display sounds. Is this a similar physiological process?Also, does anybody here know of a consistent spot in Chatham county for woodcock? There seems to be plenty of habitat, but I seem to only find them at Mason Farm. Thanks for any input. Mark Kosiewski Pittsboro, NC _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/ Subject: Woodcock question From: Mark Kosiewski <markkosiewski AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 13:55:17 -0500 At Mason Farm this past weekend, a friend and I managed to locate three displaying woodcocks at dusk.  One of the birds landed within thirty feet of us, right on the path, and gave us great looks (as good as can be seen with diminishing light).  I noticed that this particular bird bobbed its head, then made a faint gulping sound, before belting out the characteristic "peent."  It seemed to me that he was "packing air," so as to give himself a more explosive sound.  I figured somebody in this forum could explain what was going on.  I believe certain species of birds (grouse, bitterns) store air while making display sounds.  Is this a similar physiological process?Also, does anybody here know of a consistent spot in Chatham county for woodcock?  There seems to be plenty of habitat, but I seem to only find them at Mason Farm.  Thanks for any input.   Mark Kosiewski Pittsboro, NC _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/ Subject: FOY Osprey From: Henry Link <linkh AT bellsouth.net> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 13:31:07 -0500 Today, perched on the transmission tower in Lake Townsend where they usually nest. Henry Link Greensboro NC Subject: Tree Swallow in Asheville, NC From: "Jamie Harrelson" <coquina84 AT charterinternet.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 13:13:42 -0500 A Tree Swallow was spotted at Beaver Lake (Asheville, NC) this morning. There possibly was a second swallow but I can't confirm. Spring has finally begun here in the mountains! Jamie Harrelson Asheville, NC Subject: RE: If you really want to see snipe... From: "Caroline Eastman" <ceastman AT sc.rr.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:19:26 -0500 The White House Road loop near Columbia, SC, can be a good spot for snipe. I saw about a dozen there last Saturday in wet areas. If the areas are still wet, there are likely to be snipe still there. If not, there's more rain coming soon. To start the loop turn off Bluff Road at the Heathwood Hall sign near I-77. Keep to the left at intersections. You will get back to Bluff Road in about 4.5 miles. Caroline Eastman Columbia, South Carolina Subject: Balt Orioles, WEVireo, BGGnat, Prairie Warblers From: jeff lewis <jlewis_obx AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 06:10:21 -0800 (PST) Spent a couple hours on the Alligator Refuge this morning and found two Baltimore Orioles and a White-eyed Vireo. Saturday at Mattamuskeet a group of us found two Prairie Warblers and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. A Black-headed Gull was also located along the causeway by two members of the group. Jeff Lewis Manteo, NC Subject: Swallow-tailed Kites From: "John Ennis" <johnxennis AT bellsouth.net> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 06:07:30 -0500 Len Echols told me (last night at the Cape Fear Audubon mtg) that he had two ST Kites along River Road on the Wilmington side of the river on 3/3. John Ennis Leland, NC 910-371-9729 P Before printing this email or other documents, think about the environment. Go paperless! Subject: Nashville Warbler at Edisto Beach, SC From: Robert Biller <merlin42 AT charter.net> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:26:24 -0500 ** Hello Carolina Birders, March 8, 2010 You did not read that subject line wrong.. You might think I'm out of my mind (I even thought that a time or two while observing it today) but Ron Carrico and myself, Rob Biller, found a basic plumage NASHVILLE WARBLER today at Edisto Beach State Park, SC. ( N 36-30'17.1" W 80-17' 45.8"). We observed the bird for about an hour today foraging next to a small stand of cattails with shrub trees around the edge. We were casually going through a the usual Yellow-rumped Warblers when we noticed a bird with a gray head and yellow underparts. Upon closer inspection we found this bird had a complete eye ring and the yellow underparts extended from the base of the bill through the tail coverts. The bird was feeding in the shrub trees and the cattail stalks they were next to. The site is the Edisto Beach State Park at the ocean near the Pavilion. Enter the gate and look for the small cattail mash between the two parking lots on the left side. The bird was flitting back and forth between this cattail marsh and the small trees next to the campground road. I was able to get a few photos. They are not the great but the best the bird would allow. Follow the below link (copy and paste if not clickable). http://www.flickr.com/photos/xyon42/ Rob Biller Elizabethton, TN (on birding vacation) Subject: new winged things From: Kevin Caldwell <mtssea AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 17:14:05 -0800 (PST) (Mountain region) Not totally bird related but we got our 1st morning cloak & eastern comma butterflies today 3/8/10 as well as black alder catkin explosions. You might insist on seeing leaves and anemones but spring is here....somewhat. Only, there's still one more mega-snowstorm on the way (I hope) to keep it all back another coupla weeks. I'm personally still needing a few more feet of snow in order to have the best winter of all time here in WNC but I know that most of you are done with it (especially you Merrill). New bird songs / chatter are bluebirds (which don't nest here but fly over a lot)...first chittery chatter but not the full song from them, as well as 1st junco song - fun because pine warbler males (2) also just showed back up and are singing too. Kevin Caldwell Marshall NC / Madison Co 2000' ft elevation Subject: American wigeon at fountain lake From: Aol <rkbbirder AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:25:48 -0500 John There is an American wigeon male at fountain lake Behind bldg 1027 call for more info if you would like R Kent Bedenbaughuntain lake 803.463.5872 On Mar 7, 2010, at 9:34 PM, John and Rhonda Grego wrote: > Hi Lewis--they've been off Beckham Swamp Road regularly since > November. Checking records on eBird, I've seen them several times, > as have Patricia Voelker and Michael Stewart (as recently as March 5). > > John Grego > Columbia SC > >> Any suggestions for seeing Snipe in the midlands of South Carolina? >> Thanks, > Lewis Burke, Columbia Subject: Concord Mills Gregg wetland this afternoon From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <Tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:09:51 -0500 Seen between 1300-1400hrs: Great Blue Heron 2 Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Canada Goose 7 prs Gadwall 15 prs Mallard 20 prs Northern Shoveler 12 prs Hooded Merganser 2 M only Red-shouldered Hawk American Coot Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe Carolina Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 7;^) Cheers! Tomm "665" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost - - not quite - bad enough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/ Subject: Western Tanager still present From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:09:23 -0500 The Western Tanager in Morehead City was still present as of this morning. John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: small dark bird (response / corrections) From: Desiderius Erasmus <parisisworthamass AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 06:10:11 -0800 (PST) They were not dark-eyed juncos. Breast same color as sides & back - DARK greyish brown or brownish grey.  Not brown-headed cowbirds - much smaller & beaks much shorter. Correction to my first post: spotted at about 7 am (not 6:40) the flocks were flying on NE header, not NW header. Suzanna O'Donnell Raleigh Subject: Tree Swallows, etc. Meck. Co. NC From: Kevin Metcalf <skermetcalf AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 08:30:55 -0500 Signs of spring popping up in the Piedmont. Yesterday, 7 Mar. had two Tree Swallows at Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge in northwest Mecklenburg County. Also present were at least 14 Wilson's Snipe visible from the viewing platform. Also had a sedge wren in the same spot that we had one on the CBC - no doubt in my mind that this is the same bird and it has overwintered successfully despite this colder and snowier than normal winter. Kevin Metcalf Huntersville, NC Subject: identify sp.? small dark bird (flock) Raleigh 27616 From: Desiderius Erasmus <parisisworthamass AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 04:58:16 -0800 (PST) This morning around 6:40 am I saw 6 - 8 small uniformly dark birds perched in young hardwood. (suburban neighborhood) I could not see any differentiation in color (dark greyish brown), no markings (except possible black spot or stripe on one's crown, but this might have been branch shadow). Birds sparrow-sized (c. 5.25"), small darkish (?) bill mildly wedge shaped. No evidence of crest or "odd" head shape. One might have had a slightly lighter head (like brown cowbird) but this also uncertain as somewhat backlighted. They flew together after about 40 sec. and I noted another larger group in a nearby tree that also flew. These together formed a flock of 20-30 which moved steadily on a NW header. Less than 1 minute later I saw another flock of 40-50 in flight also on NW header. Flock moved steadily, moderately tight with no individual or flock dipping. Quick glance into Sibley's yielded no obvious candidates. Can anyone help? Suzanna O'Donnell Raleigh Subject: Charleston Natural History Society Meeting Wednesday, March 10 From: Parula23 AT aol.com Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 06:27:58 EST Birders, All are welcome to attend the monthly meeting of the Charleston Natural History Society this coming Wednesday evening, March 10, at 6:30 PM. Our invited speaker is Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin, who retired in 2005 as a Senior Research Ecologist and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) at the U.S. Department of Energy’ s Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC. His talk will provide an overview of three decades of research on the ecology and conservation biology of unusual feral animal populations present on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. CNHS meetings are free and open to the public. They are held in the 2nd floor auditorium of the main branch of the Charleston County Library, 68 Calhoun St. in downtown Charleston. We gather at 6:30 PM for a reception and speakers begin at 7:00 PM. On a birding note, yesterday morning I spent a couple of hours birding at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center near Ravenel, SC. In addition to some of the usual suspects, I observed a female Purple Finch at the Center birdfeeders and 2 Brown Creepers not far from the swamp boardwalk. I also saw and heard my FOY Yellow-throated Warblers. Andy Harrison Charleston, SC Subject: Re: Snipe in the midlands of SC From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 21:34:14 -0500 Hi Lewis--they've been off Beckham Swamp Road regularly since November. Checking records on eBird, I've seen them several times, as have Patricia Voelker and Michael Stewart (as recently as March 5). John Grego Columbia SC >Any suggestions for seeing Snipe in the midlands of South Carolina? Thanks, Lewis Burke, Columbia Subject: Re: If you really want to see snipe... From: "anne burke" <burkefam AT sc.rr.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 21:18:17 -0500 Any suggestions for seeing Snipe in the midlands of South Carolina? Thanks, Lewis Burke, Columbia Subject: If you really want to see snipe... From: Clyde Sorenson <clyde_sorenson AT ncsu.edu> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:35:10 -0500 In the Raleigh-Johnston County area, there is a small pond on Covered Bridge Road about 1 mile east of the crossroads community of Archer's Lodge that usually has a passel of 'em- last week there were about 20, giving great photo ops out the car window from a range as low as 15 feet. This pond is actually just a low, poorly drained corner of a front yard, with another wet area across Covered Bridge; the grass is lawn-height and the birds are very obvious. They show up every winter once we've had enough precip to flood the areas. If you really need a snipe (and you don't want to spend a cold night in the woods with a burlap sack yelling "Snipe! Snipe!"), drop me a line. Clyde Sorenson Clayton and Raleigh, NC Subject: Rock Pigeon Band ID--Racing Pigeon From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:00:23 -0500 Thanks for the responses I received on the pigeon band--the ID# followed standard rules for the American Racing Pigeon Union; this pigeon belonged to a member of the Sandlapper Invitational Racing Pigeon Club. John Grego Columbia SC Subject: barred owl at beaver marsh in Durham From: Amy Nester <amy.nester AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:53:30 -0500 Hi all, I went to Beaver Marsh around 2:45 today to try to find the Wilson's Snipe. I did not see the Snipes but I met another birder there and we decided to try to drive to the other side of the marsh (we drove a little ways down Club Blvd. to a small dead end road) and there was a Barred Owl! We got great looks, the owl "posed" for over 15 minutes before it flew off. I took some pics with my camera phone but don't think they will turn out well. The owl was a first for me. I have gone to Butner gamelands and Mason Farm weekly for the past months looking for a BO and I finally found it in Durham. I am still beaming. Amy Nester Subject: Rock Pigeon band ID From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:57:41 -0500 I was at the Cayce Riverwalk today and there was a dead rock pigeon right next to the path. It had a yellow band with ID # Au 2009 SR 0624. I tried searching on the web, but couldn't find a useful website (I got a lot of hits for BAND-tailed pigeons). Please contact me if you know to whom I should forward this info (jrgrego AT mindspring.com) John Grego Columbia SC Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Bear Island , 3/6/10 From: David McLean <dcmclean AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 11:14:22 -0500 Sun 7 Mar 2010 All, After reading the posting by Elisa Enders relating her Saturday outing to Bear Island WMA, I thought I'd pass along my report also from Bear Island WMA but from the opposite side of Bennetts Point Road. On Saturday I hiked along the forest edges and impoundment dikes out to the edge of the Ashepoo River with 25 other Sierra Club folks from the Charleston chapter (Lunz). The main activity was hiking (7.4 mi), but I was able to do a little birding along the way. There were few opportunities for shorebirds as the water levels were generally high. Strangely, there were fewer of the expected woodlands species other than Yellow-rumped Warblers that were ever present along all of our paths. Regards, David McLean Charleston, SC ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Date: Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 18:03 Subject: eBird Report - Bear Island , 3/6/10 To: dcmclean AT gmail.com Location:     Bear Island Observation date:     3/6/10 Notes:     Sierra Club hike at Bear Is WMA, Bill Turner leading, 26 hikers. Sunny, winds N 5, temp 45 °F to 57 °F; a beautiful day for a hike. Number of species:     49 Tundra Swan     85 Gadwall     50 American Wigeon     20 American Black Duck     4 Mallard     2 Blue-winged Teal     20 Northern Shoveler     10 Bufflehead     4 Hooded Merganser     5 Ruddy Duck     25 Pied-billed Grebe     2 American White Pelican     19 Double-crested Cormorant     4 Great Blue Heron     7 Great Egret     15 Snowy Egret     4 Little Blue Heron     2 Tricolored Heron     5 White Ibis     5 Glossy Ibis     9 Wood Stork     2 Turkey Vulture     25 Bald Eagle     2 Northern Harrier     1 Red-tailed Hawk     1 Clapper Rail     3 Common Moorhen     45 American Coot     100 Semipalmated Plover     30 Greater Yellowlegs     5 Dunlin     100 Bonaparte's Gull     1 Mourning Dove     2 Belted Kingfisher     3 Red-bellied Woodpecker     1 Downy Woodpecker     1 Pileated Woodpecker     1 American Crow     1 Tree Swallow     500 White-breasted Nuthatch     1 Marsh Wren     1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1 American Robin     2 Northern Mockingbird     1 Cedar Waxwing     100 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     500 Pine Warbler     10 Northern Cardinal     2 Red-winged Blackbird     40 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) -- David C. McLean, Jr. DCMcLean AT gmail DOT com Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Lake Conestee Nature Park , 3/6/10 From: Paul Serridge <paulserridge AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 04:35:47 -0800 (PST) Here is the list from Lake Conestee Nature Park Saturday morning. The Barred Owl was perched in a tree at eye-level beside the lakeside trail. Don Faulkner took lots of photos of this very cooperative bird. Rusties were quite vocal. Paul Serridge Greenville, SC ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "do-not-reply AT ebird.org" To: paulserridge AT yahoo.com Sent: Sat, March 6, 2010 1:21:50 PM Subject: eBird Report - Lake Conestee Nature Park , 3/6/10 Location:    Lake Conestee Nature Park Observation date:    3/6/10 Number of species:    48 Canada Goose    20 Wood Duck    13 American Wigeon    8 Mallard    9 Ring-necked Duck    7 Hooded Merganser    4 Pied-billed Grebe    6 Great Blue Heron    4 Turkey Vulture    2 Cooper's Hawk    1 Red-shouldered Hawk    4 Red-tailed Hawk    1 Mourning Dove    4 Barred Owl    1 Belted Kingfisher    1 Red-bellied Woodpecker    5 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    4 Downy Woodpecker    6 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)    4 Pileated Woodpecker    2 Eastern Phoebe    4 Blue Jay    15 American Crow    4 Carolina Chickadee    12 Tufted Titmouse    6 Brown-headed Nuthatch    4 Carolina Wren    10 Golden-crowned Kinglet    4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet    5 Eastern Bluebird    3 American Robin    75 Northern Mockingbird    2 Brown Thrasher    9 European Starling    1 Cedar Waxwing    20 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    9 Pine Warbler    3 Eastern Towhee    12 Field Sparrow    1 Song Sparrow    15 Swamp Sparrow    2 White-throated Sparrow    30 Northern Cardinal    18 Red-winged Blackbird    1 Rusty Blackbird    85 Common Grackle    2 American Goldfinch    6 House Sparrow    1 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: CBC Arizona trip:space available From: <scompton1251 AT charter.net> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 19:31:15 -0800 Birders, There are still a few spaces available on the Carolina Bird Club trip to Southeastern Arizona planned for May 28 to June 2, 2010. Led by CBC members Steve Shultz and Brian Pendergraft, the trip will visit some of the hottest spots in Arizona, including Madera and Ramsey Canyon, The Huachuca Mountain canyons, and Saguaro National Park. Elegant Trogan, Elf Owl, Common Black Hawk, Roadrunner, Red-faced Warbler, and over 50 other Arizona specialty species are likely on this trip. For details, contact Steve Shultz at . I would love to discuss this trip with anyone thinking about going. I've been to SE Arizona once before in late March, did very well working alone, but could get 50 North American Life birds on this trip! I'm driving north after the trip to Phoenix, Flagstaff, and on to Salt Lake City where I will meet family, drive back down to the central Utah town of Ferron for a week, then we all drive to Seattle for my daughter's graduation from the University of Washington Social Work school. 20 days and over 1800 miles. I hope to go over 500 North American birds on this trip (I need 42). Please contact me ASAP to discuss the SE Arizona trip-it should be great! Steve Compton Greenville,SC Subject: Bear Island WMA, SC From: Elisa Enders <elisaenders AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 21:59:37 -0500 I visited Bear Island WMA today. It was a wonderful day to be out. There were more Common Moorhen than I expected. The Blue-winged Teal were very nice to see too. Most of my time was spent along Titi Road. I tried to check Donnelly WMA as well, but it was closed due to a hunt. I included the species seen below. Elisa Enders Portsmouth, VA (temporarily in Charleston, SC) Location: Bear Island WMA Observation date: 3/6/10 Notes: Clear skies, temperatures started in upper 30s and finished in lower 60s, most of miles were driven (about 3 miles walking) Number of species: 76 Canada Goose 4 Tundra Swan 51 Gadwall 9 Mottled Duck 4 Blue-winged Teal 49 Northern Shoveler 38 Green-winged Teal 584 Bufflehead 65 Hooded Merganser 21 Ruddy Duck 183 duck sp. 20 Pied-billed Grebe 58 American White Pelican 17 Double-crested Cormorant 13 Great Blue Heron 6 Great Egret 17 Snowy Egret 20 Little Blue Heron 11 Tricolored Heron 13 white egret sp. 23 White Ibis 43 Glossy Ibis 14 Wood Stork 10 Black Vulture 8 Turkey Vulture 16 Bald Eagle 2 Northern Harrier 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Merlin 1 Common Moorhen 89 American Coot 1815 Killdeer 9 Greater Yellowlegs 19 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Dunlin 2 peep sp. 300 Bonaparte's Gull 2 Ring-billed Gull 7 gull sp. 1 Forster's Tern 9 Mourning Dove 6 Belted Kingfisher 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 7 Eastern Phoebe 2 Blue Jay 10 American Crow 12 Fish Crow 14 Tree Swallow 610 Carolina Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 1 Carolina Wren 3 House Wren 3 Marsh Wren 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Eastern Bluebird 10 American Robin 23 Gray Catbird 6 Northern Mockingbird 6 Brown Thrasher 4 American Pipit 1 Cedar Waxwing 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 215 Pine Warbler 4 Palm Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 3 Eastern Towhee 10 Savannah Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 3 Swamp Sparrow 13 White-throated Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 15 Red-winged Blackbird 54 Eastern Meadowlark 29 Rusty Blackbird 3 Common Grackle 9 House Finch 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469230/direct/01/ Subject: Scaups and Blue-headed Vireo From: Thierry Besançon <thi.besancon AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:12:53 +0100 Hi, My wife and I went to Lake Crabtree this morning. There was a mixed group of scaups with 35 Great Scaups and 52 Lesser Scaups. We heard a fish Crow too. Early in the morning, with Doug Shadwick and Robert Rybczynski, we've seen a Blue-headed Vireo at Mason Farm. What a pretty bird for a european birder ! Cheers, Thierry Besançon Subject: Henderson Cty., N. C. From: "wforsythe" <wforsythe AT morrisbb.net> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:40:48 -0500 Folks, Ron Selvey and I birded around Henderson County this AM. The best bird we had was a male Northern Harrier on Hooper Lane. I went shopping with Yvonne this PM and found a PINE SISKIN on my Thistle Feeder when I returned home. Siskin's locally have been in very short supply this winter and it definitely trumps the N. Harrier as the bird of the day! Wayne Wayne K. Forsythe Hendersonville, N. C. 828-697-6628 wforsythe AT morrisbb dot net Subject: Wilson's Snipe, Durham, NC From: Robert Rowan Meehan <kkquartz AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:40:57 -0500 Had a pair of Wilson's Snipe today at the Beaver Marsh behind the old Avondale K-Mart in Durham. The male was displaying, bobbing around and showing off his colorful tail feathers! So that was a nice find in such an urban area. In addition, the Fish Crows are back in full force. Had lots today, and have had many in my neighborhood recently. Anyway, full list below: Canada Goose 7 Mallard 3 Hooded Merganser 4 Great Blue Heron 1 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Wilson's Snipe 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 3 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 1 Fish Crow 15 Carolina Chickadee 12 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Brown Creeper 1 Carolina Wren 4 Winter Wren 6 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Eastern Bluebird 2 Northern Mockingbird 2 Brown Thrasher 1 Pine Warbler 3 Eastern Towhee 6 Song Sparrow 10 Swamp Sparrow 12 White-throated Sparrow 4 Northern Cardinal 8 _________________________________________________________________ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469229/direct/01/ Subject: Re: Question on Bird ID From: jspippen <jspippen AT duke.edu> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:21:34 -0500 (EST) That is indeed a nice Western Tanager! Great bird! They are quite rare but regular in winter in NC with one or a few showing up somewhere most winters recently. Cheers, Jeff On Sat, 6 Mar 2010, Andy Haines wrote: > Hey guys, > I noticed this bird today coming somewhat regularly to our feeder, and I > can't figure out what it is. Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest > camera, but I tried to take some photos, which you can see at the link below. > http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccahhaines/MysteryBird?feat=directlink > > The bird was slightly smaller than a cardinal, and definitely bigger than a > house finch, was bright yellow, had two distinct wingbars (one yellow, one > white), and a tan colored beak. It was feeding on either sunflower seeds or > safflower seeds, and fed from the platform feeder and from the ground. To be > honest, looking through Sibley, it looked most like a Western Tanager, but > obviously that would be highly unusual. Another thought I had was an Orchard > Oriole, which we do see around here, but the beak really doesn't fit. > Anyway, if any of you have any thoughts, I'd really appreciate it, as I'd > like to know what was giving us a visit. Thanks, and enjoy the weekend > > Andy Haines > Morehead City, NC > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jeffrey S. Pippen Nicholas School of the Environment Rm A-241 LSRC Bldg, Box 90328 Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 PH: (919) 660-7278 http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/nature.htm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subject: Question on Bird ID From: Andy Haines <ahainesnd AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:53:24 -0500 Hey guys, I noticed this bird today coming somewhat regularly to our feeder, and I can't figure out what it is. Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest camera, but I tried to take some photos, which you can see at the link below. http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccahhaines/MysteryBird?feat=directlink The bird was slightly smaller than a cardinal, and definitely bigger than a house finch, was bright yellow, had two distinct wingbars (one yellow, one white), and a tan colored beak. It was feeding on either sunflower seeds or safflower seeds, and fed from the platform feeder and from the ground. To be honest, looking through Sibley, it looked most like a Western Tanager, but obviously that would be highly unusual. Another thought I had was an Orchard Oriole, which we do see around here, but the beak really doesn't fit. Anyway, if any of you have any thoughts, I'd really appreciate it, as I'd like to know what was giving us a visit. Thanks, and enjoy the weekend Andy Haines Morehead City, NC Subject: HBSP 3-5 From: "Jack" <jp5810 AT sccoast.net> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:11:45 -0500 Hi C'birders, This mornig I birded at HBSP Here is what I found. Location: Huntington Beach State Park Observation date: 3/5/10 Notes: birded along carriage path Number of species: 26 Hooded Merganser 5 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Great Egret 4 Snowy Egret 8 Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 White Ibis 10 Turkey Vulture 4 Accipiter sp. 1 American Coot 50 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Ring-billed Gull 2 Mourning Dove 4 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue-headed Vireo 2 Blue Jay 1 Carolina Chickadee 1 Tufted Titmouse 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Northern Mockingbird 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 50 Song Sparrow 2 Northern Cardinal 4 Red-winged Blackbird 1 House Finch 1 Jack Peachey Conway, SC This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2725 - Release Subject: Lake Conestee Named Important Bird Area From: "Jeff Catlin" <shieffcat AT bellsouth.net> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 08:02:40 -0500 Forwarded message. Jeff Catlin Marietta, SC The Greenville (SC) News had an article today announcing that Lake Conestee Nature Area (http://conesteepark.com/) has been named an Important Bird Area. Lake Conestee is located in central Greenville County, just south of the city of Greenvile. The IBA classification was initiated due to the large population of Rusty Blackbirds that winter in and around Lake Conestee. Paul Serridge was instrumental in getting this area recognized. On behalf of all the members of the Greenville County, congratulations to Paul and all of the other Greenville County Bird Club members who assisted him in this effort. The article is on line at: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20103020306 Thanks, Donnie Coody President Greenville County Bird Club Greenville, SC