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9 May May 9 sightings [Bruce and Mary Lou ] 9 May Re: Mystery song (oops) [Jane Schlossberg ] 9 May R-T Hummingbird in Jericho [June Schulte ] 9 May Yellow-thraoted vireo.... [Stephen Antell ] 9 May Shorebirds at Dead Creek [Allan Strong ] 9 May Herrick's Cove 5/9 [Julie Waters ] 9 May Re: Mystery song [Jane Schlossberg ] 9 May Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? [Jane Stein ] 9 May Lefferts Pond - May 9 [Susan Elliott ] 9 May Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? [Gregory Askew ] 9 May Re: 2008 Whip-poor-will survey [Richard Harlow ] 9 May Sherman Rd , Waitsfield 5/9/08 [Patricia Folsom ] 9 May Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? [Jane Stein ] 9 May Re: Mystery song [Jane Stein ] 9 May 2008 Whip-poor-will survey [Rosalind Renfrew ] 9 May Mystery song [Gregory Askew ] 9 May White crowned sparrows in Brownington [carolyn boardman ] 9 May directions to Chukar [Evergreen Erb ] 9 May Pine siskins [Ernie Buford ] 9 May Carolina wren Pittsford , 5/8/08 [] 9 May warbler [] 9 May Chimney Swifts have returned to Waterbury [Graham Bates ] 9 May Bristol Waterworks [Gregory Askew ] 8 May Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? [June Schulte ] 8 May Looking for plants [Deborah Lyter ] 8 May Yardbirds today + Sora calling at Allen Bros. Marsh [Julie Waters ] 8 May 5/8 at Herricks [Don Clark ] 8 May Pine Hill Park, Rutland VT. [TRACEY BUSONY ] 8 May Interspecies behavior [Jane Stein ] 8 May Re: chukar [Bruce ] 8 May Warblers in NEK [Bill & Jeanne Prue ] 8 May Chimney Swifts in Proctor [Roy Pilcher ] 8 May Northern Harrier in Pownal [Mundi Smithers ] 8 May chukar [Evergreen Erb ] 8 May wren [] 8 May FOY eastern towhee, brown thrasher, rose-breasted grosbeak and house wren [Hilke Breder ] 8 May West Rutland Marsh [Carol Johnson ] 8 May Scarlet Tanager in Pownal [Mundi Smithers ] 8 May Northern Parula [Jim Mead ] 8 May White crowned Sparrow [Bruce and Mary Lou ] 8 May Re: Bobolink, etc. ["Flewelling, Joel" ] 8 May thrasher [] 8 May Re: loon call [Betty Jillson ] 7 May Henwood Hill Rd. marsh & Herrick's Cove IBA [Lance Tanino ] 7 May The Birds of Shelburne Farms [Bruce MacPherson ] 7 May FOY in Brownsville [Marcia Baker ] 7 May Adventures in the NE Kingdom: BLVU, SPGR, Migrants [Michael Benjamin Lester ] 7 May Hummingbird presentation in Vergennes [Winslows ] 7 May hummer in Waitsfield [Patricia Folsom ] 7 May hummers in the NEK [carolyn boardman ] 7 May Suspected Mockingbird and Towhee in Monkton ["Lawrence, Miriam" ] 7 May Eastern Towhee under feeder in Westminster [Julie Waters ] Subject: May 9 sightings From: Bruce and Mary Lou <webson2 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 21:59:55 -0400 Today, first one male Rose-breasted Grosbeck showed up at my north feeder as a FOY bird, followed by another male and female RB Grosbeck later in the day. Male E. Kingbirds were sparring off in the trees across the road and a Baltimore Oriole was feeding there in the crabapples for two more first sightings. The north feeder also had a second White-crowned Sparrow join the other WCS who has been feeding here all week. Ovenbird has been singing out in our woods for days now, but no Wood Thrush has taken up their usual residence yet. Mary Lou Webster BrandonSubject: Re: Mystery song (oops) From: Jane Schlossberg <avesong AT AOL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 21:40:21 -0400 OOps, Here's the URL for the white-crowned sparrow audio story I mentioned before: http://www.birdnote.org/birdnote.cfm?id=189 Hope you can get it. Jane Saint Geogre -----Original Message----- From: Jane SteinSubject: R-T Hummingbird in Jericho From: June Schulte <jschulte AT TOGETHER.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 21:08:40 -0400 The first female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird was seen at our porch feeder yesterday. :-) Today four crows were cawing and doing air aerobics over the back yard. Could that be mating ritual or reaction to fox kits in the area? ~ June in JerichoSubject: Yellow-thraoted vireo.... From: Stephen Antell <leafan AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 20:35:21 -0400 singing at noon at Woodside Park in Essex Jct today by the bench overlooking the water. Steve AntellSubject: Shorebirds at Dead Creek From: Allan Strong <allan.strong AT UVM.EDU> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 19:48:14 -0400 Today (Friday 9 May) there was a sizable concentration of shorebirds at the goose viewing area at Dead Creek WMA. The birds were in the (rapidly drying) puddle at the west end of the road. Ted Murin and I counted: ~100 Least Sandpipers 47 Lesser Yellowlegs 8 Semipalmated Plovers 1 Pectoral Sandpiper Unfortunately there isn't much water remaining in the pool, so this habitat probably won't last much longer. Allan ******************************************************************* Allan M. Strong University of Vermont The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources 347 Aiken Center Burlington, VT 05405 802-656-2910 *******************************************************************Subject: Herrick's Cove 5/9 From: Julie Waters <julie AT RIVERARTSPROJECT.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 18:47:13 -0400 Common Yellowthroats were out in force today and the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher pair was quite visible at one point. The highlight of the day for me was a Great Crested Flycatcher, which is a life bird for me. Also got a really nice photo of a feeding oriole this morning. Photos at: http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/_2008-05-09.php --julie -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- julie AT riverartsproject.com http://juliewaters.com/ We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the Complete Works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. --Robert WilenskySubject: Re: Mystery song From: Jane Schlossberg <avesong AT AOL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 18:41:07 -0400 Greg, I agree with Jane, and if it is the white-crowned sparrow, you've done a great job "translating" its song. Here is a good website with an audio journal devoted to this species' song. Let us know if that sounds right! Jane Saint George -----Original Message----- From: Jane SteinSubject: Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? From: Jane Stein <jeshawks AT SHOREHAM.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 13:11:22 -0400 Very interesting thought. It's a little confusing, though, to figure out in this circumstance who's doing the dominating and who's doing the submission. Since food begging is only done by juveniles and females, wouldn't that be more likely to be the submissive behavior? Making yourself look smaller and weaker-- in this case by hunching down and letting your wings droop-- is the way submissive critters demonstrate to potential aggressors of the same species that they are no threat. Your implication is surely right that it's the Bluejay's behavior that is, um, inventive, where the WP is pretty much responding automatically. Jane Gregory Askew wrote: > What if King Jay was simply exacting tribute from his minion, woodpecker, > with the promise not to eat her eggs this season? > On a serious note, I wonder if there's evidence of interspecific > relationships of domination and submission, especially given the > intelligence and well-documented sociality of the corvids. > Greg > Vergennes > > > On 5/9/08, Jane SteinSubject: Lefferts Pond - May 9 From: Susan Elliott <ovenbird14 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 09:48:33 -0700 We observed a good number of species and plenty of bird song around Lefferts Pond this morning. Also, a common loon was calling on Chittenden Reservoir. Location: Lefferts Pond Observation date: 5/9/08 Number of species: 47 Canada Goose 14 Wood Duck 4 American Black Duck 1 Mallard 9 Ring-necked Duck 2 Hooded Merganser 2 Common Merganser 2 Ruffed Grouse 6 all drumming Osprey 1 sitting on nest on platform Wilson's Snipe 2 Chimney Swift 4 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3 Least Flycatcher 1 Blue-headed Vireo 5 one gathering nesting material Blue Jay 6 American Crow 2 Common Raven 1 Tree Swallow 1 Black-capped Chickadee 10 Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Brown Creeper 3 Winter Wren 5 Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 American Robin 7 Nashville Warbler 1 Northern Parula 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 8 Yellow-rumped Warbler 11 Black-throated Green Warbler 8 Blackburnian Warbler 4 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Ovenbird 7 Northern Waterthrush 7 Common Yellowthroat 3 Song Sparrow 4 Swamp Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 6 Dark-eyed Junco 4 one gathering nesting material Red-winged Blackbird 3 Common Grackle 5 Purple Finch 3 American Goldfinch 4 Sue and Marv Elliott ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJSubject: Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? From: Gregory Askew <gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 12:01:51 -0400 What if King Jay was simply exacting tribute from his minion, woodpecker, with the promise not to eat her eggs this season? On a serious note, I wonder if there's evidence of interspecific relationships of domination and submission, especially given the intelligence and well-documented sociality of the corvids. Greg Vergennes On 5/9/08, Jane SteinSubject: Re: 2008 Whip-poor-will survey From: Richard Harlow <raharlow AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 12:00:18 -0400 Rosalind, I will be delighted to help with Hinesburg. Richard Richard Harlow WANAKA Field Station Arrowhead Lake Milton, VT Rosalind Renfrew wrote: > For those of you who are in withdrawals and looking for something fun > to do this summer: > Night birding! > > It's time for the Whip-poor-will survey, and there are survey routes > that need volunteers. Anyone can participate; the call of the > Whip-poor-will is easily recognized! > > Vermont takes part in this standardized survey effort each year to > count Nightjars from Maine to Florida. Now in its third year, the > Nightjar survey project is mapping and monitoring the distribution of > Whip-poor-wills (in Vermont) and other Nightjars. These species are > declining throughout some or all of their range. The surveys collect > baseline information about the distribution and abundance of these > species - the first important step towards establishing a conservation > strategy. > > The survey consists of stops along a road route, and it will require > two of your evenings, about 2 hours per evening. The first survey > window is coming up, 15-28 May. The second survey window is 11-26 > June. The routes that need coverage are in: > > Vernon > Guilford > Salisbury > Peacham > Bennington > Hinesburg > Rutland > > If you're interested in helping out, please let me know what route you > can help with, and I'll send details right away. > > Cheers, > Rosalind >Subject: Sherman Rd , Waitsfield 5/9/08 From: Patricia Folsom <pfols AT GMAVT.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:29:52 -0400 > Hi Birders, > Great Sherman Rd walk this morning with friends. Blackburnians were > singing and low, outstanding looks and none of us with a camera! > Bobolinks back in the area, more Hermit Thrushes than I've ever seen in > one day (more abundant than Robins!). Good looks at Broadwing and > Cooper's, circling overhead. We kept hunting until we located an > Ovenbird - very exciting morning. > > Happy birding, > Pat > > > - > Observation date: 5/9/08 >> Number of species: 39 >> >> Canada Goose 2 >> Common Merganser 1 >> Cooper's Hawk 1 >> Broad-winged Hawk 1 >> Mourning Dove 2 >> Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 >> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 >> Downy Woodpecker 1 >> Hairy Woodpecker 2 >> Northern Flicker 1 >> Pileated Woodpecker 1 >> Eastern Phoebe 2 >> Blue-headed Vireo 2 >> Blue Jay 20 >> American Crow 3 >> Tree Swallow X >> Barn Swallow 4 >> Black-capped Chickadee 6 >> White-breasted Nuthatch 1 >> Hermit Thrush X >> American Robin 4 >> European Starling 1 >> Chestnut-sided Warbler 2 >> Black-throated Blue Warbler 2 >> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4 >> Black-throated Green Warbler 2 >> Blackburnian Warbler X >> Ovenbird 4 >> Chipping Sparrow X >> Savannah Sparrow 1 >> Song Sparrow X >> White-throated Sparrow 5 >> White-crowned Sparrow 4 >> Dark-eyed Junco 6 >> Bobolink 1 >> Red-winged Blackbird X >> Common Grackle 2 >> Purple Finch 2 >> American Goldfinch 2 >> >> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt) >> >Subject: Re: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? From: Jane Stein <jeshawks AT SHOREHAM.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:25:39 -0400 I've not seen any newly fledged birds yet, including Bluejays, and they're pretty hard to miss, especially the food begging noise! In the case of my two confused birds, misplaced courtship seems to me more likely what was going on with the Bluejay, and one can't blame the Bluejay for not recognizing that the woodpecker it was displaying to was a female, nor the woodpecker for mistaking courtship begging for fledgling begging, I guess. Still, very peculiar. Jane Shoreham June Schulte wrote: > Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? > > I sent Jane's question about the Bluejay being fed suet by a Downy > Woodpecker to > my son who is a wildlife biologist, and below is his take on it. ~ > June in Jericho > > > > My guess is that this is a recently fledged blue jay and the downy > woodpecker has young back in the nest. The blue jay is begging to > anything it sees that has food and the downy woodpecker's feeding > response is triggered by the behavior since it is geared up to feed > babies at the moment. Birds are usually triggered to feed their young by > the begging sound and the sight of the bright yellow/orange/red lining > of the mouth of young birds. I guess this is just one overstimulated > woodpecker. Pretty funny. The only other option is that female blue > jays will display like that to males as part of the courtship display, > but I doubt one would do that to a woodpecker! > >Subject: Re: Mystery song From: Jane Stein <jeshawks AT SHOREHAM.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:17:48 -0400 I always have a very hard time "hearing" song in human text transliterations, but there's a White-Crowned Sparrow singing away right outside my window as I sit at the computer, and the general form of its song would seem to fit, particularly that insitial firm "sure" note followed by a quicker, slightly more vague pattern. Have you tried listening to examples of that? They actually do vary quite a bit, so examples you find on the Web may not match note for note what you've heard, so listen more for the tonal quality and the general shape of the song. Jane Shoreham Gregory Askew wrote: > Here at Northlands Job Corps in Vergennes there are two birds singing a song > I can't quite place. We have a pretty open campus with scattered trees. The > birds in question must be a passerine and one was singing fairly high in a > maple. > The song went like this... > Sure te-o te-o too too sure > The first note was the longest, the second and third were quicker and > identical, and the last three had a buzzy quality. > Any thoughts? > > Greg > Vergennes > >Subject: 2008 Whip-poor-will survey From: Rosalind Renfrew <rrenfrew AT VTECOSTUDIES.ORG> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:09:20 -0400 For those of you who are in withdrawals and looking for something fun to do this summer: Night birding! It's time for the Whip-poor-will survey, and there are survey routes that need volunteers. Anyone can participate; the call of the Whip-poor-will is easily recognized! Vermont takes part in this standardized survey effort each year to count Nightjars from Maine to Florida. Now in its third year, the Nightjar survey project is mapping and monitoring the distribution of Whip-poor-wills (in Vermont) and other Nightjars. These species are declining throughout some or all of their range. The surveys collect baseline information about the distribution and abundance of these species - the first important step towards establishing a conservation strategy. The survey consists of stops along a road route, and it will require two of your evenings, about 2 hours per evening. The first survey window is coming up, 15-28 May. The second survey window is 11-26 June. The routes that need coverage are in: Vernon Guilford Salisbury Peacham Bennington Hinesburg Rutland If you're interested in helping out, please let me know what route you can help with, and I'll send details right away. Cheers, Rosalind -- Rosalind Renfrew, PhD Vermont Center for Ecostudies PO Box 420 Norwich, VT 05055 802-649-1431 X 5 rrenfrew AT vtecostudies.org www.vtecostudies.orgSubject: Mystery song From: Gregory Askew <gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:17:44 -0400 Here at Northlands Job Corps in Vergennes there are two birds singing a song I can't quite place. We have a pretty open campus with scattered trees. The birds in question must be a passerine and one was singing fairly high in a maple. The song went like this... Sure te-o te-o too too sure The first note was the longest, the second and third were quicker and identical, and the last three had a buzzy quality. Any thoughts? Greg VergennesSubject: White crowned sparrows in Brownington From: carolyn boardman <carolyn.boardman AT HUGHES.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 09:28:21 -0400 5 White crowned sparrows were feeding madly on the ground under the feeder this morning Brownington carolyn boardmanSubject: directions to Chukar From: Evergreen Erb <evergreenerb AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 08:52:21 -0400 Hi All, Wendy Kent, whose house the Chukar is located at, said that it is still there this morning, and that she doesn't mind anyone coming to see it. I would ask people to respect the neighbors there and to stay in the street. It was very visible in the lawns of the houses when I saw him there yesterday. If you are coming from Burlington on rt. fifteen, come into Jericho past Joe's Snack Bar and the curve (staying on 15) go up the hill and you will pass the post office, J. Elementary School, and a big horse farm. About 1/2 mile more or less past that is a street called Raceway on the left. It is right before the Merchants Bank. Turn left there and follow the road for about a mile, or less, and then turn left up into a development with a big brown colonial on the corner. The road goes up a fairly steep hill. At the top, curve to the right, and then a few hundred feet later, curve to the left, still going up hill. The Kent's house is about six or seven houses up on the right. It is a yellow colonial with a flag pole, and is directly across from a street going to the left. She said the bird is still hanging out in her yard and in the yard of the people in the house to the right of hers. Again, please stay off people's property unless invited on. The name of the neighborhood is called "The Foothills" in case you have to ask anyone. I realize, and realized then, that this is probably an escapee from somewhere, but it really is so pretty and fun to see. I guess they can survive in our area during the winter. Who knows how this bird found a suburban neighborhood to hang out in for awhile? Happy Birding! Evergreen on Old Pump Rd. in JerichoSubject: Pine siskins From: Ernie Buford <ebuford AT UVM.EDU> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 08:11:54 -0400 Nine siskins hanging around my yard this morning in Richmond.... ErnieSubject: Carolina wren Pittsford , 5/8/08 From: 2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:31:16 +0000 Yesterday at the recreation field the following was observed. Sue Wetmore -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: do-not-reply AT ebird.org To: 2birdvt AT comcast.net Subject: eBird Report - Pittsford , 5/8/08 Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:23:40 +0000 > > > Location: Pittsford > Observation date: 5/8/08 > Notes: Carolina Wren was feeding nestlings. > Number of species: 20 > > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Northern Flicker 1 > Eastern Phoebe 2 > Blue-headed Vireo 1 > Blue Jay 3 > American Crow 1 > Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 > Black-capped Chickadee 1 > Tufted Titmouse 1 > White-breasted Nuthatch 1 > Carolina Wren 1 > Wood Thrush 1 > American Robin 2 > Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 > Ovenbird 2 > Scarlet Tanager 1 > Chipping Sparrow 1 > Song Sparrow 2 > Brown-headed Cowbird X > American Goldfinch 1 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)Subject: warbler From: 2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:17:25 +0000 A YELLOW WARBLER singing this morning along with a WARBLING VIREO. Two MEADOWLARKS at the old training school property north of Brandon. Sue WetmoreSubject: Chimney Swifts have returned to Waterbury From: Graham Bates <batesg AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 07:08:10 -0400 Yesterday afternoon the chimney swifts were a-twittering away over Waterbury...first time I have seen (or heard) them this year. A great sound... Graham Bates Waterbury -- http://teamrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/Subject: Bristol Waterworks From: Gregory Askew <gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 06:02:38 -0400 Yesterday: Least Flycatchers Great-crested Flycatchers No. Oriole ...among others. Warbler species: Ovenbird Yellow Yellow-rumped Pine BlackburnianSubject: Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? From: June Schulte <jschulte AT TOGETHER.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 22:31:07 -0400 Has anyone seen newly fledged birds yet? I sent Jane's question about the Bluejay being fed suet by a Downy Woodpecker to my son who is a wildlife biologist, and below is his take on it. ~ June in Jericho My guess is that this is a recently fledged blue jay and the downy woodpecker has young back in the nest. The blue jay is begging to anything it sees that has food and the downy woodpecker's feeding response is triggered by the behavior since it is geared up to feed babies at the moment. Birds are usually triggered to feed their young by the begging sound and the sight of the bright yellow/orange/red lining of the mouth of young birds. I guess this is just one overstimulated woodpecker. Pretty funny. The only other option is that female blue jays will display like that to males as part of the courtship display, but I doubt one would do that to a woodpecker!Subject: Looking for plants From: Deborah Lyter <mndlyter AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 21:54:39 -0400 Hi all, We have alot of open space in our yard as well as near the wooded areas of our home. Our hopes is to make this all more bird and butterfly friendly. Would love to get new species of birds coming in. If while any of you are thinning out your perrenial gardens including ground covers or most any type of perrenial flower, please let me know before tossing it away. We would love many kinds to fill in !! You can send message through here or email us at mndlyter AT comcast.net Thanks so much!! Debbie Lyter Bristol, VTSubject: Yardbirds today + Sora calling at Allen Bros. Marsh From: Julie Waters <julie AT RIVERARTSPROJECT.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 21:25:26 -0400 First, a quick pass through Allen Brothers Marsh yielded a calling sora, but no visuals on it. When I got home this evening, the feeders were a bit busy. After yesterday's Eastern Towhee, the surprises continued. Under the feeders this morning was a Brown Thrasher. It showed up again when I got home and I was able to get a photo of it. There was also a FOY ruby-throated hummingbird at our feeders today. Got photos of that as well. Also included were gorgeous looks at a rose-breasted grosbeak and a tufted titmouse. A real treat for me this afternoon was an American Redstart which just showed up and started bobbing about in the brush near the feeders while I was waiting for hummingbirds. I can not tell you how much work I've put into getting not very good photos of redstarts, so to be presented with such a solid look at one was a real treat. Finally, the orioles have been coming in a bit over the last few days, but never while I've been in a position to take photos. So I tried something that a friend of mine said has worked for her. I tried calling one in by whistling out my own mimicry of its call. I didn't think it was working but about 90 seconds after I'd stopped, one showed up and presented itself in the tree. Then it landed on the feeder pole. I expected it to go for the suet, which is what they ate a lot of last year. That's not where it was headed. Several years ago, we had an oriole feeder that the orioles never touched. Hummingbirds were at it a lot, but never an oriole. We eventually replaced it with a hummingbird feeder that worked perfectly well. Today, the oriole landed on the hummingbird feeder. These birds just don't know how they're supposed to behave. Photos at http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/_2008-05-08.php --julie -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- julie AT riverartsproject.com http://juliewaters.com/ We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the Complete Works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. --Robert WilenskySubject: 5/8 at Herricks From: Don Clark <sapsbks AT SOVER.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 20:29:51 -0400 Some of what was at Herricks this AM 2 Kingbird 3 Least Flycatcher 2 Gt crested Flycatcher 1 Willow Flycatcher 4 Warbling Vireo 9 Yellowthroats Ovenbird 3 Yellow-rump 5 Yellow W Osprey 8 B. Oriole 2 Winter Wren 12 Catbird 4 Wt Crowned Sp. 2 Wt Throats 10 Lesser Yellowlegs 3 Gt Yellowlegs 8 Least Sandpipers 5/6 1 Yellow-throated Vireo, 2 B&W Warbler, N Waterthrush, Thrasher, Palm Warblers, Savannahs, Bobolink, RB Grosbeak Don Clark GraftonSubject: Pine Hill Park, Rutland VT. From: TRACEY BUSONY <curtandtracey27 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 20:04:32 -0400 Finally things came alive at Pine Hill ! 1 Mourning Dove 3 Robins 2 Chickadees 4 American Goldfinch 1 American Redstart 1 Blk. and Wh. Warbler 1 Ovenbird 2 Blue Jays 6 White-throated Sparrows 1 Least Flycatcher TraceySubject: Interspecies behavior From: Jane Stein <jeshawks AT SHOREHAM.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 19:10:17 -0400 I just looked out my window and saw the darnedest thing. I have one of those house-shaped hanging feeders with suet cages on either end. Sitting on the ledge of the feeder, with wings drooping in a begging posture, was a bluejay -- presumably adult this time of year? -- being fed bits of suet by a female Downy Woodpecker at the suet feeder. What the...? If it had been one of the Hairy WPs-- There, they just did it again! --at least we'd be talking birds of similar size. If it was post-nesting and the Downy female was in the midst of feeding her own young bits at the feeder, at least the behaviors would make some sort of sense. But why in the world is an adult bluejay begging from a downy woodpecker this time of year, and why would the woodpecker feed it? Anybody have any thoughts on this? Jane Baffled in Shoreham...Subject: Re: chukar From: Bruce <mooseberrybush AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 14:03:49 -0700 In case you're interested: Chukars are raised and released by people who train dogs for bird hunting,. So the birds you see might not represent established populations. (That's important to some listers and not others.) They're still pretty cool looking birds! Bruce Parfitt Johnson, VT Evergreen ErbSubject: Warblers in NEK From: Bill & Jeanne Prue <wjprue AT JEANNERAECRAFTS.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 14:41:11 -0400 The problem with reading this email list for us here in the Northeast Kingdom is that we have to be so-o-o patient! Some of you were reporting warblers while we still had a foot of snow on the ground. But finally, they've returned. In our yard in Newport: 5/5 - Yellow-rumped warbler, first of the year Today, they just fell out of the sky! 5/8 - Redstart Black-throated Blue Warblers Black-throated Green Warblers Northern Parula Black and white Warbler Pine Warbler The hummers have traditionally returned to Newport on May 8. Right on schedule, a beautiful male Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up today to feast on the daffodils, tulips and hyacinth. Newport's had it's share of bears in the past week also, two adults and two cubs. We've been taking our feeders in at night now. But we heard of one resident who left a feeder that was located high on their house, thinking it was safe from bear raids. Maybe it was, but now the house has big claw marks all down the side. Bill & Jeanne Prue NewportSubject: Chimney Swifts in Proctor From: Roy Pilcher <ShamwariVT AT AOL.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 13:49:56 EDT Location: Proctor Observation date: 5/8/08 Number of species: 7 Turkey Vulture 2 Merlin 1 Chimney Swift 5 Tufted Titmouse X Carolina Wren 1 American Robin X Northern Cardinal X This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt) Cheers, Roy Pilcher The Gables at East Mountain, Rutland, Vermont Speaking the same language. **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)Subject: Northern Harrier in Pownal From: Mundi Smithers <amenfarm AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 13:31:08 -0400 FOY Northern Harier just sailed through our meadws!!! Mundi Mundi SmithersSubject: chukar From: Evergreen Erb <evergreenerb AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 13:29:39 -0400 A friend of mine here in Jericho called me a few hours ago to report a Chukar had been hanging out between her house and a neighbors, in a suburban neighborhood. I went up and saw it....what a gorgeous bird. I saw Gray Partridge in northern Vermont near Lake Champlain many years ago, but this was definitely a first for me. If you are interested in taking a look ( who knows how long it will hang around), email me off list and I will give you directions there. Evergreen in JerichoSubject: wren From: 2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 16:33:27 +0000 Today in Pittsford a CAROLINA WREN feeding nestlings. The nest is located under the eave of a carport. Sue WetmoreSubject: FOY eastern towhee, brown thrasher, rose-breasted grosbeak and house wren From: Hilke Breder <hbreder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 10:18:11 -0400 Several FOY birds showed up in my backyard over the past couple of days: a female eastern towhee on the grass around the feeder, a brown thrasher hammering away on something in the ground for several minutes, and a red-breasted grosbeak returned several times to the sunflower seed feeder. While in my closed-in porch I saw a house wren singing and hopping around in the rhododendron outside the window. I had to take a picture of that one too, although shot through glass and a screen. Here are some photos: http://www.onejackdaw.com/My%20NA%20Birds%20Gallery/Brown_Thrasher.html http://www.onejackdaw.com/My%20NA%20Birds%20Gallery/Eastern_Towhee.html http://www.onejackdaw.com/My%20NA%20Birds%20Gallery/HouseWren_Red- breasted_Grosbeak.html Hilke Breder BrattleboroSubject: West Rutland Marsh From: Carol Johnson <carol AT PETERMANSHIPDESIGNS.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 08:31:47 -0400 Birded the West Rutland Marsh and found the following: EasternTowhee 4 Baltimore Oriole 3 Yellow Warbler 1 Pheobe 1 Marsh Wrens many Swamp Sparrow 5 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Catbird 3 Wood duck 1 Mallards 5 m Song,Tree sparrows Canada Geese Chickadees Red-wings everywhere Tree Swallows Flicker 1 Raven 1 Robins Goldfinch 5 Pileated woodpeckers 2 Broad-wing Hawk 1 on Rt 4 Grackles A total of 25 species of bird,one Wood Chuck and five Butterflies which were : Silvery Blue 2 Photos at: http://carolandpetes.blogspot.com/2008/05/silvery-blue-butterfly.html Morning Cloak 1 Comma 1 Cabbage White 3 And what I think was a Spricebrush Swallowtail A very nice day at the marsh Good Birding Carol and Pete Ludlow Vt http://carolandpetes.blogspot.comSubject: Scarlet Tanager in Pownal From: Mundi Smithers <amenfarm AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 08:17:29 -0400 On a hike in our woods yesterday I had a lovely look at my FOY Scarlet Tanager and a wonderful opportunity to listen to a Winter Wren sing. I suspect that the wren won't be staying around but I can hope!! Mundi Pownal Mundi SmithersSubject: Northern Parula From: Jim Mead <jlmead AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 07:47:45 -0400 Hi All, A quick trip to Woodside Natural Area this morning presented me with great looks at a Northern Parula feeding high in the trees at the entrance to the trail. Enjoy Birds, Jim MeadSubject: White crowned Sparrow From: Bruce and Mary Lou <webson2 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 07:30:18 -0400 Yesterday, May 7, my FOY White crowned Sparrow showed up in the yard along with a small group of 5 Siskins. It was a treat to see them again. Monday, May 5, while stocking fish down in the Rawsonville area along the Windhall River I saw a Merlin and heard Black throated Blue and Black throated Green Warblers, Black and White Warblers. There were Spotted Sandpipers along several sections of the river. On another outing on Tuesday up into Addison Co. I heard my FOY catbird calling from the edge of an old orchard in an area just north of Snake Mt. The humming bird feeder is out and ready. Mary Lou Webster BrandonSubject: Re: Bobolink, etc. From: "Flewelling, Joel" <Joel.Flewelling AT STATE.VT.US> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 07:12:18 -0400 I also heard a loon calling as it was flying over yesterday at around 12:00 in Shrewsbury. ************************************************** Joel Flewelling, Fish and Wildlife Specialist Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department 271 North Main Street, Suite 215 Rutland, VT 05701-2423 (802) 786-3879 Office Also, I heard something that sounded very much like a loon. Possibly this was some hunter trying to summon a turkey - I cannot imagine finding a loon yodeling on the top of a mountain nowhere near any large body of water. Cheers! Davie Rolnick Rupert, VTSubject: thrasher From: 2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 10:57:05 +0000 A first for my yard---BROWN THRASHER feeding and fending off jays from ground seed. Also present WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. I'm still waiting for the hummers. Sue WetmoreSubject: Re: loon call From: Betty Jillson <bljillson AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 02:13:47 +0000 I had a common Loon fly over me in the mist as I was near the top of White Rocks in Wallingford on my way to watch hawks early one morning. Betty Jillson PO Box 58 Bridgewater Corners VT 05035> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 10:33:05 -0400> From: fogleman AT MVGALAXY.COM> Subject: [VTBIRD] loon call> To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU> > Hi Davie,> > Maybe you did hear a loon. They do sometimes call in flight, and they are> migrating right now. I've heard them in the funniest and most unexpected> places, such as right over downtown Montpelier!> > Susan Fogleman> Campton NH> > -----Original Message-----> From: Vermont Birds [mailto:VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of David Rolnick> Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 9:56 AM> To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU> Subject: [VTBIRD] Bobolink, etc.> > Also, I heard something that sounded very much like a loon. Possibly this > was some hunter trying to summon a turkey - I cannot imagine finding a loon > yodeling on the top of a mountain nowhere near any large body of water.> > Cheers!> > Davie Rolnick> Rupert, VT _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_messenger_052008Subject: Henwood Hill Rd. marsh & Herrick's Cove IBA From: Lance Tanino <Lance_Tanino AT ANTIOCHNE.EDU> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 21:15:02 -0400 07 May 2008 Henwood Hill Rd. (Allen Bros) marsh (7am) 1 Sora - calling Herrick's Cove IBA (4pm); a few patches of mudflat were exposed 10 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Greater Yellowlegs 4 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Warbling Vireo 3 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - observed a pair building a nest with lichen on a white birch branch 1 Baltimore Oriole - heard 1 Eastern KingbirdSubject: The Birds of Shelburne Farms From: Bruce MacPherson <BMacPhe AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 20:09:31 EDT Sorry for the late posting. Here is the bird list from last Saturday's GMAS field trip to Shelburne Farms. We had a large group which we divided into smaller groups that explored the property near the Lone Tree Trail, the Farm Trail, Whimsey Meadows, and the Lake. This is a composite list which includes the birds recorded by Chip Wright, Alison Wagner, Larry Haugh, Shirley Johnson, and myself. 35 species were identified despite the rain. Cattle Egret Great Blue Heron Canada Goose American Black Duck Mallard Ring-billed Gull Wild Turkey Osprey Mourning Dove Rock Pigeon Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Rough-winged Swallow American Crow Blue Jay Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird American Robin Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler (?) Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Northern Cardinal American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Bruce MacPherson South Burlington **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)Subject: FOY in Brownsville From: Marcia Baker <bakermlb AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 19:13:29 -0400 Quite a FOY Day in Brownsville:? First a white crowned sparrow; then two ruby throated hummingbirds (a week earlier than any?previous year;) then an eastern kingbird; and finally, a bobolink.? Along with the rose breasted grosbeaks, the oriole and the black and white warbler, it has been quite the FOY week.? Happy Migration to All! ? MarciaSubject: Adventures in the NE Kingdom: BLVU, SPGR, Migrants From: Michael Benjamin Lester <mlester AT UVM.EDU> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 18:07:16 -0400 Autumn Amici, Tom Ford-Hutchinson and I birded Moose Bog this morning for several hours. Our highlights include: 2 SPRUCE GROUSE-- male displaying to female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 Blue-headed Vireos Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglets Ruby-crowned Kinglets Hermit Thrush Nashville Warbler Black-throated Green Warblers Yellow-rumped Warblers Palm Warbler Northern Waterthrush Swamp Sparrow Purple Finch On our way back, we took Hudson Rd. in East Charleston where we spotted: 2 Ruffed Grouse along the side of the road, and 1 Eastern King Then, while driving along rt 15 , we saw 1 BLACK VULTURE flying overhead near Jeffersonville, and 1 Broad-winged Hawk sitting very cooperatively on a power line in Underhill Tom's pictures (Spruce Grouse and Broad-winged Hawk) can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77523243 AT N00/ Michael Lester UVMSubject: Hummingbird presentation in Vergennes From: Winslows <mikekira AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 16:25:35 -0400 On Thursday May 15th Ernie Franzgrote will present a presentation on his attempt in 2000 to see and videotape 200 species of hummingbirds. The event takes place at the Bixby Library on Main St. in Vergennes at 7PM. The Hummingbird Society says, "No other video study of hummingbirds matches what Dr. Franzgrote has created in the past ten years.His expertise with video is exceptional!" The event is free and open to the public. For more information please contact the library at 877-2211. This event is co-sponsored by Otter Creek Audubon.Subject: hummer in Waitsfield From: Patricia Folsom <pfols AT GMAVT.NET> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 16:07:51 -0400 First male hummer just arrived in the yard, wonderful! PatSubject: hummers in the NEK From: carolyn boardman <carolyn.boardman AT HUGHES.NET> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 14:31:14 -0400 A male ruby throated hummingbird has found our feeders in Brownington as of yesterday May 6 th. He has come today, also. Here to stay I'd say. carolyn boardmanSubject: Suspected Mockingbird and Towhee in Monkton From: "Lawrence, Miriam" <mlawrence AT HORSESMOUTH.COM> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 14:09:33 -0400 Pretty sure I heard an Eastern Towhee here in our yard twice this morning, but
not able to see to confirm. Would be a first for us.
Also saw what I am pretty sure was a Northern Mockingbird -- the light was
tough, but it was the right size, longish tail, light gray breast, thin black
stripe through eye, very mocker-like beak, and white wing patches were visible
when it took flight. Again, can't confirm, but I can't think what else it could
have been and this would also be a first for our yard, so I thought it worth
mentioning.
Lastly, like everyone else, we got our first Baltimore Orioles here this
morning.
Miriam Lawrence
Monkton
________________________________
From: Vermont Birds on behalf of Julie Waters
Sent: Wed 5/7/2008 1:41 PM
To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [VTBIRD] Eastern Towhee under feeder in Westminster
I have -never- seen an Eastern Towhee in our yard before. I had to
double-check with binoculars but yeah-- absolutely no doubt. There
is, right this moment, an Eastern Towhee feeding from the seed on the
ground beneath the birdfeeders.
Additionally, beyond the standard birds (grackles, robins,
goldfinches, wb nuthatches, bc chickadees, etc.) we have Pine
Siskins, American Redstarts, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore
Orioles in the yard.
This morning at Allen Brothers Marsh, I was able to photograph a
yellow warbler, a warbling vireo and a tree swallow:
http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/_2008-05-07.php
I'll post more later if anything new comes up but the towhee was such
a surprise I just wanted to get it out there.
--julie
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
julie AT riverartsproject.com http://juliewaters.com/
We've heard that a million monkeys at a million
keyboards could produce the Complete Works of
Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know
this is not true.
--Robert Wilensky
Subject: Eastern Towhee under feeder in WestminsterFrom: Julie Waters <julie AT RIVERARTSPROJECT.COM> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 13:41:16 -0400 I have -never- seen an Eastern Towhee in our yard before. I had to double-check with binoculars but yeah-- absolutely no doubt. There is, right this moment, an Eastern Towhee feeding from the seed on the ground beneath the birdfeeders. Additionally, beyond the standard birds (grackles, robins, goldfinches, wb nuthatches, bc chickadees, etc.) we have Pine Siskins, American Redstarts, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles in the yard. This morning at Allen Brothers Marsh, I was able to photograph a yellow warbler, a warbling vireo and a tree swallow: http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/_2008-05-07.php I'll post more later if anything new comes up but the towhee was such a surprise I just wanted to get it out there. --julie -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- julie AT riverartsproject.com http://juliewaters.com/ We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the Complete Works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. --Robert Wilensky |