BIRDCHAT for Friday, July 10, 2009

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   Desperate Crossbills   Julian Bell   2:23pm   RFI - Nevada   Jack Windsor    4:10pm

To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'. This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.

[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Desperate Crossbills
From: "Julian Bell" <jules(AT)naturalbornbirder.com>
Date: 10 Jul 2009 2:23pm

During a recent trip offshore in the Norwegian sector I experienced a movement
of Common Crossbills. This was part of a wider movement that brought birds to
the Shetland Islands and to the U.K. Nothing too unusual about that one might
say.

However, I witnessed, and photographed, some behaviour I hadn't seen before -
exhausted and presumably starving birds eating welding slag, an adult female
feeding an adult male and Crossbills trying to find food in rigging and
ropework. Some more details and pictures can be viewed here:
http://www.naturalbornbirder.com/articles/desparate_crossbills.html

Some did actually do normal stuff like eat crumbs thrown to them by the
crew....

I have read about this species eating all kinds of things that weren't pine
cones but welding slag certainly hasn't featured in anything I have read and
neither has adults feeding adults in such circumstances.

Have a great summer.
 
Julian Bell
SW Norway

Website: http://www.naturalbornbirder.com/
Latest News: http://oeygardenbirds.blogspot.com/

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: RFI - Nevada
From: Jack Windsor <greystrix(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 10 Jul 2009 4:10pm

Dear all;  I will be in Nevada, other than Las Vegas from Aug 1 to Aug 4th.  My
plan is to go to the Ruby Mountains and look for the Himalayan Snowcock.  I
would like to ask the following:

1.  Where is the best pace to look for the snowcocks ?

2.  Suggestions for hotels/motels in Elko.

3. Anyone interested in guiding my wife and I ?

4. Would appreciate any pertinate information, re; the snowcocks.

Side comment;  Shouldn't it be snowfowl ?  

Cheers and thanking you in advance for any information.

Jack Windsor
Lufkin, TX

      

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html