| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 654.1 | Well, I'm still birding.... | ROCKS::ROBINSON | Seasonally adjusted | Fri May 09 1997 10:08 | 12 |
| May 9th and no sightings yet? Is this the demise of VMS, no birders
left at DEC or something else?
Large numbers of Whitethroats as I cycled into work this morning. I
counted 14 without trying or stopping. Also 1 Nightingale (my first of
the year), Sedge Warbler, lots of (Barn) Swallows but still no House
Martins.
I heard my first Cuckoo on Monday and there were dozens of Swifts at
Theale on Tuesday.
Chris
|
| 654.2 | near HLO | BIGQ::GARDNER | justme....jacqui | Fri May 09 1997 11:39 | 9 |
|
My feeders are being ravaged by bright feathered goldfinches
in Hudson (MA). I will have to restock this weekend. The
cardinals are still around, the nuthatches, chickadees, heard
a woodpecker or two, the grackles, bluejays, squirrels of course,
and a few others that my mind refuses to name for me presently
without prompting from my poster.
justme
|
| 654.3 | Myrtle warbler. | BASEX::EISENBRAUN | John Eisenbraun | Fri May 09 1997 12:49 | 1 |
| Myrtle warbler last weekend. (Detroit, MI)
|
| 654.4 | b&w warbler in NH | SALEM::PERRY_W | | Sat May 10 1997 12:19 | 6 |
|
Black and white warbler last Wed. Hampstead NH, USA.
Bill
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| 654.5 | Skylarks on Skye. | BROUGH::DAVIES | Hype is a 4 letter word ! | Mon May 12 1997 06:14 | 46 |
| I have just returned from a week of R&R on the Island of Skye. For the US
readers of this conference, SKYE is located in the North West of the British
Isles off the west coast of Scotland. Skye is approx 80 miles long with
mountains (Cullins) and morland. It is not noted for its birds and that was not
my primary reason for going there. This was 1) Fishing and 2) Deer Stalking
with a Camera. The Sea is very clean and the abundance of fish & shellfish
make this a good place to see Whales (Minkies), Seals & Otters. The Geology
is in the main some of the oldest rocks in the world (600Million Years). This
makes the sea cliffs in the main not very good for nesting sea birds as
the Basalt Columns do not provide many ledges for nests.
Here are the birds seen in the week.
Eider Oystercatcher Merganser
Gt Northern Diver Red Throated Diver Dipper
Heron Common Gull Cormorant
Shag Mallard Herring Gull
Black Headed Gull Common Tern Lesser Black Backed Gull
Artic Tern Gannet Kittiwake
Black Guilliemot Razorbill Ringed Plover
White Tailed Sea Eagle Sanderling Turnstone
Robin Wood Warbler Cuckoo
Buzzard Skylark Wheatear
Rock Pipit Common Sandpiper Golden Plover
Meadow Pipit WhiteThroat Winchat
StoneChat Sedge Warbler Song Thrush
Golden Eagle Hen Harrier Hooded Crow
Raven Lapwing Black Grouse
Caparcaille Ptarmigan Pied Wagtail
There is a lot of concern about the reduction in species like the Skylark
Lapwing and Thrush in the UK. All I can say is go to Skye. Every time I went
walking over the moors I heard and saw Skylarks. Sometimes there were 3 or 4
within earshot. It is also a good place to see Wheatears and Meadow Pipits.
They arer also very common. Many of the spieces listed above are at the northern
limit of their range. This was true with the Sedge Warbler and Cuckoo. I saw
these at the very norther tip of Skye. The next obstacle to the north is the
Artic Icecap. If I had not been deer stalking I would not have seen the
game birds or the golden eagle. The weather was very bad for most of my trip
with Snow Sqalls coming in from the north. At one point I almost stood on a
Black Grouse as it sat on its nest containing 4 eggs. I was walking into a
blizzard so I could not see much in front of me.
Stephen Davies
|
| 654.6 | | JAMIN::MAJEWSKI | | Mon May 12 1997 09:31 | 7 |
| on Friday (9-may) I saw a male Baltimore Oriole.
on Sunday (11-may) I had a male hummingbird visiting my feeders. What
surprise!
Litchfield, NH USA
|
| 654.7 | Epsom, NH | TLE::PARODI | | Mon May 12 1997 16:56 | 7 |
|
Yup, the birds must have been in a holding pattern south of NH. This
weekend I saw a male northern oriole, male hummingbirds, male rose
breasted grosbeak, and a pair of bluebirds.
JP
|
| 654.8 | More spottings on Skye. | BROUGH::DAVIES | Hype is a 4 letter word ! | Wed May 14 1997 10:23 | 14 |
| I forgot these in .4
Swallow
House Martin
Bean Goose (200+)
Pink Foot Goose (150+)
Greylag Goose (40+)
This year should be a good year for those birds which rely on catching insects.
The infamous MIDGIES were already about. Usually they appear in late may.
Stephen Davies
|
| 654.9 | Ontario, Canada | TROOA::TEMPLETON | Unhappy gardener | Thu May 15 1997 09:48 | 19 |
| I have the usual Finches, Sparrows, Redwing blackbirds, Brown headed
cowbirds, Grackles, Starlings, Doves and Robins.
Only one Humming Bird and that was a female, what do they nest in? she
seemed to be very interested in a large pine tree, kept going back to
it after each visit to the feeder.
The one new visitor to my feeders was last night, an Indigo Bunting, my
what an attractive looking bird it is.
I did hear an Oriole, Cardinal and I think Cedar Waxwings but did not see
them.
On the way to and from the office every puddle seems to have a pair of
Mallards or Canada Geese in it, also there are lots of Crows, Red
Tailed and Red Shouldered Hawks. Yesterday we saw a Heron but the light
was so bad I could not see what kind.
joan
|
| 654.11 | Envious | ROCKS::ROBINSON | Seasonally adjusted | Fri May 16 1997 08:35 | 4 |
| Just 500km north of you Mike exactly half of your list would be
lifers for me. I'll leave you to figure out which...
Chris
|
| 654.12 | Theale UK | ROCKS::ROBINSON | Seasonally adjusted | Mon May 19 1997 13:52 | 13 |
| I took the YOC (Young Ornithologists Club) for our annual spring/summer
walk around Theale Gravel Pits. We just did a slow circuit of the "Fox
and Hounds" pit (aka Hosehill lake). The work of Brian Uttley and the
Theale Area Conservation Group is really starting to pay dividends.
There were loads (technical term) of Reed Warblers in (yes) the reeds
that they've planted around the edges. Also Sedge Warblers in good
numbers. The Tern islands are well-populated this year too. The
artificial Sand Martin wall is looking good but not yet finished so no
residents yet.
Other sightings/hearings: Nightingale, Turtle Dove, Garden
Warbler, Reed Bunting, Sand Martin, Cuckoo + usual water stuff.
Chris
|
| 654.13 | Mt. Auburn cemetary -- birding party (USA) | ASDG::BECHTLER | | Mon May 19 1997 14:03 | 92 |
| Birding Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., USA (in greater Boston
area) during peak times is an experience no local birders should miss.
I can't believe I've lived here 5 years and haven't made the effort
before now. I live out in the far suburbs and generally like to bird
alone, enjoying the solitude and the challenge of finding my own birds.
But when you really want to fill out that list (year, state, life,
whatever) Mt. Auburn is just the ticket.
It's like one big birding trip. Seems like 50% of the visitors there
had binoculars. The place is a spectacular migrant trap, and there are
so many birders around that you can find out what was seen, when and
where. I think if you take a lunch and spend a few hours or a day
there, you'll see many birds. I spent 3 hours there Saturday and then
again Sunday; I missed some good birds that were around but I have
faith that a little more patience would have been rewarded.
And the sheer beauty of the flowering trees doesn't hurt, either. It's
a lovely place. Mid-May is the peak both for wood warbler migration
and flowering trees.
For warblers, I saw:
Canada warbler (1)
American redstart (many, M & F)
Black-throated green warbler (several)
Yellow-rumped warbler (many)
Black-throated blue warbler (several, M & F)
Yellow warbler (a few)
Chestnut-sided warbler (several)
Black & white warbler (many)
Magnolia warbler (several to many)
Blue-winged warbler (1)
Northern parula (a few)
Ovenbird (1)
Blackburnian warbler (1)
Pine warbler (1)
Wilson's warbler (1 male)
Female hooded or Wilson's (not the best look)
These birds are around in my local areas -- just much much harder to
find. It's so wooded out in most of Mass. that the birds are spread
out and it's harder to get so many species.
Other birds I saw at Mt. Auburn:
Wood thrush
Swainson's thrush
Veery
Scarlet tanager (several, males are BRILLIANT red)
Baltimore oriole
Red-eyed vireo
Fish crow
Ruby-throated hummingbird
White-eyed vireo
Red-tailed hawk
Cedar waxwing
Green heron
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
plus the usual list of common birds:
White-breasted nuthatch
American robin
Mourning dove
Gray catbird
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
European starling
Canada goose
Mallard
American crow
Blue jay
Northern cardinal
House sparrow
American goldfinch
Chipping sparrow
Northern mockingbird
Black-capped chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Eastern phoebe
I'm going back next weekend!
Birds reported that I missed:
Indigo bunting
Black-billed cuckoo
Worm-eating warbler
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Cerulean warbler
Blackpoll warbler
|
| 654.14 | Rufous-sided Towhee in Hollis, NH | IMBETR::NEUVONEN | | Mon May 19 1997 14:22 | 9 |
| I saw my first male Rufous-sided Towhee last Wednesday at Overlook CC
in Hollis, NH. I went back to play golf this weekend and saw another
one (same one?). I actually had to shoo it off the front of the tee
box so that I could hit the ball.
Also saw LOTS of male Northern Orioles as well. Still waiting to see
the bluebirds again...
Sharon
|
| 654.15 | VMS alive and kicking | COMICS::WYKESJ | | Tue May 20 1997 06:19 | 9 |
| Re .1
VMS is alive and kicking at Viables Chris and so are the birders (well me at
least!)
I saw some House Martins at the end of April at Dinton Pastures. Haven't seen
any Swallows yet.
Justin. (OpenVMS Group)
|
| 654.16 | Next time | ROCKS::ROBINSON | Seasonally adjusted | Tue May 20 1997 08:14 | 7 |
| Re .13
This is more like the "good old days" of this notesfile when (it seemed
like) Mt. Auburn was mentioned in every other sightings note!
This site was the one place I really regret not visiting when Roy Young
and I were over in the US five years ago.
Chris
|
| 654.17 | | BIGQ::GARDNER | justme....jacqui | Tue May 20 1997 09:23 | 9 |
|
I saw a Great Blue Heron whilst driving down Route 20 East on
the Marlboro/Sudbury line. It was flying overhead from the
Wayside Inn area to the Raytheon Complex in Marlboro. Both
sides have good conditions for a Rookery. Didn't stop to find
out if there is one.
justme....jacqui
|
| 654.18 | Egyptian Vulture etc... | BEORN::16.184.3.94::BOWMAN | | Wed May 21 1997 03:45 | 15 |
| Re. 654.11
Mike,
Just to add to it, last weekend I saw Great Reed Warbler and Egyptian Vulture.
The GRWs have become very rare in this area so that was a pleasure. While I was
watching them some youths gave a shout. I looked up and my first thought was oh
its a White Stork, but it didn't have the neck and legs. It was a migrating
adult Egyptian Vulture in a group of Honey Buzzards. This is only about the
12th EV sighting ever for Switzerland so we were pretty pleased. Yet another
raptor that has become very rare indeed in continental Europe with just a few
couples in the south of France and the extreme toe of Italy and Sicily.
Nevertheless they bred in this area 100 years ago.
Mike
|
| 654.19 | Keep some of them for me! | BEORN::16.184.3.94::BOWMAN | | Wed May 21 1997 03:50 | 12 |
| RE. 654.13
Hold back some of the birds in Mt Auburn until I come! I shall be visiting New
England from 26 May though 5 June....
I guess I better stop off there on the way into 3M from Logan on Monday!
Mt AUburn is certainly a wonderful birding spot and as you say the visitors
with binoculars completely outnumber the others... Its the only cemetary in
which I have seen a bird day list at the entry...
Mike
|
| 654.20 | Ontario, Canada | TROOA::TEMPLETON | Unhappy gardener | Wed May 21 1997 09:01 | 25 |
| Unusual for such a built up area but,
There was a commotion in the back yard last night and when I looked out
there was a very large flock of gold finches, more than I have ever
seen in one place at the same time, while I was watching them a pair of
mallards drifted in and landed on our neighbors swimming pool, it still
has the winter tarp on and there is about is about six inches of
rainwater on it, they hung around for about a half hour, until our
neighbors daughter got too close while taking pictures, I think they
might have spent the night there as it was very windy and they were in
a nice sheltered spot.
This morning I was watching white crowned sparrows when an oriole
landed on the hummingbird feeder and started to drink, suddenly
the hummingbird shot out from a bush and started to dive bomb it, after
a few minutes the oriole left and the hummingbird took over, fiesty
little things arent they.
I was very reluctant to leave for work this morning, my back yard is
turning unto a very intersting place.
And on the way to work we saw the two swans that had wintered over, in
the classic wedding card pose, their bodies almost touching, necks
arched, beak to beak, we did stop for a minute they looked so lovely.
I am going to have to start taking a camera every where I go.
joan
|
| 654.21 | Also in Spain | BROUGH::DAVIES | Hype is a 4 letter word ! | Tue May 27 1997 07:48 | 9 |
| Re .18
Egyptian Vultures are VERY common in Andalucia, Spain. A few years ago
I saw about 100 in the air at the same time at one place in the mountains
aboyt 60km NW of Malaga.
Regards,
Stephen Davies
|
| 654.22 | Isle of shoals, NH USA | SALEM::PERRY_W | | Tue May 27 1997 09:00 | 23 |
|
Trip to Appledore Island off the coast of NH on Sat 24 May.
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat Warbler -many-
Yellow rumped Warbler
Common Eider -nesting on rocks-
Red bellied Woodpecker -Doesn't have a red belly??-
Black and white Warbler
Kingbird
Song Sparrow
Greater yellowlegs
Black crown night Herron
Glossy Ibis
Snowy Egret
Nashville warbler
Philadelphia Vireo
ovenbird
Pine siskin
Ruby crown kinglet
and more!
bill
|
| 654.23 | 3-day weekend birding in Mass (USA) | ASDG::BECHTLER | | Tue May 27 1997 11:45 | 73 |
| Good birding weekend...a 3 day weekend here in the US. It rained
Sunday but otherwise weather was great. I joined a Brookline Bird Club
trip to Newburyport on Saturday; also birded locally on Friday after
work and Monday morning, plus made a quick stop at Mt. Auburn cemetery
on Monday afternoon.
Total for weekend: 88 species, including 16 warblers, 5 flycatchers,
and 7 shorebirds; 3 life birds. Missed a few good ones, too.
Saturday was the best day, with a warbler parade at Oak Hill cemetery
(on Newburyport/Newbury town line) in the morning and a nice day at
Plum Island in the late morning/early afternoon...69 species for the
day. Sunday it rained lightly; I didn't bird but heard that it was a
good day nonetheless. Sunday night was very clear, consequently Monday
seemed a little light -- many birds probably flew out. Monday
afternoon was pretty quiet at Mt. Auburn, due to time of day, warmth of
temperature, and fewer birds around to begin with. I didn't do enough
sleuth work, however, as I read in the MASSBIRD e-mail digest this
morning that a Mourning warbler was there at that time, if I had only
looked in the right place. Oh, well, they should be around for another
week or two.
Warblers for weekend:
Ovenbird
Canada
Chestnut-sided
Magnolia
Blackburnian
Common yellowthroat
Bay-breasted
American redstart
Cape May
Yellow
Black-throated blue
Black-throated green
Northern parula
Tennessee (life bird for me)
Yellow-rumped
Black and white
Flycatchers:
Eastern phoebe
Eastern wood-pewee
Least (at Mt. Auburn)
Willow (at Bolton Flats)
Olive-sided (life bird, at Plum Island)
Shorebirds:
Willet
Least sandpiper
Lesser yellowlegs
Greater yellowlegs (thx to BBC experts for ID help!)
Black-bellied plover
Killdeer
Spotted sandpiper
Herons and egrets:
Green heron
Black-crowned night heron
Great blue heron
Great egret
Snowy egret
Other "good" birds:
Rose-breasted grosbeak (one of my favorite birds)
Indigo bunting (cooperative singing male)
Scarlet tanager (seeing more than usual this year)
Bank/barn/tree swallows, plus Purple martins
Purple finch
Savannah sparrow
Rest of list filled out with the usual common species.
|
| 654.24 | Addendum to .23 | ASDG::BECHTLER | | Tue May 27 1997 11:55 | 16 |
| Oops, I forgot one of my life birds! A beautiful female Wilson's
phalarope at Plum Island.
It really helped being on the BBC trip...between their CB radios and
the fact that the leaders knew many of the other birders that we saw
out there, word of good birds was easily spread. I would have missed
the phalarope on my own.
Many of the BBC (Brookline Bird Club) members are retired and can bird
intensively. One of the men on the trip has 253 birds in Massachusetts
already for 1997! I was impressed, considering that the yearly highs
for individuals are usually about 315, and the yearly total for ALL
sightings on BBC trips was 368 for 1996. I only have about half his
total...but then, I wasn't very energetically birding during the
winter.
|
| 654.25 | Scarlet Tanager, Male and Female. | NETCAD::CREEGAN | | Tue May 27 1997 14:40 | 8 |
| Male and Female Scarlet Tanager
in Poland, Maine as they make their
migration from South America to South
Cananda. A red-velvet bird with black
wings whose mate is greenish-yellow.
I've read they only have a window of
three-four weeks of coming through
the area. Wish I hear him sing.
|
| 654.26 | Hollis, NH | IMBETR::NEUVONEN | | Thu May 29 1997 14:14 | 6 |
| At Overlook CC in Hollis, NH:
Male and female Rufous-sided Towhee
Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Still looking for the bluebirds...
|
| 654.27 | Danube Delta, Rumania | BROUGH::DAVIES | Hype is a 4 letter word ! | Fri May 30 1997 05:13 | 29 |
| I have just come back form a work assignment in Rumania. As I worked over a
weekend, I took two days off before I came back. I went with someone from
the local Digital office to the Danube Delta.
The delta is a World Biosphere site. It is a really amazing place. It is partly
in the Ukraine but most is in Rumania. It also extends south down the coast
towards the port of Constanza. This bit is a more conventional wetland area.
Here is a list of some of then birds that were seen.
Hooded Crow Raven Rook
Starling Tree Sparrow Sand Martin
Swallow House Martin Kestrel
Avocet Grey Heron Squacco Heron
Night Heron Great White Eagret ?? Ibis {forgot which one}
Cormorant Mallard Great Crested Grebe
Mute Swan Pochard Egyptian Goose
Shellduck Bee Eater Kingfisher
White Pelican Willow Warbler Grashopper Warbler
Pied Wagtail Crested Lark Skylark
The Bee Eaters were a first for me. They are beautiful birds.
I got some real close up photos of some Cormorant Fledgelings (2ft away)
Regards,
Stephen Davies
|
| 654.28 | Plymouth, Mass. area (USA) | ASDG::BECHTLER | | Mon Jun 02 1997 13:34 | 29 |
| One more BBC (Brookline [Mass., USA] Bird Club) trip this weekend --
resulting in several more life birds (as well as one life
tick...yuck...fortunately it was a dog tick and not a deer tick).
This was a marathon trip, in part because the leader was going for a
new personal record for the month of May in Massachusetts; by the end
of the day he thought it was around 215. An impressive total for one
month, but of course May is THE month to bird in Massachusetts.
We hit Myles Standish State Forest at dawn and again at dusk; in
between was a visit to the Plymouth Beach tern colony, the Plymouth
airport, and the access road to the nuclear power plant.
Best birds: Willow and Alder flycatchers
Least, Common, Roseate and Arctic terns
Piping plover, plus Black-bellied plover and
Semipalmated sandpiper
A late and out of place Blue-winged Teal
Grasshopper and Vesper sparrows
Whip-poor-will flying close by at dusk
Prairie, Pine and Blackpoll warblers
Most of these birds are breeders by now; not too many migrants seen.
A great day...
Laurie
|