 |
|
|
|
|
BIRDCHAT for Tuesday, April 8, 2008
[ Prev Day
| Next Day
| Calendar Month
| BIRDCHAT Info
]
|
|
To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'.
This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.
|
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Birdchat: Bachman's Sparrow tips
From: Janet S Duerr <duerr(AT)ohio.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 2008 6:46am
I also do not have specific tips on places to go, but I do want to share an
interesting tidbit of information in regards to Jim Turner's suggested
strategy for seeing Bachman's Sparrows. If you walk towards a Bachman's
Sparrow and it appears to disappear, it may be hiding in an underground
burrow (!). A paper describes this interesting (and frustrating) behavior
(Dean, T. F. and P. D. Vickery. 2003. Bachman?s Sparrows use burrows and
palmetto clumps as escape refugia from predators. J. Field Ornithol.
74:26-30.)
Good luck,
Janet Duerr
Athens, Ohio
duerr at ohio dot edu
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Sichuan China 2007
From: terrywitt(AT)bellsouth.net
Date: 8 Apr 2008 11:11am
I have been trying since last summer to get this posted on one of the worldwide
trip websites to no avail. Webmasters feel free to copy:
There are a number of excellent reports available which cover in great detail
the most popular sites and the birds which might be expected in each: (Wolong),
two reports by Bjorn Anderson 2003, Sichuan by Christian Artuso 2005, Sichuan
and Yunnan by Frank Rheidt 2003, and Sichuan by Frank Rheidt 2005). You can
access these reports at the Surfbirds Website. Rather than repeat the
information in these excellent trip summaries, this is an update intended to
note some changes which might help with logistics, as well as some notable
species observed.
Du Fu's Thatched Cottage Park (Chengdu). This well known site is an easy place
to see White-browed Laughing thrush, Rufous-capped Babbler, and Black-throated
Tit. Yellow-billed Grosbeak can be found here as well, but is far from common.
Flocks of Vinous-throated Parrotbills roam the grounds and they have now been
joined by good numbers of Ashy-throated Parrotbills. The latter might be seen
on the lower elevations of Emei Shan but we did not encounter them at Wawu Shan.
Depending upon which lowland sites are visited, it might be wise to track this
bird down while it is easily available.
Wawu Shan/Golden-Fronted Fulvetta. The road from Chengdu to Wawu Shan is now
one long detour for perhaps the last 30 km before reaching the park. This is
due to a dam project which is presently creating a very large reservoir and also
flooding the old road. This detour has essentially eliminated most of the
lower elevation roadside habitat. The restaurant at the cable car station is in
the process of being demolished, not sure what the future holds for food
service there. Emei Shan Liocichla and Red-winged Laughingthrush are both
present in good numbers but are not very tape responsive, very skulky, and
obtaining a satisfactory view can be difficult. There is a fairly obscure trail
leading down hill behind the housing cottages. Golden-fronted Fulvetta had
been reported from this area and we encountered a mixed flock consisting of
several Golden-breasted Fulvettas with assorted other small birds, and which
contained at least one Golden- fronted Fulvetta. We did not rec
ognize
any vocalization from this bird.
Quingchang Shan: The town is 1 1/2 hours north of Chengdu, and a convenient
stop if one would rather avoid the city. The mountain park here is a good place
to find Tiger Shrike, Forest Wagtail, Dusky Fulvetta, and Swinhoes' Minivet.
We stayed at the Mingjiang Villa Hotel which gets only two stars but has
extensive grounds which are very birdy. Chinese Bamboo-Partridge was seen here
and at night, both Collared Scops-Owl and Northern Boobook are present and
vocal.
Wolong: The road just north of Quingchang Shan is under construction all the
way to Wolong and beyond. There may be an issue with traffic routed only one
way at certain times of day, but there seemed to always be plenty going both
ways during our visit. Expect delays and slow going!
Balan Shan: The road is under repair all the way from Wolong to Rilong on the
other side of the pass. The majority of roadside vegetation is gone; to hear
Wood Snipe from the road is easy, but to see the birds will likely require quite
a strenuous hike down and back up the steep slope. There is a lot of
disturbance at the Chinese Monal site and we had no luck finding one on two
separate days. However, we ran into another birder who had been more fortunate,
so the chance may be low but is not completely hopeless. In May, 2007, the
road construction had not made it to the pass itself; there are several kms on
either side that are presently unaffected, and we were able to find all the high
mountain specialties without too much trouble.
Hongyuan to Jiuzhaigou: There is a section of road being rebuilt (Hwy 213)
north of Chuanghusi with a nightmarish detour on a nearly impassable dirt road.
Perhaps the new road may be completed by next spring?
Jiuzhaigo: Two birds which had eluded us at other sites were , first,
Spectacled Fulvetta, which we finally managed to find on a secondary growth
hillside above the main road outside the park on the south side of the road. It
is a real skulker and will be difficult to see without tape. The other was
Spectacled Parrotbill which we located on the opposite hillside. About two
miles above the park entrance is the Red Gem Hotel. There are two fairly
obvious trails leading up the hill, across the road; the high one provides
easier access and is not as steep. Upon reaching a sort of plateau, one will
encounter a series of white concrete markers covered with blue Chinese
characters and Arabic numbers. 334 will be seen first, two parrot-bills were
seen near 335. The trail is a bit overgrown, but fairly level, a real rarity
here. There are also flocks of noisy Sooty Tits present.
The drive from Jiuzhaigou to Chengdu is now a harrowing 11 1/2 hours with many
miles of the omnipresent road construction plus heavy traffic.
Terry Witt
Murfreesboro Tennessee
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Bird images for you to enjoy (links)
From: Devorah Bennu <birdologist(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 8 Apr 2008 1:45pm
hello everyone,
to inspire you to get out there with your binoculars,
scopes and cameras, to appreciate all the birds that
you are able to see, i thought i'd tell you about some
images that you MUST see.
yesterday's image of the day was an adult male turkey
who was happily advertising his suitability as a sperm
donor. this gorgeous image was snapped by listowner,
Dave Rintoul;
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/04/eastern_wild_turkey.php
today's image is the first in a series by another
friend of mine, aviculturist and photographer, John
del Rio. Today's image is a picture of an adult male
bufflehead that you've just GOT to see;
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/04/bufflehead.php
there are more images from this photographer to come,
including one that is among the best photographs i've
ever seen (i'll let you know when that one pops up!).
GrrlScientist
Devorah
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/
Roosting high up a tree somewhere in Central Park, NYC
____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: [Fwd: [Ontbirds]2 King Eiders Point Pelee National Park]
From: bruce <brucep(AT)mnsi.net>
Date: 8 Apr 2008 3:36pm
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Ontbirds]2 King Eiders Point Pelee National Park
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 15:50:53 -0400
From: Marianne Reid <mbreid3(AT)hotmail.com>
To: <ontbirds(AT)hwcn.org>
Hello,
This morning around 8:30 a:m, I met Alan Wormington along the south end of the
West Beach parking lot, who was looking out over Lake Erie with 2 female King
Eider in his scope.
Migrants are more on the move now including large movements of Golden-crowned
Kinglets, along with Flickers, a few Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Winter Wrens.
Warblers, except for the odd Yellow-rumped, appear to be absent....for now.
Out in the Onion Fields, 12 Dunlin, and 6 Pectoral Sandpipers were seen at a
mudflat along Concession D, along with the usual migrant waterfowl and
Boniparte's Gull.
Just the calm before the storm of spring birding here in the Pelee Area.
Good Birding,
Marianne Balkwill
peleechickadee(AT)gmail.com
Directions:
Point Pelee National Park is as far south as you can drive in mainland Canada
:-)
_________________________________________________________________
Turn every day into $1000. Learn more at SignInAndWIN.ca
http://g.msn.ca/ca55/213_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS(AT)hwcn.org
For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit
http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php
ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at
http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Tripod
From: Steve Sosensky <steve(AT)optics4birding.com>
Date: 8 Apr 2008 3:37pm
Hi Mike,
Look at the Bogen/Manfrotto View series tripods. If you're not very
tall, consider the 700RC2,190MFV (carbon fiber) or 700RC2,190XV
(aluminum). There is less than a pound difference between these and
about $120 in price. The Gitzo mentioned by Jerry is about double the
price, so it depends on how much you want to spend and how much you
want to reduce the weight.
At 01:31 PM 2008-04-07, Michael Barkwell wrote:
>I currently own a normal Manfrotto tripod (ie non-carbon fibre)
>together with a Swarovski ATS80 HD scope and would like to purchase
>a lighter weight scope together with a good head . I will be using
>this for shorter trips but my primary interest is a tripod that
>would be the best for full days in the field (my upcoming trip is to
>Papua New Guinea). I do not at the moment do any digiscoping. Any
>recommendations would be welcome.
Good Viewing,
Steve Sosensky <mailto:Steve(AT)optics4birding.com>
VP of Operations
www.Optics4Birding.com
opening soon at
19 Hammond Suite 506
Irvine CA 92618
877.OP4.BIRD (877.674.2473) Toll Free
949.360.OPTX (949.360.6789) Local
818.522.5261 Cell
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Tripod
From: Dendroica(AT)aol.com
Date: 8 Apr 2008 4:08pm
Back in 2004 I purchased a STS 80mm HD Swarovski Scope along with a
Bogen/Manfrotto 3443D Carbon One 3 section tripod and a Swarovski PH 101 Tripod
Head.
I have been pleased with the decreased tripod weight and delighted with the
Swarovski Head which has eliminated any loosening of the screw(s) which
attach a scope to the tripod. The three section tripod also allows it to fit
in
a medium/large-sized hard luggage suitcase for check-in at the airport.
Ralph Wall
Great Falls, VA
Ralph Wall
Great Falls, VA
**************Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.
(http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000016)
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: kettles of hawks
From: Jeanette Scott <jcs3712(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 8 Apr 2008 6:54pm
Spring migration/hawks/"kettle" lingo (funny!):
Click/scroll down for photos/info:
http://www.ccbirding.com/thw/id/kettlecount.htm
Jeanette Scott
Austin, TX
---------------------------------
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
|
|
|
|
BIRDxxxx
BIRDCHAT
ID-FRONTIERS
US:NewEngland