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11 May Orangeburg,SC Sodfarm Sunday,5/11 [] 11 May Caspian Tern @ Beaver Lake [Aaron Steed ] 11 May Mid Pines Road - Raleigh ["Richard Carter" ] 11 May shorebirds at Bucksport Sod Farm 5-11 ["Jack" ] 11 May Re: Probable Gray-cheeked Thrush in Zebulon, NC [Harry Wilson ] 11 May Probable Gray-cheeked Thrush in Zebulon, NC ["harrywilson" ] 11 May Moore County Scissortail [Scott Hartley ] 11 May White House Rd., Richland Co., SC 5/11/08 ["Dennis Forsythe" ] 11 May Free program in Chapel Hill: Birds of Thailand [] 11 May Sound Recording Workshop [Kent Fiala ] 10 May Chuck Will's Widow Aberdeen NC [] 10 May Cape Fear River Kites ["Ricky Davis" ] 10 May Cox Ferry Lake Recreation Area ["Jack" ] 10 May St-flycatcher ["Blayne Olsen" ] 10 May Olive-sided Flycatcher - Max Patch [Ray Sharpton ] 10 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) ["Robin Carter" ] 10 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) - Male and Female [Parkin Hunter ] 10 May A couple interesting warblers [John and Rhonda Grego ] 10 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) [Donna Slyce ] 10 May (late?) woodcock in the Croatan National Forest, NC ["John Fussell" ] 10 May Re: Raleigh Dickcissal ["John.Connors AT ncmail.net" ] 10 May Carteret County NC [John Voigt ] 10 May Painted Buntings at Riverfront Park in Columbia, SC [] 10 May Raleigh Dickcissal ["Steve Shultz" ] 10 May Wildathon 2008 (One more post) [Ed Corey] 9 May Great backyard birding today ["harrywilson" ] 9 May Myrtle Beach State Park 5-9 ["Jack" ] 10 May Greenwood County 05/09 ["Jason Giovannone" ] 9 May Folly Bch Monthly Bird Walk [] 9 May recent Peregrine Falcon surveys ["Christine Kelly" ] 09 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) [] 9 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) ["Robin Carter" ] 9 May Re: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) [Nate Dias ] 9 May RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) ["Robin Carter" ] 9 May Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) ["Robin Carter" ] 9 May Kerr Lake spring count big day ["birdranger" ] 9 May Scissor-tailed flycatcher [Blayne and Anne Olsen ] 08 May Wayne Forsythe sees a "slow" migration for Jackson Park ["John Lindfors Sr." ] 8 May Cliff Swallows at Fingerville,SC (Spartanburg County) [] 8 May No Subject ["Anne Woods or Charles Strehl" ] 8 May Out of state info - WOOD SANDPIPER in Delaware [Nate Dias ] 8 May Beaver Lake Asheville lunchtime sitings [Terry Seyden] 8 May Lotsa migrants, plus a new Eliz Gardens species [jeff lewis ] 07 May Howell Woods Weekend - Carolina Bird Club [Lena Gallitano ] 7 May Office warblers [John and Rhonda Grego ] 07 May Extracting Warblers from Jackson Park ["John Lindfors Sr." ] 6 May Ft Fisher Great Horned Owl update ["Harry D Sell" ] 6 May Chuck-will's-widow in N. "Moooo"sville ["Tomm Lorenzin" ] 6 May Re: Downtown Charlotte Magnolia Warbler ["Rubberhead" ] 6 May Downtown Charlotte Magnolia Warbler ["Rubberhead" ] 6 May Marion Co, SC [Charles Mc Rae ] 6 May Re: Fall CBC Meeting [] Subject: Orangeburg,SC Sodfarm Sunday,5/11 From: <scompton1251 AT charter.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 20:28:16 -0700 Birders, Stopped by the Supersod Farm in Orangeburg,SC today for about one hour: lots of standing water and a few birds: Horned Lark 5 Solitary Sandpiper 3 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Greater Yellowlegs 24 Pectoral Sandpiper 8 Least Sandpiper 4 Ground Dove 1 Barn Swallows numerous, the only swallow species seen. Steve Compton Greenville,SC Subject: Caspian Tern @ Beaver Lake From: Aaron Steed <amsteed AT unca.edu> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 23:18:09 -0400 Hello Folks, I birded Beaver Lake early this afternoon (5-11-08) - the usuals were all there - Redstarts, Yellow Warblers, a multitude of Catbirds - but it was a real treat to see a Caspian Tern standing in the shallows on the Merrimon side of the lake. Happy Birding, Aaron Steed Subject: Mid Pines Road - Raleigh From: "Richard Carter" <rico AT nc.rr.com> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 22:50:25 -0400 In between rain showers I ventured out to Mid Pines Road in Raleigh today (Sunday). I arrived about 6:00 PM and within just a few minutes was able to locate two, possibly three, Dickcissels. The Bobolinks were also still present. I estimate a flock of about 50 birds. I also found several Eastern Kingbirds, Northern Yellowthroats, and a Yellow Warbler. Richard Carter Cary, NC Subject: shorebirds at Bucksport Sod Farm 5-11 From: "Jack" <jp5810 AT sccoast.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 21:19:53 -0500 Hi C'birders, After the heavy thunderstorms stopped mid morning today, I decided there may have been some migrant shorebirds grounded at the Bucksport Sod Farm in Horry County, SC Birds found were: Location: Bucksport Sod Farm Observation date: 5/11/08 Notes: After the heavy morning rain, I decided to go to Bucksport to see if there were any shorebirds brought in and there were. Number of species: 3 Black-bellied Plover 30 Killdeer 1 Solitary Sandpiper 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Jack Peachey Conway, SC Subject: Re: Probable Gray-cheeked Thrush in Zebulon, NC From: Harry Wilson <harrywilson AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 21:33:20 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Karen, we would be delighted to have you here. We will alert the chickadees to put on a good show for you! -----Original Message----- >From: Karen Bearden >Sent: May 11, 2008 9:20 PM >To: harrywilson >Subject: Re: Probable Gray-cheeked Thrush in Zebulon, NC > >Howdy! > >Cool yard bird!!! One of these days we're going to bird your famous >yard!!! > >Happy birding! Peace, Karen > Subject: Probable Gray-cheeked Thrush in Zebulon, NC From: "harrywilson" <harrywilson AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 21:03:14 -0400 Around 8:15 pm today my wife called me to listen to an unfamiliar bird call. After listening for a while, I grabbed my binoculars and headed outside. I could tell that it was calling from a gardenia just outside the room we had been in. I moved a bit to get a view and the bird flushed, fluttering into the side of the house before settling back into the gardenia. This time I could get a fairly good look, and I could see that it was a thrush with a short tail. The spotting extended about halfway down its breast. The bird then flew into some azaleas, offering a very brief view of its head before disappearing into the foliage. I was unable to get it in focus before it vanished. I came back inside and accessed the Cornell site to listen to various thrush call notes. It was not a Veery (which we have had in migration) or a Swainson's, but the call notes of both the Bicknell's and Gray-cheeked seemed close. The more we listened, the more it seemed to have been a Gray-cheeked. This would be a first for our yard and number 104 overall. Birds of the Carolinas indicates that the migrating Gray-cheeked is most often seen during May in upland hardwood forests. Since a line of storms passed through our area this afternoon, we suspect that the winds may have carried the bird eastward and eventually to our yard. Harry Wilson Zebulon, North Carolina Subject: Moore County Scissortail From: Scott Hartley <picoides AT alltel.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 20:50:37 -0400 Hey - Observed one scissor tail flycatcher today at Hobby Field near Southern Pines. Didn't have a scope but think this bird is a female. This was about 7:30 pm. I'm sure others will be checking this week and updating us on the situation. Scott Hartley Aberdeen, NC Subject: White House Rd., Richland Co., SC 5/11/08 From: "Dennis Forsythe" <dennis.forsythe AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 19:44:55 -0400 Hi All, I spent about 1 hr mid-day today driving SW on White House Rd., Richland Co., SC. I had a Painted Bunting singing at the strawberry farm. I had Bobolinks and the singing Dickcissel at the buff-colored grain silos just when the road towards the interstate along with a flock of Barn Swallows which contained 1 Bank and 1 Cliff Swallow. Cheers, Dennis -- Dennis M. Forsythe PhD Charleston, SC 29412 843.795.3996-home 843.953.7264-fax 843.708.1605-cell dennis.forsythe AT gmail.com Subject: Free program in Chapel Hill: Birds of Thailand From: ginger_travis AT bellsouth.net Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 21:29:43 +0000 For those in the neighborhood . . . BIRDS OF THAILAND Carol Woods Bird Club Presented by residents Anne and Dick Wood who recently traveled to Thailand Spectacular Pictures of Their Recent trip Monday, May 12, 2008 AT 7:15 PM Carol Woods Assembly Hall (750 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill, NC) Free. Everyone is welcome. Subject: Sound Recording Workshop From: Kent Fiala <fiala AT ipass.net> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 13:02:34 -0400 The CBC received this news release with the comment "We're trying to fill up a few remaining spots in our annual Sound Recording Workshop--if you have an opportunity to pass this information along, that would be wonderful!" Kent Fiala Chapel Hill Township, NC _____________________ Contact: Tammy Bishop, Macaulay Library (607) 254-2198 For immediate release macaulaylibrary AT cornell.edu May 8, 2008 *Workshop Fine-Tunes the Passion for Sound */Cornell Lab of Ornithology Course Taking Registrations Now / /Ithaca, NY /­From June 7 to 14, the annual Sound Recording Workshop offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology returns to San Francisco State University''s Sierra Nevada Field Campus in the spectacular surroundings of the eastern foothills of California's northern Sierra Nevada mountains. Participants learn state-of-the-art techniques for capturing bird sounds, guided by experts. Learn to capture the sounds of wildlife through lecture, discussion, and daily field recording sessions participants learn how to effectively handle a portable field recording system to make scientifically accurate recordings of bird vocalizations. Participants learn how to conquer wind, how a roadbed can help overcome the sound of a rushing stream, and why placing a microphone on the ground is sometimes the best strategy. There is also an introduction to the science of sound analysis which converts sound waves into visual images called spectrograms. With signal analysis it's possible to visualize a bird song note by note. The Sound Recording Workshop fee of $895 covers tuition, class materials, ground transportation, food, and lodging. A $100 deposit is requested to reserve a space, which is limited to 20 students. *Registration and payment are due by May 31.* Learn more at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/macaulaylibrary/Contribute/soundRecordingWorkshop.html or contact Tammy Bishop at (607) 254-2198 or macaulaylibrary AT cornell.edu . *# * /The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab's web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu ./ Subject: Chuck Will's Widow Aberdeen NC From: <ann AT triad.rr.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 23:24:42 -0400 Hello All, Chester and I are staying at the Hampton Inn in Aberdeen, NC. About 9:30 p.m. we were in the parking lot and heard a Chuck Will's Widow calling from a little slice of habitat between here and Wal-Mart, of all places! Best, Ann Robertson (feebly trying web-mail) Subject: Cape Fear River Kites From: "Ricky Davis" <rdnc13 AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 21:34:47 -0400 Hi Folks I went to the Cape Fear River area in Bladen County, from Lock No 1 to the NC 11 bridge to see if the Swallow-tailed Kites had come back this spring. I was on the bridge scanning and J.D. Davis came up to me and said he had been seeing four since Tues May 6 - they even perched in his yard one day (the yard on the river bank on the east side of the road). And sure enough, not fifteen minutes later, four got up and circled with about seven Mississippi Kites! They seemed to disperse upstream toward the Lock No 1. Surely these birds are nesting somewhere near the river in this area, since they return every year now. Also of interest was finding a singing Warbling Vireo in the trees on the bluff at the Lock No 1. This bird was noted to be moving upstream along the bank several times until out of range. Very unexpected migrant for this Coastal Plain location. Lots of Anhingas flying around, seemingly over or near almost every swampy spot in the area. Also had one Wood Stork circling, working with the thermals. And on the way home this evening, stopped by the Richardson Bridge Kite location in Johnston County, but saw no kites of any kind! Later, Ricky -- Ricky Davis Rocky Mount, NC Subject: Cox Ferry Lake Recreation Area From: "Jack" <jp5810 AT sccoast.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 20:30:07 -0500 Hi C'birders, I met Bill Lanham at Cox Ferry Lake Recreation Area Conway, Horry County, SC on Saturday morning and we spent over two hours touing the several trails. Here are our results. Location: Cox Ferry Lake Rec Area Observation date: 5/10/08 Notes: Birded with Bill Lanham Number of species: 28 Turkey Vulture 3 Mourning Dove 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4 Chimney Swift 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 4 Eastern Kingbird 1 Blue Jay 5 Fish Crow 2 Carolina Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 3 Brown-headed Nuthatch 1 Carolina Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 3 Gray Catbird 1 Northern Mockingbird 2 Brown Thrasher 2 Northern Parula 2 Yellow-throated Warbler 1 Prothonotary Warbler 2 Summer Tanager 3 Northern Cardinal 5 Blue Grosbeak 2 Common Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird Jack Peachey Conway, SC Subject: St-flycatcher From: "Blayne Olsen" <bolsen187 AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 21:04:33 -0400 I saw the female at noon today and the male at 5 yesterday. Both were on the phone wires on the east side of NC207 at the end of the driveway. Blayne Blayne & Anne Olsen bolsen187 AT earthlink.net Monroe, N Subject: Olive-sided Flycatcher - Max Patch From: Ray Sharpton <sanrayel AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 19:55:11 -0400 Today while in the Max Patch area, Sandy spotted and identified an Olive-sided Flycatcher. We were only a short distance on the gravel road and stopped at the pull-off for the Robert Newton Rogers Cemetery. Sandy saw the bird on the highest and most conspicuous perch around. We observed the Flycatcher for at least ten minutes and had excellent views of all of the major field identification marks and got to watch it's feeding behavior and characteristics. We had figured on seeing this bird on our trip to Ontario next month, but were glad to have an early surprise. The only thing we missed was that this bird was not vocal and failed to offer us one of his beers. We ran into a group of birders from Haywood County and it was good to see Bob Olthoff, Tom Joyce and all the others. I hope they had as much fun as Sandy and I did. Thanks to Ed Peachy for some good tips on other bird locations. Ray and Sandy Sharpton Fletcher, NC _________________________________________________________________ Get Free (PRODUCT) RED™ Emoticons, Winks and Display Pics. http://joinred.spaces.live.com?ocid=TXT_HMTG_prodredemoticons_052008 Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter AT sc.rr.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 19:43:29 -0400 Painted Buntings occur from time to time in the SC Piedmont. I am wondering when we will find a nesting population in the Piedmont. It's good that eastern Painted Buntings are doing well someplace! Robin Carter Columbia, SC USA mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com -----Original Message----- From: Donna Slyce [mailto:pine.siskin AT hotmail.com] Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2008 5:05 PM To: Robin Carter; Nate Dias; CarolinaBirds Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) Would Painted Buntings along the Wateree/Catawba River count as Painted Buntings in the Piedmont? We almost had those last year. Well, at least, the buntings stopped by for a few days - until the feeders were empty of white millet... Donna Slyce in the community of Longtown along the Wateree River north of Ridgeway, SC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Get Free (PRODUCT) RED™ Emoticons, Winks and Display Pics. Check it out! Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) - Male and Female From: Parkin Hunter <parkinhunter AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 15:33:00 -0700 (PDT) The Dickcissel on Whitehouse Rd was present this morning (Saturday about 10:00). I saw the singing male and also saw a female. There were also Bobolinks in the wheat fields and probably saw a dozen Indigo Buntings. Parkin Hunter Columbia ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: A couple interesting warblers From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 18:27:07 -0400 I had some encouraging signs this weekend of a warbler fall-out in my backyard--some of the usual visitors--Northern Parula, American Redstart, Black-and-white, Black-throated Blue, and a couple interesting species--Yellow Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler. The wind's been so strong the past couple days though, that it's been hard to pick anything else out. I've noticed over the years that the best time for spring migrants in my yard is the second week of May, which seems to be a little later than most other local spots. And I did have an Orchard Oriole too--common elsewhere, but really hard to find in my yard. John Grego Columbia, SC Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: Donna Slyce <pine.siskin AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 17:05:15 -0400 Would Painted Buntings along the Wateree/Catawba River count as Painted Buntings in the Piedmont? We almost had those last year. Well, at least, the buntings stopped by for a few days - until the feeders were empty of white millet... Donna Slyce in the community of Longtown along the Wateree River north of Ridgeway, SC _________________________________________________________________ Get Free (PRODUCT) RED™ Emoticons, Winks and Display Pics. http://joinred.spaces.live.com?ocid=TXT_HMTG_prodredemoticons_052008 Subject: (late?) woodcock in the Croatan National Forest, NC From: "John Fussell" <jfuss AT clis.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 16:22:16 -0400 This morning I had a woodcock near the Millis Road in the southern Croatan. Not unprecedented, but kind of unusual this late in the spring. (Perhaps late, perhaps a breeder.) John Fussell Morehead City, NC jfuss AT clis.com Subject: Re: Raleigh Dickcissal From: "John.Connors AT ncmail.net" <John.Connors@ncmail.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 15:54:00 -0400 (EDT) Hi all. There are actually two Dickcissals singing at the Mid-Pines site in Raleigh, and there were Grasshopper Sparrow, and more than 40 Bobolinks moving through the wheat fields today during our NA migration Count. Note: this is NCSU Ag land and you can't go traipsing across it- but the Dickcissals are easy to hear and see from the road. The Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink may take more work. I would suggest you get a look soon, the wheat is ripe and I would guess they'll mow it this week. We also found a Philadelphia Vireo, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, along with numerous warblers (Magnolia, Cape May, A. Redstart, Blackpoll and Black & White being among the best) all at Yates Mill Pond and Mid- Pines Rd. It was truely a great morning to be out. More details when we get additional group reports. John Connors AT NC Museum of Natural Science Subject: Carteret County NC From: John Voigt <jvoigt AT coastalnet.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 14:28:09 -0400 (GMT-04:00) I birded in the Croatan Forest in Carteret County NC this morning for 1 1/2 hours this morning. Highlights were 3 singing Bachman's Sparrow on Pringle Road along with Pine Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, and Yellow-throated Warbler. On Millis road I added Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, Hooded Warbler and a Red-eyed Vireo. Holland Point road had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bobwhite (seen) and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (heard only). In my yard on Emerald Isle (middle of the island) I had a Yellow Warbler which was both seen and heard. The Yellow Warbler was a surprise. I usually only see them here in the fall. John Voigt Emerald Isle NC jvoigt AT coastalnet.com Subject: Painted Buntings at Riverfront Park in Columbia, SC From: sparkleclark AT earthlink.net Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 12:51:02 -0400 (EDT) Two male and one female Painted Buntings are at Riverfront Park on the South End. They have been there for 2 weeks so far. You have to enter the park at the State Museum on Gervais St. until the pedestrian bridge is removated. Down behind EdVenture is the entrance. At the first 3 lamp posts (601-603), you can hear them and then see them in the trees at the meadow. Sometimes they perch and sing on those huge powerline towers. I will keep watching to see if they nest there. I pass them daily on my way to the Amphitheater to see the Green Heron. Sparkle Clark Subject: Raleigh Dickcissal From: "Steve Shultz" <sshultz AT nc.rr.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 08:46:47 -0400 Had a singing Dickcissal along Mid-Pines Rd south of Raleigh this morning. The bird was on a power wire where Mid-Pines makes a 90 degree turn to the east. Best, Steve Shultz Apex, NC Subject: Wildathon 2008 (One more post) From: Ed Corey<ed.corey AT ncmail.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 08:35:45 -0400 (EDT) Many people have already posted their Wildathon/Birdathon results, so I thought we'd post ours. David Cooper and myself, inspired by a more long-standing Wildathon team (Jeff Beane, Stephanie Horton, John Finnegan, Bob Davis, Todd Pusser), completed a 24 hour, 680 mile Wildathon this year. Stops included new parks in Onslow, Cumberland and Bladen Cos, Fort Fisher, Lake Waccamaw, Carolina Beach and Umstead State Parks, and a few extra stops along the way. All proceeds go to Wake Audubon, to be split as such: 50% to Coastal Reserve Program, 25% to the NC Herpetological Society (to help fund Project Simus and Project Bog Turtle - see http://www.ncherps.org/ ) and 25% stays with Wake Audubon. This year was our biggest year (out of two). We found 200 vertebrate species, including 126 birds, 27 fish, 21 amphibians, 17 reptiles, and 9 mammals. Unfortunately, the trip lasted from 7am Saturday til 7am Sunday, so it can't technically count as a big day. Notable finds included: Scarlet Tanager and Cedar Waxwings in Onslow County Virginia Rail at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area Loggerhead Shrikes in Carolina Beach and Brunswick Counties Eastern Painted Bunting at Carolina Beach (not a surprise but always nice to see) Chicken Turtle at the Green Swamp Ecological Preserve Pine Barrens Treefrogs in Cumberland County Ornate Chorus Frogs in Bladen County and some cool endemics at Lake Waccamaw Notable misses were: Hairy Woodpecker Belted Kingfisher Great Horned Owl Ruby-throated Hummingbird If anyone is interested in donating to Wake Audubon, or to either our team or one of a handful of others, please let me know. My email is Ed.Corey AT ncmail.net. If you choose not to, hopefully you'll donate to another Audubon organization in the state, to better this fine society in what it does. Ed Subject: Great backyard birding today From: "harrywilson" <harrywilson AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 22:11:10 -0400 This morning as my wife and I began our walk around our pond, we flushed a Spotted Sandpiper. We have normally seen these birds when the pond is a foot or more below full, but it is full currently. During our walk we heard a Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird, White-eyed Vireo, and Red-eyed Vireo, among others. We stopped to scan the woods behind the pond and located a male American Redstart -- the first adult male we have seen here. Just a bit later we spotted a male Scarlet Tanager. Earlier this week I watched a Yellow Warbler foraging in swamp willows. Harry Wilson Zebulon, North Carolina Subject: Myrtle Beach State Park 5-9 From: "Jack" <jp5810 AT sccoast.net> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 21:05:57 -0500 Hi C'birders, Finally back into the swing of things here in coastal S.C. I was away doing a VENT western grouse trip to Colorado. Also on the trip were Bob & Judy Maxwell and Dave Gustafson. Absolutely an outstanding trip. The SC bird which I could not believe was so common was Eurasian Collared-Dove. Virtually every town and hamlet under 5,000 ft has them. E-mail me if you would like to know the my new 28 ABA Life birds I saw. At any rate, today I birded with Dave Gustafson at Myrtle Beach S.P. Horry County. The weather was a problem but we worked around it. Location: Myrtle Beach State Park Observation date: 5/9/08 Notes: Great looks at the Parula. Two delays because of showers. Number of species: 22 Mallard 2 Turkey Vulture 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Mourning Dove 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 3 Red-eyed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 12 Fish Crow 1 Carolina Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 3 Carolina Wren 3 American Robin 2 Gray Catbird 1 Northern Mockingbird 1 Brown Thrasher 2 Northern Parula 2 Northern Cardinal 6 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Common Grackle 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Jack Peachey Conway, SC Subject: Greenwood County 05/09 From: "Jason Giovannone" <giovannonej AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 00:37:50 +0000 Spent the day in Greenwood County, SC today. Hit Ninety-Six NHS, Lake Greenwood SP, several other boat landings along the lake, and then some of the forest roads in the lower part of the county. The rain stopped about 5:30 this morning, but the winds picked up from there. Lake was white-capping and nearly impossible to scan. Still a nice day though. Good Birding! Jason Giovannone Columbia, SC Full List Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Chuck-will's-widow Whip-poor-will Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Acadian Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Loggerhead Shrike White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Brown-headed Nuthatch Carolina Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler Swainson's Warbler Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Northern Cardinal Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow Subject: Folly Bch Monthly Bird Walk From: AmaSpirit AT aol.com Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 18:51:32 EDT Got up early, watched the weather, saw that the storm would be ahead of me and clear pretty quickly so I drove to Folly Beach County Park for the 2nd Friday of month bird walk. Left my home in Lexington at 7:10 AM and because of heavy traffic and driving through storm part of the way and missing a turn in Charleston, got to the ticket booth at Folly Beach two minutes before 10 AM. Walk was to be 10 to noon. But, as the nice fellow in the booth told me, "It's been cancelled." Hmmmm. Now, I've driven almost 3 hours, used that luxury known as gasoline, and don't have plans to meet my friend for her birthday lunch until 1 PM. So, I paid the $7 and parked. Nope, school bus full of little ones there....so I moved to the farthest lot. Now came the walking in light rain, sitting in car in heavier rain/lightning, then (just as I predicted) it had cleared before 11. It was very windy so not much bird action and I know I would have added a couple of more to this list if others had been with me who recognize bird calls but, hey, I had 4 life birds (in capitals) in an hour! The list: Boat-tailed Grackle Red-winged Blackbird (including a beautiful display of her orange shoulder pads by one female) Brown Pelicans Northern Rough-Wing Swallow Tree Swallow Northern Cardinal Northern Mockingbird Gray Catbird Great Egret an unidentified Sparrow, with beautiful song, hidden in the sea oats on the dune Caspian Tern Laughing Gull LITTLE GULL (you can argue this one with me but it's only gull whose markings match what I saw) WHIMBREL (first bird I saw that wasn't a Grackle or Blackbird) WILSON'S PLOVER BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (may have had only one leg) Topped it off with fun lunch with old friends then, sadly, didn't stop for gas soon enough and got stuck paying $3.69/gal at a robbery station along the interstate! Patricia Voelker Lexington, SC **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) Subject: recent Peregrine Falcon surveys From: "Christine Kelly" <kellych AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 16:01:23 -0400 Sightings during recent Peregrine Falcon surveys: Peregrines nesting at Shortoff Mtn (Linville Gorge, south end) raised 4 nestlings that have likely flown the coup by now. Last year the pair at Buzzard's Roost raised 4 and that was the first time in several years that NC falcons have raised a brood of 4. 2-3 is more typical. Peregrines that nested last year at Table Rock have moved to NC Wall (Linville Gorge, north end). Ravens raised three nestlings on Table Rock this year, though I suspect the PEFAs moved in response to possible nest predation (gray fox on the eyrie last year). While hiking the rim trail in the vicinity of NC Wall, I again encountered numerous prairie warblers and a few house wrens in an area burned for plant conservation. An osprey flew by the buttress where I had set up my scope at eye level (Apr 30). Devil's Courthouse: Local WNC birders, you can expect to see nestlings at DC later this month. Best light for viewing is in the afternoon. If anyone gets a head count of nestlings, please let me know. We will be checking as well. It is unclear what is happening at Chimney Rock. The pair MIGHT be nesting. The one bird is young, going by plumage (heavy vertical barring on the belly, brownish wash over the gray), but he kept visiting a spot on the right side of the cliff out of our view (viewed from Pulpit Rock) as if that was a nest ledge. So if anyone is up there and sees a nest exchange or young in the coming weeks, let me know. We will be re-checking regularly. This pair has had nest failure for 17 years. It will be interesting to see if this changes with the replacement of one of the pair, though yearlings are typically not successful at nesting. Looking Glass nest has probably failed for unknown reasons. The pair at Panthertail has not yet nested due to competition with ravens that are battling it out for the territory. White Rock Cliff in Madison County also has a young falcon (female) on territory. Whiteside Mtn should have nestlings (possibly visible from the first platform at the top of the road bed) moving around on the ledge later this month. You'll need a scope to see them and they will be more active in the AM. While doing some work on Fontana Reservoir this past Monday, I saw an adult PEFA circling near the boat ramp at Evans Knob. I'll send a summary of all pairs at the end of the season. Chris Kelly, NCWRC, Asheville, NC Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: jcraigw1 AT comcast.net Date: Fri, 09 May 2008 19:11:29 +0000 Perhaps someone in the Piedmont could participate in the Painted Bunting Observer Team: http://paintedbuntings.org/. Craig Watson USFWS Charleston, SC -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "Robin Carter" > Painted Buntings are certainly more common in Richland County than they were > 20 years ago. The White House Road loop is a better than average place to > find Painted Buntings in the Columbia area, but they are found thoughout the > Coastal Plain part of the county in appropriate habitat. They are also > fairly common across the Congaree River, along Old State Road in Cayse > (Lexington County). > > Painted Buntings may alrady nest in the Piedmont, at Saluda Shoals Park in > Lexington County. A singing bird or two is often found in that park in June, > but I do not know of any evidence of nesting yet. This is very near the > Coastal Plain, however. When someone finds a Painted Bunting nest along the > Broad River in Fairfield County then we will be able to say that Painted > Buntings are nesting in the South Carolina Piedmont. > > Robin Carter > Columbia, SC USA > mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Nate Dias [mailto:offshorebirder AT yahoo.com] > Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 1:55 PM > To: CarolinaBirds > Subject: Re: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) > > > Wow - 7 Painted Buntings on the outskirts of Columbia, SC. > > That is very good to hear - such a thing would have been astounding 20 years > ago... > > What's next - breeding in the Piedmont? > > Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Robin Carter > To: CarolinaBirds > Sent: Friday, May 9, 2008 1:41:59 PM > Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) > > I just got back from a quick trip twice around the White House Road loop. I > heard the Dickcissel as soon as I drove up to the place nearest the old > house site. I looked for it for 15 minutes, but never got a glimpse of it as > it sang from about three differemt spots. I think only one Dickcissel is > present. > > I got nice looks at Mississippi Kites hunting over the fields. > > Here is my complete list: > ... > > 7 Painted Bunting > 1 Dickcissel > 25 Bobolink > > ... > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > ______________ > Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter AT sc.rr.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 14:30:05 -0400 Painted Buntings are certainly more common in Richland County than they were 20 years ago. The White House Road loop is a better than average place to find Painted Buntings in the Columbia area, but they are found thoughout the Coastal Plain part of the county in appropriate habitat. They are also fairly common across the Congaree River, along Old State Road in Cayse (Lexington County). Painted Buntings may alrady nest in the Piedmont, at Saluda Shoals Park in Lexington County. A singing bird or two is often found in that park in June, but I do not know of any evidence of nesting yet. This is very near the Coastal Plain, however. When someone finds a Painted Bunting nest along the Broad River in Fairfield County then we will be able to say that Painted Buntings are nesting in the South Carolina Piedmont. Robin Carter Columbia, SC USA mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com -----Original Message----- From: Nate Dias [mailto:offshorebirder AT yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 1:55 PM To: CarolinaBirds Subject: Re: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) Wow - 7 Painted Buntings on the outskirts of Columbia, SC. That is very good to hear - such a thing would have been astounding 20 years ago... What's next - breeding in the Piedmont? Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC ----- Original Message ---- From: Robin Carter To: CarolinaBirds Sent: Friday, May 9, 2008 1:41:59 PM Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) I just got back from a quick trip twice around the White House Road loop. I heard the Dickcissel as soon as I drove up to the place nearest the old house site. I looked for it for 15 minutes, but never got a glimpse of it as it sang from about three differemt spots. I think only one Dickcissel is present. I got nice looks at Mississippi Kites hunting over the fields. Here is my complete list: ... 7 Painted Bunting 1 Dickcissel 25 Bobolink ... ______________________________________________________________________ ______________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: Re: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: Nate Dias <offshorebirder AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:54:54 -0700 (PDT) Wow - 7 Painted Buntings on the outskirts of Columbia, SC. That is very good to hear - such a thing would have been astounding 20 years ago... What's next - breeding in the Piedmont? Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC ----- Original Message ---- From: Robin Carter To: CarolinaBirds Sent: Friday, May 9, 2008 1:41:59 PM Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) I just got back from a quick trip twice around the White House Road loop. I heard the Dickcissel as soon as I drove up to the place nearest the old house site. I looked for it for 15 minutes, but never got a glimpse of it as it sang from about three differemt spots. I think only one Dickcissel is present. I got nice looks at Mississippi Kites hunting over the fields. Here is my complete list: ... 7 Painted Bunting 1 Dickcissel 25 Bobolink ... ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: RE: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter AT sc.rr.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 13:41:59 -0400 I just got back from a quick trip twice around the White House Road loop. I heard the Dickcissel as soon as I drove up to the place nearest the old house site. I looked for it for 15 minutes, but never got a glimpse of it as it sang from about three differemt spots. I think only one Dickcissel is present. I got nice looks at Mississippi Kites hunting over the fields. Here is my complete list: Observation Report Location Location name: White House Rd. loop Date, Effort, & Habitat Observation type: Traveling Count Observation date: 5/9/08 Distance covered: 6.0 mile(s) Start time: 12:10 PM Area covered: N/A Duration: 0 hour(s) 45 minute(s) Elevation: N/A Number of people in party: 1 Comments: Caroline Eastman found the Dickcissel earlier in the day; also she heard the Yellow-breasted Chat Species Are you submitting a complete checklist of the birds you saw/heard? Yes 1 Great Egret 15 Turkey Vulture 3 Mississippi Kite 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Mourning Dove 2 Chimney Swift 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Red-eyed Vireo 8 American Crow 2 Barn Swallow 1 Carolina Chickadee 4 Carolina Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 6 Northern Mockingbird 1 Pine Warbler 1 American Redstart 1 Prothonotary Warbler 1 Swainson's Warbler 1 Yellow-breasted Chat 12 Northern Cardinal 15 Indigo Bunting 7 Painted Bunting 1 Dickcissel 25 Bobolink 10 House Finch Robin Carter Columbia, SC USA mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com -----Original Message----- From: Robin Carter [mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com] Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 11:46 AM To: CarolinaBirds Subject: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) I just got a call from Caroline Eastman. She did a quick loop around the White House road loop (just south of Columbia) at lunchtime and found a singing Dickcissel at the old house site in the fields near the end of White House Road. Migrating DIckcissels have been seen in this very spot two or three times before in the last 20 years. I plan to go check this out in a few minutes and will report on what I find. Robin Carter Columbia, SC USA mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com Subject: Dickcissel near Columbia, SC (Richland Co.) From: "Robin Carter" <rcarter AT sc.rr.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 11:46:15 -0400 I just got a call from Caroline Eastman. She did a quick loop around the White House road loop (just south of Columbia) at lunchtime and found a singing Dickcissel at the old house site in the fields near the end of White House Road. Migrating DIckcissels have been seen in this very spot two or three times before in the last 20 years. I plan to go check this out in a few minutes and will report on what I find. Robin Carter Columbia, SC USA mailto:rcarter AT sc.rr.com Subject: Kerr Lake spring count big day From: "birdranger" <cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:36:51 -0400 Late, but on 4/30 I hoped to break the VA big day record for April (94) in my spring count area at Kerr Lake. I ended up with 105 while quitting at 5pm. If only I had time to run to the coast. Long list of goodies: White-winged Scoter at Palmer Point, same bird from the CBC!?! Blackburnian Warbler at Liberty Hill (one of 18 warbler sp) Anhinga circling near the dam Red-breasted Nuthatch at Liberty Hill trail Northern Harrier flying across lake American Kestrel around Palmer Springs farms Forsters Tern Red-breasted Mergansers below dam Only a few other folks have bragged on some great birds, the full results will be out soon. Brian Bockhahn Falls Lake State Park Ranger Falls & Kerr Lake CBC Compiler cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net Subject: Scissor-tailed flycatcher From: Blayne and Anne Olsen <bolsen187 AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:23:00 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Monroe, NC The Scissor-Tails have been very sporadic. Blayne saw one Monday, early AM. But neither of us saw any until yesterday around noon. Although we come and go a lot, we do not always have the time to hang around waiting to see if they show up. I checked my records which go back to 2001. Typically they do not begin nesting until late May. Once they begin nesting they are more regular and can be seen with just a bit of waiting. I have also had several reports of STs in other Union Co. locations from the man that reads my electric meter. He is very familiar with STs since he spent time in Oklahoma. I suspect there are other pairs nesting here. I wish we had more eyes to keep a lookout. We will keep everyone posted but be patient and keep your fingers crossed that they will nest where we can all enjoy them again. Anne Wolf Pond Rd (Hwy 207, 5 miles south of Monroe, NC) Subject: Wayne Forsythe sees a "slow" migration for Jackson Park From: "John Lindfors Sr." <jwl127 AT mchsi.com> Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 22:51:41 -0400 Carolinabirders, Wayne Forsythe and Ron Selvey were birding the Warbler Trail at Hendersonville, NC's Jackson Park this morning (TH 5/8) and having gotten there first, I was pleased to tell them of the female Cape May Warbler that I had found on the briary path that extends beyond the Warbler Trail, and the Prairie Warbler that popped up out of the bushes on the east side of the Warbler Trail just north of the large dark privet bushes on the last 1/3 of the Warbler Trail. Well, Wayne refound and confirmed the female CMWA and pointed out the chip of a Northern Waterthrush and then found a male Black-throated Blue Warbler. I was planning to plant myself on the last 1/3 of the Warbler Trail hoping to add to my warbler list, but decided to go to the Bottomland Trail with them. There they found a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo and up on the hill west of the headquarters building called the "Lieben's Loop" Wayne spotted 3 Swainson's Thrush. The cuckoos and the thrushes were additions to his mountain yearlist. Wayne thought that the birds have been coming in a rather tardy manner. He has earlier dates for the cukoos and thrushes (I believe). He hopes that the rest of the month of May will pay off for the patient birder who comes here to "extract" birds from the park. I found on the "Small Ponds Trail" (this is the mowed path from the SE corner of the nature trail that winds past three little ponds and ends up where the old board walk used to be) a mother Wood Duck and her seven ducklings. I wish Todd Arcos had been there with his digital "bazooka" to record the scene. John Lindfors Hendersonville, NC Here's the list: Location: Jackson Park Observation date: 5/8/08 Notes: After finding the female Cape May Warbler and the Prairie Warbler; Wayne Forsythe and Ron Selvey came down the warbler trail. Wayne found the beautiful male Black-throated Blue Warbler. They found two Yellow-billed Cuckoos (I didn't see) and 3 Swainson's Thrush (I saw.) Number of species: 28 Wood Duck 8 Turkey Vulture 1 Mourning Dove 2 Chimney Swift 4 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Red-eyed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 1 Carolina Chickadee 5 Tufted Titmouse 1 Carolina Wren 4 Swainson's Thrush 3 American Robin 10 Gray Catbird 2 Brown Thrasher 2 European Starling 5 Cape May Warbler 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 Prairie Warbler 1 American Redstart 7 Northern Waterthrush 1 Common Yellowthroat 2 Eastern Towhee 12 Song Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 12 Indigo Bunting 3 Common Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Cliff Swallows at Fingerville,SC (Spartanburg County) From: <scompton1251 AT charter.net> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 18:21:09 -0700 Birders, Observed about 6 Cliff Swallows from the Highway 11 (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) bridge over the Pacolet River today. This is in "downtown" Fingerville. Also checked a few fields for Grasshooper Sparrow, but none were singing in the sunny and warm afternoon. Steve Compton Greenville,SC Subject: No Subject From: "Anne Woods or Charles Strehl" <woodstrehl AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 20:00:54 -0400 Kentucky Warbler Locations in Cherokee Area? We are looking for this species. Old reports indicate nesting near Sugarlands Visitor Center in GSMNP on Tennessee side. Does anyone have a location or locations west of Asheville? Subject: Out of state info - WOOD SANDPIPER in Delaware From: Nate Dias <offshorebirder AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 13:55:37 -0700 (PDT) A WOOD SANDPIPER was discovered in Delaware yesterday at Prime Hook NWR. It was still being seen as of 3:15 today. http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/DEBD.html#1210200366 http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/DEBD.html Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: Beaver Lake Asheville lunchtime sitings From: Terry Seyden<terryseyden AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 15:48:14 -0400 (EDT) Went for a quick "attitude adjustment" lunchtime walk at Beaver Lake sanctuary in North Asheville today and was rewarded with a good variety of birds including a couple of FOTY for me. The green heron continues to sit on its nest on the island in the small upper pond. A male and female redstart also seem to have taken up residence around the upper pond. Lots and lots of yellow warblers were in evidence along with blue grey gnatcatchers and catbirds. The lake is rapidly filling now and the shore birds are being forced closer and closer to the northern end observation deck. Spotted and solitary sandpipers were in abundance and the mallard ducklings are growing fast. What was really a treat was to see an indigo bunting and scarlet tanager both FOTY. happy birding Terry Seyden Fairview, NC Subject: Lotsa migrants, plus a new Eliz Gardens species From: jeff lewis <jlewis_obx AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 05:40:17 -0700 (PDT) Hi friends, Been having lots of migrants in the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island. YTWarbler, BTGreen, BTBlue, NoParula, Worm-eating, Prothonotary, Black-and-white, Ovenbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak. A couple of days ago I sprinkled a handfull of white millet on the ground and the next day had a White-crowned Sparrow. Have had a couple of Wood Thrushes for over a week now, am beginning to wonder if they are going to try breeding here again this year. Yesterday had a new species for the gardens, two Black Vultures. I had only seen this species once before on Roanoke Island. Jeff Lewis Manteo, NC ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: Howell Woods Weekend - Carolina Bird Club From: Lena Gallitano <lena_gallitano AT ncsu.edu> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 21:45:02 -0400 Hello all, The Howell Woods weekend that is being sponsored by the Carolina Bird Club is fast approaching and still has room for others to join the group. We have a great opportunity to spend two nights at the site and to bird with some great leaders - Jamie Sasser and Chris Moorman. This is the last call so if you're interested, please let me know by return email. - if you don't go, we'll post the weekend bird list to make every one jealous.!! Good accommodations, low cost, great leaders and great birds - what else could you ask for? More information is below with final details to be sent to those who register. Lena Gallitano Field Trip Organizer Raleigh, NC *May 16-18 – *Bring your adventurous spirit and enthusiasm for birding on the 2,800 acres of the *Howell Woods Learning Center*, Four Oaks, NC, a site on the NC Birding Trail – Coastal Plain. Trip is limited to *16* participants who are willing to share 2 cabins on site - one for men and one for women. The two cabins are nestled in pine trees overlooking a longleaf pine savannah restoration site and are a short walk to the Learning Center building. The cabins are a recent addition to Howell Woods and consist of 2 rooms/cabin, 4 people/room, each room with a private bath. Each cabin has a shared kitchen complete with all dining and cooking appliances and utensils plus an outdoor grill and picnic tables. Guests will need to bring the food they would like to cook. They provide organic shade grown coffee and organic spices! There is a country grill nearby, and numerous restaurants are available in Smithfield about 20 minutes away for those who prefer not to cook. Jamie Sasser, Director of Howell Woods, and Chris Moorman, Wildlife Biologist, NC State University will provide expert leadership to locate the following expected birds: Mississippi kites, Kentucky, Swainson's, hooded, prothonotary warblers, American redstarts, yellow-breasted chat, ovenbird, northern parula, black-and-white warbler and possible black-throated blue (early date) summer tanagers, brown-headed nuthatch, yellow-throated vireo, field sparrow, blue grosbeak and indigo bunting, orchard oriole, red-headed woodpecker, both night herons, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks. Trip cost is $40/person for lodging only. Linens are available for an extra fee. Each person will be responsible for their own food. Email Lena Gallitano at lena_gallitano AT ncsu.edu or call at (919) 571-0388 for details. To learn more about Howell Woods, go to www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods . Subject: Office warblers From: John and Rhonda Grego <jrgrego AT pop.mindspring.com> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 21:28:13 -0400 I haven't had a real fall-out this spring, either at home or the office, but today in the trees outside my office window at USC, I did have 3 Black-throated Blue Warblers (1 singing male, 2 females), 2 American Redstart, 1 Northern Parula, and one Ovenbird (which was unexpected). John Grego Columbia, SC Subject: Extracting Warblers from Jackson Park From: "John Lindfors Sr." <jwl127 AT mchsi.com> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 18:07:57 -0400 Wayne Forsythe's Mourning Warbler of a few days has apparently quit singing. The Blue-Winged Warbler that Ernie Hollingsworth found around the long, center pond of the Nature Trail area has flapped away, and only the promise of a little rain at the end of the week holds promise of getting more warblers in. (I know, I know the Blue Ridge Parkway is crammed with warblers so they have all by-passed the park this year--humbug!) Ben Ringer and his wife Carol did a good job of finding warblers that they shared with me on the warbler trail (Black-Throated Blue Warbler and a Northern Parula). Ron Selvey found a male Summer Tanager, and so after seeing what after sober reflection must have been a female cardinal I entertained the notion of announcing a female Summer Tanager, but I wouldn't get away with it cause Wayne Forsythe reads these posts occasionally. John Lindfors Hendersonville, NC Enough rambling, here's my list: Subject: Ft Fisher Great Horned Owl update From: "Harry D Sell" <sellbirding AT ec.rr.com> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 21:33:05 -0400 Hi All This will be the last Ft Fisher Owl update. I am still not quite sure I understand the circumstances or reasons for the following as I had left my phone number with both crews on the opposite shift and asked them to call me if there were any changes like walking around on the pilings etc. Anyway, one of the other shift Captains ( who knows nothing of birds) called a local wildlife rehabilitator and said he had not seen the adult birds for over a week. The rehabilitator came Saturday and moved the chicks to a nearby group of cedar trees even though there were Gull carcasses in the nest. She said she guessed they weighted 3 and 5 pounds and were about a week from flying. At least there is relief for those of us concerned for them falling in the water. I am positive the adults were still nearby watching and continuing to feed the chicks. I am also sure they will continue to care for them and teach them to become successful adults. I was able to locate one of the chicks about 50 ft from the release site and took some photos, so these are the last pictures of the Ft. Fisher Owls.. At least for this year. The chick seemed in good health. Short recap: First egg 31 Jan; second 4 Feb; first hatched 10 Mar; second hatched 14 Feb; moved to trees 3 May. One of my crew members said I looked like I was suffering from empty nest syndrome. I confess both satisfaction that they seem to be OK and sadness that this short, inspiring association is over. Has been a great ride and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to observe and photograph this wild family up close and to be able to share these events with fellow birders. Hope you have enjoyed the past photos and these last ones which are the first six in the gallery. The first is of the empty nest. www.pbase.com/sellbirding Harry D Sell Boiling Spring Lakes, NC Brunswick County www.pbase.com/sellbirding Subject: Chuck-will's-widow in N. "Moooo"sville From: "Tomm Lorenzin" <tomm AT 1000plus.com> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 20:47:40 -0400 Lovely sound a few minutes ago. (Dusk) FOY. Also: Had a Common Raven in Davidson yesterday harassed in flight by three AmCrows over one of the campus parking lots. An unusual sight in these parts. 7;^) Tomm "fatso" Lorenzin Mooresville, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We all get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information to absorb. So I'm not really fat; I'm just really intelligent and my head couldn't hold any more so it started filling up the rest of me! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/ Subject: Re: Downtown Charlotte Magnolia Warbler From: "Rubberhead" <rubberhead AT comporium.net> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 18:28:56 -0400 Sorry - I broke a rule and forgot to sign my name and city... Stephen Thomas (the other Stephen Thomas) Fort Mill, SC. Photo taken in Charlotte... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rubberhead" To: "Carolina Birds" Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:25 PM Subject: Downtown Charlotte Magnolia Warbler > Over the years I have found many "good" birds exhausted in downtown > Charlotte. There's one half-block region near what is known as "The > Green" where I have found most of these birds. > > This morning I found a fine male Magnolia Warbler that was sleeping on a > waist-high concrete ledge under an overhang. I keep a Sony P200 for just > such events. I took a few pictures and moved him to a nearby bush to > recover. > > Here are the before and after shots: > > > http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2472023858_259492e6d3.jpg > > http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2470013745_f0c41380ce.jpg > > > Here's a link to some of the better sidewalk birds I've found: > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdshot/sets/72157600194233566/detail/ Subject: Downtown Charlotte Magnolia Warbler From: "Rubberhead" <rubberhead AT comporium.net> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 18:25:20 -0400 Over the years I have found many "good" birds exhausted in downtown Charlotte. There's one half-block region near what is known as "The Green" where I have found most of these birds. This morning I found a fine male Magnolia Warbler that was sleeping on a waist-high concrete ledge under an overhang. I keep a Sony P200 for just such events. I took a few pictures and moved him to a nearby bush to recover. Here are the before and after shots: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2472023858_259492e6d3.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2470013745_f0c41380ce.jpg Here's a link to some of the better sidewalk birds I've found: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdshot/sets/72157600194233566/detail/ Subject: Marion Co, SC From: Charles Mc Rae <mcmarion2003 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 07:36:20 -0700 (PDT) Watching a resident Ovenbird sing in woods of southern MArion Co,SC when a small group of migratory birds moved through( male Black throated Blue Warbler, Black and White Wrb ,and a female Prairie Warbler all feeding in midrange of Oak trees).I just do not see many spring neotropical migrants here(compared to Gulf coast and Lake Erie area). Also surprised a Solitary Sandpiper feeding in standing water on unimproved road in marshy area. Chas. Mc Rae www.chasmcraephotography.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Subject: Re: Fall CBC Meeting From: <mclark66 AT sc.rr.com> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 10:23:42 -0400 Hi, Bob & Judy! Missed you at Southern Pines, and you missed a good meeting. We will be in Wilmington 2-5 October, with headquarters being Holiday Inn AT 5032 Market Street (1-800-833-4721). Group rate there is $79 + 13.75% tax/night. Plan to be on the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area this weekend prior to going to my supply pastor job this year at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church/Anderson. Cheers! +Marion W. Clark ---- bobmax1 AT charter.net wrote: > We are at the beach, so, would someone please send me the dates of the fall meeting at Wilmington? Thanks !!! > Also, yesterday we got good looks at a Worm Eating Warbler near Anor, SC. > Bob and Judy Maxwell bobmax1 AT charter.net