CarolinaBirds for Monday, April 3, 2006

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   Oystercatcher nest, first RTHummer, spring migrants   jeff lewis    8:14am   Spring Arrivals at Goose Creek State Park   Curtis Dykstra    8:44am   First Hummer and Spring songsters   kaye fenlon   8:40am   Re: Vesper Sparrow at Jordan Lake   Norman Budnitz    10:30am   Sound recording equipment   Doug Pratt    11:22am   Spring Singers, etc.   Sandy Cash    11:35am   Hummer!   Joanne Harley   11:43am   Cape May Warbler at Seabrook Is. (SC)   Jim Edwards   11:58am   Re: Sound recording equipment   William Majoros    12:42pm   Carrying a parabola   Doug Pratt    2:26pm   Re: Sound recording equipment   miaim(AT)mebtel.net   3:11pm   leucitic robin   Phil Dickinson   3:08pm   RFI: Spcecialties   brendan o'sullivan   3:35pm   Lower Saluda 04/03   Jason Giovannone   3:47pm   Huntington Beach State Park   JMCBLake(AT)aol.com   3:49pm   Buncombe Cty.Update   Wayne K. Forsythe   4:51pm   Pea Island, Nags Head, Alligator River, Palmetto-Peartree and Lake Phelps trip   mike    4:54pm   Me too, me too ;)   KC Foggin   5:10pm   Eurothrash invading Ocracoke Island   Susse Wright    5:52pm   Carolinas Nature Sound Workshop/Conference in March, May or June, 2007   Robin Carter   5:57pm   Another RTHB in Moore Co.   Ann Robertson    6:27pm   RE: sound recording equipment   Robin Carter   7:06pm   Re: Carolinas Nature Sound Workshop/Conference in March, May or June, 2007   miaim(AT)mebtel.net   7:22pm   Forsyth Hummer   Phil Dickinson   7:56pm   Chimney Shifts   Keith Camburn   8:28pm   Screech Owl, migrants   Sandy Cash    9:19pm   late night mockingbirds   David Brooks   9:37pm   Is Cackling Goose possible at Pea Island NWR?     10:04pm   firsts and lasts?   Chris Helms    11:17pm

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

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Subject: Oystercatcher nest, first RTHummer, spring migrants
From: jeff lewis <jlewis_obx(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 8:14am

Hi folks,
My first adult male spring Ruby-throat showed up at
the house on saturday. With 2 of my wintering birds
stil here; conflicts are imminent! Have been getting a
few other spring migrants the last week or so here on
Roanoke Island: Yel-throateds, Prairies, BTGreens,
Black-and-whites. Saw my first Barn Swallows and
Purple MArtins yesterday. Had a singing Brown Creeper
in the gardens, that was nice!

Yesterday at Pea Island I stumbled across an
Oystercatcher nest, complete with three eggs - oops!
I backed off and took a few shots of the parent on the
nest, then left the area. This morning I called Fish
and Wildlife so they could get the ropes and signs put
up. Also at Pea Island, the (assumed injured) Brant is
still hanging around the groin. 

Cheers,
Jeff Lewis
Manteo, NC

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Subject: Spring Arrivals at Goose Creek State Park
From: Curtis Dykstra <curtis.dykstra(AT)ncmail.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 8:44am

Carolina Birders -
This weekend produced some new arrivals here at Goose Creek State Park.  
Ovenbird, Purple Martin, L. Waterthrush, Prairie Warbler (singing very 
weakly, but seen very clearly!), Yellow-throated Vireo and even the 
Laughing Gulls showed up too.  Parulas are now everywhere as are the YT 
Warblers; and WE Vireos are easy to find as well.  It's nice to have 
some beautiful music back in the park!
Curtis Dykstra, Park Ranger
Goose Creek State Park
Washington, NC


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Subject: First Hummer and Spring songsters
From: "kaye fenlon" <ktfenlon(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 8:40am

I saw a male Ruby Hummer at my feeders yesterday about noon for the first 
time. He really tanked up.

The dawnsong  the past two weeks has been incredible. This morning it was a 
Cardinal that first started the concert.  Sometimes I hear a Bluebird 
warbling when it is still dark. To hear the White-throated Sparrows is a 
real treat because I know they will be heading north soon.

Katie Fenlon
Clemson,SC

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Subject: Re: Vesper Sparrow at Jordan Lake
From: Norman Budnitz <norman.budnitz(AT)duke.edu>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 10:30am

Very interesting.  I've had American Pipits in that same place on a 
number of occasions.  And Eastern Meadowlarks once (they are usually 
down below in the grassy areas).  Maybe it's attractive to birds with 
white outer tail feathers.

Norm

Juli Boeyink wrote:
> Today there were two Vesper Sparrows on the Jordan Lake Dam in Chatham 
> county. They were very cooperative and spent the majority of the time 
> on the south face of dam. There was not much else on the lake, just a 
> small flock of Lesser Scaup.  
>
> G. Gordon Brown
>
>   

-- 
Norman Budnitz
GSK NTH-M2451
2512 S. TriCenter Blvd.
Durham NC 27713

919-315-4768 (TASC main line)
919-483-9889 (direct line)
919-315-4796 (fax)
norman.budnitz(AT)duke.edu
http://www.ciblearning.org


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Subject: Sound recording equipment
From: Doug Pratt <Doug.Pratt(AT)ncmail.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 11:22am

Robin Carter wrote:

Doug and other recordists, do you have anything to add? I'm sure you do.
Every recordist has their own opinion about equipment and techniques.

My only response is to say that, just as Robin said, people do differ in 
their preferred equipment, and to some extent what you use is dictated 
by circumstances.  For example, some machines are more workable in 
places where you might not have frequent access to electricity for 
recharging batteries.  Some have their own internal rechargeable, some 
run off regular batteries that can be bought anywhere.  Some machines 
will plug directly into a laptop for downloading recordings, which can 
save you money on the size of the flash card or other such device.  The 
biggest divide among recordists is between those who prefer a shotgun 
mic (Robin) to those who prefer a parabola (me).  I have already stated 
my reasons (last Friday) for my preference, and which you buy will again 
depend more on how you plan to use it than on differences in the actual 
recordings.  The museum has a Telinga parabolic mic that I really like, 
but we also have a shotgun mic that my colleague John Gerwin prefers.  
It's about like the difference between Carolina Methodists and 
Presbyterians.

Doug

-- 
H. Douglas Pratt, Curator of Birds
Research and Collections
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-1029
Phone: (919)733-7450 ext. 728
E-mail: doug.pratt(AT)ncmail.net


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Subject: Spring Singers, etc.
From: Sandy Cash <sandy_cash(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 11:35am

In the last two days, I have heard both WHITE-THROATED
SPARROWS and HERMIT THRUSHES start to sing.  The
sparrows were expected, as they usually start to sing
in my yard about this time every year, the thrushes
were not - I had two of them greet me today at the
door to my office building at IBM in RTP, one of them
teed up about ten feet away, singing for all he was
worth during a lull in the rain this morning.  A
really, really nice treat.

I've continued to see BALD EAGLES where New Hope Creek
and Little Creek merge and empty into Jordan Lake -
although I have seen them while running on the old RR
bed (and therefore have not had binos along), one is
an adult, the other *appears* to be a first-year, or
at most a second-year, bird - the light has not been
favorable, but I could make out the wing pits on one
occasion.

I also had my first BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER of the year
on Saturday at the NC Botanical Gardens.

I was prepared to have a pair of NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS
raise a clutch in one of my shrubs, but one of them (I
suspect the female, b/c the bird that is left still
has territory battles with another one) got picked off
on Friday morning by what I suspect was one of our
resident RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, which show up in my
yard surprisingly frequently.

Good Birding,

-Sandy

-- 
Sandy Cash
Durham, NC

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Subject: Hummer!
From: "Joanne Harley" <jharley2(AT)cox.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 11:43am

    We had our first hummer on March 31st.  Male. WE have seen him at the 
feeders every day since.  I'm sure he is also enjoying the many red flowers 
blooming as well as the nectar.

This is such an unusual time in the backyard, or anywhere for that matter, 
seeing both the winter remants as well as the new spring arrivals.  We still 
have a token Junco, Yellowrump, White throated Sparrow (still singing his 
heart out), and Hermit Thrush in our yard every day.

Last night , I called my husband to our den door that leads out to the 
screened in back porch.  I wanted him to hear the mockingird that was 
singing his heart out around 10:00PM.  He stood there a minute and said, "It 
sounds like crickets"... and I said, yes, that is what he seems to be 
'mocking ' now.  I guess he learns to mock both  daytime and nighttime 
sounds.

Joanne Harley
New Bern/Craven Co.,NC
jharley2(AT)cox.net


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Subject: Cape May Warbler at Seabrook Is. (SC)
From: "Jim Edwards" <Jim.Edwards(AT)furman.edu>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 11:58am

Jane Chew and I had good looks at an adult male Cape May Warbler at
Seabrook Island (Charleston Co., SC) on Sunday, 2 April.  It was foraging
actively in a live oak.  As one would expect, N. Parulas and
Yellow-throated Warblers have been singing since mid-March on the coast.

Jim Edwards
jimDOTedwardsATfurmanDOTedu


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Subject: Re: Sound recording equipment
From: William Majoros <bmajoros(AT)duke.edu>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 12:42pm

I prefer the parabola.  I've tried both and the parabola definitely  
cuts down on extraneous noises, such as barking dogs, cars,  
airplanes, and even other birds (with the latter being perhaps the  
most common form of "noise" in many situations).  As I recall, the  
Telinga+Sennheiser combo was quite expensive, but worth the cost if  
you can afford it.

I still use my Marantz cassette recorder and digitize manually.  I  
tried the early minidisk players and found that some of them had  (at  
that time) an annoying tendency to stop recording whenever the sound  
level dropped below a given threshold, so that individual songs could  
be fragmented across recordings, with the later segments often  
missing a note or two of the song due to the lag time in the recorder  
turning itself back on when the sound level increased above the  
threshold.  This might not be a problem with newer minidisk  
recorders; I haven't checked.  With cassettes you have complete  
control, but digitizing is a pain.

I'd just recommend considering all the pros and cons of each option  
before committing the cash; the Cornell site should help with  
gathering info on all the options.

-b

On Apr 3, 2006, at 11:04 AM, Doug Pratt wrote:

> Robin Carter wrote:
>
> Doug and other recordists, do you have anything to add? I'm sure  
> you do.
> Every recordist has their own opinion about equipment and techniques.
>
> My only response is to say that, just as Robin said, people do  
> differ in their preferred equipment, and to some extent what you  
> use is dictated by circumstances.  For example, some machines are  
> more workable in places where you might not have frequent access to  
> electricity for recharging batteries.  Some have their own internal  
> rechargeable, some run off regular batteries that can be bought  
> anywhere.  Some machines will plug directly into a laptop for  
> downloading recordings, which can save you money on the size of the  
> flash card or other such device.  The biggest divide among  
> recordists is between those who prefer a shotgun mic (Robin) to  
> those who prefer a parabola (me).  I have already stated my reasons  
> (last Friday) for my preference, and which you buy will again  
> depend more on how you plan to use it than on differences in the  
> actual recordings.  The museum has a Telinga parabolic mic that I  
> really like, but we also have a shotgun mic that my colleague John  
> Gerwin prefers.  It's about like the difference between Carolina  
> Methodists and Presbyterians.
>
> Doug
>
> -- 
> H. Douglas Pratt, Curator of Birds
> Research and Collections
> North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
> 11 West Jones Street
> Raleigh, NC 27601-1029
> Phone: (919)733-7450 ext. 728
> E-mail: doug.pratt(AT)ncmail.net
>
>


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Subject: Carrying a parabola
From: Doug Pratt <Doug.Pratt(AT)ncmail.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 2:26pm

Hi birders:

    Robin Carter sent me the following comment in an off-list message, 
and I thought the rest of you might be interested in my response:
 

"I have a Telinga which I sometimes use, but the extra hassle of carrying it
on long trails usually leaves me with the shotgun. I can attach the Telinga
to a D ring on my photographer's vest, but it is still awkward. It does get
superior recordings, though."

Robin is right that a parabola is not as easy to carry around as a shotgun mic. 
 None (or very few,anyway; Sony used to make one, but I think it's extinct) come
 equipped with any way to attach a strap, but I just make a hole in the rim of
the plastic dish (doesn't change the acoustical properties) and attach an
ordinary camera/binocular strap to the top edge and anchor it on the handle.
That way I can sling the whole thing over my shoulder and leave my hands free
for binoculars (to ID what I am recording!).  The only drawback is that you have
 to get in the habit of holding the strap taut when recording so it doesn't flap
 against the parabola, but I have not found that to be difficult.  Any birder
accustomed to carrying binoculars, a scope, and a camera at the same time will
get the hang of it pretty quickly (and a parabola is nowhere near as heavy as a
scope).  I've carried this rig through tropical rainforests with no problem.
The focusing effect, which minimizes collateral sounds, is worth the trouble,
IMHO.

Doug

-- 
H. Douglas Pratt, Curator of Birds
Research and Collections
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-1029
Phone: (919)733-7450 ext. 728
E-mail: doug.pratt(AT)ncmail.net


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Subject: Re: Sound recording equipment
From: miaim(AT)mebtel.net
Date: 3 Apr 2006 3:11pm

I just picked up a copy of Donald Kroodsma's "The Singing Life of Birds".
Kroodsma makes the case for envisioning birdsongs as sonagrams to have a visual
tag to hang on to mentally. He's a long time bird recordist, and included with
the book is a CD of birdsongs. In the techniques appendix, he makes the case
for
a sound recording rig consisting of:

Telinga flexible parabola that rolls up and fits in a shirt sleeve
Sennheiser ME62 mic
AKG K-240DF heavy, padded, tight fitting headphones to exclude noises not being
recorded
HHB minidisc recorder

That would essentially be a pro level rig and would cost several thousand $$$.
He points out that the parabola amplifies fainter sounds better, and has longer
range, and rejects spurrious sounds better than a more convient shotgun mic. He
gives a formula comparing the sound recieved by a 2ft. parabola compared to a
1cm shotgun mic head, and according to his calculations, the parabola picks up
900x more sound energy.

But, he's also quick to point out that birders just getting started can get by
with as little as a cheap audio cassette recorder and a cheap microphone and a
plastic funnel to funnel sound into the mini mic. It's really just a matter of
what quality level you require, and how serious you want to get. He suggests an
inexpensive minidisc recorder/player and medium quality shotgun mic for those
wanting a more reasonably priced, and more easily carried rig. 

Robin has already mentioned some resources, but here are some others. 

Recording equipment sources:
http://www.mineroff.com/nature/index.htm

http://www.stithrecording.com/

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=0

http://www.telinga.com/index.html

Here are some ideas for DIY parabolic mics
http://www.sciencekit.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_439582

http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/docs/quickparabolic.html

Even those not interested in recording birds may find the book useful. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618405682/102-3805027-3412168?v=glance&n=283155

Mike Swaim
Mebane, NC


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Subject: leucitic robin
From: "Phil Dickinson" <pdickins(AT)triad.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 3:08pm

Susan Andrews reported a white robin near about 2 blocks home in Old 
Sherwood area of Winston-Salem. I drove over and found the bird. It is 
leucitic: white back, pale gray head, dark eye and normal reddish-orange 
breast. I have some photos I can e-mail.

Phil Dickinson
Winston-Salem


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Subject: RFI: Spcecialties
From: "brendan o'sullivan" <josullivan3560(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 3:35pm

I am planning to drive down from Ontario for a Pelagic tour with Brian 
Patteson towards the end of May and was wondering if anybody would be 
willing to give me information on the current best places for the two birds 
I missed on my last trip to North Carolina--Swainson's Warbler and Black 
Rail.
  I know that John Fussell's excellent book recommends the Great Dismal 
Swamp for the Warbler and Roanoke Island (and possibly Cedar Island ) for 
the Rail and was wondering if that is still the best way to go. Of course, I 
also realise that both are "toughies" but I'm determined to give it one more 
shot!

Thanks in advance

Brendan O'Sullivan
Mississauga
Ontario

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Subject: Lower Saluda 04/03
From: "Jason Giovannone" <buteo2808(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 3:47pm

Winds picking up as the day progress around the zoo today. Walked the 
Lexington side turning up 43 species with new migrants everyday. Today, I 
was treated to FOS Eastern Kingbird. It was hanging around the power lines 
in the West Columbia parking lot. Also finding hatched dove eggs and many 
other passerines are carrying nesting material. Good birding!

Jason Giovannone
Columbia, SC

Full List
Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

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Subject: Huntington Beach State Park
From: JMCBLake(AT)aol.com
Date: 3 Apr 2006 3:49pm

We made a quick stop at the Maxwell platform at HBSP yesterday (Sunday) and  
were rewarded with excellent looks at a Virginia Rail that kept darting in and 
 out of the reeds just at the left base of the platform. Another Virginia 
Rail  was calling from the reed patch just to the right of the platform but we 
never  saw that bird.
 
John Bonestell


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Subject: Buncombe Cty.Update
From: "Wayne K. Forsythe" <wforsythe(AT)mchsi.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 4:51pm

Folks,
        I took a ride up to Lake Junaluska in Haywood County to see a Surf 
Scoter that was reported earlier today.  John Lindfors and I headed up there 
and saw the Scoter plus a good variety of other waterfowl and Grebes.
        On the way back to drop John off at Lake Julian, I got out of my van 
to scan the lake one last time hoping for an Osprey.    To my delight, I had 
a FISH CROW over the picnic area which then headed low over the lake to the 
other side.  Besides the nasal voice, it was doing the diagnostic 2 note 
call.  It is the first of this species in the mountains for me. Also present 
at the lake were many N. Shovelers, Bl.winged Teal, RB & Hooded Mergs, 
Scaup, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Wigeon, about 30 Bonaparte's Gulls and 40-50 
Ring-billed Gulls.  Last nights storm put down many birds on the mountain 
lakes.
Wayne
Wayne K. Forsythe
Hendersonville, N. C.
828-697-6628
wforsythe AT mchsi dot com


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Subject: Pea Island, Nags Head, Alligator River, Palmetto-Peartree
         and Lake Phelps trip
From: mike <lists(AT)webfargo.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 4:54pm

I camped at Pettigrew State Park over the weekend and birded Pea Island, 
Nags Head, Alligator River, Palmetto and Lake Phelps.  On Saturday we saw 
64 different species.  On Sunday we only saw 37 species due to spending the 
majority of the day searching Palmetto-Peartree for red-cockaded 
woodpeckers.  We found a total of 80 different species over the weekend but 
no RCWs.

Notable events were Wood Ducks staying in the trees on Saturday morning 
within sight of the campsite.  There was also a Merlin at the picnic tables 
early Saturday.

About 2 miles east of the Creswell exit on 64 we saw an adult bald eagle 
teaching a juve bald eagle how to fly and dive.  The eagles sat in the tree 
just east of the pond all weekend.

Bodie Island had numerous little blue herons.

Alligator River NWR produced a bear late Saturday just before sunset.  I 
didn't know if the short eared owls were still around or not, however since 
we were there at sunset we  looked with no success.

We searched for about six hours Sunday at Palmetto-Peartree for red 
cockaded woodpeckers.  We found 10 trees that were marked and many 
sap-ridden RCW holes but did not find any RCWs.  We were there from lunch 
till about 6 and unable to be there at "peak" times.

The great horned owl is still nesting at Pea Island.  It was nice to see 
with less than 30 knot winds!

Below is a list of our first sighting and location of each species.

mike johnson
burlington,nc

Wake County
Rock Pigeon
Eastern Bluebird

Alamance County
Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
American Robin
American Goldfinch

Oregon Inlet
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk

Pea Island NWR
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Great Egret
Red-shouldered Hawk
Semipalmated Plover
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Forster's Tern
Great Horned Owl
Eastern Phoebe
Fish Crow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Boat-tailed Grackle

Nags Head, Dare County
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
American Coot
Wilson's Snipe

Manteo, Dare County
Brown Pelican
Osprey
Rock Pigeon

Lake Phelps
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Wild Turkey
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch

Columbia
Yellow-rumped Warbler
House Sparrow
Canada Goose
Purple Martin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bodie Island National Park
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
White Ibis
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs

Alligator River NWR
Laughing Gull
Pileated Woodpecker
House Wren

Palmetto Peartree Preserve
Wood Duck
Wild Turkey
Osprey
Pileated Woodpecker
Carolina Chickadee
Eastern Towhee

Lake Phelps Day 2
Bufflehead
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Greater Yellowlegs
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Pine Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
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Subject: Me too, me too ;)
From: "KC Foggin" <KCFoggin(AT)sc.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 5:10pm

Came home this afternoon to a male and female Ruby-throated Humming bird.
Soooooo  happy.

KC Foggin
Socastee
Myrtle Beach SC
www.birdforum.net


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Eurothrash invading Ocracoke Island
From: Susse Wright <sussew(AT)mindspring.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 5:52pm

One morning  walking home from the Coffee house on the corner of Back  
Road and Ammunition Dump Road I heard a very familiar but out of  
place bird call.  It was a Eurasian Collared Dove with spring fever.   
As far as I can tell a small colony has moved in for good.

Susse Wright, PhD
Sensible Design
P.O. Box 651
Ocracoke, NC 27960
252-928-6515


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Subject: Carolinas Nature Sound Workshop/Conference in March, May or
         June, 2007
From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter(AT)sc.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 5:57pm

Greetings all,

Many emails have been kicking around recently about having a nature sound
recording workshop or small conference somewhere in the Carolinas as soon as
possible. Several suggestions have been made. Here is my overview of what we
have suggested.

1. The meeting should be technical, but open to beginners. We need some
hands-on instruction for beginners, but it would also be good to have a
paper session and perhaps even a guest speaker.

2. It would be good to schedule this meeting sometime when birds and frogs
are calling, but not during April or early May (since birders are already
booked solid during those times).

3. It would be good to have a more or less central location in North
Carolina or South Carolina for this meeting.

4. The meeting should last about two or three days, perhaps over a weekend
(Friday through Sunday morning).

Various suggestions have been made for time and place. June seems to be the
preferred month (but late May or March would also work). Two main venues
have been suggested -- Duke University and Congaree National Park. Duke
would have good conference facilities, but so would Congaree National Park.
At Congaree NP the recording practicum could be held only a short walk from
the meeting place.

I have started preliminary inquiries into having such a workshop at Congaree
National Park in March, late May or early June, 2007. It is far too late to
get anything organized for this year (2006).

Other times or places might work. There is some appeal in going to the
mountains. We might be able to schedule something earlier on the coast in
winter. Even Congaree NP would be good for a winter conference since there
is quite a nice soundscape in winter in the park.

Now is the time for making your opinions and ideas known. Please feel free
to forward this to anyone who might be interested.

Robin Carter
Columbia, SC USA
mailto:rcarter(AT)sc.rr.com


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Subject: Another RTHB in Moore Co.
From: Ann Robertson <Ann(AT)triad.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 6:27pm

My parents' feeder attracted their first RTHB of the season this 
morning.  They live in the Lobelia community of Moore County, not far 
from the Cumberland & Harnett County lines.

We're still waiting in W-S!
Ann Robertson


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Subject: RE: sound recording equipment
From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter(AT)sc.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 7:06pm

Hi C-Birders,

Recently Doug Pratt and I have put in our two cents' worth on the topic of
microphones for recording bird song in the Carolinas. Doug uses a parabolic
mic, while I usually use a short shotgun mic. Which type of mic to use is
really a matter of what kind of recording you want to do.

A parabolic mic, such as my Telinga Twin Science mic, is like a telephoto
lens. A short shotgun mic, such as my Sennheiser ME 66, is like a normal
camera lens, while an omni mic, such as my Sennheiser ME 62, is like a
wide-angle lens. If you are recording the songs and calls of a single
individual bird then a parabolic mic is, without question, the way to go. A
shotgun mic does not amplify sounds at all. I repeat: a shotgun mic does not
amplify. At best it ignores sounds from either side and picks up sounds
coming in along its long axis. These tend to be sounds directly in front or
directly behind the mic. A parabolic mic, on the other hand, uses the
well-known geometry of a paraboloid surface to focus incoming sound energy
at a single point (known as the focus), just like an parabolic reflector
telescope focuses light. A parabolic mic does amplify sounds.

So, if you are most interested in recording a single bird then bite the
bullet and shell out for a parabolic mic, or go on the Internet and find
plans for making your own. If you are more interested in recording a total
soundscape then consider a short shotgun mic or an omnidirectional mic.
Right now I am experimenting with using my ME 66 short shotgun in stereo
combination with an ME 62 omni, which is a kind of stereo called M/S (or
mid-side) stereo. The ME 66 tends to pick up the song of the bird that I
point it at with my left hand. Meanwhile, in my right hand I hold the ME 62,
which picks up sounds from all directions. The result can be quite pleasing,
a stereo recording starring the main singer, but with the background sounds
clearly present as well. There are better ways to get this affect, but I do
not have the equipment to do this right now.

So if you have money for a single mic and you sometimes want to record one
individual bird and sometimes want to record the whole dawn chorus then get
a short shotgun mic. If you only want to record one bird at a time then get
a parabolic mic (if you can afford it) or get a long shotgun mic (like the
Sennheiser ME 67).

I got my parabolic mic years ago, when the US dollar was quite strong
compared to the Swedish kronor. Telinga parabolic mics these days are quite
expensive, but they are hard to beat for recording a distant singing bird.

There are several cheaper mics on the market, cheaper than the Sennheiser ME
62 thru 67 series mics, but they are noisier. There are other mics, much
better than the Sennheiser ME 62 thru 67 series, but these are quite
expensive. So, the better mics are more expensive. Duh, what a revelation!
But beware. Not all expensive mics are good for nature recording, and some
very cheap mics do quite well enough for the beginner. No surprise here.

No matter what mic you use (or what recorder you use, for that matter), you
can get a good recording if you go out a lot, do a lot of recording, and
learn how to get close to the bird you are after. And you can make terrible
recordings with the best equipment available. It's just like photography.

Robin Carter
Columbia, SC USA
mailto:rcarter(AT)sc.rr.com


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Subject: Re: Carolinas Nature Sound Workshop/Conference in March, May
          or June, 2007
From: miaim(AT)mebtel.net
Date: 3 Apr 2006 7:22pm

I would suggest Howell Woods as one possible location. It's a fairly central 
location for many folks in the Carolinas. They have a classroom there, and 
have acres of varied habitat for hearing everything from amphibians to 
warblers & vireos. Late May would be a good time, if it can be worked into 
their scheduling. They also have a small number of primitive campsites. 
Ideally, it'd be nice to have the workshop somewhere with lots more campsites 
with hookups. But I don't know about the feasibility of trying to get a block 
of sites in any of the State or National park areas in the high season. 

http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/default.htm

Mike Swaim


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Subject: Forsyth Hummer
From: "Phil Dickinson" <pdickins(AT)triad.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 7:56pm

Rob Rogers of Kernersville reported a ruby-throated hummer in his yard late 
this afternoon after the storms passed through. This is the first spring 
report for Forsyth County.

Phil Dickinson


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Subject: Chimney Shifts
From: "Keith Camburn" <camburn(AT)earthlink.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 8:28pm

Over the last 14 years the chimney shifts have usually returned to my
Gaston County, NC, chimney on April 12th or 13th.  They must be in a hurry
this year as they arrived tonight (April 3rd) at 8:03 p.m.   Keith Camburn 

Keith E. Camburn
4435 Huntington Drive
Gastonia, North Carolina 28056-8276
704 824-0626
camburn AT earthlink.net
Why Wait?  Move to EarthLink.


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Subject: Screech Owl, migrants
From: Sandy Cash <lcashjr(AT)nc.rr.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 9:19pm

Hi all,

I stopped by Umstead SP during lunch today to see what I could find. 
Upon driving in, I heard a NORTHERN PARULA, my first of the year, and 
after walking down to the deck built over the creek (this is coming in 
via the N. entrance, parking at the first lot after the visitor's 
center, then walking down the hill), I was able to pish in several 
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS in addition to the 
year-rounders.  I walked the trail upstream listening for BLUE-HEADED 
VIREOS (I've had good luck finding them there before), and not long 
after I heard one singing.  Before I could get on him, I heard and then 
saw scads of songbirds mobbing something...I was able to move around 
(without getting too close) and get a look at an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL 
hunkered down in his (or her) roost cavity, rear end out.

I sat and watched for a bit, then the birds got bored and wandered off. 
  I moved a distance away, so as not to disturb the owl, and was able to 
pish one of the yellow-throateds down so close that he got inside my 
binos' close-focus range - I'm guessing he was still agitated from the 
mobbing session.  I also finally got onto the blue-headed vireo (or *a* 
blue-headed, not that it matters), which made for a very satisfying 
conclusion to a lunchtime's birding.

On my way home, I decided to stop at the upper New Hope Creek 
impoundment on NC 54 - only bird(s) of note were three PILEATED 
WOODPECKERS all calling (all males, too, I'm guessing jousting for 
territory) and flying around the W. end of the impoundment dyke.

Good Birding,

-Sandy

-- 
Sandy Cash
Durham, NC


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Subject: late night mockingbirds
From: "David Brooks" <addison(AT)intrstar.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 9:37pm

My wife and I were doing some painting late at night over the weekend at
a house restoration project in robeson county.  At about 2 am, we took a
break to go outside and enjoy the crisp morning air.  We were rewarded
by hearing two mockingbirds singing away across the street.  The birds
were no more than about 60 yds apart.  Interspersed with the birds'
simultaneous independent singing, there would be periods where one bird
would sing a "note" and the other one would repeat it immediately and
there would be about six or more back-to-back exchanges of notes like
this before resuming their normal chattering.  First time I've ever
heard an exchange between two mockers like that... really enjoyed
hearing them.  Also enjoyed reading about the mockingbird immitating
crickets.  Birds are fascinating.

David Brooks
Elizabethtown NC


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Subject: Is Cackling Goose possible at Pea Island NWR?
From: <amadave(AT)charter.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 10:04pm

Hi, Carolina Birders:

I'm interested in whether any of you think I could have seen a Cackling Goose at
 Pea Island NWR on January 15, 2005?   Among a group of regular sized Canada
Geese, I saw two that I would best describe as bonsai :) Canada Geese.  They
didn't look like juveniles.

After getting my copy of the updated version of Thayer's Guide To Birds of North
 America today, I was updating my life list and getting all set to add my
"Cackling Goose" but their range maps indicate they're West Coast birds.

So were my birds at Pea Island juvenile Canada Geese?

Thanks

Dave Hardin
Newton, NC


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Subject: firsts and lasts?
From: Chris Helms <j.chris.helms(AT)ncmail.net>
Date: 3 Apr 2006 11:17pm

First RT HUMMINGBIRD (male), Saturday April 1st,
First Chimney Swifts,  Monday April 3rd,
also AMER. COOTS are still around and heard a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 
today,

Chris Helms
Lake Waccamaw State Park
Lake Waccamaw, NC
Columbus Co.