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20 Nov Late R-T Hummingbird [Jackie Elmore ] 20 Nov Hopkins, Union, Co. wanderings [Charles Crawford ] 19 Nov Falls of the Ohio to Duffy's Landing [] 19 Nov Pine Siskin [linda craiger ] 18 Nov Henderson & Union Co. wanderings. [Charles Crawford ] 18 Nov BKY: Surf Scoters on Ohio River in Louisville [P & J BELL ] 17 Nov Re: Peale's Peregrine ["Heyden, Kathryn (FW)" ] 17 Nov Re: Peale's Peregrine ["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" ] 17 Nov Peale's Peregrine [] 17 Nov birds in Morehead area [Rachel Jenkins ] 16 Nov bird - Nolin River ["Kistler" ] 16 Nov Re: Late R-T Hummingbird [Jackie Elmore ] 16 Nov Surf Scoter ["Roseanna Denton" ] 16 Nov Rusty Blackbird 2010 Hotspot Blitz- Mark your calendars! ["Heyden, Kathryn (FW)" ] 16 Mar Horned Grebes ["Gail adn Joe" ] 15 Nov Late R-T Hummingbird [Jackie Elmore ] 13 Nov FOS [] 13 Nov FOS [Nicole McClure ] 13 Nov Henderson & Union Co. Roaming report [Charles Crawford ] 13 Nov Fort Thomas, KY Ruby-throated Hummingbird Update [Debra Hausrath ] 12 Nov RPT: Raven - Floyd County ["Scott Freidhof" ] 12 Nov Ecuador [Doris Tichenor ] 11 Nov White Ibis ["Jim Williams" ] 11 Nov RPT: Black Scoter at the Falls [] 10 Nov Ky/Barkley and Barren [David Roemer ] 9 Nov W. Henderson Co. & Uniontown Dam (Union Co.) [Charles Crawford ] 8 Nov Nolin River eagles ["Kistler" ] 8 Nov Crappie Hollow, Calloway County [] 8 Nov Barren Birds and Warren Rough-legged Hawk [David Roemer ] 6 Nov Brown Creeper in the yard [Katharine Cohen ] 5 Nov RFI on a Group of Five Southbound Sandhill Cranes [Fred ] 05 Nov Black Scoter on Ohio River at Louisville [] 5 Nov W. Henderson Co. along 268 from Muddy Slough to 268 (River) slough [Charles Crawford ] 05 Nov Fort Thomas late hummingbird [Debra Hausrath ] 4 Nov RPT: Black Scoter on Ohio River at Louisville ["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" ] 4 Nov Re: last hummer sighting [Jackie Elmore ] 4 Nov Rpt: Greenup Co., Cedar Waxwings ["Rick S." ] 4 Nov Vesper Sparrow, butcher block remains ["Lyneart" ] 4 Nov RPT: Birding on Saturday Oct. 31, Louisville; Blue-headed Vireo and others [michael autin ] 3 Nov Barren, Warren and Peabody [David Roemer ] 3 Nov Re: Sandhills [Mary Yandell ] 2 Nov Long-billed Murrelet Weather Pattern [David Roemer ] 2 Nov Re: Weather and Birds -- Counterpoint (Beware ... VERY LONG ...) [David Roemer ] 2 Nov Re: Weather and Birds -- Counterpoint (Beware ... VERY LONG ...) ["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" ] 2 Nov Green River State Forest (Henderson Co.) [Charles Crawford ] 2 Nov Orange Bishop Photo ["D.R. Dubbeld" ] 1 Nov Killdeer [] 1 Nov FOS: Purple finch and Junco [Evelyn Morgan ] 1 Nov Re: Feeders ["Laura" ] 1 Nov Nashville Warb. & other cuties [Katharine Cohen ] 1 Nov Feeders [Terry Anderson ] 1 Nov RPY: Logan-Todd Counties Observations of today (all common species) ["Mark & Tommie Gail Bennett" ] 1 Nov Sloughs Tundra Swans are back at Wood Tract [Charles Crawford ] 1 Nov hawk in barn ["Lyneart" ] 31 Oct Weather and Birds [David Roemer ] 31 Oct Casey Creek and Plum Point, Adair ["Roseanna Denton" ] 31 Oct Barren 31 October 2009 [David Roemer ] 31 Oct Back yard Oct. 31 [Paul Hager ] 30 Oct Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? ["geraldrobe" ] 30 Oct Barren 28/30 October 2009 [David Roemer ] 29 Oct No Sighting. Quebrantahuessos results [Charles Crawford ] 29 Oct Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? ["Lyneart" ] 28 Oct Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? [Charles Crawford ] 28 Oct Re: Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? [Ian Stewart ] 28 Oct No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? [Charles Crawford ] 28 Oct R-T Hummingbird [linda craiger ] 28 Oct Sloughs: SBU, PCM, Gentle Pond & Horseshoe Road slough [Charles Crawford ] 28 Oct Re: RT hummingbird [Jackie Elmore ] 28 Oct Banded Sandhill Cranes--Observations needed [John Brunjes ] 28 Oct 2009 Fall Sandhill Crane Survey: October 30 [John Brunjes ] 27 Oct FW: Evidence For A Second Breeding Season Among Migratory Songbirds ["Vorisek, Shawchyi (FW)" ] 26 Oct Kemtucky Dam ["Ken Leggett" ] 26 Oct Barren and Warren 26 October 2009 [David Roemer ] 26 Oct Sloughs WMA 10/26/09 [Charles Crawford ] 26 Oct Phenomenal Saw-whet Owl recapture [Mark Monroe ] 26 Oct David Sibley in Louisville [] Subject: Late R-T Hummingbird From: Jackie Elmore <jackiebelmore AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:08:25 -0600 Thursday 11-20-2009 Again today, our hummer showed up at 7:03 am. this morning and was viewed at the feeder all day...about every 15-20 minutes. I did notice today it flycatching several small flying insects several times in the afternoon warmth. Jackie B. Elmore Lincoln Co. KY _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ Subject: Hopkins, Union, Co. wanderings From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:22:54 -0600 Location: Lake Peewee (Hopkins Co.) Observation date: 11/20/09 Number of species: 10 Canada Goose 9 Pied-billed Grebe 7 Great Blue Heron 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 American Coot 11 Ring-billed Gull 1 European Starling 30 Dark-eyed Junco 6 Red-winged Blackbird 100 Common Grackle 300 Location: Higginson-Henry WMA (Union Co.) Observation date: 11/20/09 Number of species: 24 Wood Duck 10 Red-tailed Hawk 1 AMERICAN WOODCOCK 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 7 Downy Woodpecker 5 Northern Flicker 10 Blue Jay 5 American Crow 3 Carolina Chickadee 1 Tufted Titmouse 2 Carolina Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 3 Northern Mockingbird 1 European Starling 15 Eastern Towhee 2 Field Sparrow 15 Song Sparrow 20 Swamp Sparrow 30 White-throated Sparrow 25 Northern Cardinal 3 Red-winged Blackbird 25 Rusty Blackbird 4 Common Grackle 3000 American Goldfinch 5 Location: Uniontown Dam (John T. Myers Lock & Dam (Union Co.) Observation date: 11/20/09 Number of species: 14 Greater White-fronted Goose 15 (overflight) Double-crested Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Rock Pigeon 75 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 American Crow 5 Song Sparrow 9 White-throated Sparrow 7 Northern Cardinal 2 Common Grackle 32 American Goldfinch 3 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Falls of the Ohio to Duffy's Landing From: cbirding AT aol.com Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:26:56 -0500 Sorry for late posting. Had to rush to dinner and got in late. Location: From Falls of the Ohio to Duffy's Landing Observation date: 11/18/09 Number of species: 15 Gadwall 2 American Black Duck 6 Mallard 35 Lesser Scaup 14 Surf Scoter 4 Ruddy Duck 1 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Double-crested Cormorant 7 Great Blue Heron 19 Peregrine Falcon 1 American Coot 5 Ring-billed Gull 5 Herring Gull 5 Rock Pigeon 27 European Starling 70 Tom Becker This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Pine Siskin From: linda craiger <lindacraiger AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:40:08 +0000 Had my first Pine Siskin show up at the feeder today (11/19). Linda Craiger / Glasgow _________________________________________________________________ Bing brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MFESRP&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFESRP_Local_MapsMenu_Resturants_1x1 Subject: Henderson & Union Co. wanderings. From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:37:21 -0600 Location: Sloughs WMA -268 Winter Drive from Muddy Slough to 268 slough Observation date: 11/18/09 Notes: the # of Greater White-fronted Geese have increased greatly, they were at Wood Tract both north and south of 268. No Tundra Swans seen again. They could be at the Shorebird Unit or Pond Creek Marsh or Gentle Pond, none of which is visible from 268. Number of species: 16 Greater White-fronted Goose 5000 Snow Goose 30 Canada Goose 25 American Wigeon 100 Mallard 50 Northern Shoveler 30 Green-winged Teal 25 Ring-necked Duck 250 Hooded Merganser 15 Bald Eagle 6: Adults 4, imm. 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Coot 35 American Crow 30 European Starling X Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle X Location: Uniontown Dam (John T. Myers Lock & Dam Observation date: 11/18/09 Notes: Could not find the Common Loon this trip. Occasional light rain or drizzle cut my time short. Number of species: 10 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 4 Bald Eagle 1 imm. American Coot 11 Mourning Dove 4 Belted Kingfisher 1 American Crow 30 Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle X American Goldfinch 1 Location: Horseshoe Road slough Observation date: 11/18/09 Notes: only walked the NW end. The NE end is full of weeds. Number of species: 6 Mallard 5 overhead Northern Harrier 1 American Crow 10 Horned Lark 55 Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle X This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: BKY: Surf Scoters on Ohio River in Louisville From: P & J BELL <patjanebell AT bellsouth.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:25 -0800 (PST) Tom Becker called to report 4 Surf Scoters on the Ohio River near the Indiana side between the Big Four Bridge and the Kennedy Bridge(I-65).  He said the  scoters were diving so if you don't see them right away -keeping looking. Other birds on the river were Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Ducks.   Pat Bell Louisville Subject: Re: Peale's Peregrine From: "Heyden, Kathryn (FW)" <kathryn.heyden AT ky.gov> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:23 -0500 Brainard's statement is correct. The Peregrine Falcon seen at the Big Four Railroad Bridge was likely one of the resident pair that breed there each spring. Many of our resident birds have a Peale's "look" to them since many of them are descendants of the captive-bred, reintroduced stock which displayed many western characteristics. On a side note: If anyone gets a resighting of bands on any peregrine falcon in the state, please let me know. We band many peregrine falcons in the state every year and continue to track them very closely. Thanks. Kate Heyden Avian Biologist Nongame Branch KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman's Lane Frankfort, KY 40601 Phone: (502) 564-7109 ext. 4475 Fax: (502) 564 4519 kathryn.heyden AT ky.gov www.fw.ky.gov Did you know... Department of Fish and Wildlife receives NO state tax dollars and manages wildlife for all citizens? Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachment, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender, by e-mail, and destroy all copies of the original message. ________________________________ From: birdky-bounce AT freelists.org [mailto:birdky-bounce AT freelists.org] On Behalf Of Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC) Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 1:26 PM To: BIRDKY Subject: [birdky] Re: Peale's Peregrine Please note that this does *not* represent a natural occurrence of a Peregrine Falcon of the pealei race ... it is most certainly a descendant of captive bred birds that were used for reintroduction efforts in the midwest. As I recall, those birds were mostly a genetic mish-mash of individuals of the pealei and anatum races (the latter being the subspecies that formerly occurred across much of North America south of the Arctic). bpb, Louisville ________________________________ From: birdky-bounce AT freelists.org on behalf of cbirding AT aol.com Sent: Tue 11/17/2009 8:51 AM To: birdky AT freelists.org Subject: [birdky] Peale's Peregrine Location: Big Four Rail Road Bridge Observation date: 11/16/09 Notes: A Peale's Peregrine was seen on the Big Four Bridge near Indiana with a green leg band on left leg. No numbers were visible. Photos were taken. Number of species: 9 Canada Goose 3 Mallard 23 Bufflehead 2 Ruddy Duck 4 Double-crested Cormorant 3 Peregrine Falcon 1 Ring-billed Gull 3 Rock Pigeon 30 European Starling 65 Tom and Colleen This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) = Subject: Re: Peale's Peregrine From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball AT ky.gov> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:25:36 -0500 Please note that this does *not* represent a natural occurrence of a Peregrine Falcon of the pealei race ... it is most certainly a descendant of captive bred birds that were used for reintroduction efforts in the midwest. As I recall, those birds were mostly a genetic mish-mash of individuals of the pealei and anatum races (the latter being the subspecies that formerly occurred across much of North America south of the Arctic). bpb, Louisville ________________________________ From: birdky-bounce AT freelists.org on behalf of cbirding AT aol.com Sent: Tue 11/17/2009 8:51 AM To: birdky AT freelists.org Subject: [birdky] Peale's Peregrine Location: Big Four Rail Road Bridge Observation date: 11/16/09 Notes: A Peale's Peregrine was seen on the Big Four Bridge near Indiana with a green leg band on left leg. No numbers were visible. Photos were taken. Number of species: 9 Canada Goose 3 Mallard 23 Bufflehead 2 Ruddy Duck 4 Double-crested Cormorant 3 Peregrine Falcon 1 Ring-billed Gull 3 Rock Pigeon 30 European Starling 65 Tom and Colleen This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) = Subject: Peale's Peregrine From: cbirding AT aol.com Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:51:44 -0500 Location: Big Four Rail Road Bridge Observation date: 11/16/09 Notes: A Peale's Peregrine was seen on the Big Four Bridge near Indiana with a green leg band on left leg. No numbers were visible. Photos were taken. Number of species: 9 Canada Goose 3 Mallard 23 Bufflehead 2 Ruddy Duck 4 Double-crested Cormorant 3 Peregrine Falcon 1 Ring-billed Gull 3 Rock Pigeon 30 European Starling 65 Tom and Colleen This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: birds in Morehead area From: Rachel Jenkins <rachelbro3 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:09:58 -0500 I regularly visit Minor Clark Fish Hatchery and the Poppy Mountain property across 60 East from us to take photos. We've recently seen a Bald Eagle and there is currently a female Greater Scaup and Buffleheads at the fish hatchery. I saw a male Hooded Merganser on Poppy Mnt. Photos of November bird and critter sightings at http://rachelbirder.livejournal.com/ Subject: bird - Nolin River From: "Kistler" <kistlers AT scrtc.com> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:24:49 -0600 Nolin River below the dam into Mammoth Cave NP, Saturday: 6 bald eagles (a family of four and one adult and separate juvenile, 5 - 6 miles later) More pileated woodpeckers (dozens, loud!) than crows More g.c kinglets (15) than y-r.warblers Also, FOS winter wren. Our 9-mile trip was made more exciting by a hole which appeared below my feet in our borrowed canoe, about 2 miles below the dam. A coke-can bailer saved the day, while Janet got lots of paddling practice :-) Steve and Janet Kistler Hart Co Subject: Re: Late R-T Hummingbird From: Jackie Elmore <jackiebelmore AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:18:09 -0600 Monday 11-16-2009 Starting at 7:00 am. this morning, the hummingbird was observed regularly feeding at the backyard feeder all day. Jackie B. Elmore Lincoln Co., KY _________________________________________________________________ Bing brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MFESRP&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFESRP_Local_MapsMenu_Resturants_1x1 Subject: Surf Scoter From: "Roseanna Denton" <roseanna AT newwavecomm.net> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:03:58 -0500 Waitsboro Rec. Area, Pulaski County 1 Surf Scoter adult male 13 Lesser Scaup Birding smiles . . . . . ~Roseanna Denton Science Hill, Pulaski County ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Rusty Blackbird 2010 Hotspot Blitz- Mark your calendars! From: "Heyden, Kathryn (FW)" <kathryn.heyden AT ky.gov> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:43:16 -0500 Mark Your Calendars for the 2010 Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz! It's that time of year again! Rusty Blackbirds are migrating through and settling in for the winter. Last year, birders scoured the countryside for wintering Rusty Blackbirds to increase understanding of their distribution and find important local concentrations (hotspots). Much was learned from last year's Blitz. Already, the information gained is being used to implement research and conservation efforts! Results can be viewed at: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research /Rusty_Blackbird/blitz_results.cfm But there is much more to learn. The Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz will be repeated for several years to locate more hotspots and determine how stable known hotspots are from year to year. The Rusty Blackbird has been steeply declining with estimates of an 85-99% population drop over the past 40 years. The cause for this alarming decline is not known and the increasingly sparse and patchy winter distribution of the Rusty Blackbird makes it challenging to learn more about distribution, abundance, and ecology as a basis for conservation efforts. Collaborating with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's and National Audubon Society's e-Bird project, the Rusty Blackbird Technical Working Group (RBTWG) needs your help to find local, but predictable wintering concentrations of Rusty Blackbirds by participating in the Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz, January 30- February 15th, 2010. The Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz will occur throughout the Rusty Blackbird winter range in over 20 midwestern and southeastern states. Participants will simply be asked to visit locations where they have previously sighted or would expect to encounter Rusty Blackbirds and submit their observations via e-Bird. If you are unfamiliar with areas which may support Rusty Blackbirds in your region, contact your state Blitz Coordinator for ideas. If you don't use eBird regularly, please consider entering all your observations of Rusty Blackbirds (even outside the Blitz period). All observations will be used by researchers currently studying their steep long-term population decline. Instructions and information on identification, habitat preferences, etc., will soon be posted on the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's Rusty Blackbird website: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research /Rusty_Blackbird/ Information will also be available on Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's e-Bird site: http://ebird.org Be sure to mark your calendar: January 30-February 15, 2010! With your help.... The return of the Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz will be bigger and better than the original. Kate Heyden Avian Biologist Wildlife Diversity Program KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman's Lane Frankfort, KY 40601 Phone: (502) 564-7109 ext. 4475 Fax: (502) 564 4519 kathryn.heyden AT ky.gov www.fw.ky.gov Did you know... Department of Fish and Wildlife receives NO state tax dollars and manages wildlife for all citizens? Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachment, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender, by e-mail, and destroy all copies of the original message. Subject: Horned Grebes From: "Gail adn Joe" <gailandjoe AT windstream.net> Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:36:22 -0400 I stopped at Jacobson Park on my way home from the eye Dr. Saw some movement on the water that didn't look or sound like geese. Couldn't see much with my dilated eyes, so started walking. Got close enough to ID the "ducks" as Horned Grebes. Joe Swanson Lexington Subject: Late R-T Hummingbird From: Jackie Elmore <jackiebelmore AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:44:40 -0600 Sunday 11-15-2009 After several days with no hummers coming to the feeders, an immature male Ruby-throat was noticed this morning. Just to be sure, I took a group of photos to determine my ID. This is the latest date I've ever had one. Interestingly, there are still blooming 'Lady in Red' salvias found in the frost- sheltered areas of the yard! Also in the yard today I observed a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly, which is also getting late. Jackie B. Elmore Lincoln Co. KY _________________________________________________________________ Bing brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MFESRP&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFESRP_Local_MapsMenu_Resturants_1x1 Subject: FOS From: ppkdrn AT aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:28:02 -0500 I actually had my FOS DE Juncos last week but I have been so busy I forgot to post it. I also had 3 Savannah Sparrows (I am almost certain) over the weekend. Grass was a little high under the pole holding that feeder so I never got a really good photo. They had gold eyebrows though and were larger than the house sparrows. I have not had WT or WC Sparrows yet but hopefully soon. I also had 5 pairs of house finches on the ground and in the feeders last weekend. Have not seen them for a while and never that many at once. Paula Geihs Nelson County Subject: FOS From: Nicole McClure <racehoss00 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:46:06 -0800 (PST) Oh what a glorious day! I know most everyone has already had their FOS WT Sparrows and Juncos, but mine have jsut came within the last 24 hours. I heard my FOS WT Sparrow calling out yesterday. Today I got home from work, and I had 3 DE Juncos hopping around below my feeders. I don't know if it's just me or what, but they have a blue sheen this year. Maybe it's just that I haven't seen them in a year....but I'm happy they're back! Nicole McClure Lexington, KY Subject: Henderson & Union Co. Roaming report From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:17:11 -0600 Nov. 13, 2009 No Tundra Swans seen No Canada Geese seen Henderson Co.: 6:50AM Farm Pond along 268 Am. Pipit 2 Killdeer 1 Wilson's Snipe 1 7AM Sloughs Wood Tract Mallard 25 Green-wing Teal 3 Am. Coot 3 Bald Eagle 1 Killdeer 10 L. Yellowlegs 1 Greater White-fronted Goose 30 Wilson's Snipe 2 N. Fllicker 1 Com. Grackle Red-winged Blackbird 1000 Sloughs Anderson Pond Mallard 250 Am. Coot 15 Union Co. 8:15AM Uniontown Dam N. Flicker 2 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Song Sparrow 3 Com. Crow 3 Tufted Titmouse 4 Am. Goldfinch 50 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Com. Grackle 50 Great Blue Heron 1 Carolina Chickadee 1 COMMON LOON 1 LESSER SCAUP 1 White-throated Sparrow 3 Turkey Vulture 4 Blue Jay 2 Belted Kingfisher 2 RING-BILLED GULL 4 Rock Pigeon 300 Downy Woodpecker 1 Swamp Sparrow 5 Killdeer 1 Horned Lark 35 Henderson Co. 10AM Sloughs Grassy Pond/Powells Lake Unit Com. Grackle 30 Horned Lark 25 Blue Jay 2 N. Flicker 4 Downy Woodpecker 5 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 E. Bluebird 3 Red-winged Blackbird 55 Starling 35 Song Sparrow 6 Swamp Sparrow 7 RUSTY BLACKBIRD 15 Tufted Titmouse 4 Am. Crow 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 4 Dark-eyed Junco 2 11:30AM Sloughs Crenshaw Tract Carolina Chickadee 7 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Tufted Titmouse 9 Am. Goldfinch 10 Red-winged Blackbird N. Cardinal 10 Greater White-fronted Goose 10 Com. Grackle White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Hairy Woodpecker 1 E. Bluebird 3 N. Flicker 3 White-throated Sparrow 4 FOX SPARROW 1 Noon Wood Tract again Dunlin 15 Killdeer Com. Crow Red-winged Blackbird 1000's Brown Headed Cowbird 1000's 12:15PM Hardy Slough Wilson's Snipe 30 Great Blue Heron 1 N. Harrier 1 Charlie Henderson Co. ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Fort Thomas, KY Ruby-throated Hummingbird Update From: Debra Hausrath <redstart AT fuse.net> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:14:54 -0500 I just thought I'd let everyone know that our late hummingbird appears to have departed. We last saw it at the feeder about 8 AM on Monday, November 9. Debra Hausrath Fort Thomas, KY Northern Campbell County ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: RPT: Raven - Floyd County From: "Scott Freidhof" <sialia67 AT windstream.net> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:01:20 -0500 A raven called once today at the Dewey Lake Wildlife Management Area in Floyd County. The forested area was away from the lake near the edge of an active strip mine on the WMA. I did not get up on the strip but I could see a high wall up on top. A co-worker has heard them several times at the lake not too far from the marina. Scott Freidhof Rowan County Subject: Ecuador From: Doris Tichenor <dctichenor AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:35 -0500 We have just returned from 19 days of birding in Ecuador, both in the high Andes and in the eastern jungles. If anyone is planning a trip to that country, we would be glad to share any information we have that might be helpful. Our trip did not include the Galapagos. We can be reached at our e-mail address. Doris Tichenor ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: White Ibis From: "Jim Williams" <james.williams3 AT insightbb.com> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:31:00 -0500 A juvenile White Ibis was observed at the Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery at noon Wednesday. The bird was first seen flying across the hatchery from the river to the oxbow. It landed in a tree on a limb next to a Common Egret and was there preening when I left 30 minutes later. The bird matches the field guide image perfectly. Jim Williams Lexington Subject: RPT: Black Scoter at the Falls From: ddstriegel AT verizon.net Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:37:11 -0600 (CST) Subject: Ky/Barkley and Barren From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:03:53 -0800 (PST) 11-9-09 BARKLEY/ABOVE DAM Gadwall Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup (1000s) Bufflehead Ruddy Am White Pelicans (above and below dam) KY LAKE/LIGHTHOUSE LANDING Red-breasted Nuthatch KY DAM Thayer's Gull (adult) KY LAKE ABOVE DAM Gadwall Mallard Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Common Loon (150+) Horned Grebe Am White Pelican Bald Eagle Franklin's Gull (6 first-cycle) Forster's Tern (120+) 11-10-09 BARREN Gadwall Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Common Loon (~130) Horned Grebe (Dry Creek) PB Grebe (~20 scattered) DC Cormorant (~20 scattered) Great Egret (Dry Creek) Cattle Egret (Narrows and later buzzed gull roost) Black Vulture (250+ roosting near Dry Creek) Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk (adult light B.j.calurus near Narrows and adult light B.j.harlani or intergrade near intersection of 31-E and 1318 near Lucas) Sandhill Crane (34 landed on a flat at the northeast side of Bailey's Point at 1600 hrs) Least Sandpiper (7 Dry Creek) Dunlin (Dry Creek and one buzzed the gull roost before dark) Gulls (~1000 at roost Ring-billeds and Bonaparte's w/ 2 Herring) Vesper Sparrow (Beaver Creek) David Roemer Bowling Green __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: W. Henderson Co. & Uniontown Dam (Union Co.) From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:24:30 -0600 Location: Sloughs WMA - Wood Tract Observation date: 11/9/09 Notes: One of the Tundra Swans has a gray neck band like one last year. Number of species: 13 Greater White-fronted Goose 120 (Pix) Snow Goose 2 (Pix) Tundra Swan 9 (Pix) Mallard 25 Northern Shoveler 10 Green-winged Teal 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 American Coot 150 Killdeer 125 Least Sandpiper 2 Wilson's Snipe 50 American Crow 12 Red-winged Blackbird X Location: Sloughs WMA - Anderson Pond Observation date: 11/9/09 Number of species: 7 Mallard 3 Bald Eagle 1 (adult) Blue Jay 3 American Robin 1 Northern Cardinal 2 Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle X Location: 268 (River) Slough Observation date: 11/9/09 Number of species: 2 Bufflehead 2 Hooded Merganser 3 Location: Uniontown Dam (John T. Myers Lock & Dam Observation date: 11/9/09 Number of species: 23 Wild Turkey 3 Common Loon 1 (pix taken) Great Blue Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 5 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Killdeer 25 Rock Pigeon 15 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 5 Pileated Woodpecker 1 American Crow 15 Horned Lark 6 Tufted Titmouse 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 European Starling 7 Fox Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 5 Swamp Sparrow 5 White-throated Sparrow 5 Northern Cardinal 7 Red-winged Blackbird X American Goldfinch 20 Location: Sloughs WMA - Cape Hills Unit Observation date: 11/9/09 Number of species: 13 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 2 Tufted Titmouse 8 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Towhee 1 White-throated Sparrow 15 Dark-eyed Junco 25 American Goldfinch 8 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Nolin River eagles From: "Kistler" <kistlers AT scrtc.com> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 19:30:43 -0600 Two of my neighbors paddled down the Nolin today, putting in below the lake dam and getting out at Houchens Ferry in Mammoth Cave N.P. They saw four bald eagles, two adults, and two juveniles. This is the second fall that adult and young eagles have been observed near the lake. Eagles are also getting regular on the Green River in the area. Janet and I hit the empty campgrounds near Nolin Lake this afternoon, turning up waxwings, 3 g.c. kinglets, many (dozens) bluebirds, MANY y-rumped warblers, 12 turkeys, 6 chipping sparrows, 6 robins gorging on cedar berries, and one well-turned out sapsucker, along with the other usual suspects. Steve Kistler Hart Co Subject: Crappie Hollow, Calloway County From: HapC1 AT aol.com Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 18:45:56 EST Observation date: 11/8/09 I paddled over the mud flats of Crappie Hollow today the lake level was at 360.7, very high for this time of year. No mudflat or shoreline, water into the trees. Gadwall 3 Mallard 3 Northern Shoveler 4 Lesser Scaup 12 Ruddy Duck 5 Wild Turkey 1 Double-crested Cormorant 8 Great Blue Heron 11 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Ring-billed Gull 45 Herring Gull 2 Forster's Tern 18 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 9 American Crow 15 Carolina Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 10 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 Brown Creeper 1 Carolina Wren 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Bluebird 10 American Robin 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 15 White-throated Sparrow 7 Northern Cardinal 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Barren Birds and Warren Rough-legged Hawk From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 15:32:15 -0800 (PST) 11-5-09 Recently harvested soybean fields are magnets for hawks and the field at McElroy in southern Warren County was being combined.  Hunting the field were several redtails and a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk. Present at Barren Reservoir in the evening were: Hooded Merganser Common Loon (~30) Few PB Grebes and DC Cormorants Bald Eagle (Chasing coots at the gull roost) Sandhill Crane (22 southbound) Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gull numbers were up but only 2 Herring were present at the roost. 11-6-09 BARREN w/Steve Stedman Wood Duck Gadwall Black Mallard Pintail GW Teal Ring-necked Lesser Scaup Hooded Merganser Ruddy PB and Horned Grebes DC Cormorant C Loon Least Sandpiper (5 at Dry Creek) The gull roost was comprised of 550 Ring-billed, 350 Bonaparte's and 3 Herring Gulls. Palm Warbler (Dry Creek) Vesper Sparrow (Beaver Creek) Fox Sparrow (2 Dry Creek) Very few birds were present at Barren this morning including: Ring-necked Duck C Loon (5) Horned Grebe Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls Sandhill Cranes (distand and heard only) David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============= The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Brown Creeper in the yard From: Katharine Cohen <kwcoh AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:15:20 -0500 (EST) I forgot to report the Brown Creeper that appeared yesterday (11/5). I only bring it up because I am so fond of them, and I haven't seen one for so long. Cheers! Kathy Cohen (Panorama Shores, near Murray, Calloway Co.) kwcoh AT earthlink.net ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: RFI on a Group of Five Southbound Sandhill Cranes From: Fred <fred AT cetussoft.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:56:28 -0500 Hello. This may be an unusual request (a "long shot"), but here goes... I am hoping that someone might have recently seen (and maybe even photographed) a particular group of five sandhill cranes (one having an obvious notch in the left wing - please see photo info below) that was heading southbound from Wareham Massachusetts to Florida (or perhaps another Gulf Coast state). Here's the story: There is a group of five sandhill cranes that recently left Wareham Massachusetts (just across Buzzards Bay from Cape Cod) on their way to Florida or thereabouts. These birds have spent part of each year for the last several years on the cranberry bogs and ponds of Wareham MA, and they have been actively watched by MA birders (especially since sandhill cranes are pretty rare birds in Massachusetts). On October 29th, the last day the cranes were seen in Wareham, a group of five cranes was spotted flying from MA into RI, and later that day there was a report from a hawk watch in Greenwich CT recording a tight formation of five cranes heading towards the NYC area. Then, on October 30th, there were two northwestern NJ reports, of a group of five cranes seen both lifting off the ground at Merrill Creek NJ and of a group of five in the air at a hawk watch at Scott's Mountain NJ. And then, on November 3rd, a group of five cranes were heard and then seen overhead at Woodstock GA heading southward (and a bit unusual because that was somewhat earlier than the usual migration of sandhill cranes coming from Hiwassee TN through that area). Of course, the big question is, ARE THEY THE SAME FIVE CRANES? While certainly not completely definitive, a comparison of a photo taken of the birds in flight at the Scott's Mountain NJ hawk watch on 10/30 ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrd_photos/4063137832/sizes/l/ ) and my photos from Wareham MA of "our" cranes flying at sunset on 10/26 ( http://fredw.smugmug.com/Animals/WarehamCraneberryCranes-102609/10104828_2y3Tr/1/693923477_HJvqD/Large http://fredw.smugmug.com/Animals/WarehamCraneberryCranes-102609/10104828_2y3Tr/1/693925004_AH4v3/Large ), shows one of the five cranes in each case having what could seem to be the same notch in the left wing. (The notch is quite obvious in a photo, but may not be so obvious to an observer's eyes.) What is most intriguing, I think, is that the cranes may be taking a somewhat inland route, along the Appalachians, rather than a more coastal route. But, of course, who knows what is a "normal" path for quite uncommon northeastern sandhill cranes migrating to and from Florida or thereabouts, especially since all other, more common midwestern cranes travel along inland routes. So, I have been trying to ask those on the flyways to Florida and the Gulf Coast, where the cranes might be heading for the winter season, if anyone happened to see (and maybe even photographed) a distinctive group of five sandhill cranes going over. The group may possibly have gone through the eastern KY area a few days ago (on October 30th or early November), having come from northwestern NJ on October 30th, on their way towards northwestern GA for November 3rd. So, might there be any reports? Yes, I know that this sounds like a "wild Grus chase", but who knows... Thanks for listening. Fred (Frederick Wasti) Marshfield Massachusetts ("craneberry country") ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Black Scoter on Ohio River at Louisville From: cbirding AT aol.com Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:48:18 -0500 Tom called about 10:00 am to say that the Black Scoter remains in the same location on the Ohio River just above the dam in Louisville. She seems to be keeping company with 5 Lesser Scaup. The best view is from the parking area across from the Widow's Walk ice cream shop on the Indiana side of the river. Colleen Craven-Becker Subject: W. Henderson Co. along 268 from Muddy Slough to 268 (River) slough From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:28:57 -0600 Location: Sloughs WMA -268 Winter Drive from Muddy Slough to 268 slough Observation date: 11/5/09 Notes: A short drive by Sloughs WMA this morning to check on the presence of Tundra Swans. Anderson Pond, nothing observed. River slough is still flooded but only 2 Buffleheads. Wood Tract north of 268 with partial harvested rows of corn is now being flooded. Number of species: 13 Tundra Swan 9 At Wood Tract. American Wigeon 9 Wood Tract Mallard 350 Wood Tract and other flooded areas along 268 Bufflehead 2 At 268 (River) slough Bald Eagle 1 Flying by 268 slough Cooper's Hawk 1 At 268 slough American Coot 35 Wood Tract Killdeer 25 Wood Tract American Crow 22 Horned Lark 3 Wood Tract Tree Swallow 10 Over Wood Tract European Starling 55 Red-winged Blackbird 500 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Fort Thomas late hummingbird From: Debra Hausrath <redstart AT fuse.net> Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:01:49 -0500 Morning, all! I've been posting this on the Cincinnati Birds site but have neglected Kentucky's. Duh! I live in Kentucky. I have a hummingbird at my feeder. It's been here every day for over a week. As far as I can tell, it's a female Ruby-throated, but I don't profess to be an expert in southwestern, immature or female hummers. For anyone who wishes to take a look, the feeder is hanging off the porch at the end of the driveway. Very easy to spy on. Just stop by. Happy birding! Debra Hausrath Fort Thomas (northern Campbell County) ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: RPT: Black Scoter on Ohio River at Louisville From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball AT ky.gov> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 10:25:54 -0500 Eddie Huber just called to report a single Black Scoter (female/imm. type) with a few other ducks in the main basin out from the Louisville waterfront as viewed from the Indiana side. bpb, Louisville Subject: Re: last hummer sighting From: Jackie Elmore <jackiebelmore AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 09:07:43 -0600 November 4, 2009 Our RT hummingbird was last observed on Oct. 28. Jackie B. Elmore Lincoln Co. KY _________________________________________________________________ Bing brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MFESRP&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFESRP_Local_MapsMenu_Resturants_1x1 Subject: Rpt: Greenup Co., Cedar Waxwings From: "Rick S." <hiker_hpx AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 05:05:37 -0800 (PST) On Sunday, 1 November 2009 I observed a flock of Cedar Waxwings at my house in Sloam. They appeared to be feeding on everything that was eatable. It was a feeding frenzy. I almost expected to come home from church and find all the trees & bushes around the house completely stripped. They are not here very often. I have only observed them a half dozen times in the last 25 years. This must not be their normal route. Rick Seelhorst Siloam, northern Greenup Co., Ky ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Vesper Sparrow, butcher block remains From: "Lyneart" <lyneart AT lyneart.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 05:46:56 -0600 Yesterday morning I herded a Vesper Sparrow and several Savannah Sparrows through a patch of spiny amaranth until they all perched on a barbed wire fence for good looks. In the barn where I recently saw a Coopers Hawk, I found a pile of Mockingbird feathers scattered all around the front tire of my tractor. Our last hummingbird sighting was Oct 31. Frank Lyne frank AT lyneart.com near Dot in Logan County Subject: RPT: Birding on Saturday Oct. 31, Louisville; Blue-headed Vireo and others From: michael autin <napkinarmstrong AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 02:07:58 -0500 I decided to stick close to home in the Southeast portion of Jefferson County with the intent on checking out good fields for cropland birds for the coming winter, and instead ended up spending all my time at Mcneeley Lake Park South and North sections. Not amazing but still found a few birds I had yet to see this fall. Mcneeley Lake Park, North 1:00-4:00pm Mallard Wood Duck-2 only seen in flight oddly Great Blue Heron- one beautiful crisp brightly plumaged adult Turkey Vulture Sharp-sh. Hawk-1 ad. made several forays and shut birds down briefly Red-tailed Hawk-1 imm. Red-sh. Hawk-1 ad. perched low on Cedar Creek road Am. Coot-2 Mo. Dove Belted Kingfisher-1 Red-bl. Wood. Downy Wood. No. Flicker- 1 heard briefly very few of any of these woodpeckers Eastern Phoebe-1 Blue-headed Vireo-2 one I watched for a few minutes gobble up and then regurgitate some unknown insect Blue Jay Am. Crow Caro. Chick. Tufted Titmouse-took me an unusual amount of time to find Caro. Wren Golden-cr. Kinglet-8 Ruby-cr. Kinglet-1 Eastern Bluebird-flyover Am. Robin No. Mockingbird Brown Thrasher-1 probably imm. feeding quietly in brambles Cedar Waxwing-a section of at least 800 ft. of trail was covered in waxwings and robins 400 would be a conservative count Orange-cr. Warbler-1 I have been looking for one all Fall, it may only be the second one I have seen this year! Yellow-rp. Warbler-4 low Eastern Towhee-1 Field Sp.-6 Song Sp. White-thr. Sp.-60+ No. Cardinal Am. Goldfinch Mcneeley Lake, South 4:00-6:00pm Am. Kestrel-2 farmland en route Killdeer-4 Mo. Dove Red-bl. Wood. Blue Jay Caro. Chick. Tuft. Tit. Golden-cr. Kinglet-6 Eastern Bluebird Am. Robin Cedar Waxwing- smaller numbers Chipping Sp.-Walking through a recently bulldozed field, I kept flushing line after line of sparrows and chased them around the field and through the trees until I decided there had to be something on the order of 350+ sparrows. Everyone I looked at, every call note that sounded came from a Chipping Sparrow, save for the lone Dark-eyed Junco of the day. Song Sp. Dark-eyed Junco- the lone indi. mentioned earlier No. Cardinal House Finch I also briefly visited Melco earlier around 11:30am and found 2 Am. Coots and 3 Lesser Scaup. Good Birding, Michael Autin Louisville, KY _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ Subject: Barren, Warren and Peabody From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:18:13 -0800 (PST) 1 November 2009 BARREN Gadwall American Wigeon Lesser Scaup Common Loon Horned Grebe Double-crested Cormorant (~350 w/ 3 flocks southbound totalling ~300) Bald Eagle American Coot (800+) Dunlin (4 fly-by) California Gull Franklin's Gull (3) Ring-billed, Herring and Bonaparte's Greater Yellowlegs (2 juvs) Hermit Thrush Purple Finch (9) Our hummer at the house was last seen on this date. 2 November BARREN Gadwall Northern Pintail Redhead Ring-neck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Common Loon Horned and Pied-billed Grebe Bald Eagle California Gull WALTON POND/WARREN (beginning to form) Wood Duck (3) McElroy only has water in the ditch SHAKER MILL/WARREN Purple Finch (2) 3 November PEABODY WMA OHIO/MUHLENBERG COUNTIES SOUTH LAKE/OHIO Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard American Black x Mallard (male) Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Lesser Scaup Pied-billed Grebe (scattered) Double-crested Cormorant (Island and TVA Lakes) Bald Eagles Northern Harrier Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks Ring-billed Gull (~30 TVA) Bonaparte's Gull (4 TVA) Barred Owl Tree Swallow (2 South Lake) House Wren Marsh Wren (S5 marsh) It was a good sparrow day with the following species recorded: Chipping Field Vesper (Homestead and Sinclair) Savannah Henslow's (Sinclair) Fox Song Lincoln's (Sinclair) Swamp White-throated White-crowned Dark-eyed Junco Lapland Longspur (Homestead) Purple Finch (3 Ken) David Roemer Bowing Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Re: Sandhills From: Mary Yandell <mtwy AT insightbb.com> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:09:13 -0500 > Yesterday at 5:30pm a flock of 16 Sandhills flew low over the > building where I work near duPont Circle. They came from the NW > heading SE. Mary Yandell Louisville ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Long-billed Murrelet Weather Pattern From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:11:35 -0800 (PST) Attached is a link to weather maps leading up to the the occurrence of the Louisville Long-billed Murrelet discovered 29 October 2002.  Click on the "Next Day" link and watch a series of high pressure systems from the Pacific Northwest move into the Ohio Valley coupled with lows and rain in our region which was responsible for a nice fallout, including a Hudsonian Godwit at the Falls on 31 October two days after the murrelet was found which I believe was only the 4th Ky record for that species.  Until a pattern of vagrancy into the Ohio River Valley for Long-billed Murrelet is established and contradictory, I believe the weather and timing was a MAJOR factor.  I did not say that the USUAL LOUISVILLE hotspots have not been checked recently, I said the Ohio River and Ky/Barkley Lakes.  I have birded Barren Reservoir since the early '70s and know that the occurrence and discovery of recent west coast birds is more than the "Patagonia Effect".    http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/index_20021019.html David Roemer Bowling Green __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============= The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Re: Weather and Birds -- Counterpoint (Beware ... VERY LONG ...) From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 17:13:48 -0800 (PST) I'm sure it's all just to 'chance'. Check back in 1000 years and see what the verdict is. David Roemer Bowling Green --- On Mon, 11/2/09, Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC) wrote: > From: Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC) > Subject: [birdky] Re: Weather and Birds -- Counterpoint (Beware ... VERY LONG ...) > To: "BIRDKY" > Date: Monday, November 2, 2009, 7:24 PM > [birdky] > Weather and Birds > > > > > Eddie Huber, Tom Becker, myself, > and others can attest to what has been on the Ohio River > around Louisville during the past few weeks ... a big > NOTHING! Regular checks of the usual hot spots have revealed > even less of interest than normal, which makes the > remarkable occurrence of birds at Barren River Lake recently > even more unusual. Likewise, there didn't seem to be an > unusually high detection rate of similar > "northwestern" vagrants in the region 10-14 days > ago; if anything there seems to have been fewer than normal. > So if weather systems brought the rarities to Barren River > Lake, why not other places? I'm sure there have been at > least a few other examples in the region lately, but there > are rare birds scattered about everywhere all the time. > Also, I noted on the TN listserv just yesterday that 2 > California Gulls were reported at Pickwick Dam in southern > TN over the weekend, although none were found in a search > for gulls there the week before. Maybe it is just as likely > that there is something going on with California Gulls > rather than a particular weather system that has brought > them to our region??? > If one was to try to explain the > occurrence of southern Indiana's recent Green Violetear, > two Say's Phoebes in Kentucky in 15 days, and a > White-faced Ibis in Henderson County all in recent weeks, I > suspect that a bunch of assumptions would have to be made > and at least several contradictory trails could be followed > through the weather maps. It is easy to find a relatively > reasonable explanation for the presence of a certain vagrant > in our region based on the weather, but it may be just as > likely to inaccurately attribute such an occurrence to the > weather. Weather systems almost always progress across North > America from west to east, but there are just as many > eastern vagrants showing up in the west right now ... and > most of them are eastern passerines that are bucking the > same weather systems that one might be fooled into > attributing the appearance of western vagrants in the east > to. > This is not to say > that weather systems don't greatly affect what birds we > see in Kentucky and that they can have relatively > predictable results. Waves of waterbirds, shorebirds, and > warblers all appear throughout Kentucky during favorable > migration conditions created by weather systems and they > conversely may totally shut off during periods of > unfavorable weather. The fun days are those when birds get > fooled into thinking conditions along their path are great > for migration, but they run into winds or precipitation > moving in the opposite direction that result in massive > fallouts. Extreme weather events such as the passing of > tropical cyclones certainly explain the presence of some > vagrants in a given region, but those are birds of very > different habitats (coastal and especially pelagic) that are > carried *totally* off course by remarkably large and > extraordinarily strong wind fields into totally unfamiliar > conditions for attempting to navigate. Beyond these > well-known scenarios, I think there are many pitfalls in > attempting to do too much analysis. > As a brief side bar, > it should be noted that coastal species including Brown > Pelican, Gull-billed Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, and > Black Skimmer have been found somewhat regularly in the > inland central US *not* as the result of any known tropical > system and that the report of a Sandwich Tern in Kentucky 5 > September 2008 was by no means certainly attributable to the > passage of the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. That system was > downgraded to a tropical depression while it was still in > Louisiana, and most all vagrants deposited by it were found > in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The only waif I recall in our > region was a frigatebird (a species that sometimes gets > flung inland great distances by such systems) in central > Illinois ... actually the day *before* the main depression > came through. > It is my > belief that vagrants are around us all the time and it is > more a factor of getting out and finding them than it is > predicting their occurrence based on passing weather > systems. For especially strong fliers like loons and gulls, > vagrancy would seem to me to be more an issue of > "choice" or "mis-wired internal > navigation" than one being dictated by weather. > Patterns of movements within species or groups of similar > species -- and the changes and exceptions to these patterns > over time -- can be quite interesting to follow. The easiest > examples of such are irruptive winter finches like last > winter's White-winged Crossbills. An environmental > factor in the species' normal range (in that case a food > deficiency) results in an abnormal movement. A less apparent > one is Rufous Hummingbird; the pattern of occurrence for > this bird in the southeast U.S. was a steady increase over > the past 20 years until last year when for no explicable > reason the pipeline shut off and all states in the southeast > had many fewer and Kentucky had none for the first year in > nine. During the past month to six weeks, Plegadis > ibis of both species have been all over the region, perhaps > the result of good breeding success, poor environmental > conditions in their normal ranges, or some factor other than > weather. The internet and state listservs now make keeping > one's pulse on how these trends are unfolding each > season much easier. Last winter it was quite fun to watch > with great anticipation the southward progression of > White-winged Crossbills on the listservs and then finally > read that they had reached northern > Kentucky! > As noted above, > besides simply getting out and playing the admittedly very > fun game of "find the vagrant," one can likely > improve his or her chances of recognizing the possibilites > by taking note of each species' or group's migratory > periods and patterns. Most birds are remarkable navigators > with abilities that we are only beginning to appreciate as > banding and transmitter data accumulate. Moreover, vagrancy > typically occurs within windows of time for a given species; > that is, for example, most waterfowl move south from > mid-October through early December, so one would most expect > to find a vagrant of most waterfowl species during that > period of movement. Although the recent Mew Gull at Barren > River Lake is Kentucky's first, Indiana, for example, > has 7 records during fall, winter, and early spring > including one on of all dates .... *18 > October* 1997! So perhaps this is just the > beginning of the period during which one might expect a > wayward migratory Mew Gull -- a species that, by the way, > happens to be relatively difficult to distinguish and may be > largely overlooked (and thus under-reported) among our many > thousands of Ring-billed Gulls??? -- to occur in our region > based on the time of this species' migratory period. > > Something else that > was very likely going on recently at Barren River Lake was > the "Patagonia Rest Stop" effect ... when one rare > bird is found, occurrence of birding increases there, > resulting in more rarities being encountered. Certainly > there have been numerous times over the past 20 years or so > that folks have birded on the reservoir when weather > conditions have been conducive to a fallout of vagrants from > every region conceivable. David Roemer, himself, has likely > birded Barren River Lake several hundred times over the > years, but probably the three rarest birds ever to be found > on the lake all occurred in a recent 10-day period. And had > David not found the Pacific Loon -- at the time the rarest > bird ever reported on the lake -- would he or anyone > else have happened to bird the state park beach to > find the Mew Gull a few days later? > > One final thought > ... something that does appear to be significant regarding > vagrancy is that certain locations seem to have a magnitism > for rarities. These tend to be "oasis" type places > (patches of green in deserts or lakes in areas where there > are no others) that stand out from the surroundings. And > even some of these seem to outperform others. For example, > there is a sewage treatment plant Indiana birders refer to > as Wakarusa in the northern part of the state that has > hosted the following shorebirds in recent years: Mountain > Plover (Aug 2002), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Sept 2003), > Curlew Sandpiper (22 May 2007), and Red-necked Stint (23 May > 2007)... the stint was found by birders looking for the > Curlew Sandpiper that had been found the day before ... can > anyone say Patagonia Rest Stop?! To me that screams of > inexplicable, just as the three rarest birds ever to be > found on Barren River Lake occurring in 10 days in the > latter half of October 2009 does. > In summary, I think > my perspective remains that you can certainly *sometimes* > predict when there's a chance to find something like > Sooty Terns or an Audubon Shearwater on Kentucky Lake, or > even a good fallout of waterfowl on the state's > reservoirs, but it is a crap shoot to try to figure out when > a Long-billed Murrelet is going to be on the Ohio River at > Louisville, or a Little Stint is going to appear on a > relatively postage-stamp sized flood retention basin in > southern Jefferson County. Sometimes I think we may be more > accurate to say that it happened so simply because [a] god > made it that way :o) > bpb, > Louisville > > > From: > birdky-bounce AT freelists.org on behalf of David Roemer > Sent: Sat 10/31/2009 9:58 PM > To: bird ky > Subject: [birdky] Weather and Birds > > > > Those who are interested in the > correlation between weather and the occurrence of vagrant > birds may enjoy the information presented in the links > below.  > > The first shows weather maps beginning a few days previous > to the arrival of the recent west coast birds at Barren > Reservoir.  A series of high pressure systems across > western Canada where these birds breed and migrate through > moved east and southeast into the midwest.  Winds ahead > of a high resulting from clockwise rotation can push birds > off to the south and southeast.  Click on the Next Day > link at the top right of the page to follow the progress of > these systems.  A contributing factor was the rainy > weather that was experienced in Kentucky at that time which > often results in grounding migrants.  Scroll down to > the bottom of each page for a precipitation map for that > day.  With birds like this on Barren it would be > interesting to know what dropped out along the Ohio River > and Ky/Barkley lakes during that period. > > Pacific Loon, Mew Gull and California Gull  13-19 > October 2009 > http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/index_20091008.html > > Also of possible interest regarding seabird vagrants are > maps accessed by the links below which tracked hurricanes > and tropical storms.  These are last plotted as they > weaken and are downgraded from tropical depression > status.  These low pressure systems usually continue to > travel to the north and east and can carry birds with > them.  Below are some species which have occurred in > Kentucky and maps of the weather systems associated with > them. > > Black-capped Petrels  4-5 October 1898 > http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-seven-1898 > > Band-rumped Storm-Petrel  July 1994 > http://www.stormpulse.com/tropical-storm-alberto-1994 > > Sooty Terns  4 October 2002 > http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-lili-2002 > > Audubon's Shearwater, Sooty Terns, probable Brown > Noddy  12 July 2005 > http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-dennis-2005 > > Band-rumped Storm-Petrels 31 August 2005 > http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-katrina-2005 > > Sandwich Tern  5 September 2008 > http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-gustav-2008 > > David Roemer > Bowling Green > > > > >       > ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== > > The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign > your messages with first & last name, city, & > state abbreviation. > -------------------------------------------------- > To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: > birdky AT freelists.org > -------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: > birdky-request AT freelists.org > with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  > Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society > web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY > E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============= The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Re: Weather and Birds -- Counterpoint (Beware ... VERY LONG ...) From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball AT ky.gov> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:24:09 -0500 Eddie Huber, Tom Becker, myself, and others can attest to what has been on the Ohio River around Louisville during the past few weeks ... a big NOTHING! Regular checks of the usual hot spots have revealed even less of interest than normal, which makes the remarkable occurrence of birds at Barren River Lake recently even more unusual. Likewise, there didn't seem to be an unusually high detection rate of similar "northwestern" vagrants in the region 10-14 days ago; if anything there seems to have been fewer than normal. So if weather systems brought the rarities to Barren River Lake, why not other places? I'm sure there have been at least a few other examples in the region lately, but there are rare birds scattered about everywhere all the time. Also, I noted on the TN listserv just yesterday that 2 California Gulls were reported at Pickwick Dam in southern TN over the weekend, although none were found in a search for gulls there the week before. Maybe it is just as likely that there is something going on with California Gulls rather than a particular weather system that has brought them to our region??? If one was to try to explain the occurrence of southern Indiana's recent Green Violetear, two Say's Phoebes in Kentucky in 15 days, and a White-faced Ibis in Henderson County all in recent weeks, I suspect that a bunch of assumptions would have to be made and at least several contradictory trails could be followed through the weather maps. It is easy to find a relatively reasonable explanation for the presence of a certain vagrant in our region based on the weather, but it may be just as likely to inaccurately attribute such an occurrence to the weather. Weather systems almost always progress across North America from west to east, but there are just as many eastern vagrants showing up in the west right now ... and most of them are eastern passerines that are bucking the same weather systems that one might be fooled into attributing the appearance of western vagrants in the east to. This is not to say that weather systems don't greatly affect what birds we see in Kentucky and that they can have relatively predictable results. Waves of waterbirds, shorebirds, and warblers all appear throughout Kentucky during favorable migration conditions created by weather systems and they conversely may totally shut off during periods of unfavorable weather. The fun days are those when birds get fooled into thinking conditions along their path are great for migration, but they run into winds or precipitation moving in the opposite direction that result in massive fallouts. Extreme weather events such as the passing of tropical cyclones certainly explain the presence of some vagrants in a given region, but those are birds of very different habitats (coastal and especially pelagic) that are carried *totally* off course by remarkably large and extraordinarily strong wind fields into totally unfamiliar conditions for attempting to navigate. Beyond these well-known scenarios, I think there are many pitfalls in attempting to do too much analysis. As a brief side bar, it should be noted that coastal species including Brown Pelican, Gull-billed Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Black Skimmer have been found somewhat regularly in the inland central US *not* as the result of any known tropical system and that the report of a Sandwich Tern in Kentucky 5 September 2008 was by no means certainly attributable to the passage of the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. That system was downgraded to a tropical depression while it was still in Louisiana, and most all vagrants deposited by it were found in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The only waif I recall in our region was a frigatebird (a species that sometimes gets flung inland great distances by such systems) in central Illinois ... actually the day *before* the main depression came through. It is my belief that vagrants are around us all the time and it is more a factor of getting out and finding them than it is predicting their occurrence based on passing weather systems. For especially strong fliers like loons and gulls, vagrancy would seem to me to be more an issue of "choice" or "mis-wired internal navigation" than one being dictated by weather. Patterns of movements within species or groups of similar species -- and the changes and exceptions to these patterns over time -- can be quite interesting to follow. The easiest examples of such are irruptive winter finches like last winter's White-winged Crossbills. An environmental factor in the species' normal range (in that case a food deficiency) results in an abnormal movement. A less apparent one is Rufous Hummingbird; the pattern of occurrence for this bird in the southeast U.S. was a steady increase over the past 20 years until last year when for no explicable reason the pipeline shut off and all states in the southeast had many fewer and Kentucky had none for the first year in nine. During the past month to six weeks, Plegadis ibis of both species have been all over the region, perhaps the result of good breeding success, poor environmental conditions in their normal ranges, or some factor other than weather. The internet and state listservs now make keeping one's pulse on how these trends are unfolding each season much easier. Last winter it was quite fun to watch with great anticipation the southward progression of White-winged Crossbills on the listservs and then finally read that they had reached northern Kentucky! As noted above, besides simply getting out and playing the admittedly very fun game of "find the vagrant," one can likely improve his or her chances of recognizing the possibilites by taking note of each species' or group's migratory periods and patterns. Most birds are remarkable navigators with abilities that we are only beginning to appreciate as banding and transmitter data accumulate. Moreover, vagrancy typically occurs within windows of time for a given species; that is, for example, most waterfowl move south from mid-October through early December, so one would most expect to find a vagrant of most waterfowl species during that period of movement. Although the recent Mew Gull at Barren River Lake is Kentucky's first, Indiana, for example, has 7 records during fall, winter, and early spring including one on of all dates .... *18 October* 1997! So perhaps this is just the beginning of the period during which one might expect a wayward migratory Mew Gull -- a species that, by the way, happens to be relatively difficult to distinguish and may be largely overlooked (and thus under-reported) among our many thousands of Ring-billed Gulls??? -- to occur in our region based on the time of this species' migratory period. Something else that was very likely going on recently at Barren River Lake was the "Patagonia Rest Stop" effect ... when one rare bird is found, occurrence of birding increases there, resulting in more rarities being encountered. Certainly there have been numerous times over the past 20 years or so that folks have birded on the reservoir when weather conditions have been conducive to a fallout of vagrants from every region conceivable. David Roemer, himself, has likely birded Barren River Lake several hundred times over the years, but probably the three rarest birds ever to be found on the lake all occurred in a recent 10-day period. And had David not found the Pacific Loon -- at the time the rarest bird ever reported on the lake -- would he or anyone else have happened to bird the state park beach to find the Mew Gull a few days later? One final thought ... something that does appear to be significant regarding vagrancy is that certain locations seem to have a magnitism for rarities. These tend to be "oasis" type places (patches of green in deserts or lakes in areas where there are no others) that stand out from the surroundings. And even some of these seem to outperform others. For example, there is a sewage treatment plant Indiana birders refer to as Wakarusa in the northern part of the state that has hosted the following shorebirds in recent years: Mountain Plover (Aug 2002), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Sept 2003), Curlew Sandpiper (22 May 2007), and Red-necked Stint (23 May 2007)... the stint was found by birders looking for the Curlew Sandpiper that had been found the day before ... can anyone say Patagonia Rest Stop?! To me that screams of inexplicable, just as the three rarest birds ever to be found on Barren River Lake occurring in 10 days in the latter half of October 2009 does. In summary, I think my perspective remains that you can certainly *sometimes* predict when there's a chance to find something like Sooty Terns or an Audubon Shearwater on Kentucky Lake, or even a good fallout of waterfowl on the state's reservoirs, but it is a crap shoot to try to figure out when a Long-billed Murrelet is going to be on the Ohio River at Louisville, or a Little Stint is going to appear on a relatively postage-stamp sized flood retention basin in southern Jefferson County. Sometimes I think we may be more accurate to say that it happened so simply because [a] god made it that way :o) bpb, Louisville ________________________________ From: birdky-bounce AT freelists.org on behalf of David Roemer Sent: Sat 10/31/2009 9:58 PM To: bird ky Subject: [birdky] Weather and Birds Those who are interested in the correlation between weather and the occurrence of vagrant birds may enjoy the information presented in the links below. The first shows weather maps beginning a few days previous to the arrival of the recent west coast birds at Barren Reservoir. A series of high pressure systems across western Canada where these birds breed and migrate through moved east and southeast into the midwest. Winds ahead of a high resulting from clockwise rotation can push birds off to the south and southeast. Click on the Next Day link at the top right of the page to follow the progress of these systems. A contributing factor was the rainy weather that was experienced in Kentucky at that time which often results in grounding migrants. Scroll down to the bottom of each page for a precipitation map for that day. With birds like this on Barren it would be interesting to know what dropped out along the Ohio River and Ky/Barkley lakes during that period. Pacific Loon, Mew Gull and California Gull 13-19 October 2009 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/index_20091008.html Also of possible interest regarding seabird vagrants are maps accessed by the links below which tracked hurricanes and tropical storms. These are last plotted as they weaken and are downgraded from tropical depression status. These low pressure systems usually continue to travel to the north and east and can carry birds with them. Below are some species which have occurred in Kentucky and maps of the weather systems associated with them. Black-capped Petrels 4-5 October 1898 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-seven-1898 Band-rumped Storm-Petrel July 1994 http://www.stormpulse.com/tropical-storm-alberto-1994 Sooty Terns 4 October 2002 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-lili-2002 Audubon's Shearwater, Sooty Terns, probable Brown Noddy 12 July 2005 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-dennis-2005 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels 31 August 2005 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-katrina-2005 Sandwich Tern 5 September 2008 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-gustav-2008 David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Green River State Forest (Henderson Co.) From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 13:19:13 -0600 Location: Green River State Forest (Henderson Co.) Observation date: 11/2/09 Number of species: 33 Great Blue Heron 1 overhead Northern Harrier 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 American Kestrel 1 Killdeer 5 overhead Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 12 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 7 American Crow 44 Carolina Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 15 American Robin 23 Northern Mockingbird 5 European Starling 30 Tennessee Warbler 1 Photo Eastern Towhee 15 Field Sparrow 25 Fox Sparrow 3 Song Sparrow 6 Swamp Sparrow 12 White-throated Sparrow 11 White-crowned Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 7 Red-winged Blackbird 55 Eastern Meadowlark 3 Common Grackle 25 American Goldfinch 12 House Sparrow 3 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Orange Bishop Photo From: "D.R. Dubbeld" <techtress AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 03:10:13 -0500 Here is the best photo I got of the Orange Bishop that was hanging out at Garvin Brown on 10/11/09. http://img517.imageshack.us/i/i00379c.jpg/ -- Diana Louisville, KY techtress AT gmail.com ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Killdeer From: JEswindell AT aol.com Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:25:10 EST Had a large (75-100) flock of Killdeer landing and foraging in a harvested bean field this afternoon. Killdeer are common here, but not in large flocks. John Swindells Nelson County Subject: FOS: Purple finch and Junco From: Evelyn Morgan <one4est AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 14:18:01 -0800 (PST) I had a lone purple finch at my feeder today.  It fed for a short time, then it was gone.   Had a couple of Junos...one was the lighter race.  the feeder has lots of chickadees, nuthatches and titmouse....seems more than normal.  I watched 3 flickers searching around a tree with a hole in bottom.  One would go inside while the other 2 patiently sat outside, then another.   They took turns.  Bluebirds seem happy.... All in all, a great day to be outside.   Evelyn Morgan Elliott County near Grayson Lake Subject: Re: Feeders From: "Laura" <laobiso AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:04:56 -0500 I've recently returned to this area and this list after being absent for a couple of years. I put out feeders 2 days ago and had the first activity today. Besides the regular titmice, chickadees, and Carolina wrens, we had a brief visit by a winter wren this morning. Laura Obiso Burnside, Pulaski County KY Subject: Nashville Warb. & other cuties From: Katharine Cohen <kwcoh AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 15:59:19 -0500 (EST) Had a little flurry of activity today--a beautiful Nashville Warbler, a Golden-crowned Kinglet and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The latter was preening for some time, his red crown a vibrant splash of color among the remaining leaves on our cherry tree. I think these individuals were part of an influx of little birds that appeared yesterday, mostly titmice and chickadees. Cheers! Kathy Cohen (Panorama Shores, near Murray in Calloway Co.) kwcoh AT earthlink.net ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Feeders From: Terry Anderson <tpaulanderson AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 15:19:50 -0500 Finally, a little action at my feeders....FOS white-throated sparrow in all its finery. Terry Anderson Northern Anderson County EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me Subject: RPY: Logan-Todd Counties Observations of today (all common species) From: "Mark & Tommie Gail Bennett" <benn5609 AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 14:07:22 -0600 01 November 2009: I birded briefly today at my usual stops Logan and Todd Counties. In Todd County at Guthrie Swamp's NE basin were: 77 Canada Geese 3 Gadwall 1 Pied-billed Grebe At the SW basins were: 11 Gadwall 4 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Bald Eagle, Adult, observed "dive bombing a small group of coots in an apparent attempt to force flight" 1 Red-tailed Hawk 6 American Coot 1 Bonaparte's Gull 1 Belted Kingfisher At Lake Herndon in Logan County, were: 3 Pied Billed Grebe 3 Double-crested Cormorant 22 American Coot At the KY 739 Transient Lake-Pond were simply 6 American Coots. I post this note because this pond seems to have some relationship in water accumulation to the transient lakes of Woodburn. I also note, that here in Russellville I recorded 9.3 inches of rain in October following 7:1 inches of rain in September. That concludes this report. PS: On a personal note, my shoulder is not entirely healed from recent rotator cuff surgery, but it is sufficiently healed to allow the lifting of binoculars to the eyes and to allow assisting with scope-tripod balance activities. Mark Bennett 113 Iroquois Circle Russellville, KY 42276 Logan County, Kentucky Home: benn5609 AT bellsouth.net Work: Mark.Bennett AT Logan.Kyschools.us ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Sloughs Tundra Swans are back at Wood Tract From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:16:13 -0600 Sloughs Sauerheber Unit is now closed until March 15th. But Wood Tract (south) is viewable from 268, but not a lot of water. Pumping is not going on as of this morning. Location: Sloughs WMA Sauerheber Unit--Wood Tract Observation date: 11/1/09 Number of species: 9 Greater White-fronted Goose 50 Canada Goose 150 Tundra Swan 5 Long distance photos taken. Assumed Tundras due to that is the species that winters at Wood Tract. American Wigeon 75 Mallard 250 Northern Shoveler 20 Killdeer 25 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Dunlin 30 Location: Sloughs WMA - Grassy Pond/Powells Lake Observation date: 11/1/09 Number of species: 24 Great Egret 1 flying over heading west Red-tailed Hawk 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 5 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 20 Horned Lark 33 Tufted Titmouse 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 Eastern Bluebird 5 American Robin 12 Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Field Sparrow 10 Song Sparrow 5 Swamp Sparrow 10 White-throated Sparrow 6 White-crowned Sparrow 7 Dark-eyed Junco 7 Northern Cardinal 3 Red-winged Blackbird 35 Common Grackle 7 American Goldfinch 5 Location: Sloughs WMA - Jenny Hole/Highland Creek Unit Observation date: 11/1/09 Number of species: 14 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 6 American Crow 5 Carolina Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 3 Winter Wren 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Towhee 1 Field Sparrow 15 Swamp Sparrow 10 White-throated Sparrow 15 Indigo Bunting 1 Red-winged Blackbird 75 American Goldfinch 5 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: hawk in barn From: "Lyneart" <lyneart AT lyneart.com> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 09:52:23 -0600 This morning was typical of my fall outings hawkwise. I got a good look at a Kestrel, a Harrier, a Red-tailed Hawk and got a glimpse of an accipiter disappearing into the woods. Then on the way home, I decided to check in one of the barns and make sure Friday's wind didn't blow up the cover on some tobacco stored there. A Cooper's Hawk was in the barn. It couldn't remember right off how it got in there and kept flying back and forth over the top tier. After several minutes of trying, I finally snapped one not too sharp, but recognizable picture of it sitting up on a tier pole before it figured out how to escape through a crack in the wall. We too still have one hummingbird, at least as of yesterday. Frank Lyne frank AT lyneart.com near Dot in Logan County Subject: Weather and Birds From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:58:41 -0700 (PDT) Those who are interested in the correlation between weather and the occurrence of vagrant birds may enjoy the information presented in the links below. The first shows weather maps beginning a few days previous to the arrival of the recent west coast birds at Barren Reservoir. A series of high pressure systems across western Canada where these birds breed and migrate through moved east and southeast into the midwest. Winds ahead of a high resulting from clockwise rotation can push birds off to the south and southeast. Click on the Next Day link at the top right of the page to follow the progress of these systems. A contributing factor was the rainy weather that was experienced in Kentucky at that time which often results in grounding migrants. Scroll down to the bottom of each page for a precipitation map for that day. With birds like this on Barren it would be interesting to know what dropped out along the Ohio River and Ky/Barkley lakes during that period. Pacific Loon, Mew Gull and California Gull 13-19 October 2009 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/index_20091008.html Also of possible interest regarding seabird vagrants are maps accessed by the links below which tracked hurricanes and tropical storms. These are last plotted as they weaken and are downgraded from tropical depression status. These low pressure systems usually continue to travel to the north and east and can carry birds with them. Below are some species which have occurred in Kentucky and maps of the weather systems associated with them. Black-capped Petrels 4-5 October 1898 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-seven-1898 Band-rumped Storm-Petrel July 1994 http://www.stormpulse.com/tropical-storm-alberto-1994 Sooty Terns 4 October 2002 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-lili-2002 Audubon's Shearwater, Sooty Terns, probable Brown Noddy 12 July 2005 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-dennis-2005 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels 31 August 2005 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-katrina-2005 Sandwich Tern 5 September 2008 http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-gustav-2008 David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Casey Creek and Plum Point, Adair From: "Roseanna Denton" <roseanna AT newwavecomm.net> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:27:31 -0400 Casey Creek and Plum Point about a mile up the Green River. Killdeer 100+ Black-bellied Plover 1 Least Sandpiper ~10 Dunlin 65 Lesser Yellowlegs 5 Greater Yellowlegs ~8 The shorebirds were really nervous today and tried to stay hid. I think the raptors had them on edge. Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, Sharp-shinned Hawks and Northern Harrier. Birding smiles . . . . . ~Roseanna Denton Science Hill, Pulaski County Subject: Barren 31 October 2009 From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:47:56 -0700 (PDT) With David Brown and Tom Durbin. DRY CREEK UNIT Both teal Gadwall Dunlin 15+ Brown Thrasher STATE PARK BEACH Wood Duck Gadwall both teal Northern Pintail Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe DC Cormorant Bald Eagle (ad and juv) Greater Yellowlegs (fly-over flock of ~20) Dunlin Same gulls including California, Lesser Black-backed and Franklin's (5) Forster's Tern (2) Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows BAILEY'S POINT PM W/DAVID Gadwall American Wigeon teal Northern Shoveler Lesser Scaup (100+) Ruddy Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Our hummer is still present at the house. David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Back yard Oct. 31 From: Paul Hager <bereahager AT adelphia.net> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:16:22 -0400 Backyard birds Saturday, Hollow'een Chipping Sparrow FOS White Throated Sparrow FOS Rufus-Sided Towhee C. Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Mourning Dove Blue Jay N. Cardinal Common Grackle Goldfinch House Finch Robin C. Wren White-breasted Nuthatch Paul Hager Berea, Madison Co. ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? From: "geraldrobe" <geraldrobe AT bellsouth.net> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:06:34 -0400 A Lammergeier is an old-world vulture with black wings & back and white underparts. I wonder if he could have been seeing Ospreys? ----- Original Message ----- From: Charles Crawford To: BIRDKY Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 11:31 PM Subject: [birdky] Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? Well so far the best info is from Ben Albritton who found via Google a Spanish article mentioning quebrantahuesos (short one s). He could translate it, and came up with Bearded Vulture. I went with his lead and went to a Spanish-English website and came up with Bearded Vulture or Lammegeier. I have heard of the Lammegeier on PBS shows. So it sounds like some kind of vulture, or a bird that looked like one to Captain Cook. Maybe a California Condor or a Turkey Vulture. How common were the condors back about 1779?? Charlie Henderson Co. On Oct 28, 2009, at 8:18 PM, Charles Crawford wrote: I have been reading "The Voyages of Captain Cook"On his 3rd voyage heading up the west coast of North America he refers to the birds he encounters.Quote: "or flying about in flocks or pairs, the chief of which were a few quebrantahuessoses, divers, ducks, or large peterels, gulls, shags, and burres."I know about divers, ducks, petrels and shags.But what the heck are quebrantahuessoses????????????Google and Bing only come up with the text of the book.Or what about a burre???Google only comes up with recent people with that name.CharlieHenderson Co. Subject: Barren 28/30 October 2009 From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:39:18 -0700 (PDT) I spent a couple of hours Wednesday evening at Bailey's Point watching the gulls come in to roost in the middle of the lake and the California and Lesser Black-backed were present along with Franklin's, Bonaparte's Ring-billed and Herrings. A Dunlin made a few passes over the roost as did a Great Egret. The gulls didn't like the egret and about half of them got up and escorted it out of there. It was a calm evening and most of the gulls were coming in high across Bailey's Point in flocks from up the lake. When over the roost they would begin diving and flipping and the wind popping in their wings as they flipped could be heard across the lake. The roost numbered about 300 gulls. Other species of interest observed were Blue-winged Teal (11), Ruddy Duck (6), Common Loon (2) and Forster's Tern (2). Present at the Dry Creek unit today was a flock of at least 20 Dunlin, 4 Least Sandpipers and a Western Sandpiper. The same gulls and Forster's Terns were observed at the state park beach. Our hummer is still coming to feeders at the house. David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: No Sighting. Quebrantahuessos results From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:11:19 -0500 Thanks to all those who responded: Ian, Frank, Marty, Ralph, Ben, Ian S., Terry, and David. Well, from more Google searching and respondents: It appears that Captain Cook inserted an extra 's' in the word. Quebrantahuesos (Spanish) is a Bone Breaker, Bearded Vulture, or Lammergeier. Basically all the same bird. But, obviously not the bird that Captain Cook sees off the NW coast of North America. So, I think, the Captain was trying to convey what the bird looked like that he was seeing. One Spanish to English website gives a translation as Osprey. Therefore, I am going with Osprey. I know its not a Bald Eagle because earlier in his book he describes it very well. Any other input is appreciated. Maybe we learned something. Maybe somebody else will try to read The Voyages of Captain Cook. Interesting book. Taking place from 1768 into 1779. The book is separated into 3 parts each of which is a separate voyage exploring the unknown or barely known world of his time. What makes the reading a chore sometimes is the first two books are written in the 3rd person, with 'they" being used to indicated Captain Cooks people, and "they" also being used to refer to the islanders he meets. Plus the 18th century writing (while of course in English) is very different from our current style. Fortunately the 3rd part, or voyage, is written in the 1st person. Much easier to read. And its as if, having done all this writing, he is getting better at writing and relating what is interesting. Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? From: "Lyneart" <lyneart AT lyneart.com> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:38:06 -0500 Charlie and all, Quebrantahuesos [kay-bran-tah-oo-ay'-sos] is Spanish for 1. Osprey and 2. a troublesome person. (Hey! I bet everyone knows someone that would make a good nickname for). Burra is a she ass, but I can't find burre. Frank Lyne frank AT lyneart.com near Dot in Logan County ----- Original Message ----- From: Charles Crawford To: BIRDKY Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 8:18 PM Subject: [birdky] No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? I have been reading "The Voyages of Captain Cook"On his 3rd voyage heading up the west coast of North America he refers to the birds he encounters.Quote: "or flying about in flocks or pairs, the chief of which were a few quebrantahuessoses, divers, ducks, or large peterels, gulls, shags, and burres."I know about divers, ducks, petrels and shags.But what the heck are quebrantahuessoses????????????Google and Bing only come up with the text of the book.Or what about a burre???Google only comes up with recent people with that name.CharlieHenderson Co. Subject: Re: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:31:05 -0500 Well so far the best info is from Ben Albritton who found via Google a Spanish article mentioning quebrantahuesos (short one s). He could translate it, and came up with Bearded Vulture. I went with his lead and went to a Spanish-English website and came up with Bearded Vulture or Lammegeier. I have heard of the Lammegeier on PBS shows. So it sounds like some kind of vulture, or a bird that looked like one to Captain Cook. Maybe a California Condor or a Turkey Vulture. How common were the condors back about 1779?? Charlie Henderson Co. On Oct 28, 2009, at 8:18 PM, Charles Crawford wrote: > > I have been reading "The Voyages of Captain Cook" > On his 3rd voyage heading up the west coast of North America he > refers to the birds he encounters. > > Quote: > "or flying about in flocks > or pairs, the chief of which were a few quebrantahuessoses, > divers, ducks, or large peterels, gulls, shags, and burres." > > I know about divers, ducks, petrels and shags. > But what the heck are quebrantahuessoses???????????? > Google and Bing only come up with the text of the book. > Or what about a burre??? > Google only comes up with recent people with that name. > > Charlie > Henderson Co. > > Subject: Re: Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? From: Ian Stewart <itsacharliebrownchristmas AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:59:37 -0400 Charlie, I have no real answer I am afraid, but 'burres' could be a corruption of 'murres'. I'm not sure how common true murres are on the west coast, though there are plenty of types of puffin there. I wonder if 'quebrantahuessoses' could be a type of goose, since 'Branta' is the goose genus (think also of brants). If you find out the answer I hope you tell us all! Good luck on your sleuthing. Ian Ian Stewart Department of Biology University of Kentucky Lexington KY 40506-0225 (859) 323-9499 itsacharliebrownchristmas AT hotmail.com From: cr4d AT insightbb.com To: birdky AT freelists.org Subject: [birdky] No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:18:06 -0500 I have been reading "The Voyages of Captain Cook"On his 3rd voyage heading up the west coast of North America he refers to the birds he encounters. Quote: "or flying about in flocks or pairs, the chief of which were a few quebrantahuessoses, divers, ducks, or large peterels, gulls, shags, and burres." I know about divers, ducks, petrels and shags.But what the heck are quebrantahuessoses????????????Google and Bing only come up with the text of the book.Or what about a burre???Google only comes up with recent people with that name. CharlieHenderson Co. _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It helps you do more. Explore Windows 7. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen3:102009 Subject: No sighting. Literary/bird question: what is a quebrantahuessoses? From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:18:06 -0500 I have been reading "The Voyages of Captain Cook" On his 3rd voyage heading up the west coast of North America he refers to the birds he encounters. Quote: "or flying about in flocks or pairs, the chief of which were a few quebrantahuessoses, divers, ducks, or large peterels, gulls, shags, and burres." I know about divers, ducks, petrels and shags. But what the heck are quebrantahuessoses???????????? Google and Bing only come up with the text of the book. Or what about a burre??? Google only comes up with recent people with that name. Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: R-T Hummingbird From: linda craiger <lindacraiger AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:53:26 +0000 My friend that lives on Barren River (Barren County) still has 1 - 2 ruby throated hummingbirds coming to the feeders (10/28). She is making a picture each day & in case anyone needs to look at them, I can forward them after she downloads to a disc. Linda Craiger / Glasgow _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It helps you do more. Explore Windows 7. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen3:102009 Subject: Sloughs: SBU, PCM, Gentle Pond & Horseshoe Road slough From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:35:56 -0500 Location: Sloughs WMA - Shorebird Unit/Pond Creek Marsh/Gentle Pond Observation date: 10/28/09 Notes: Wood Tract is starting to get enough water that it is attracting ducks. Late date Yellow-billed Cuckoo near Gentle Pond. The Hermit Thrush was perched above an open air beehive 20 feet in the air. I have never seen the combs of a beehive in the open air. It was suspended from a tree branch. Just a few bees around it. The Green Heron was flushed from the Beaver dam area on the way to check on the Eagles nest at Gentle Pond. No Eagles were seen at the Gentle Pond nest. Although 2 adults were perched near the nest below Anderson Pond. Anderson Pond had some Mallards and Widgeons in the gaps between dead Lotus. Deer hunters were everywhere. I was wearing a bright orange cap. :-) And trying to avoid where they were at. In fact I accidently walked up on one in a tree stand on the way to Pond Creek Marsh. He had parked 1/4 mile up the road from the gate, so I thought no one was back there. I apologized and he gave up. It was about 10:30AM Number of species: 48 Canada Goose 15 Wood Duck 3 Gadwall 10 American Wigeon 25 American Black Duck 4 Mallard 75 Northern Shoveler 10 Great Blue Heron 3 Green Heron 1 Bald Eagle 2 Red-tailed Hawk 5 American Coot 45 Killdeer 30 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Least Sandpiper 2 Dunlin 50 Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Wilson's Snipe 8 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 Downy Woodpecker 7 Northern Flicker 5 Eastern Phoebe 3 Blue Jay 12 American Crow 50 Tree Swallow 70 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 10 Carolina Chickadee 5 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 5 Brown Creeper 1 Carolina Wren 3 Eastern Bluebird 15 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 3 European Starling X Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 12 Eastern Towhee 2 Song Sparrow 5 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Swamp Sparrow 10 White-throated Sparrow 10 White-crowned Sparrow 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 Red-winged Blackbird 1000 Common Grackle 100 American Goldfinch 20 Location: Horseshoe Road slough Observation date: 10/28/09 Notes: I decided to check out Horseshoe Road slough. The NE end is choked with weeds, I could see no water. But it could have been there. The NW end held some water, but nothing except 1 Killdeer. The Robins were the most numerous that I have seen. They were actually along road 136 near Horseshoe Road. Number of species: 10 Great Blue Heron 1 Northern Harrier 1 American Kestrel 1 Killdeer 1 Mourning Dove 3 American Crow 25 Horned Lark 65 Tree Swallow 10 American Robin 15 Red-winged Blackbird 55 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Re: RT hummingbird From: Jackie Elmore <jackiebelmore AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:19:23 -0500 Wednesday 10-28-2009 At least one Ruby-thr. today, coming regularly to the feeders. Jackie B. Elmore Lincoln Co. KY _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen2:102009 Subject: Banded Sandhill Cranes--Observations needed From: John Brunjes <john.brunjes AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:05:54 -0400 One more note about cranes: As populations of eastern Sandhill Cranes continue to expand, more and more research and banding interest is being directed at these birds. The result is that there is many more color marked birds in the population. I received the request for observations below. I’m sure the researchers would appreciate any observations of marked cranes you can provide. John Everyone: As we are about to embark on the fall crane survey, coordinated by the USFWS, I thought that it would be useful to remind you that there are a growing number of auxiliary-marked (i.e. color-banded) cranes out there. If you or your colleagues see banded birds you can go to www.bandedcranes.org to find out who might have banded the bird that was seen and find out how to submit your sightings. If we get observations of color-marked birds from anyone we will do our best to link them up with the growing number of banders who are out there. The banders will, in turn, be happy to respond with some detail of what individual bird might have been seen and it's history. If you have any questions or comments please give me a holler or write. Thanks much for your consideration and have fun counting. Sincerely yours, Jeb Barzen Director of Field Ecology International Crane Foundation Visit our website! www.savingcranes.org "Working worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland, grassland, and other ecosystems upon which they depend." John H. Brunjes, Ph.D. Migratory Bird Program Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman's Lane - Wildlife Annex Frankfort, KY 40601 800-858-1549 Ext. 4500 email: john.brunjes AT ky.gov Did you know... Hunting, fishing, boating and wildlife watching fund 60,000 Kentucky jobs? This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by telephone (800) 858-1549 ext 4500 and destroy the original. Thank you. ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============= The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: 2009 Fall Sandhill Crane Survey: October 30 From: John Brunjes <john.brunjes AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:35:42 -0400 Hello Everyone: It's time again for the Fall Sandhill Crane survey. This survey is conducted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, State Wildlife agencies, and volunteers for the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes. This survey is timed to pick up the cranes as they are in their peak numbers in Minnesota/Michigan staging for their southward migration. As such, few will have made it to Kentucky (athough I have seen a few reports already)...but any information helps with the population assessment. I would request that any of you that see Sandhill Cranes on Friday, October 30th...please let me know. I'll need to know the # of cranes you saw, time, as specific a location as possible (Lat/Lon is GREAT) and a note as to where (ie migrating overhead, feeding in corn field, roosting in pond). Also, if you see Sandhill Cranes between now and next Wednesday (November 4th)...let me know that as well (kind of like a Christmas Count Count Period bird). Thank you in advance for your help! If you have any questions please let me know. John -- John H. Brunjes, Ph.D. Migratory Bird Program Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman's Lane - Wildlife Annex Frankfort, KY 40601 800-858-1549 Ext. 4500 email: john.brunjes AT ky.gov Did you know... Hunting, fishing, boating and wildlife watching fund 60,000 Kentucky jobs? This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by telephone (800) 858-1549 ext 4500 and destroy the original. Thank you. ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: FW: Evidence For A Second Breeding Season Among Migratory Songbirds From: "Vorisek, Shawchyi (FW)" <Shawchyi.Vorisek AT ky.gov> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:56:13 -0400 Pretty interesting article... Shawchyi Vorisek Avian Biologist Nongame Branch KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman's Lane Frankfort, KY 40601 (502)564-7109 Ext. 4474 shawchyi.vorisek AT ky.gov www.fw.ky.gov Did you know... Department of Fish and Wildlife receives NO state tax dollars and manages wildlife for all citizens? Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachment, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender, by e-mail, and destroy all copies of the original message. -----Original Message----- From: Neotropical migratory birds in southeastern United States discussion list [mailto:SEPART-L AT LISTSERV.UARK.EDU] On Behalf Of Rua Mordecai Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8:31 AM To: SEPART-L AT LISTSERV.UARK.EDU Subject: Evidence For A Second Breeding Season Among Migratory Songbirds Here's yet another reason to be working with our Mexican and Central American partners. A paper in PNAS recently documented 5 North American songbirds breeding during stopover in Western Mexico. Who would've though that orioles, vireos, cuckoos, and chats were sneaking in another breeding season on the way to the wintering grounds? There's more information about it in this article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152806.htm Rua ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============= The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Kemtucky Dam From: "Ken Leggett" <kcleggett AT bellsouth.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:50 -0500 Most of you are aware that the road across Kentucky Dam has been closed since early September. However, those of you wanting to go to the Power House and observe below the Dam can do so by entering the new road construction and going about .2 miles where the road to the Power House exits to the left. Ken Leggett Eddyville Subject: Barren and Warren 26 October 2009 From: David Roemer <dlroemer AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:53:59 -0700 (PDT) The same birds were present at Barren this morning including California and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. At Buchanon Park in Warren County today were 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin and a pair of Wilson's Snipe. Gary Ritchison has published an image taken yesterday with all 6 gull species accessed by the link below. http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos/six_gulls.htm David Roemer Bowling Green ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky AT freelists.org -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request AT freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison AT eku.edu Subject: Sloughs WMA 10/26/09 From: Charles Crawford <cr4d AT insightbb.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:01:32 -0500 Location: Sloughs WMA - Pond Creek Marsh, Shorebird Unit, Hardy Slough Observation date: 10/26/09 Wow, a great day for birding, no wind and rising temps. Late date for Dickcissel! Another large mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, Starlings, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. It seems the Grackles are not flocking yet...although they're quite common. Number of species: 49 Canada Goose 17 Mallard 19 Wild Turkey 7 Pied-billed Grebe 9 Great Blue Heron 1 Great Egret 3 getting kind of late for these guys, at Hardy Slough Northern Harrier 1 Red-tailed Hawk 5 American Coot 100 numbers keep increasing, over half of these were at a flooded south portion of Wood Tract visible from SBU impoundment Killdeer 75 Least Sandpiper 3 Dunlin 18 Wilson's Snipe 9 all overhead, their calling is what caught my attention Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-headed Woodpecker 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 11 Northern Flicker 15 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Eastern Phoebe 2 Blue Jay 7 American Crow 35 Horned Lark 2 Tree Swallow 10 numbers are down Carolina Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Winter Wren 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Eastern Bluebird 8 SWAINSON'S THRUSH 1 American Robin 3 European Starling 750 Yellow-rumped Warbler 8 Eastern Towhee 2 Field Sparrow 10 Song Sparrow 3 Swamp Sparrow 10 White-throated Sparrow 15 White-crowned Sparrow 7 Northern Cardinal 15 Indigo Bunting 1 DICKCISSEL 1 female, skulking in the underbrush along Pond Creek Marsh road, quite unusual behavior from the summer Red-winged Blackbird 1500 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Common Grackle 100 Brown-headed Cowbird 1000 American Goldfinch 25 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Charlie Henderson Co. Subject: Phenomenal Saw-whet Owl recapture From: Mark Monroe <markmonroe1 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:14:44 -0400 Saw-whet owl banding has commenced again at Brainard's farm but it's been a very slow start, with only one bird captured on October 18 (although this was a personal early date). However, this year has yielded some very interesting recaptures. I just learned that last night one of the birds we banded on November 2, 2007 here in Louisville was recaptured in Lincoln, Massachusetts, just NE of Boston! That's a phenomenal amount of wandering in this bird's lifetime no matter how you look at it. Additionally, a bird originally banded in Bloomington, Indiana, only one day earlier than ours, was just recaptured in Delta Marsh, Manitoba, a week ago. The nomadic nature of this species is truly incredible and it seems the more we learn about their movements, the more questions we get. Mark Mark Monroe Louisville, KY Subject: David Sibley in Louisville From: csbesse AT bellsouth.net Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:31:29 +0000 The walk with David Sibley that Kelly Vowels just posted is a benefit/fundraiser for Bernheim Forest. Participation is limited to 30 people at a suggested minimum donation of $25 per person. For details or to sign up for the walk, call 502-955-8512. David Sibley will also be speaking and signing copies of his new book, The Sibley Guide to Trees, at Carmichael's Bookstore, 2720 Frankfort Avenue, at 7 PM on Thursday, October 29th. -- Carol Besse Carmichael's Bookstores 1295 Bardstown Road & 2720 Frankfort Avenue Louisville, KY 502-896-6950 Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year 2009