20-Apr-23, 08:27:27 AM
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18946
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Bird sightings: Boston Globe
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on: 03-Oct-10, 10:34:41 PM
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Reports from the Parker River Refuge on Plum Island last week included two Northern shovelers, eight Northern pintails, two merlins, two peregrine falcons, two American golden-plovers, a stilt sandpiper, two Caspian terns, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, a Western kingbird, an Eastern kingbird, a blue-gray gnatcatcher, a Northern parula, a chestnut-sided warbler, and a black-and-white warbler. In Newburyport Harbor, there were 40 greater and 20 lesser yellowlegs, 250 Bonaparte’s gulls, and two Forster’s terns.
In Ipswich, a buff-breasted sandpiper was observed in the plowed fields along Northgate Road, and in Groveland, a hooded warbler and a pine siskin were found.
At Danehy Park in Cambridge, a Connecticut warbler and a lark sparrow were spotted. Reports from the Fenway area of Boston included a yellow-billed cuckoo and a Baltimore oriole.
Two American wigeons, eight blue-winged teal, a Northern shoveler, a Northern pintail, 35 green-winged teal, two pied-billed grebes, four pectoral sandpipers, two Wilson’s snipes, a lapland longspur, and four indigo buntings were observed at the Arlington Reservoir.
At Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, recent sightings included two Cory’s shearwaters, a manx shearwater, 25 Northern gannets, 30 common terns, and six parasitic jaegers.
(WHAT R THEY)? I'll google it! OK, it's a Skua.
In Wareham, two sandhill cranes were seen in the cranberry bogs along Tihonet Road.
Reports from Nantucket included 40 killdeer, an American golden-plover, 26 American oystercatchers, five marbled godwits, a clay-colored sparrow, and a yellow-headed blackbird.
Miscellaneous reports included an American bittern, a Virginia Rail, a peregrine falcon, and a Lincoln’s sparrow at Millennium Park in West Roxbury; 30 wood ducks and 25 chimney swifts at the Great Meadows Refuge in Concord; a Philadelphia vireo, a yellow-breasted chat, and a white-crowned sparrow at Nahant; a wood thrush in Marlborough; a lark sparrow at the Cumberland Farms fields in Halifax; six Nelson’s and 22 saltmarsh sparrows in Fairhaven; and a dickcissel at Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary in South Wellfleet.
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18947
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Bald-eagle population in Arizona at new high
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on: 03-Oct-10, 08:22:52 PM
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Arizona's bald eagles maintained recent population gains during the 2010 breeding season, but conservation groups say the birds' success could falter if a judge strips them of their endangered-species status. The number of breeding adult eagles grew to a record 104 this year, up from a previous high of 100, the Arizona Game and Fish Department reported Monday. Three new active breeding areas were found. By the end of the breeding season, which typically starts in December and continues into mid-summer, 44 eaglets took their first flight from the nest, or fledged, a critical step toward their survival in the wild. That number is down slightly from 2009, but up significantly from 2000, when 23 birds fledged. Biologists watch not only the number of birds that hatch and fledge, but also the number of locations where breeding pairs nest. The number of occupied breeding areas grew to 52 this year; there were 38 occupied areas in 2000. "Identifying three new breeding areas in the state is a positive sign that our population of bald eagles continues to grow and do well," said Kenneth Jacobson, the state wildlife agency's bald-eagle-management coordinator. Arizona's desert-nesting bald eagles remained protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, even after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eagle from the endangered list in 2007. Conservation groups sued the government over its decision, arguing that the bald eagle, found almost exclusively in Arizona, was a distinct population segment that had not recovered to the same degree as eagles elsewhere in the United States. A federal judge ordered the wildlife service to reconsider its findings, but the agency reaffirmed its decision earlier this year, concluding that the Arizona eagle is not important enough biologically to retain its protection. The judge heard a final round of arguments on the case on Sept. 14 and could issue a final decision at any time. If the judge dismisses the case and allows the delisting decision to stand, conservation groups say they will file a new lawsuit. Although other state and federal laws will protect the eagles, only the Endangered Species Act protects the birds' nesting habitat. "This is a population that's been important, significant and critical to our wildlife enjoyment and our culture here," said Robin Silver, who follows the issue for the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based advocacy group. "The new numbers don't change the fact that this is a population that's in trouble."  |
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18950
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Rochester Falcons / Falcon Watches / Re: Twitter
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on: 03-Oct-10, 05:03:45 PM
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Guess maybe Archer did leave a bit earlier this year!  Maybe because it was warmer last year at this time. Purely a guess on my part.  I miss the little guy already!  There is a "Falcon God"...whoo hoo!! |
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18951
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Rochester Falcons / Falcon Watches / Re: From MAK: Pics from morning watch 10-2-10
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on: 03-Oct-10, 09:52:05 AM
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More pics from MAK this am.  Taken from Broad St. bridge Genesee river rages north towards Main St. bridge.  This is looking south up river towards Court St. bridge. All rocks under water leaving nowhere for shore birds to fish and hang out  This area usually filled with gulls,ducks and herons.  The High falls (WOW)  The gorge  Another angle of high falls.  Water in this part of gorge usually relatively calm. There's actually whitecaps down there!  Looking north from pedestrian bridge.  Another area that's usually calm  The island on the gorge side of pedestrian bridge It looked more flooded than yesterday morning. |
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18952
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / BO Attracting Predators to Birds
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on: 03-Oct-10, 09:19:34 AM
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Adding deodorant to New Zealand nests may be one solution, scientist says.New Zealand's native-bird BO is so pungent, it's alerting predators to the birds' presence, ongoing research shows. The smells may drive some species to extinction, unless conservationists take unorthodox measures, such as adding "deodorant" to bird nests, according to biologist Jim Briskie of Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand. Many bird scents stem from a gland that produces waxes essential to keeping feathers healthy. In Europe and the Americas, birds' bodies alter this preening wax during breeding season, changing the wax's composition to reduce smells and keep the birds' nests less detectable by predators that use their noses to find food. In a recent experiment in New Zealand, Briskie compared waxes from six native species, such as robins and warblers, with waxes from invasive species, such as blackbirds and sparrows, which had evolved in Europe until the 1870s. "The European birds in New Zealand changed their preen waxes to become less smelly in the breeding season," he said. "But native birds did not, and they remained more smelly overall," Briskie said. For instance, native kiwis—flightless, chicken-size birds—smell like ammonia, and kakapo parrots, also flightless, smell like "musty violin cases," he said. Other New Zealand species seem to have similarly distinctive scents, Briskie said, unlike most birds on other continents. "We do know that it's easy for muzzled dogs to find kakapo and kiwi by their smell, so I suspect that predators like rats or feral cats might be able to easily find native birds also," Briskie said. Alien Predators On the Scent New Zealand's birds may be so pungent largely because they were able to get away with it for so many centuries, Briskie suspects. When New Zealand split away from Australia some 80 million years ago, no predatory mammals came along for the ride, so native birds never had to evolve means of masking their scents to survive, he said. But eventually humans changed the landscape. The native Maori people introduced the Polynesian rat, and Europeans later unleashed other rat species, domestic cats, and the stoat—a type of weasel—which have easily caught on to the birds' scents. Partly as a result, some 43 native birds have already gone extinct, Briskie said. Seventy-three other native species, many of them flightless, are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Deodorant to Mask Smelly Birds? One solution could be to give deodorant to the odorous birds, Briskie said. (See bird pictures.) "If we prove that this is a problem, we might be able to envision some kind of odor-eater or deodorant we could put into the nest to absorb some of those odors and protect them more effectively," Briskie said. But there's a potential downside—the birds' stench may serve other purposes. Bird deodorant "would only be useful as long as we knew it didn't interfere with the way those odors might be used in communication with mates or offspring," Briskie explained. In addition, bird BO might also be used to turn the tables on predators. "It could be another way of building a better mousetrap to catch [invasive] rats or stoats," Briskie said. "Perhaps instead of controversial poisons, we might come up with long-lasting baits using essence of kiwi or kakapo that lure predators into a trap."  The kakapo parrot and other native New Zealand species have dangerously strong body odor NAT GEO NEWS
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18953
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / New Yorkers shelter and show birds too hurt to go free (Wild Wings)
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on: 03-Oct-10, 09:14:04 AM
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HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. — Wild Wings is a national chain restaurant serving crispy, spicy drumsticks in barbecue sauce. Wild Wings is also a family-friendly raptor rehabilitation center just south of Rochester. People tend to get their wings mixed up, with humorous results. It’s not unusual for Terry Kozakiewizc, director of the raptor center, to get a call like this: “I picked up the phone and the caller said he’d like to order three dozen wild wings.’’ Kozakiewizc said, breaking into a wide smile. “I said, ‘We’ve got ’em, hon, but they’re alive.’ ’’Wild Wings Bird of Prey Facility, at Mendon Ponds Park in Honeoye Falls, houses over 20 raptors including eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, and a vulture. Most of the birds were hit by cars and have permanent injuries ranging from vision loss to damaged wings; they cannot be released back into the wild. Kozakiewizc makes the raptors available for public viewing five days a week year round, hoping to foster awareness and increased respect for birds of prey. Watching a barred owl soar through the sky is exciting indeed, but getting to see Hunter, Wild Wings’ fluffy resident barred owl, close-up on her perch inspires me to drive more mindfully. The facility offers educational programs and guided tours. Participants can dissect owl pellets or paint a portrait of a live raptor on its perch. Visitors can stroll along Bird Song trail to feed chickadees, then step into Wild Wings’ colorful Cottage Store with its avian-themed gifts. Just out the back door, a tidy outdoor compound of wood and wire cages houses stately red-tailed hawks, diminutive Eastern screech owls, bald and golden eagles, and an elegant black-spotted snowy owl named Pearl. Each enclosure gives the raptors numerous perches and room to move about, even to take limited flight. Volunteers have paid close attention to each species’ needs — brightly-colored hanging toys tempt the curious crow, and a pile of low stones provides a perfect seat for the tundra-nesting snowy owl. My daughter was most enamored of Wild Wings’ resident bobcat, who roused herself from a nap in a bed of straw and dashed up to the fence. Tara, captive-bred and declawed, lives in a spacious cage with ramps and bridges for roaming. But while we stood there, her amber eyes remained fixated on my child. “She sees her as a toy, hon,’’ Kozakiewizc told me, and so we retreated into the Cottage Store for hot cocoa, coffee, and cookies. Kozakiewizc explained that Wild Wings is a family affair, and that she’s the only paid employee. “My husband builds enclosures for the birds, and my son Nick does a lot of the educational programs for kids.’’ She pointed to a grinning young man helping to restock a shelf with child-sized footballs in the shape of bald eagles and furry leopard-print purses. Their affection for each bird is palpable. Kozakiewizc recounted the recent death of Shasta, a 25-year-old red-tailed hawk. “I’m so glad he died before he had to be cooped up for the long winter,’’ she said, and went on to relate the story of how, for the past three years, a wild red-tail had brought freshly-caught squirrels to the aging Shasta, continuing even after his fellow hawk died. http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/newyork/articles/2010/10/03/new_yorkers_shelter_and_show_birds_too_hurt_to_go_free/ Wow, the Boston Globe |
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18958
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Rochester Falcons / Falcon Watches / From MAK: Pics from Morning Watches
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on: 02-Oct-10, 10:31:04 PM
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 Scaffolding half down at Kodak Office  Island completely under water  Island flooded  Another pic of flooded island  2 deer at chain link fence below Genesee Brewery  Doe heading towards me  Doe after it passed by me heading towards observation deck  Adult Black-Crowned Night Heron was spotted on this nest. |
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18959
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Rochester Falcons / Falcon Watches / Re: Twitter
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on: 02-Oct-10, 09:36:50 PM
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Yes Donna, if I remember correctly Beauty was on Mercury at the same time. That's why I said it's all good cuz I had seen them both.  I hope he didn't go YET! I'm sorry but I think he has. Maybe I'll see him in the morning.  I'm in denial! |
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18960
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Rochester Falcons / Falcon Watches / Re: Twitter
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on: 02-Oct-10, 09:32:47 PM
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Yes Donna, if I remember correctly Beauty was on Mercury at the same time. That's why I said it's all good cuz I had seen them both. I hope he didn't go YET! |
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Thanks for posting these for me Donna. You're the best! 
