randall@proteus.CAM.ORG (Randall Reid) (06/26/91)
I used to read rec.birds about 1.5 years ago and then stayed away from Usenet for quite a while. I restarted reading rec.birds a couple of weeks ago and really notice a change. Where did everyone go? Things used to be pretty active here both for the birders and the pet bird types. Maybe my news feed is broken but I only receive 1-3 articles per day. Is this right? Well no matter, I'll still post my message. I was at Point Pelee this spring for the second year in a row. Last year I was down for the 3rd week of May, this year the 2nd week. I am not your die-hard experienced birder but I nevertheless was happy to log about 140 species and 40+ lifers last year. This year was a different story. A real disappointment. I must confess that this year I went with my wife and my schedule was a bit off so we would arrive at the Point a bit later than usual each day. But it seems to me that there were MUCH fewer birds this year. Can anyone comment on this? Another thing I noticed was that the park didn't have any deer or other critters wandering around freely. One thing that came to mind was the unusually warm weather we had this spring. Perhaps the migrations stayed for shorter periods on the Point or maybe they came earlier than usual. Despite my bad luck I noticed that the visitors' center sighting board was filled up with birds of all kinds.. I just didn't see 'em. Can any of you more experienced birders tell me if one really has to be up at the crack of dawn to have a good birding day... I personally can't even see the little critters that early morning. even with my new B&L Elites! Last year I found that 9am seemed like an ideal time for birding.. after that it seemed to die down quite a bit. Regardless of my lack of success this year I did have one nice lifer.. a wimbrel flying over Hillman's marsh.. he must have been an overly enthusiastic individual and at the extreme northerly edge of his range. That seemed to make it all worth the 2 day drive and I'll be back again next year, this time with my alarm clock. Regards;
rsl@cbnewsm.att.com (randolph.little) (06/28/91)
In article <NLo641w164w@proteus.CAM.ORG>, randall@proteus.CAM.ORG (Randall Reid) writes: > ... it seems to me that there were MUCH fewer birds this year. > Can anyone comment on this? Early, uninterrupted mild weather this Spring dealt a double-whammy to birders by spreading the migration out over a longer period AND by bringing out foliage sooner to hide most of the migrants. Only time will tell if there are actually fewer birds this year -- I have yet to see the results of the 1991 Breeding Bird Surveys, for example. > ... Can any of you more experienced birders tell me > if one really has to be up at the crack of dawn to have a good birding > day... I personally can't even see the little critters that early morning. > even with my new B&L Elites! Last year I found that 9am seemed like an > ideal time for birding.. after that it seemed to die down quite a bit. Two suggestions for those who really want to find the birds: First, don't rely on sight alone to find birds. You can only see what is ahead of you and not obscured by vegetation or other obstacles; but you can hear in all directions at once and "through" most visual obstacles, so learn to find birds by sound. Second, get out BEFORE the crack of dawn. Not only does this improve your chances of actually being in good birding habitat at dawn, when birds are most active, it also exposes you to the unique pre-dawn vocalizations characteristic of many species such as owls, marsh birds and flycatchers. Right now in New Jersey there is a dawn chorus that begins at about 4:45EDT and diminishes significantly around 5:30EDT. Many birds have completed their first brood and are becoming more vocal as they anticipate a second brood. This will diminish in the next few weeks, particularly as birds begin summer molting. Species which are singing again now include Eastern Phoebe, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, Wood Thrush and Gray Catbird. From 4:00EDT to about 4:45EDT the pre-dawn continuous song of the Eastern Wood-Pewee can also be heard, before it slows down at dawn for its regular daytime song. How about some reports from other earlybirders! -- Randy Randolph.Little@att.com
gss@edsdrd.eds.com (Gary Schiltz) (06/28/91)
In article <NLo641w164w@proteus.CAM.ORG>, randall@proteus.CAM.ORG (Randall Reid) writes: > I used to read rec.birds about 1.5 years ago and then stayed away from > Usenet for quite a while. I restarted reading rec.birds a couple of > weeks ago and really notice a change. Where did everyone go? Things > used to be pretty active here both for the birders and the pet bird > types. Maybe my news feed is broken but I only receive 1-3 articles per > day. Is this right? I've tried to quit reading rec.birds too, but I keep falling off the wagon; here I am again :-) But seriously, I've always noticed a summer drop in the postings; not many birds to post about, and too many other distractions, I suppose. > [...] But it seems to me that there were MUCH fewer birds this year. > Can anyone comment on this? I wish I could say that it was just your being there later in the day, but I can't. I was there early (caught the early transits to the point) the weekends of May 11-12 and May 18-19 and my observations were much the same. The number of species seemed about the same as in past years (from the species board at the visitors' center), but the numbers seemed down a lot. Whereas only two or three years ago I usually could see 30-35 warbler species there in a day, this year I had to work to get 20. The species were probably all there, but the low numbers made it hard to find them all. > [...] Another thing I noticed was that the park > didn't have any deer or other critters wandering around freely. Deer have been a persistent problem for Pt. Pelee. A population of, I believe, around 200 in this very small park were doing a lot of damage to the flora. What to do was debated for a long time, and it was finally decided to cull the herd. A high percentage (more than half, maybe three quarters) were removed before this spring. > One thing that came to mind was the unusually warm weather we had > this spring. Perhaps the migrations stayed for shorter periods on > the Point or maybe they came earlier than usual. I was at Pt. Pelee on April 28 and there were few warblers then. The warm weather may indeed have made them skip over the point. I noticed overall many fewer warblers and other neotropical species this year. I certainly hope it isn't a trend, but I fear that it is. > Despite my bad luck I noticed that the > visitors' center sighting board was filled up with birds of all kinds.. > I just didn't see 'em. Can any of you more experienced birders tell me > if one really has to be up at the crack of dawn to have a good birding > day... I personally can't even see the little critters that early morning. > even with my new B&L Elites! Last year I found that 9am seemed like an > ideal time for birding.. after that it seemed to die down quite a bit. As I mentioned earlier, the species seemed to mostly be there, although in lower numbers. Personally, it has always seemed to me that the birding at the point has been better at 7:30 or so than at 6:00. Although, the shorebirds seem to leave by about 5:00 or so. > Regardless of my lack of success this year I did have one nice lifer.. a > wimbrel flying over Hillman's marsh.. he must have been an overly > enthusiastic individual and at the extreme northerly edge of his range. Whimbrels seemed to be unusually plentiful this spring. I also saw two along the north shore of Lake Michigan this spring (near Manistique, MI). > That seemed to make it all worth the 2 day drive and I'll be back again > next year, this time with my alarm clock. You didn't say where you have to drive from. My wife and I bird Pelee quite a bit in the Spring, being only a two hour drive away. Next time you plan to come up, let me know if I can be of any assistance. Rondeau Provincial Park (about an hour east of Pelee) has nearly as good migrant watching, with much less people pressure. ---- /\ What cheer, /\ | Gary Schiltz, EDS R&D, 3551 Hamlin Road | / o< cheer, <o \ | Auburn Hills, MI 48326, (313) 370-1737 | \\/ ) / cheer, \ ( \// | gss@edsdrd.eds.com | \ / cheer!!! \ / | "Have bird will watch ..." |
gwynne@milton.u.washington.edu (Kristan Geissel) (06/28/91)
In article <1991Jun27.172157.12240@cbnewsm.att.com> rsl@cbnewsm.att.com (randolph.little) writes(ASKS!!): >How about some reports from other earlybirders! -- Randy > > Randolph.Little@att.com I don't have any reports but there is a bird in my area that I hear in the pre-dawn darkness - you know the time - about 15 to 30 minutes before the sun actually is up above the horizon. It seems to be a flitter-er, swooping between my apartment building and the next. Its call is a long peep, very high pitched. I thought at first, "BATS!" but realised if that were the case, I'd hear them at other times of the night, also. Any ideas? Kristan gwynne@milton.u.washington.edu
edm@verdix.com (Ed Matthews) (06/28/91)
randall@proteus.CAM.ORG (Randall Reid) writes: >I used to read rec.birds about 1.5 years ago and then stayed away from >Usenet for quite a while. I restarted reading rec.birds a couple of >weeks ago and really notice a change. Where did everyone go? Things Summer having closed in on most of the US very early this year no doubt has had some effect on birders. We're fully into breeding season now and the migrants have long gone. So we're looking at the same old birds that we look at for most of the summer and don't think there's any great news to post about. A little news from Northern Virginia: The rails at Huntley Meadows had 14 chicks this year and are showing them off by parading them across the boardwalk. I fear the otters may get many of them, but nonetheless, still looks like a bumper crop. Sorry, forgot most of you aren't local, those are King Rails, the only freshwater marsh breeding rails in this neck of the woods. At the same location, the fuzzy baby Pied-Billed Grebes are also fun to watch. Saw a Least Bittern two weeks ago -- we're fortunate to have them breeding so near by. All the neighborhood bluebirds are on the second nesting now, with the babies fully fledged for weeks now. Now that the grasses and thistles are maturing, the American Goldfinches have moved off into the fields and away from the thistle feeder. They'll be back in a few weeks to gouge themselves before breeding. Then they'll disappear again until they bring the newly fledged babies back to the feeder to fatten up for the fall. They're a ball to watch as they flutter their wings trying to keep their balance at the feeder. We seem to have a really large population of breeding Prairie Warblers here west of DC. They are easily the most commonly heard warbler in this part of the county. I have seen an unusual number of Ovenbirds this year -- a bird that can be difficult at best to see. Got two pairs of Louisana Waterthrushes breeding near my house. A tremendous crop of House Sparrows this here -- regarded as unfortunate by many. The jury is still out though because the hordes of babies are waging war on the Japanese Beetles and other insects infesting my yard and garden. >Can any of you more experienced birders tell me >if one really has to be up at the crack of dawn to have a good birding >day... It really depends on the time of the year and when the sun really starts to come up good. In the spring, even when I'm out at 6 a.m., the sun is not really up and going until after 7. A few warblers will be about and singing at 6, but they increase starting about 7 and the high point is probably 7:30 to 9 a.m., after which it dies off. Marsh birds really can be quite vocal especially in the hour before dawn. And Pileated Woodpeckers are most active in the first couple of hours after dawn. -- Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 Chantilly, Virginia