BIRDCHAT for Saturday, May 3, 2008

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   "Dendroica tsunami": Fw: [JerseyBirds] Garret Mtn (Saturday morning)   Robert Kyse   3:19pm   The truth behind bird photography   R.D. Everhart   4:41pm

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Subject: "Dendroica tsunami":  Fw: [JerseyBirds] Garret Mtn (Saturday
          morning)
From: "Robert Kyse" <RobertKyse(AT)cableone.net>
Date: 3 May 2008 3:19pm

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Workman" <JSWorkman(AT)AOL.COM>
To: <JerseyBirds(AT)Princeton.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 1:59 PM
Subject: [JerseyBirds] Garret Mtn (Saturday morning)

> It was gray, completely overcast, and a bit foggy this morning at Garret.
> Way too damp and cold for May 3.  Terrible, diffused light.   No sun. 
> And the
> birding was absolutely terrific!
>
> Pilgrims to the "Magic Mountain", especially those there very early this
> morning, wandered about with big goofy grins on their faces, a bit like 
> exultant
> surfers who'd just ridden one wave, and were waiting for the next big one.
>
> For the birds did come down in waves.  Waves which swept over large 
> sections
> of the reserve.
>
> While migrant arrivals could be found throughout the park,  the great 
> moments
> were when the birds seemed to just drop wholesale out of the leaden sky,
> swoosh into the branches overhead, work them for a while, and then chase 
> each
> other off -- while being followed in by more.
>
> At one point, a local birder used the phrase "like an insect swarm".   At
> another point, he said (and I expected this):  "It was even better 
> yesterday.
> You should have been here!"
>
> I was lucky to catch one respectable Dendroica tsunami right after it 
> crested
> over, and landed on, the tree tops near the Elvis Parking Lot.    That was
> around 6:50AM.   The Black-throated Greens were singing so loudly and
> continuously that they almost drowned out the other birds, which included 
> numerous
> Yellow-rumps.
>
> I'll try to be accurate here.  There were, in about the six biggest oaks
> nearest me, something close to 60 or 70 birds total.  Only 60 or 70 in 
> about six
> trees.   That's about as far as I could reasonably sample.
>
> Were there birds in the other trees nearby?  Yes.   Did I look at them 
> too?
> I tried.    Did I have a methodology in sorting out the birds?  No.
>
> The experience was a bit like being on some sort of stationery pub crawl.
> The overall effect of the numbers and the noise on one's senses was 
> multiplied,
> since about half of the birds in each tree were continually flying about,
> flying out, then back in, and then out, and then off, and then being 
> replaced by
> others dropping in.   Time was somewhat altered.  One wanted to see them 
> all,
> but could not.
>
> The next most prominent species (from my small spot looking into the
> spectacle) were Chipping Sparrows (everywhere) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. 
> There were
> also good numbers of Black-and-white Warblers (in fact, in one tree there 
> was
> a single limb that was filthy with them;  five beauties who bumped 
> comically
> into each other).
>
> Also:  Blue-headed Vireos, which this morning did not live up to their
> scientific name.    Vireo solitarius was not a loner, and had plenty of 
> company.  I
> counted 17 of them, and then stopped.  It was time to pay greater 
> attention to
> some of the birds without gorgeous gray-blue heads, lemon flanks, and 
> white
> spectacles.
>
> Sifting through the exciting and confusing groups of moving birds (again, 
> in
> the bad light), one could still pick out the occasional Blue-winged 
> Warbler,
> Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue, and Blackburnian.
>
> So for me, the best part of the morning was the hectic first hour.  Most 
> of
> the rest of my time was spent sampling some of the more obscure parts of 
> Garret
> Mtn to see what the gray surf of air had washed in.
>
> By noon, I'd logged 17 warbler species.  But note:  several other birders
> there did much better.   (I should have birded with them.)
>
> Notable was a Hooded Warbler at Wilson Ave. (a male not quite yet into 
> full
> breeding plumage).   There were also good numbers of Ovenbirds in the
> understory (what's left of it, thanks to the area's dire overpopulation of 
> deer, which
> will no doubt prevent many ground dwelling birds from nesting here).
>
> The morning's biggest surprises:   a Winter Wren that sang an abbreviated
> segment of its complicated song;   and a Red-breasted Nuthatch blowing its 
> tin
> horn.
>
> John Workman
> Ridgewood, NJ
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> **************
> Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family
> favorites at AOL Food.
>
> (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) 

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Subject: The truth behind bird photography
From: "R.D. Everhart" <everhart(AT)black-hole.com>
Date: 3 May 2008 4:41pm

In an attempt to make lots of people feel better about the photos
they've taken of birds they've encountered, I've posted some of my
"work" from this morning's banding session in Lakeville, MN.

http://minnesotabirdnerd.blogspot.com

Humbly yours,
Roger Everhart
Apple Valley, MN
www.ncbo.org

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