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CarolinaBirds for Thursday, May 25, 2006
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Subject: Mourning Warbler still in Greensboro
From: henry link <linkh(AT)bellsouth.net>
Date: 25 May 2006 11:02am
The Mourning Warbler is still present in same area of Hamilton Lakes Park in
Greensboro today, May 25. I was finally able to get several lengthy views of
the bird in the open between 7:00 and 9:30 this morning. It's a typical
adult male with a dark gray head and throat. As seen from the front the
mottled black patch of feathers covering the breast is almost bisected at
the center by a small triangle of yellow feathers coming up from the lower
breast.
I will be trying for the bird again tomorrow morning between 7:00 and 9:00.
If you are interested, Hamilton Lakes Park is in west Greensboro. From the
intersection of Holden Road and West Market Street go north on Holden road
to the first stoplight, which is Madison Ave, turn left and go to the first
stop sign (4-way) at Kemp Road East. The park is just beyond that
intersection on the left. There is a small "parking" area on the left with
tow away signs, but I have never seen anyone towed. My car will be there (a
silver VW Passat). The trail here is a loop. You need to follow it counter
clockwise down the hill to the left where you will turn right and cross a
small stream. The bird has been singing about 200 to 400 yards down this
trail.
Henry Link
Greensboro NC
linkh(AT)bellsouth.net
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Subject: Jackson Park, Black-billed Cuckoo
From: Russ Palmeri <rpalmeri(AT)mindspring.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 12:43pm
My birding buddy, Helen Burrell, and I went to Jackson Park this
morning, but we missed the black-billed cuckoo that was ID'ed by Ron
Selvy just a few minutes before we got there. Ron apparently followed
the bird along for 20 minutes as it made its way throught the underbrush
along the grassy path directly across from the "Radio Controlled
Airplane" sign. The path has a sign hanging on a chain that says "Field
Closed".
Russ P.
--
Russ Palmeri
Asheville, NC
--
experimenting...
i hung the moon on various
branches of the pine --hokushi
--
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Painted Buntings at Granby Park
From: James Wilson <toadshade(AT)sc.rr.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 6:24pm
Dropped by there for a short birding hike on the way home. I saw one
of the Buntings where the path turns sharp to the left before the RR
trestle. Heard another farther down the path. A pleasant surprise.
Location: Granby Park
Observation date: 5/25/06
Notes: My first sighting of a Painted Bunting at this location.
Number of species: 15
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
American Crow 2
Purple Martin 1
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
Northern Cardinal 3
Painted Bunting 2
Common Grackle 3
House Finch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2
(http://www.ebird.org)
James Wilson - Lower Richland
Columbia, SC 29209
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Subject: The most irritating post ever...(at least, for Will)
From: "fred" <fredhouk(AT)bellsouth.net>
Date: 25 May 2006 8:52pm
This was from a week or so ago, but I had the wrong email address...and then
I had not set my email (Outlook express) to plain text, and not HTML (new
computer...sorry, Will!!!). See:
http://mailformat.dan.info/config/oex.html if you are getting a new computer
any time soon, and you won't have to bug Will/tear what little hair you
might have out, in order to "get back onboard".
Sorry Will. (Did I say that?)
Anyway...
========================
Approximately May 17 or so...
Anyone besides me still have (a single male) junco in central NC?
(Note: now gone...I think.)
Anyone besides me have a summer tanager that eats seeds off their
platform feeders?
On another subjects, today was a "code red" day for the bird magnet =
(mister spraying water on low-hanging branches)...
Some of the highlights: scarlet and summer tanagers, cardinals, red =
bellied woodpeckers (the adults are hilarious, doing continuous "belly =
flops" from one branch onto the leaves below, while their recently =
fledged baby is stuck like glue to the side of the sourwood tree, scared =
to death of what is going on over his head.)
Gold Finches, which have been more erratic this year than any other=20
in my memory, have decided to return en masse again today. They are =
either here in huge numbers, or gone altogether lately.
Blue Grosbeak, Black throated Blue Warbler, Black and White, and Rose =
Breasted Grosbeaks are the most recent (last week) "cool birds" coming =
to the feeders/bird magnet/suet. I watched a Blue Grosbeak aggessively =
forcing the Red Breasted Grosbeaks to beat it from "his" =
feeder...anybody else ever seen this behavior?
Or the attack by a cowbird on a newborn Chickadee? First time for that =
one, too.
One last thing...in regards to local birds being better "birders"=20
than we are...the local blue jays have always done a fair red tail hawk
impression...today, they did it to warn all their friends of a pair=20
of red tails overhead, and managed to get vocal responses from them.
I love spring.
Fred Houk
Chatham County
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Subject: Shrike remains nesting, c. Halifax Co
From: "Frank Enders" <fkenders(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 8:50pm
1 Loggerhead Shrike (first seen 15 April, and again 22 May) was observed
again on 24 May 2006, 150' north of the intersection of Family Farm Road and
Heathsville Road. This is about a half mile south of Pike's Store
(Delorme's Lewis Crossroads), the intersection of CR1001 (Justice Branch
Road) with Heathsville Road (called Piney Grove Church Road north of Pike's
Store).
The shrike gave up a prey bumblebee (to mate on nest?) near top of a 50'
pine tree in front yard of the house on west. Hunts from telephone wires.
(A pair nested in a similar pine tree 5 miles se a few years ago.)
Shrikes are declining in central Halifax County, but one or two are still to
be found each year.
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
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Subject: Raven over Kerr Reservoir, 5 miles north of NC
From: "Frank Enders" <fkenders(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 9:05pm
This bird was seen 25 May, 2006 at 10AM about 3/4 mile southeast of the boat
launch #1 at Occoneechee SP, or 1 miles se of the US58 Bypass bridge.
When first seen, it was taken to be a Red-t. Hawk, soaring/gliding low
(100') over the wooded edge of the park. Wedge-shaped tail, silent, big.
black. Seen at about 200' range from motorboat using 8x bins.
I circled the boat, saw the bird again, but it moved back over the land, so
it was no longer visible.
The wind off the lake probably gives good lift there for the bird. It was
with a Turkey Vulture.
(I was returning to the launch site from censusing ZERO Ceruleans from boat.
Also zero Redstarts, zero Parulas. Lots of Prothonotaries and
Yellow-throated Warblers, but I want to put the sighting of the Raven in its
proper context, FAILURE to find the target species.)
I have not searched for recent range extensions by Raven in Virginia, but
this is probably the farthest downstream in the Roanoke River basin. Maybe
the next Raven along the Roanoke could be found around the Gaston or Roanoke
Rapids dams, actually in N.C.
And, where is this Occoneechee S.P. bird feeding? I do not know if the park
rangers there know anything about this raven or any raven. Probably the
raven is working roadkill with the vultures, or maybe across the river at
the fast-food sites in Clarksville?
I am not set up to post on the VA birdline, so maybe somebody reading this
can forward it there.
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
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Subject: Roanoke Canal Trail Swainson's Thrush and Warbler
From: "Frank Enders" <fkenders(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 9:18pm
On 23 May, at 6 AM, on the Roanoke Canal Trail, one singing Swainson's
Thrush and one singing Swainson's Warbler were heard in the tailrace area
(channel below Roanoke Rapids Dam) with a half mile west of the Canal Arts
Center (Poochy Fitts building); this center is a restored building about
200' north, off Roanoke Avenue (NC48). To get to the building, take the
last left turn before the Roanoke River (first right after the river if you
are southbound), near the Shell gas station.
There is a map of the trail with its various access points/parking lots at
the center.
The best area for Swainson's Warbler is the dense woods in the lower three
miles of the trail, the Weldon end, starting within 100 yards southeast of
the I-95 crossing. Or, try just upstream of the building.
The area between Roanoke Avenue and River Road access points is largely
weedy scrub under powerlines, having many chats. The area near the dam is
also too open for Swainson's.
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
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Subject: ANHINGA colony near Enfield and I-95, very viewable
From: "Frank Enders" <fkenders(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 10:06pm
Go 0.3 miles west of I-95 on NC481 (exit 154 from the interstate). Look left
(south) across the cutover woods to the tupelo swamp.
The shoulder here is narrow. You could stop off the pavement atop either
driveway into the field on the south. Or, you could park farther west near
the Enfield KOA campground, where the houlder is wider, at the intersection
with Draper's Road. One could also park on the deadend side road on the
north side of 481 just 0.1 mile west of the interstate.
Traffic is very light here, and the road is very open, good sight distance.
So you might get your first quick look while parked partly on the highway.
Or, just tick the species off for your list and rush off back to the
interstate!
Anhinga colony (10-25 nests) with Great Blue Herons (7+ nests) is in tupelo
swamp on private land about 0.1 miles south of NC481 west of Enfield, NC.
Due to logging, the colony is exposed to view, best by scope, but anhingas
easily id'd with 8x binoculars. Morning may have better lighting
conditions.
The live tupelos with the nests are an oval area, long axis east-west, with
many dead trees in a "moat" in front of it. Note that trespassing on this
private land, moving closer to the colony will REDUCE your ability to see
the birds, since the long axis is parallel to the highway. A path crosses
the cutover to a field near I-95, but this places the trespasser at the
unoccupied end of the oval, looking at trees, not birds.
If the colony is not too bothered, the site will probably provide good views
of anhingas for, perhaps, decades, until the pine woods between the highway
and swamp regenerate.
Looking at the colony, occasionally one can see a bird fly in or out.
Easier to see this if one keeps near NC481.
Mostly the females sit on nests, hard to see due to tan front end blending
in with dead wood of small "haystack" nests. Males perch nearby, waving
wings like whirligigs. Gular flutter seen through scope at midday, by both
anhingas and herons. Male anhingas seen to bring branches to nest, and,
more often, to fly short distances within the colony.
While observing the colony, you may spot Red-headed Woodpeckers or Wood
Ducks perched in dead treees in front of the colony.
I found this colony by searching for the site where the 5-15 American Egrets
regularly visible from I-95 on its east side (Rocky Swamp) might be nesting.
What a failure--I invested a morning and I could not find my egrets'
colony!
The egrets may be nesting about a mile farther northwest up Rocky Swamp from
the anhingas. I saw one perched there.
If anybody finds the egret colony, please let me know. I am surprised they
are not mixed in with the Great Blue Herons, as per the usual, with the
anhingas.
Originally, before I found the colony, on 24/5/06, I spent an hour viewing
two male anhingas (among other birds, while watching egrets) in Rocky Swamp,
east of I-95. "All black", even with wings open, in shadows (of tupelos at 6
AM), so it took me a long time to decide they were not cormorants. Key for
me on these obscure birds was the tail area longer than neck area, shape, vs
cormorants longer neck than tail, perched.
Later, when I first scanned the NC481 tupelo swamp with 8x binoculars, I
counted 5 obvious anhingas, mostly males. Then I drove off, following a
flying female anhinga at 200' elevation (which flew out of sight, miles nw).
Only when I returned to the site to count 5 anhingas remaining in the swamp
treetops did I calculate 5-1=5 ??!! And, the reality of the colony hit
home.
There were at least 15 anhingas, probably 20-25 when viewed through a scope.
And, I do not know how many birds and nests are on the back, far side of
the swamp.
Perhaps this is an anhinga year, due to drought in Florida, as discussed for
limpkin in the CHAT. Global warming could be a factor.
But, how many other anhinga colonies exist, unbeknownst to us birders? How
big an area does an anhinga colony include in its foraging area? 5? 10
miles? Birders in SC may know.
How easy is it to notice anhingas in an area? The birds I saw near the
ground in Rocky Swamp were fairly invisible. The best thing you could say
about their appearance was that they did look sort of like turkeys, near the
water, water-turkeys. We do have a lot of, too many, turkeys in Halifax
County! Both Wild and Water Turkeys.
But, more seriously, the probablility of detecting a colony or even the
birds themselves, foraging or soaring, seems fairly low.
If it were not for the happenstance of logging all around the colony, how
would it have been found?
We probably need the trees more than viewable rookeries, but we do have here
a benefit (to birders, not birds) of pulpwood logging. I suppose.
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
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Subject: My, my.. What a big beak you have
From: "KC Foggin" <KCFoggin(AT)sc.rr.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 10:46pm
Amazing to see how large its beak appears with very little head/facial
feathers.
http://upload.pbase.com/image/60788531
KC Foggin
Socastee
Myrtle Beach SC
www.birdforum.net
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Subject: ID Assistance Needed - CBC Western Trip
From: "John Ennis" <swampwolf(AT)thebusinessbirder.com>
Date: 25 May 2006 10:52pm
There are 14 of us on the CBC Great Western Sampler in CO, NE, SD, and WY...
The baby bird pictures were taken in SW Nebraska and the rattlesnake in
Pawnee National Grassland...any help with either would be appreciated...we
have a couple of possibilities for the baby birds but need help...
Go to: http://thebusinessbirder.com/babybirdmystery.pdf
Thanks!
John Ennis
Leland, NC
910-371-9729
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