Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Alabama Birds > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Thursday, September 2 at 09:04 AM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Tree Sparrow,©David Sibley

02 Sep Silverhill, AL ["Karen Chiasson" ] 1 Sep Wood Storks Again [] 01 Sep DI Wednesday ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 31 Aug Storks, Migrants [] 31 Aug Common Nighthawks in Birmingham ["Gregory J. Harber" ] 31 Aug Coastal Birding Association field trip Saturday, August 28 [Chazz Hesselein ] 31 Aug Dauphin Island ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 31 Aug 431 Pilings in Guntersville ["morrowmatt30" ] 30 Aug Pell City sod farms this afternoon ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 29 Aug Shell Mounds still good ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 29 Aug Heavy Rain ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 29 Aug 1 new private message ["matureyamelissa" ] 28 Aug Re: HUMMINGBIRD News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [] 28 Aug HUMMINGBIRD News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ["Ken and Claire Krusko" ] 28 Aug WHITE-FACED IBIS at Battleship lawn [Chazz Hesselein ] 28 Aug Chestnutsided [] 28 Aug Dauphin Island Warblers!!! [David And Carrie Dortch ] 28 Aug Dauphin Island Warblers!!! ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 27 Aug Birds in Clay, Alabama (and banding news) [] 27 Aug TVA Wetlands Trail - Week 1 (WOW!) [] 26 Aug CONSERVATION: Fw: [AfricanBirding] Serengeti National Park under threat by major road plan ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 26 Aug Gray Kingbird photos ["especiallyforcarrie" ] 25 Aug Birmingham Botanical Garden - Yellow-bellied Flycatcher [] 24 Aug FW: Reporting color-marked Loggerhead Shrikes ["Gregory J. Harber" ] 24 Aug CBA Field trip, Sat. 8/28, Blakeley Island [Chazz Hesselein ] 24 Aug Birmingham Botanical Gardens this AM ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 24 Aug Fall Bird Walks - TVA Wetlands Trails [] 24 Aug Gray Kingbirds [David And Carrie Dortch ] 24 Aug Orange Beach yesterday [Harold Peterson ] 23 Aug Northern Harrier [] 23 Aug Dauphin Island [David And Carrie Dortch ] 23 Aug Lesser Black-backed Gull, American White Pelican [] 22 Aug Summer records ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 22 Aug Good bird movement overnight ["Lucy and Bob Duncan" ] 22 Aug Fort Rucker, AL [Anne-Marie Bauer ] 21 Aug Birds here and there ["Gregory J. Harber" ] 22 Aug Woodstorks [] 21 Aug Ceruleans [] 21 Aug Miss kites [] 21 Aug Ceruleans [] 21 Aug It's Been a While ["Karen Chiasson" ] 18 Aug Shorebird counts and nesting distribution [Gyorgy Szimuly/WorldWaders ] 17 Aug Duck migration predictor [Chazz Hesselein ] 17 Aug Early visit to TVA Wetlands Trails [] 16 Aug Piping plovers [Helena Uber-Wamble ] 15 Aug CBA field trip report [Chazz Hesselein ] 15 Aug Sophia Bush left a private message for you! ["carljfoafriends" ] 13 Aug Follow-up on Peru project ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 13 Aug Re: Damming the Buttahatchee [David Campbell ] 13 Aug Re: Damming the Buttahatchee [] 13 Aug Damming the Buttahatchee ["us53849353" ] 12 Aug Ceruleans in Opelika [] 12 Aug SET albirds MAIL [EUGENIA CAREY ] 11 Aug Anniston Update Plus A Link to some wonderful Hummingbird pictures. ["Debbie" ] 10 Aug CBA field trip this Saturday, August 14 [Chazz Hesselein ] 8 Aug Lake Purdy this afternoon ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 8 Aug Shorebirds, mainly ["Larry Gardella" ] 8 Aug Lemonade Stand business opportunity in the Black Belt ["Gregory J. Harber" ] 07 Aug Coastal Alabama information requested (oil spill response) ["steve_holzman" ] 7 Aug Migration in Early August ["Larry Gardella" ] 6 Aug Fw: ALABAMA CONSERVATION: Extension of the Comment Period for the Proposed Expansion of Cahaba River NWR and the Proposed Establishment of Cahaba River Conservation Area until September 7, 2010 ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 5 Aug Fw: ALABAMA CONSERVATION: Cahaba River Refuge Expansion Plan ["Greg D. Jackson" ] 05 Aug English name for Black Scoter remains the same... ["Howard Horne" ] 05 Aug Distribution Maps for Pacific/Winter Wren and Whip-poor-wills ["Howard Horne" ] 04 Aug White Ibis, Bank Swallow; Fall Wetland Trail Walks [] 1 Aug Re: BAS Black Belt Birding II [] 1 Aug BAS Black Belt Birding II ["Gregory J. Harber" ] 31 Jul RE: Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" ["littonsphac" ] 31 Jul Re: Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" [Matt Smith ] 31 Jul Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" [Jake Walker ] 31 Jul Re: Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" [Jake Walker ] 30 Jul Re: Cerulean day in Opelika July 30 [] 30 Jul Cerulean day in Opelika July 30 [] 30 Jul Clarifications to the AOU checklist supplement ["Howard Horne" ] 30 Jul Re: Fw: CONSERVATION: Satipo road/Pampa Hermosa project [Gunnar Engblom ] 30 Jul Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" ["Lucy and Bob Duncan" ] Subject: Silverhill, AL From: "Karen Chiasson" <kchiasson74 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:04:23 -0000 Well, the last week has been productive. I've added two more yard birds to my growing list. One was a Philadelphia Vireo. Then, last night my husband and I were sitting out back around 6pm in our screened-in patio playing Cribbage (card game), when I noticed some movement to my left. When I turned to see what it was, not four feet from where I was sitting, there was a Kentucky Warbler hopping around on the ground. How nice is that? On another note, I've been birding Fairhope Falls this week and was joined Wednesday by members of the MBAS. Birds seen there in the last week: Red-Tailed Hawk Sharp-Shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-Shouldered Hawk Little Blue Heron Cattle Egret Killdeer Barn Swallow Tree Swallow Chimney Swift Pileated Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Red-Bellied Woodpecker Red-Headed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Kingbird Eastern Wood-Pewee Northern Mockingbird Northern Cardinal Blue Jay Brown Thrasher Eastern Towhee Red-Eyed Vireo White-Eyed Vireo Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Baltimore Oriole Northern Bobwhite (Heard Only) Mourning Dove Common Ground-Dove American Crow American Redstart Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Carolina Chickadee Brown-Headed Nuthatch Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle European Starling Karen Chiasson Silverhill, AL 334-224-7600 Subject: Wood Storks Again From: tapaculo AT knology.net Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 22:49:42 -0400 Today, the Wood Stork count at Rudder Road was 74 (enjoying easily caught fish in the dwindling pond), along with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpipers (10), Spotted Sandpiper, Pectoral, Western & Least Sandpipers. Then at Powder Magazine there were another 10 Wood Stork, as well as a Merlin. Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL Subject: DI Wednesday From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:31:28 -0000 After a couple of relatively quiet, clear nights the Shell Mounds was very quiet this morning. We had a total of 2 Warblers, a Canada and a Hooded. There were still a few Red-eyed Vireo around, but all in all, it's time to go looking for shorebirds... David Dortch Dauphin Island Subject: Storks, Migrants From: tapaculo AT knology.net Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:59:17 -0400 The number and variety of shorebirds at Rudder Road has dropped. But 69 Wood Storks were there when I visited early this morning. At Powder Magazine Park afterwards, no luck with warblers, but I did hear a Least Flycatcher. Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL Subject: Common Nighthawks in Birmingham From: "Gregory J. Harber" <gharber AT mindspring.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:49:54 -0500 Hi All- This evening on my way home from running some errands I made a stop at the VFW Lodge in Homewood, AL (Hollywood Blvd at US 31, across from Shades Cahaba School) to check for Common Nighthawks. I arrived at 9:00 and found about 80-100 nighthawks flying above the floodlights that illuminate the flag there at the lodge. Earlier in the evening I met Pelham Rowan and Harriett Wright at the Chimney Swift gathering place on 7th Avenue South at 24th Street. There were a good many swifts still, and numerous nighthawks there as well, so they must be on the move in pretty good numbers. I¹d say it¹s a good time to take your sweetheart to dinner and stop for some nighthawk-gazing at your favorite floodlit landmark on the way home! Take care all. Greg -- Greg Harber Birmingham, AL ³It¹s never too late to have a happy childhood.² Tom Robbins [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Coastal Birding Association field trip Saturday, August 28 From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:43:56 -0500 Saturday morning looked more like a field trip rain-out than a good day for birding. If I had had my druthers I would have stayed home in bed but having the title of CBA Field Trip Coordinator comes with a few responsibilities and showing up to field trips is one of them. As I drove to the meeting spot I thought I would probably just be turning around since, "no one else would be crazy enough to go birding in this weather," but instead I was surprised by 13 enthusiastic birders. It's a good thing they seemed to know more than I did about the birding conditions as we had a good day of birding on a "not hot" morning and got wet more from perspiration than rain. Our first and last stop for most participants was at the A (southernmost) parking area at the Blakeley Island Mud Lakes. That is where I have been seeing BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS this year and they did not disappoint Saturday morning. We only saw one bird and only in flight but everyone got excellent views of this beautiful bird with its characteristic white wing patches. We spent over an hour walking to the end of the dike road and back. There were a good variety of birds both in terms of species and numbers. The highlights for me were the nine LARK SPARROWS that we spotted in three separate groups. That was nine more LARK SPARROWS than I had ever seen in Alabama. As we started back heavy rain could be seen coming towards us. Despite our unhurried return, we made it to the car before the heaviest of the rain started. After dropping off my passengers I decided to try to bird the Blakeley B parking area. I was accompanied by Linda, Debbie and Ann in another car. (I hope I got those names right.) The rain held off for most of our time there but the mosquitoes showed up in murderous force. There were surprisingly few shorebirds but we did see a small flock of 14 AMERICAN AVOCETS. There were a good number of BLUE-WINGED TEAL and a few NORTHERN SHOVELERS and MOTTLED DUCKS. YELLOW WARBLERS were abundant and several NORTHERN WATHERTHRUSH also made a show. The mosquitoes and drizzle finally got to be too much so we headed to the Battleship Park to check out the dark Ibis I had seen earlier in the rain soaked grass. Out of 14 dark ibis, one turned out to be a WHITE-FACED IBIS. There was a large flock of WHITE IBIS but, except for killdeer, no shorebirds. (I had seen a few plovers while scouting before the field trip.) All-in-all it was a satisfying morning of birding. It even turned out to be, um, not hot, a real bonus on a late August day. I have posted a list of the birds (that I can remember) on the CBA field trip blog: http://alcoastalbirds.blogspot.com/ Field trip participants, feel free to comment in any birds I forgot to mention, or did not see. Remember, if you are going to the Blakeley Island Mud Lakes you must fill out and send (fax) in your hold harmless form and read and follow the instructions found at the Alabama Ornithological Society's website: http://www.aosbirds.org/blakeley.php Good birding all, Chazz Hesselein Mobile, AL Subject: Dauphin Island From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:50:23 -0000 Plenty of nice birds still around, just not as many individuals. 3 Cerulian Warblers at the Shell Mounds this morning. Two nice males, (thank goodness). Miss Carrie got the ID on the first year female. The Swainsons Warbler continues at the Goat Tree. Lots of Hooded Warblers at the Shell Mounds, as well as Canada, Worm-eating and Black and White Warblers, as well as a Yellow-throated Warbler. Still lots of Red-eyed Vireo and E. Pewees but only one Eastern Kingbird. We have an adult Coopers Hawk making mincemeat of the Doves at our feeders on Omega. Mosquitos are still a real problem but at least one of the Shell Mounds Cottonmouths has been dispatched by a car on Cadillac! There was excellent birding yesterday evening at the west end. We weren't charged anything for parking. There were 4 Tern species, 3 Plovers, lots of peeps. It's worth walking down there just to view the spectacle of the Corps of Engineers building a road across the Katrina cut! David Dortch Subject: 431 Pilings in Guntersville From: "morrowmatt30" <morrowmatt30 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:31:35 -0000 After Linda and Dick Reynolds tipped me off to a beautiful MARBLED GODWIT on the spit at the Harbor House pilings on 431 in Guntersville a few weeks ago, I have made a habit to check the area regularly. Outside of a few Killdeer, DC Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls, and Canada Geese, there has been little activity. Today though marked the first CASPIAN TERNS of the fall season, three of them on the spit among seven Canada Geese. It was pretty starling to notice that the size difference wasn't as great as I would have thought it was. I usually see Caspians coursing overhead with little to compare them too, but they are really big birds. Also had a nice adult BALD EAGLE yesterday while crossing the river bridge, as well as another today at the home of some family on Signal Pt. Road. I'll continue to check the pilings in the weeks to come as well as the boat launches on Highway 69 for the expected Black Terns and (hopefully) my lifer Franklin's Gulls. Subject: Pell City sod farms this afternoon From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:47:19 -0600 AL Birders: I was tied up with work all day Sunday, wishing vainly I could get a few hours to hit the sod farms in the (much needed and appreciated) rain. Best I could do was be lucky to get off a tad earlier than usual today and run out late this afternoon -- at least there still had been a little rain this morning, too. The fields were pretty wet in the lowest areas off Blooming Light Road (Bob Reid's famous "Best Little Mudhole in Alabama"), though the often-good wet area on the east side of Golf Course Road was still bone dry. Other than Killdeer, what shorebirds were present were all in the mudhole area. I was a little surprised at the lack of variety and low numbers, with only about 15 Least and three Pectoral sandpipers. However, it was fun to get great looks at four juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS with their lovely colors and neatly-patterned upperparts. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Shell Mounds still good From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:39:13 -0000 More rain was falling, not less after church this morning but I went to the Shell Mounds anyway. Very wet, rainy and breezy but lots of birds. Red-eyed Vireo were everywhere. I saw more Black and White Warblers in 5 minutes than I had all weekend. Lots of Pewees. The Chats and Canada's were still around as well as multiple hooded. The bowl is flooded but I saw no Cottonmouths, unlike previous days this week. I missed more birds than I got on. If the rain stops I think the birding will be good. David Dortch Dauphin Island Subject: Heavy Rain From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:42:31 -0000 Heavy rain on DI thi morning. It's been like that since at least 4:00am. Carrie says at 12:30 last night the rain had stopped. Not sure if anything had a window to take off and get here last night, but I doubt the birds we had yesterday were able to leave. Car birding currently and seeing shorebirds in many of the areas of standing water, though nothing unusual. Weather service has declared this a tropical system. No wind, but lots of rain with flash flood warnings in effect. Hoping for a mid morning break to see what's moving in the Shell Mounds. David Dortch Dauphin Island Subject: 1 new private message From: "matureyamelissa" <matureyamelissa AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:39:01 -0000 1 new private message for you, Click here to check out! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: HUMMINGBIRD News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From: RubyThroat AT aol.com Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:51:12 EDT Madam Claire You have made our day with this fine bit of news. You may wish to build a new room on your home to accommodate Mr. Fred Bassett. When he reads his email from you he will be jumping up and down like a rookie shortstop. Ever year, in most cases, these long living hummers with such great site fidelity tend to come earlier and earlier each year. It makes me feel unimportant when I see this kind of miracle at work. Claire, you have made my day for sure. You may wish to contact the IRS since you have had to adopt Fred Bassett for all these years. You may qualify to claim Fred as a dependent. He does not eat much and he would sleep under the steps if necessary. Lordy, Lordy! Bob and Martha Sargent Clay, Alabama In a message dated 8/28/2010 4:13:32 P.M. Central Daylight Time, bncjsc AT gulftel.com writes: Well, what can I say? (I'm quite sure) SHE'S BAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!! Please excuse me that this news is a bit stale. I FIRST SPOTTED HER HERE AT AVIAN ACRES AT A NEW EARLY DATE - Monday, August 16, 2010, at 5:40 p.m. Let me tell you, my heart went into my throat, and my eyes got teary, but I could see well enough to know "That is an adult female RUFOUS!" I have waited to report this great news, as I wanted to be 99.9% sure she is LI'L DARLIN'. Wish I could say I have seen her band, but it is almost impossible to get a good look at her. As always, when there are many Rubies here, she is EXTREMELY shy. However! This morning I finally got a good look at her throat; and yes, Fred, her little "star" is, well, still little! In addition she has the very same habits as she's had these last many years. One especially endearing habit is scolding me with great vigor and enthusiasm every time I step out onto the deck! As in past years, if I walk around the outside of the house, she follows me, her chatter such a joy to my ears! Don't get the idea I can SEE her as she follows me - no, she's much too clever for that! So! Fred Bassett, Master Bander, it looks as though you'll be here at Avian Acres again this winter, attempting and succeeding in luring this little dynamo into your trap! Seven years here at Avian Acres, and the 8th year in Baldwin County. I never wudda thunk it! And Bob - just read your message on the number of southbound Rubies this season: YES! I noticed many more than normal very early in July, and from late July to present I've been amazed. Remember how many folks were posting this spring about how FEW Rubies they were seeing in migration? Same for me. And the SWARMS of them now??!! What a blessing! Great birding to all, Claire Krusko Central Baldwin County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: HUMMINGBIRD News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From: "Ken and Claire Krusko" <bncjsc AT gulftel.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:11:50 -0500 Dear ALBIRDER Folks, Well, what can I say? (I'm quite sure) SHE'S BAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!! Please excuse me that this news is a bit stale. I FIRST SPOTTED HER HERE AT AVIAN ACRES AT A NEW EARLY DATE - Monday, August 16, 2010, at 5:40 p.m. Let me tell you, my heart went into my throat, and my eyes got teary, but I could see well enough to know "That is an adult female RUFOUS!" I have waited to report this great news, as I wanted to be 99.9% sure she is LI'L DARLIN'. Wish I could say I have seen her band, but it is almost impossible to get a good look at her. As always, when there are many Rubies here, she is EXTREMELY shy. However! This morning I finally got a good look at her throat; and yes, Fred, her little "star" is, well, still little! In addition she has the very same habits as she's had these last many years. One especially endearing habit is scolding me with great vigor and enthusiasm every time I step out onto the deck! As in past years, if I walk around the outside of the house, she follows me, her chatter such a joy to my ears! Don't get the idea I can SEE her as she follows me - no, she's much too clever for that! So! Fred Bassett, Master Bander, it looks as though you'll be here at Avian Acres again this winter, attempting and succeeding in luring this little dynamo into your trap! Seven years here at Avian Acres, and the 8th year in Baldwin County. I never wudda thunk it! And Bob - just read your message on the number of southbound Rubies this season: YES! I noticed many more than normal very early in July, and from late July to present I've been amazed. Remember how many folks were posting this spring about how FEW Rubies they were seeing in migration? Same for me. And the SWARMS of them now??!! What a blessing! Great birding to all, Claire Krusko Central Baldwin County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: WHITE-FACED IBIS at Battleship lawn From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:14:44 -0500 A single basic plumaged WHITE-FACED IBIS was spotted among 17 GLOSSY IBIS by the remaining four CBA field trip attendees this morning in the grassy area south of the B-52 at the Battleship Park in Mobile this morning. The pink face and red eye were evident, especially when contrasting with adjacent Glossy Ibis. More on the field trip later. Good Birding! Chazz Hesselein Mobile, AL Subject: Chestnutsided From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:47:42 +0000 Chestnutsided warbler in yard now! Also the whitebreasted nuthatch is feeding on sunflower seeds.Good birding,LornaWest,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Dauphin Island Warblers!!! From: David And Carrie Dortch <downbythebay AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:27:07 -0700 (PDT) In spite of the forecast, we had no rain overnight on Dauphin Island. There are still several species around. The only bird seen yesterday that I have not heard has been seen today is the Cerulian Warbler. Canada Warblers seem to be in several locations. The newest bird being seen in good numbers is the Spotted Sandpiper. This morning in a short visit to the Goat Tree we saw Yellow, Prothonotary, Swainsons and Black and White warblers, before it began to rain. Currently it is not raining on the island. The forecast is for an 80% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. Stay tuned! David Dortch . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Dauphin Island Warblers!!! From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:58:32 -0000 There was an excellent flurry of activity on Dauphin Island this afternoon. There were 3 groups of birders working the Shell Mounds this afternoon between 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Our combined list was: Chat Ovenbird Redstart Black and White Blackburnian Canada Cerulian Hooded Kentucky Prothonotary Swainsons Wormeating Yellow N. Waterthrush Also seen were Summer Tanager and Orchard Oriole. Around 6:30 at the airport there were over 100 Eastern Kingbirds. Some were flying just over the water, hawking insects, much like Swallows. A behavior I had never seen before. As dusk settled in over the area they were roosting in the tall pines in the lot below the airport and around our home on Omega. I have no idea whether any of these birds will be around tomorrow, but the 60% chance of thunderstorms forecast for the island tonight is encouraging! David Dortch Dauphin Island Subject: Birds in Clay, Alabama (and banding news) From: RubyThroat AT aol.com Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:01:30 EDT Albirders At our home in Clay, Jefferson County, Alabama, we are covered up with southbound Ruby-throated. It has apparently been a super year for breeding hummers throughout the eastern United State and southern Canada. The hand wringing comments about the oil spill killing the hummers has vanished as hummer lovers now complain about the price of sugar for their feeders. There is no middle ground in the long standing scenario. We have tons of hummers scarfing down 2.5 gallon daily. Our life is fine. On an owl banding note...a Northern Saw-whet owl banded in our yard on November 26, 2009 was netted by another bander in Duluth, Minnesota on her breeding grounds on June 28, 2010. Yes, we are having fun. Note, Little Mary Wilson in Hollins, Alabama and Fred Moore of Steele, Alabama will also be attempting to band Saw-whets this winter (starting in late October). You can expect to see more of these tiny, sharp-toed beasts "discovered" in Alabama this winter. These fuzzballs obviously did not read the field guides and are in Alabama in unknown numbers. It is amazing how they suddenly showed up in Alabama just as we started opening our nets at night and playing the "toot-toot-toot" calls on our MP-3 player. These little owls must have great hearing ability to have heard our lure recording from some other state.. Speaking of Mary Wilson; an immature Ruby-throated female that she banded in Alpine, Alabama on September 1, 2009 was recaptured by our trainees that we were training on August 8, 2010 near Huttonsville, West Virginia. Never say never when it comes to banded birds. Persistence in the face of doubting friends is a big asset. Had we failed to "discover" Saw-whets we probably would have kept it a secret from those friends. I never told you that we were perfect. Don't forget the Fall banding session at Fort Morgan opens to the public on October 9, 2010, with the last date tentatively set for October 21 or 22. That last date is always iffy. Come to the Alabama Gulf Coast. The water is fine and the seafood is delicious. Our many friends there will be glad to make your visit a great one. Have fun guys and go birding more often. Bob Sargent Clay, Alabama [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: TVA Wetlands Trail - Week 1 (WOW!) From: TNbarredowl AT aol.com Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:24:05 -0400 If the first walk of the season is any indication of things to come, this will be a great fall. Four birders spent 2.75 hours in 65 degree low humidity air with minimal mosquito activity and found 48 species of birds, 351 individuals. The highlight of the morning was 14 species of warblers including a new species for the weekly walks...a VERY cooperative Swainson's Warbler. The Swainson's Warbler was near the former Big Oak and came out into OPEN view about 10 feet from the observers at eye level and stayed long enough for us to enjoy the view! This is probably the best view I have ever had of this species. Good birds for the day included Double-crested Cormorant-2, Red-shouldered Hawk-1, Eastern Screech-Owl (flyby only), Barred Owl (fly away only), Red-bellied Woodpecker-2 (yeh, they are hard to find in August), Eastern Wood-Pewee-1, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher-1, Acadian Flycatcher-3, Least Flycatcher-1, Empidonax sp.-1 (probably an Acadian), White-eyed Vireo 4, Red-eyed Vireo-2, Blue-winged Warbler-8 (new high count), Northern Parula-3, Chestnut-sided Warbler-4, Magnolia Warbler-6 (yes, it is officially fall), Black-throated Green Warbler-1 male, Pine Warbler-1, Prairie Warbler-1, Black-and-White Warbler-6, American Redstart-1, Worm-eating Warbler-1, Swainson's Warbler-1, Kentucky Warbler-1, Common Yellowthroat-1, Canada Warbler-1 male, Baltimore Oriole-1. Next week's walk will again be on Friday (September 3). We will meet at the Wetlands Lab parking area (Complex F, past IFDC) at 6:00 a.m. Damien Simbeck Killen, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CONSERVATION: Fw: [AfricanBirding] Serengeti National Park under threat by major road plan From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:45:54 -0600 AL Birders: Ever so often I have brought to your attention a conservation issue, sometimes local and sometimes involving a faraway place. The post below, with a link to excellent information about the problem, comes from the African Birding listserv. I've seen a lot of crazy ideas in the past by people trying to make a few bucks, but this has to rank high on the list -- akin to damming the Grand Canyon or knocking down the Parthenon for condos. The proposal is, unbelievably, to put a major highway right across the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania. This would bisect the greatest mammal migration route in the world. Nearly two million wildebeest, zebras, impalas, and others take an elliptical route from the Maasai Mara of southern Kenya to the Serengeti and back each year, and form the basis for one of the world's most amazing ecosystems. I've been in these areas twice at the peak of migration, and I don't have the words to adequately describe the spectacular nature and world-level importance of this event and the area. Though there are low-speed gravel roads across parts of the park, you can imagine the disastrous effects of a major highway across the middle of this migration route. An alternative highway route is available just south of the park which would eliminate the problem. Please consider taking a few minutes to write an email to the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, as directed in the information on the RSPB link. Thanks. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net ----- Original Message ----- From: keith_betton To: AfricanBirding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 12:24 AM Subject: [AfricanBirding] Serengeti National Park under threat by major road plan Dear all Colleagues at the RSPB have asked me to urge you to look at their website which gives more details and information on who to write to in order to express your views on this plan which will have a major impact on the Serengeti National Park. The site is here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/campaignwithus/current/serengeti.asp Basically the Government of Tanzania is planning a major commercial highway across the Serengeti National Park. It proposes to construct a 171.5km road that will directly traverse the Wildebeest Migration route. It is part of a bigger plan to connect the proposed new port at Tanga to Musoma on Lake Victoria via Arusha and Lake Natron's shores. The road will be funded by the Tanzanian Government and the section from Serengeti to Musoma is estimated to cost £144 million. They have contracted companies to undertake an Environment and Social Impact Assessment, which the RSPB believes is to be completed before the end of the year. If the project is given the go-ahead then construction is likely to start at the beginning of 2012. If you need more information than is contained in the website please email Martin Abrams at campains AT rspb.org.uk Regards Keith Betton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Gray Kingbird photos From: "especiallyforcarrie" <especiallyforcarrie AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:06:47 -0000 After being abused by Yahoo Groups for over an hour this morning I have finally been able to post 3 photos of the juvenile Gray Kingbirds in my folder on the albird site. Unfortunately the photo I have of an adult ramming a whole dragonfly down one of their throats isn't very good. I did get a good photo of the same bird just before the adult flew into the frame. If anyone has trouble viewing the photos, drop me a line and I will send you one direct. David Dortch Fairhope AL Subject: Birmingham Botanical Garden - Yellow-bellied Flycatcher From: tapaculo AT knology.net Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:25:06 -0400 I had some meetings today in Birmingham, so I decided to try and find the warblers that Greg Jackson reported from the botanical garden yesterday. I got there just after 7:30 and enjoyed walking about in the relatively cool morning. I even took part in one conference call that started at 8:30 while still checking for birds. Unfortunately, I could not find any migrant warblers. I saw a Red-eyed Vireo, which may have been a migrant. The only sure-thing migrant was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that popped up on a small branch briefly, but long enough for me to see its bold eyering, its big-headed and round-headed, small-billed look, its wingbars and its yellow belly. From the path uphill between the fern glade and wildflower garden, continue past the bare tree (where there was no Olive-sided Flycatcher today). Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL Subject: FW: Reporting color-marked Loggerhead Shrikes From: "Gregory J. Harber" <gharber AT mindspring.com> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:57:50 -0500 Good evening all, My apologies if you are receiving more than one copy of this post but I wanted to be sure that this request for help in locating color-marked Loggerhead Shrikes received as wide a coverage as possible. Read on for further details. Many thanks, Greg > > > REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE > LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE SIGHTINGS ­ Loggerhead shrikes are declining across much of > their range. In Canada, the Eastern subspecies is considered critically > endangered, with less than 35 pairs found in 2009. The vast majority of pairs > now breed in Ontario. An extremely active and multi-faceted recovery program > is > underway for this species in Ontario, including a captive breeding and release > program. This program has been releasing approximately 100 juvenile shrikes > annually since 2006. While much is known and has been learned about this > species, a critical piece of the puzzle is still missing: where exactly do > these birds spend the winter? To maximize our chances of locating wintering > areas and better define migration routes we will be coloring the breast of > released young produced from the captive breeding program, to make them more > detectable by birders. Birds will be released over July and August. Birds > will > have an extensive area of their breast colored in green, blue or purple. All > released birds, and a large proportion of the wild population, are also color > banded. If you see a shrike with a colored breast and/or wearing bands, > please > report it to Wildlife Preservation Canada at (EM: > jessica AT wildlifepreservation.ca > >, > PH: 519-836-9314, FX: 519-836-8840). We will need details about specific > location (GPS coordinates are ideal, but not essential) and color(s) (breast > and/or bands) seen. > > ------ End of Forwarded Message [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CBA Field trip, Sat. 8/28, Blakeley Island From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:38:42 -0500 This Saturday, August 28, the Coastal Birding Association will be having its second "Fall" field trip of 2010. This field trip will be a great opportunity to visit my favorite superfund site at the Blakeley Island Mud Lakes. With predicted low temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s, the start of our field trip may actually be relatively comfortable. We will be meeting at the Alabama Game and Fish Commission office parking lot adjacent to the Five Rivers facility at 7:00 AM. You must have filled out your annual hold harmless form in order to get on the State Dock’s property. Please visit: http://www.aosbirds.org/BlakeleyPermits.php for the form and instructions*/. No one will be allowed to attend the field trip who has not filled out and submitted their hold harmless form./* */Please bring bug repellent and carry water on this trip. /**/(Long pants are recommended; closed-toed footwear are a must.) There are _no facilities_ at the Mud Lakes and we will be walking some distance over unpaved roads. /**//* This will be a good opportunity to see Black-bellied Whistling-ducks (and maybe ducklings), a good variety of shorebirds and even a warbler or two. For more information go to the CBA Website: http://www.coastalbirdingassoc.org/index.html or call Chazz at 251-666-3118. Hope to see you Saturday! Chazz Hesselein Mobile, AL CBA Field Trip Coordinator ------------------------------------ IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: Post message: albirds AT yahoogroups.com Subscribe: albirds-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com List owner: albirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com AOS website: http://www.aosbirds.org/ This list is sponsored by the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) and is provided as a service to the birding community. AOS does not endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Nor does AOS support or endorse the advertising provided by the Yahoo Groups list service.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/albirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/albirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: albirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com albirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: albirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Birmingham Botanical Gardens this AM From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:05:12 -0600 AL Birders: Debi and I had a chance to bird a little in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this (relatively) cool and pleasant morning. As expected at this season, migrant numbers and variety were low, but a few nice birds were present. Best were excellent looks of Chestnut-sided, Cerulean, and Canada warblers, as well as three Baltimore Orioles (one adult male). I didn't have a chance to post after a quick trip to Harpersville this weekend, but wanted to mention some negative findings. The Sunbelt Sod Farms are even more consumed with agricultural crops than previously, with only small patches of good sod remaining -- and all the sod was dry. The nearby Shelby Sod Farm is in even worse shape. Shorebirding potential at these sites this fall is low. I had seen posts by Greg Harber about destruction of the habitat along Tanyard Road NE of the sod farms, but hadn't seen it myself; I didn't realize just how bad it was. What were vast hayfields, with some patches of brush and small trees, have been razed to the ground for industrial-scale planting of corn and other crops. These were the areas where I had found large numbers of wrens and sparrows last fall, and a small group of feeding Barn Owls this winter. It is a total loss now along this road. It can be tough to find good birding habitat around Birmingham, so it hurts to lose what little we have. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fall Bird Walks - TVA Wetlands Trails From: TNbarredowl AT aol.com Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:37:11 -0400 The cooler, dryer air definitely helps prepare the mind for fall migration! The forecasted low for nw Alabama on Thursday morning is 59, and I can't wait to feel that kind of air. Hopefully, the cooler air is bringing with it many of our early migrants. We will have our first walk at the TVA Wetlands area this Friday, August 27. Meet at the Wetlands Lab parking lot at 6:00 a.m. From Reservation Road, turn into Complex F, drive past IFDC and the parking lot is at the end of the road on the right. If directions are needed to the TVA reservation, contact me directly at tnbarredowl AT aol.com. Damien Simbeck Killen, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Gray Kingbirds From: David And Carrie Dortch <downbythebay AT bellsouth.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:28:39 -0700 (PDT) Carrie and I just got back from watching 2 adult Gray Kingbirds feeding 2 sub adult offspring that were almost as large as their parents. Hopefully I will have some good photos but I won't know until we get back to Fairhope Wednesday night. Those birds sure made short work of every mosquito hawk that they were offered! Earlier in the morning we had seen Pine Warbler. And Prairie Warbler, and were surprised by a Lark Sparrow near our house. Otherwise things were pretty quiet, except in the bay to the east of the old pier. Here there were hundreds of Black Terns feeding on Glass Minnows which had been driven on shore by a large school of what appeared to be predominately Spanish Mackerel. Many of the individuals from the huge school of minnows had actually thrown themselves out if the water and up on the sand in a misguided attempt to escape the deadly attack from above and below. Here they were easy pickings for Gulls, crabs and other opportunists who were taking advantage of the situation created by the Mackerel and the Black Terns. It was quite a spectacle! David Dortch Dauphin Island Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Orange Beach yesterday From: Harold Peterson <pinkfloyd137 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:38:12 -0700 (PDT) Hello all, this is Harold Peterson. Spent a few hours on one of the public beaches in Orange Beach yesterday late morning/early afternoon (the first one west of 182). The water no longer smells like petroleum products; however, the ocean smell (dimethyl sulfate) is still almost entirely absent. Still a ways to recovery. On a non-bird note, there were a large number of crabs in the water near the shore- 5-10 visible from any given point on the shore, and more a short walk out. My wife also saw one small, clear colored jellyfish, but it left her alone (and vice versa). Further out (50ish feet) she saw several angelfish, which didn't hesitate to nibble on her as she swam. Birds on the beach and nearby flyovers included: Sanderling-2 Willet-2 Ruddy Turnstone-1 Brown Pelican-8 Caspian Tern-3 Sandwich Tern-1 Least Tern-heard, indeterminate small number Laughing Gull-several Also had a Mississippi Kite over I-65 just north of the Mobile-Tensaw River bridge. -Harold Peterson Huntsville, AL Subject: Northern Harrier From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:04:14 +0000 A Northern Harrier was found Sat and relocated Sun.,Aug 21 and22 in Macon county. There were no woodstorks in South Lee;but a Pectoral and spotted sandpipers along with peeps were seen before lightening chased us off.2 white Ibis were present.Good birding, Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Dauphin Island From: David And Carrie Dortch <downbythebay AT bellsouth.net> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:30:27 -0700 (PDT) An early search for Cerulian Warblers this morning proved fruitless. However we were very happy to see: Canada YB Chat Prairie Hooded Black and White and A. Redstart As well as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. We only had a single individual of each species as well as a smattering of Red-eyed Vireo and GC Flycatchers. We also had a White Ibis overfly the Shell Mounds. Heat prostration warnings in effect on the island from 11:00am till 7:00pm. David Dortch Dauphin Island Sent from my iPhone Subject: Lesser Black-backed Gull, American White Pelican From: TNbarredowl AT aol.com Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:58:24 -0400 Bala Chennupati and I spent some time Saturday morning visiting Wheeler and Wilson Dams and the area sink hole ponds. Wheeler Dam was fairly productive with about 50 Ring-billed Gulls, 2 Herring Gulls, a third year Lesser Black-backed Gull and 6 Caspian Terns. Five Black-crowned Night Herons were seen on the towers near the fishing area. At Town Creek Marsh, the two injured White Pelicans remain active. Also seen there were 33 Black Terns in various plumages. A total of 4 Osprey were seen at Wheeler Dam and The Point. At a small pond just south of Town Creek Marsh, an estimated 25 Cattle Egrets were still present. Also present were two peeps, but poor lighting only allowed us to guess that they were Least Sandpipers. We did not see it Saturday, but I had an early Wilson's Snipe there Friday afternoon. The Sinks are almost completely dry now, but still hold about 50 Great Egrets, 10 Great Blue Herons, 200 Killdeer and a Spotted Sandpiper. Marthaler, Gnat and Hog Ponds are completely dry. Wilson Dam hosted a non-injured White Pelican, an early migrant for the area. Walker Pond still has some water in the main pond, but only hosted about 20 Great Egrets and some Killdeer. Cattle Pond is also down to just the main pond. There's a lot of mud around the edges, but obviously not a lot of food. Present there were about 150 Killdeer, 1 Spotted Sandpiper and 2 Least Sandpipers. Dry years are definitely not conducive to shorebird migration in the Shoals! Damien Simbeck Killen, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Summer records From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:14:28 -0600 AL Birders, If you have interesting Alabama records for June and July, not already posted to AL Birds or eBird, please submit them soon. Please include written details, and when available photos, for rarities. Thanks! Greg Greg D. Jackson. 2220 Baneberry Drive Birmingham, AL 35244 Fax: (205) 987-5167 g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good bird movement overnight From: "Lucy and Bob Duncan" <town_point AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:15:48 -0500 Hi all, This morning a NW wind has brought us the best movement of passerines this season to our migrant trap neighborhood in Gulf Breeze in the extreme W. Panhandle. Between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m I estimated conservatively 190 Gnatcatchers, 160 yellow Warblers with a few adult male Blue Grosbeaks moving west from the peninsula to out over the bay. Also observed were Su Tan., E. Kingbird, some O. Orioles, R. E. Vireo, Bank and Cliff Swallow. The movement is still ongoing. It should be good birding at the migrant traps at this end of the Gulf Coast. Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fort Rucker, AL From: Anne-Marie Bauer <alaskaborealchickadee AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:17:44 -0800 We are new to Alabama. Does anyone know of any birding groups and/or birding hotspots in the Fort Rucker, AL area? There was a very nice bird of prey rehabilitation demonstration at Landmark Park in Dothan, AL last weekend as part of their Science Saturdays program in August, but I have not been able to find any local Audubon groups on the internet for the Fort Rucker area. Thanks in advance, Anne-Marie Bauer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Birds here and there From: "Gregory J. Harber" <gharber AT mindspring.com> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:57:27 -0500 Hey All- Two bird reports that may be of interest to you: This afternoon while scouting a route for a future BAS field trip I found an adult Mississippi Kite in Talladega County. The bird was at the bridge over Choccolocco Creek, on Talladega County Road 005. This location is about 3-4 miles south of I-20 at exit #173. Also, for the past several evenings I have enjoyed watching several hundred Chimney Swifts entering a chimney on Birmingham¹s Southside. The location is on 7th Avenue South at 24th Street, site of the old Jaguar dealership at that intersection. If you park at 2408 7th Avenue (vacant storefront to the west of Hanna Antiques) and look across the street, you will see a cream colored chimney. The swifts start gathering in small numbers about 7:15 or so, and reach their peak within about 15 minutes. They swarm above the area for several minutes, chattering the entire time, before filing into the chimney. Tonight they started entering in earnest about 7:40 and were completely in for the night by 7:45. Also seen and heard were 4 Common Nighthawks. I have posted a video of the chimney swifts on my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregharber/4914968484/in/set-72157624777394808/ The video is 25 seconds long, and is about 25 MB in size. I plan to go by there on Sunday evening as well, weather permitting, if anyone would care to join me. I¹ll arrive at 7:15 and be on the sidewalk with camera and tripod ready. To reach this location exit Red Mountain Expressway at University Blvd and proceed west a short distance to 25th Street South and turn right. If you are coming south on Red Mountain Expressway, the turn will be an immediate right at the end of the exit. If you are traveling north on the expressway stay right at the exit and take University Blvd back under the expressway and turn right at 25th. Travel north (downhill) on 25th Street one block to 7th Avenue South and turn left. 2408 is on the right half-way down the block. Can¹t miss it. -- Greg Harber Birmingham, AL ³It¹s never too late to have a happy childhood.² Tom Robbins [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Woodstorks From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:31:10 +0000 We found 30+woodstorks in south Lee county today. Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Ceruleans From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:33:51 +0000 These continue to pass through.We had 2 on Aug 20. This made 5 days of one or two each day. I know it's Too early but an orange crown was in the yard on Aug 18.In south Lee on Aug. 8 there 20 White Ibis,a white rump sandpiper and a western willet. Good birding,Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Miss kites From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:29:09 +0000 Still have Miss. Kites calling over house in Opelika! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Ceruleans From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:27:01 +0000 These continue to pass through.We had 2 on Aug 20. This made 5 days of one or two each day. I know it's Too early but an orange crown was in the yard on Aug 18.In south Lee on Aug. 8 there 20 White Ibis,a white rump sandpiper and a western willet. Good birding,Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: It's Been a While From: "Karen Chiasson" <kchiasson74 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:06:39 -0000 Couldn't join the CBA on their outing last weekend. Was getting over a bad cold/cough and didn't want to take the chance of making anyone else ill. It had lasted about 3 weeks. Anyway, on another note - I did make it to Dauphin Island this past week and was able to refind the Marbled Godwit and Gray Kingbird the CBA had found last Saturday along with several other usual suspects. At the shell mounds it was slow, but I did manage to make a few trips around the area and found a Prothonotary Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, and an American Redstart in addition to a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher and a couple of Red-Eyed Vireos. This past week at my house I was able to add a new yard bird. A male and female Hooded Warbler showed up. That same day, the neighbors cat startled a covy of Northern Bobwhite located just across the barbed-wire fence in my back yard. Looking forward to getting out more often in the months ahead. Karen Chiasson Silverhill, AL Subject: Shorebird counts and nesting distribution From: Gyorgy Szimuly/WorldWaders <gyorgy.szimuly AT worldwaders.org> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:52:07 +0200 Dear Birders, Thanks to the kind moderators I had a chance to follow birding news and reporting from birders of Alabama. Me, as a completely outsider, in geographical meaning only, could get a nice picture of your activity and birds. Thanks for it. When I started to develop the WorldWaders database (http://www.worldwaders.org) for shorebirds, I dreamed to have so many active users and collaborators who help to grow this global initiative big. some of you have already joined and I am more than grateful for that. You made an excellent job. The journey is long but our supporters help to spread the word and help to include more and more sites and more and more species. Mapping shorebirds globally is a huge challenge but we are ready to face this task. It is clear now that every effort is worth. Here I make another try to encourage you, who spend endless hours in the field to share your shorebird records with us, with the WorldWaders database, both for nesting and non-breeding shorebirds. I know in the growing eBird era (which I am personally supporting and contributing) the community is divided but some might take a few minute by case to submit records. Please join us and help to make a better world for shorebirds. Thanks for listening (I really hope it is not considered as an advertising!). Our project detail can be read here: http://www.worldwaders.org/index.php?modul=ujmadar Kind regards, Gyorgy Szimuly (Szimi)/WorldWaders __________ Tata, Hungary Website: http://www.worldwaders.org Project enquiry: projects AT worldwaders.org Skype: worldwaders.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118733871495865 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Duck migration predictor From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:17:57 -0500 Dear All, Winter is almost here! (OK maybe I'm jumping the gun.) Time to start thinking about ducks! MS state has a website that forecasts duck migration. The duck migration forecast tool is updated every Monday from November through January. Go to: http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/kennedychair/weather.asp for archives and forecasts starting this November. So get out those long pants, long johns, hats, mittens and scarves, the ducks are coming and winter isn't far away! Maybe I'm getting a little Daffy. Chazz Hesselein Mobile, AL Subject: Early visit to TVA Wetlands Trails From: TNbarredowl AT aol.com Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:03:21 -0400 With all the thunderstorm activities in recent days, I became curious about the possibility of early migrants getting grounded by the storms. Jack Paul and I made a brief walk at the TVA Wetlands Trails yesterday morning (8/16) to see what might be at ground level. The weather was warm and humid. Mosquitoes were actually not very troublesome. Bird density was low, but diversity was good for this early in the season. We ended the morning with 35 species, 342 individuals (numbers dominated by fly-overs - 150 cowbirds, 54 starlings and 38 robins). The highlight of the morning was an early Canada Warbler among the 7 warbler species found. All warblers were represented by 1 individual each! Notable birds included Yellow-billed Cuckoo-2, Eastern Screech-Owl-1, Acadian Flycatcher-1, White-eyed Vireo-4, Red-eyed Vireo-1 (singing), Gray Catbird-2, Brown Thrasher-2, Blue-winged Warbler-1, Northern Parula-1, American Redstart-1, Worm-eating Warbler-1, Kentucky Warbler-1, Canada Warbler-1, Yellow-breasted Chat-1. I still plan to start the regular weekly visits next Friday, August 27. We will meet at the Wetlands Lab parking lot (Complex F behind IFDC) at 6:00. If you need directions, let me know. Damien Simbeck Killen, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Piping plovers From: Helena Uber-Wamble <helena.uberwamble AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:35:48 -0500 A friend of mine at the Birmingham zoo has helped in Piping Plover research in Michigan this summer and would like to know of any sightings this fall/winter so we can go down and see if they are anyof her birds. I believe they are all banded, but can get you more information. Thanks, Helena Uber-Wamble -- In the woods we return to reason and faith. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CBA field trip report From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:06:23 -0500 Overcast skies with intermittent rain and a fairly early start, kept things from getting too hot for nine birders on the Coastal Birding Association's first "fall" field trip. Not long after reaching the end of the, used to be pier now elevated walkway, the, arguably best bird of the day, MARBLED GODWIT, was spotted. Other birds of note included GRAY KINGBIRD (seen at the adjacent condominiums), a WHITE- MORPH REDDISH EGRET, several PIPING PLOVERS (including one banded individual), SNOWY PLOVERS, seven species of terns and two juvenile NORTHERN GANNETS. As the first of several rainstorms threatened, participants decided it was time to try our luck at the Shell Mounds. All in all the Shell Mounds were pretty slow as might be expected this early in migration. The hoped-for Cerulean Warbler, did NOT make an appearance but warblers that did included: YELLOW, BLACK-AND-WHITE and KENTUCKY other neotropical migrants included RED-EYED VIREOS, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and a SUMMER TANAGER.. Before breaking up, the remaining participants met at the Cadillac Park for a bathroom break, watermelon and a sampling of jujube fruit. When the comment was made that the jujube fruit tasted like an apple, one participant stated, "Not when you're eating an apple!" What does a jujube fruit taste like when you're eating an apple?... A pea! Howard Horne then regaled us with tales of the jujube's origin and relatives and the story of the man who inhaled a pea only to later have a pea plant growing out of his lungs! (Now there's a dedicated gardener.) You can learn so much at a CBA field trip! The east and west ends of Dauphin Island didn't reveal anything new but a MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD was an exciting find out over the Gulf. For a listing of species seen during today's field trip go to: http://alcoastalbirds.blogspot.com/ Chazz Hesselein Mobile, AL CBA Field Trip Coordinator Subject: Sophia Bush left a private message for you! From: "carljfoafriends" <carljfoafriends AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:54:14 -0000 Sophia Bush left a message for you! Check here to check your message! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Follow-up on Peru project From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:16:52 -0600 AL Birders: Last month I posted info on an interesting project in Peru to help save a great area for birds. Here's some follow-up from Rainforest Partnership: "In July, RP took part in an amazing fundraising campaign, directed by Global Giving. RP and 36 other organizations were given a month to raise at least $4,000 from as many individual donors as possible. Within a week, we met this initial challenging, earning us a permanent spot on the Global Giving website. At the end of 25 days, RP raised $14,728 from 270 donors which goes directly to our Pampa Hermosa project. In fact, we finished in third place for the most individual donors, securing a $1,000 bonus! A big thank you to everyone who to contributed to the campaign, we couldn't do it without you!!" Thanks to everyone who helped with this (or even considered it, for that matter). Looks like they raised enough money to make a difference -- a little cash can go a long way in this type of area. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Damming the Buttahatchee From: David Campbell <pleuronaia AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:45:48 -0500 The lower Buttahatchee is the only place where Epioblasma penita, the last surviving member of this mussel genus in the Mobile Basin, still occurs. Other endangered mussels are also present. This is rather downstream of the proposed site, but impoundment and other modification generally have negative effects on an entire river system. -- Dr. David Campbell 4830 University Blvd E H4 Tuscaloosa AL 35404 "I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams" [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Damming the Buttahatchee From: RubyThroat AT aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:40:20 EDT Jud and Albirders As a kid, this area was a favorite site for the surface collection of Indian artifacts. As I recall, much of the materials were from the Mississippi Woodland period, but I do recall some pretty old stuff as well from the Middle Archaic. Most of those collection areas were along the Buttahatchee and farmed areas. I was not a birder during that period, so have little to comment on regarding bird life there. Nice to hear from you Jud. Bob Sargent Clay, Alabama In a message dated 8/12/2010 8:26:11 P.M. Central Daylight Time, rivendell AT tds.net writes: While in Winfield last week, I noted an article in the Journal-Record about a proposal to build a 650-acre reservoir on the Buttahatchee River. The proposed site was to be east of Hamilton. Reasons given were water supply and recreation. There also appears to be a thought that the lake could draw some visitors from nearby I-22. The Guin City Council immediately drafted a resolution supporting the proposal. I've had little experience birding that particular area. I do know that Sylvia and I found good numbers of whip-poor-wills north of U.S. 278 between Hamilton and the White House community. Jud Johnston Waynesboro, TN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Damming the Buttahatchee From: "us53849353" <rivendell AT tds.net> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:26:04 -0000 While in Winfield last week, I noted an article in the Journal-Record about a proposal to build a 650-acre reservoir on the Buttahatchee River. The proposed site was to be east of Hamilton. Reasons given were water supply and recreation. There also appears to be a thought that the lake could draw some visitors from nearby I-22. The Guin City Council immediately drafted a resolution supporting the proposal. I've had little experience birding that particular area. I do know that Sylvia and I found good numbers of whip-poor-wills north of U.S. 278 between Hamilton and the White House community. Jud Johnston Waynesboro, TN Subject: Ceruleans in Opelika From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:50:31 +0000 Greetings,2 female Ceruleans this afternoon in birdbath.Good birding,Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: SET albirds MAIL From: EUGENIA CAREY <eugeniacarey AT prodigy.net> Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:12:49 -0700 (PDT) set mail  eugeniacarey AT prodigy.net Eugenia Carey Dauphin Island, Al [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Anniston Update Plus A Link to some wonderful Hummingbird pictures. From: "Debbie" <DMCKEN9341 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:46:49 -0000 Hello Albirders, I have not seen much since the last time I posted. I do however have at least 10 plus Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. I have in my backyard a 15 feet by 30 feet area cover with Jewelweed plants. The Hummers are really crazy over the flowers from these plants. We planted a Jewelweed plant about 3 or 4 years ago. The plant did not do so well but there were a few flowers that produce enough seeds that the falling year we had 14 plants. Some of you may know it as Touch-Me-Nots. When you touch the seeds encasing the seeds will popped right out. I found on a fourm a link to some absolutely beautifull pictures of baby Hummingbirds and their mama that I thought some of you may like to see. Anyway here is the link: http://www.komar.org/faq/travel/hummingbirds/nest/ Happy Birding To All! Debbie (BirdLady) Subject: CBA field trip this Saturday, August 14 From: Chazz Hesselein <chazz AT hesselein.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:02:33 -0500 Hey All, Tired of sitting at home wishing you were birding. The Coastal Birding Association has the cure for you! This Saturday, August 14th the CBA will be having its first "fall" field trip. We will be meeting at the Public Beach parking area at the "cool" hour of 6:45 AM. We plan on birding both Pelican Peninsula and the Shell Mounds. Last Saturday Brian Naylor and I watched over 1000 BLACK TERNS fly overhead and over water in their southbound migration, quite a spectacle. CERULEAN WARBLERS are a possibility at the Shell Mounds. For more information go the the CBA website: http://www.coastalbirdingassoc.org/index.html So, get off of your duffs and get out and do some birding with the Coastal Birding Association. It's only as hot as you think it is (yeah, right)! Chazz Hesselein CBA Field Trip Coordinator Mobile, AL Subject: Lake Purdy this afternoon From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 18:08:25 -0600 AL Birders: Debi and I made a quick stop by Lake Purdy this afternoon. The boat landing was not productive for birds, but we enjoyed watching a couple of deer swim across the lake; more were seen later at Cox's Creek. The mudflats at Cox's Creek (AL 119 crossing) are moderately good now. Shorebirds were sparse, with only Killdeer and Solitary, Least, and Pectoral sandpipers present. Of several large waders, a surprise was a juvenile TRICOLORED HERON, a Mountain Region rarity with only five prior records. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Shorebirds, mainly From: "Larry Gardella" <tapaculo AT knology.net> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 11:51:34 -0500 Greg Harber's posts had me seriously considering a run west of Selma to look for goodies such as he has been reporting. But I opted not to travel too far from home and see what I could find here. I don't usually start out a good morning of birding by leaving my binoculars at home, but as I approached Speigner I realized that I had done so today. The scope was fine for picking out a few Least Sandpiper and a single Solitary Sandpiper, but I decided to head home for the binos and then go out to Hope Hull. On the way back I stopped at Lexington Road south of Plymouth and saw some White-winged Doves in a crepe myrtle. Unfortunately, a quick check revealed no evidence of a nest. So, breeding confirmation will have to wait. I made Andrea her coffee and then headed out to Rudder Road. The immature Tricolored Heron was still there along with Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blues and two Greens. But there were also shorebirds: Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least, Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpipers and Wilson's Snipe. East McLean Road did not add any shorebirds, but it was nice to watch a collection of 3 Mississippi Kites flying overhead. Driving by some Black Vultures on 331, I got to Windham Road and drove to the pond there, not expecting much. I was wrong. Killdeer, Solitary Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, SB Dowitcher (hendersoni) and a nice mixture of Calidri: Pectoral, Baird's, White-rumped and Least Sandpipers. Constantly in the air were swifts and swallows, including at least one Bank Swallow. None of the weather that is usually necessary for a good mix of shorebirds, but the ponds have crept back from their shores with all the heat, and the shorebirds appreciate that food-filled edge. 14 species of shorebird is none too shabby. Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lemonade Stand business opportunity in the Black Belt From: "Gregory J. Harber" <gharber AT mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 01:29:11 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Hi All- This afternoon I was reminded of a summer-themed cartoon I read a couple weeks ago. A little girl is standing in the kitchen telling her mother, "We weren't selling too much lemonade so I diluted it with more ice, called it flavored water and made a killing." Today in the Black Belt, the sight of a lemonade stand would have been a welcome one - it was hot! It's probably no great surprise that I went looking for kites south of Greensboro again - after an early lunch at the PieLab! The kites were in their usual two spots: AL Hwy 61 at Red Bamberg Road, where the bridge crosses Big Prairie Creek, and on AL Hwy 25, at the series of three bridges spanning the same creek. In both instances, the bridges are not quite a mile north of Hale County Road 12. My total count at the AL Hwy 61 location was 26-28 birds, while there were about 7-10 birds at Hwy 25. Since these two locales are not far apart as the kite flies there might be some duplication in the numbers. I took my camera with me this time and have posted the photos to my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24926009 AT N02/sets/72157624552157193/with/4870959640/ The kite activity at both locations varied greatly, from many birds being present at once to no birds in sight at all. But, invariably the kites came back and oftentimes offered close views as you can see from the photos. Very accommodating, and supremely satisfying! If kites are part of your summer routine as they are mine, be sure to get there soon - they'll be departing for points south before too long. Take care all. Greg Gregory J. Harber Birmingham, AL gharber AT mindspring.com "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." Tom Robbins Subject: Coastal Alabama information requested (oil spill response) From: "steve_holzman" <steve_holzman AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:45:56 -0000 Hi Alabama Birders, The USFWS would like to enlist the help of local birders in identifying significant sea/shorebird habitat (focusing on fall and winter use) along MS, AL, and the panhandle of Florida (to a point north of Cedar Key). An easy way to report the coordinates is from the website http://mapper.acme.com . Pan around until the crosshair in the center is on top of the area, then report the coordinates displayed in the lower right. Send your sites and a description of the species that use the area directly to me at steve_holzman AT fws.gov. Thanks! (P.S. Bob & Lucy can you forward this to the two Florida lists for me?) -- Steve Holzman, North High Shoals, GA Subject: Migration in Early August From: "Larry Gardella" <tapaculo AT knology.net> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 14:37:31 -0500 This morning, I went to Powder Magazine hoping to see a Yellow Warbler or maybe a Cerulean. No luck on those. Two of the expected Northern Parulas were around, but the other two warblers were surprises. In the open on some bare branches approximately ten feet from the ground an adult male Blue-winged Warbler was moving about and showing well his yellow body, white wing patch and black line through the eye. Near the two parulas were two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a single immature Chestnut-sided Warbler. Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fw: ALABAMA CONSERVATION: Extension of the Comment Period for the Proposed Expansion of Cahaba River NWR and the Proposed Establishment of Cahaba River Conservation Area until September 7, 2010 From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 18:36:05 -0600 AL Birders: I received this today concerning the Cahaba River NWR proposal I mentioned in my post last night. The deadline for comment has fortunately been extended. Thanks. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Stephen_A_Miller AT fws.gov To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 12:06 PM Subject: Extension of the Comment Period for the Proposed Expansion of Cahaba River NWR and the Proposed Establishment of Cahaba River Conservation Area until September 7, 2010 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the comment period on the Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan for The Proposed Expansion of Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge and the Proposed Establishment of Cahaba River Conservation Area for an additional 30 days, until September 7, 2010. It is our hope that this extension will allow you the time needed to thoroughly examine our proposal. We also hope that through this extension you will be able to assist us in our efforts to better inform the public of our proposal through your contacts within your business, organization or community. During this extension of the public comment period, we will likely have an additional public meeting that will allow interested persons to gain more information on this proposal. You should expect to receive additional information once this meeting has been finalized. Thanks Steve Steve Miller Refuge Manager PO Box 5087 Anniston, AL 36205 Phone: 256/848-7085 Fax: 256/847-9089 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fw: ALABAMA CONSERVATION: Cahaba River Refuge Expansion Plan From: "Greg D. Jackson" <g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net> Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 17:55:00 -0600 AL Birders: Below is a post I received yesterday from the Cahaba River Society. This concerns an exciting proposal to significantly expand the Cahaba River NWR just south of Birmingham. I've spent significant time in this area in recent years, including BBA surveys and informal birding in migration, and the lands under consideration are well worth preserving. This is also a stunningly beautiful, and amazingly wild, region with much non-consumptive recreational potential. Local communities have already benefited economically from the existing refuge (for example the Cahaba Lily Festival) and including the much larger area in a protected state will only enhance the value of this special place. Details about the proposal are available online through the link below -- Alternative 2 would provide the maximal protection for the river and its assets. Unfortunately, this announcement was issued late, and evidently comments must be received by tomorrow (Friday, 6 August). However, this can be accomplished by email to cahabariver AT fws.gov -- make sure you include your name and address in your message. I just sent my letter of support for Alternative 2. Thanks for any help you can give -- a few minutes of your time may make a difference in preserving a unique area. Greg Greg D. Jackson Birmingham, AL g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Cahaba River Society To: g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 9:51 AM Subject: Cahaba River Refuge Expansion Plan Dear CRS Member, The US Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed to expand the potential "Acquisition Area" for the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR) to over 106,000 acres. This means willing sellers within the acquisition area can sell to USF&W if the land owner wants to sell and the CRNWR is allocated money from the US Congress and the Regional USF&W Office. NO IMMINENT DOMAIN will be exercised here...USF&W has determined that would be very counter-productive here and NO LAND WILL BE CONDEMNED to be made part of the refuge. Plus, under Alternative B, an additional 173,000 acres could be managed (not owned) under conservation easements and cooperative agreements (again, only if land owners are interested in participating) by USF&W. You can read the Plan details at http://www.fws.gov/cahabariver/pdf/Cahaba_River_EA_LPP.pdf (this draft will be modified to reflect the feedback USF&W has gotten from this public hearing process before it will be finalized). The CRS Staff strongly supports the "Alternative B" proposal in the Refuge Expansion Plan and will submit a letter of support to the USF&W before the Aug 6th deadline. I will send you a copy of the CRS letter if you want to see it. Just email me at RandyH AT cahabariversociety.org and ask for a copy of that support letter. If YOU want to support the expansion of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, please send your own letter of support to: Ms. Kimberly Eldridge 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 420 Atlanta, GA 30345 You MUST include your NAME and ADDRESS in your comments. Your letter must ARRIVE by Aug 6th (so mail it by Aug 4th) or email it to cahabariver AT fws.gov by Aug 6th (this Friday). Some suggested talking points: a.. Please consider supporting "Alternative B" presented in the Expansion Plan document. b.. Expanding the Refuge would help protect the Cahaba River ecosystem. c.. The current Refuge needs full time staff and a Refuge Center facility. d.. The pace of land acquisition should match that used for other new refuges like the Waccamaw Refuge in South Carolina. e.. The Cahaba is not being adequately protected as over 100 miles of the mainstem are on the states list of impaired waters. The USF&W Service could manage the land with stream protection as a top priority. Your support may help USF&W establish the most beneficial land management program ever proposed for our watershed. Please add your voice of support to one of the most dramatic proposals to protect the Cahaba River watershed we have ever seen. Friends, this could change the fate of our river in a very positive way. We really need this to happen if we hope to keep the Cahaba River healthy in the future. Please, understand this: Your words of support could make a tremendous difference right now. Randy H [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: English name for Black Scoter remains the same... From: "Howard Horne" <hhorne AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:28:27 -0000 Hi all, In the recent 51st supplement to the AOU checklist, our New World BLACK SCOTER was split from the nominate Old World form. According to the printed supplement the New World species was renamed AMERICAN SCOTER (Melanitta americana). However, this English name is in error as the intent was to supposedly keep using the name BLACK SCOTER for our North American species while the Old World species would be called COMMON SCOTER (M. NIGRA). Somehow the names got convoluted during the manuscript preparation and were accidentally switched with the the Old World species M. nigra incorrectly called Black Scoter, and the New World species, M. americana, wrongly called American Scoter. The short of it is that our New World Black Scoter will retain its English name and we will continue to use the name BLACK SCOTER. The AOU will publish an errata in the next Auk that will have the correct English names: M. nigra = Common Scoter, and M. americana = Black Scoter. Additional information can be found here: http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1886317&postcount=22 http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/suppl/51.php#errors Cheers, Howard Horne Mobile, AL Subject: Distribution Maps for Pacific/Winter Wren and Whip-poor-wills From: "Howard Horne" <hhorne AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:13:06 -0000 Hi all, David Sibley (author and artist of the Sibley Guides Series) has produced draft distribution maps for the newly split Pacific/Winter Wren and the Mexican and Eastern Whip-poor-wills. The draft maps can be viewed online at his website here: PACIFIC WREN and WINTER WREN: http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/08/new-draft-range-maps-for-winter-wren/ MEXICAN/EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILLS http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/08/new-draft-range-maps-for-whip-poor-will/ These draft maps will be updated as new information comes in. The identity of several extralimital records of Whip-poor-will need to be clarified as to species and these are shown with question marks "?". Cheers, Howard Horne Mobile, AL Subject: White Ibis, Bank Swallow; Fall Wetland Trail Walks From: TNbarredowl AT aol.com Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:46:02 -0400 Yesterday (8/3) afternoon, I stopped by Church and Walker Ponds to see if any shorebirds were around. Shorebirds were limited to 300 Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpipers and 2 Least Sandpipers at Church Pond and 20 Killdeer at Walker Pond. Walker Pond had a nice assortment of long-legged waders, however, including 48 Great Egrets, 3 Snowy Egrets, 4 Little Blue Herons and an immature White Ibis. Church Pond had several hundred Cliff Swallows feeding and resting on nearby power lines. One smaller swallow in one of the resting groups turned out to be a Bank Swallow. I plan to start the fall Wetlands Trail walks at the TVA Reservation (Complex F) on August 27 (hard to think about fall migration with afternoon high temperatures topping the century mark!). Walks this year will again be conducted on Friday mornings unless my work schedule requires a change. I'll send another reminder before the 27th, but we will meet that morning at 6:00 at the Wetlands Facility parking lot, Complex F. Damien Simbeck Killen, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: BAS Black Belt Birding II From: RubyThroat AT aol.com Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2010 15:12:04 EDT Mr. Greg Harber and Albirders Sir, this is a wonderful bit of "placing your reader at the scene". Having traveled on business and birded that area for many, many years, it was like going home again. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy your outing. Bob and Martha Sargent Clay, Alabama In a message dated 8/1/2010 11:53:08 A.M. Central Daylight Time, gharber AT mindspring.com writes: region of Alabama, finding some of the birds we encountered last Saturday while adding a few new delights to make this trip equally memorable. We began the day at the Heflin Lock Facility on the Tombigbee Waterway northeast of Gainesville. Within minutes we were hearing several Field Sparrows , their sweet "dropped ping-pong ball" notes coming from several directions. A male Orchard Oriole was particularly brilliant in the unfettered morning sunlight. Purple Martins, Barn Swallows and Rough-winged Swallows were present along the wires and around the lock itself. A couple of Mississippi Kites and Wood Storks gave us an early prelude of things to come. Perhaps the rarest sight was a tug boat actually going through the lock. Of course, the tug was not pushing a barge - that might justify the ginormous cost of the construction of the Tenn-Tom Waterway project! The caravan then motored its way through Gainesville to CR 85 north, turning at the sign for the Heflin Dam itself. Here we had distant views of more kites and storks, plus water hyacinths along the shore and a garfish seeking refuge under the floating mass - even the fish in the water thought the day was a hot one! The stop here was brief, as we wanted to get to Tombigbee Farms further up CR 85. The group checked the skies thoroughly at the farm but our views of the kites - all Mississippi - were distant. We could draw some consolation from the fact that there were about 10-12 kites in view. At this point Anne introduced a new birding term that I had never heard - sensuous birding. She was tired of hearing, "What are you looking at? Some speck in the distance" and wanted much more intimate views of the kites. Silly me, I thought the term "sensuous birding" referred to the woman sunbathing by the pool at the home adjacent to the field where we were standing. On two occasions directions to locating birds flying in the featureless sky began with, "If you look at the pool and go up..." It was mere coincidence that this catch phrase was uttered by men in the group, but more on this sensuous birding concept later. Returning to Gainesville, we renewed our acquaintance with Ophelia at Roger's and Sons Store and loaded up on cold drinks, ice cream and ice. Suitably restocked, we took a quick driving tour of some historic homes in Gainesville. A few looked inhabited but most were silent, decrepit sentinels of a bygone era - their weathered and peeling facades standing proud in the bright sunlight. Turning our attention to birds once again, we drove south from Gainesville on AL Hwy 39. A short distance from town we encountered 12-15 Mississippi Kites feeding above a field adjacent to the road. These birds were much closer than our previous sightings so Anne was satisfied that we were now doing some real, sensuous birding. We had not yet eaten lunch, which we planned to do in Greensboro, and we also wanted to stop and view the chalk bluffs on the Tombigbee River at Epes, so we scooted along without delay. As usual, the local county sheriff was curious about what the caravan on the US 11 bridge was doing but he returned to town when he realized we were a harmless bunch. Lunch at the PieLab in Greensboro (www.pielab.org) was more like a mid-afternoon break since we didn't arrive until about 2:30, but it was delicious and well-received nevertheless. The unusual architecture in this reclaimed, abandoned storefront was most evident at the bathroom in the rear of the store. I encourage you to visit this place before the summer is out - there's a chance it will close its doors at summer's end. Hours are 9-5, Monday through Saturday. We then began the second half of our day, even though it was two-thirds over, driving south on Al Hwy 61. A mile or two south of Newbern, at its intersection with Red Bamberg Road, we found the Holy Grail of our target birds - Swallow-tailed Kites. Interestingly, it was another Mississippi Kite flying directly over the road that led me to stop the caravan. Then, upon exiting our cars for a better view, we discovered the Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields and tree lines to our west. As was our good fortune, four of the kites - adults with exquisitely cleft tails - came soaring overhead, then plunged headlong into a dive that ended mere feet above the ground not 20 yards away from us! Exclamations of awe rang out as the show unfolded above our heads. The striking black-and-white plumage complimented perfectly the backdrop of blue sky. All in all, there were about 15-18 kites here. Now I have a better understanding of what sensuous birding means. As we were wrapping up the birding here a huge kettle of 150 or so Turkey Vultures took to the skies to our west, precisely the direction we were headed. At the Rocking R Farm at CR 10 and AL Hwy 25, we once again found an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (the other Holy Grail species for some) on the wires across from the elevated catfish feed grain silos, but the four young in the nest had already fledged. Somewhere, a harried adult was busy trying to herd her clueless gang, trying to teach them the survival skills they'd need. Having seen all of our target birds, several cars peeled off to return home but a handful of us headed east to Jim's Little Store, south of Marion at the intersection of CR 38 and CR 45. This time we were on a mission: to dress Venus deMilo in new attire. I had heard a few days before our trip that sometimes the proprietor selected her wardrobe, and other times passersby took the task upon themselves in the dead of night. This time, we came to the crossroads bearing a gift: a new Birmingham Audubon Society t-shirt. Mike, working behind the counter, said that if we weren't too modest about undressing a statue of an armless, nude woman he approved of our selection. A few minutes later Ms. Venus became the newest member of the Birmingham Audubon Society. She looked sharp and sassy in her new outfit, Tilley Hat, and binoculars. If you've read this far, you know that Perry Lakes Park was our final destination for the day. Great Egrets returning to roost in the cypress trees were the closing act. Last week's Cerulean Warbler pair had long since departed, replaced by a fuzzy-faced Yellow-throated Vireo. He was trying, bless his heart - that's a tough act to follow. On the boardwalk below Mary Frances was photographing the day's last fork-tailed beauty, a lime-green Luna Moth. We hurried back to the cars to beat the sunset closing time and concluded the outing at Juane's Mexican Grill in Brent. Final tally was 53 species, some of which were rather sensuous indeed. Take care all, Greg Gregory J. Harber Birmingham, AL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BAS Black Belt Birding II From: "Gregory J. Harber" <gharber AT mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2010 12:53:02 -0400 (EDT) Yesterday the Birmingham Audubon Society embarked on its second birding trip to the Black Belt region of Alabama, finding some of the birds we encountered last Saturday while adding a few new delights to make this trip equally memorable. We began the day at the Heflin Lock Facility on the Tombigbee Waterway northeast of Gainesville. Within minutes we were hearing several Field Sparrows, their sweet "dropped ping-pong ball" notes coming from several directions. A male Orchard Oriole was particularly brilliant in the unfettered morning sunlight. Purple Martins, Barn Swallows and Rough-winged Swallows were present along the wires and around the lock itself. A couple of Mississippi Kites and Wood Storks gave us an early prelude of things to come. Perhaps the rarest sight was a tug boat actually going through the lock. Of course, the tug was not pushing a barge - that might justify the ginormous cost of the construction of the Tenn-Tom Waterway project! The caravan then motored its way through Gainesville to CR 85 north, turning at the sign for the Heflin Dam itself. Here we had distant views of more kites and storks, plus water hyacinths along the shore and a garfish seeking refuge under the floating mass - even the fish in the water thought the day was a hot one! The stop here was brief, as we wanted to get to Tombigbee Farms further up CR 85. The group checked the skies thoroughly at the farm but our views of the kites - all Mississippi - were distant. We could draw some consolation from the fact that there were about 10-12 kites in view. At this point Anne introduced a new birding term that I had never heard - sensuous birding. She was tired of hearing, "What are you looking at? Some speck in the distance" and wanted much more intimate views of the kites. Silly me, I thought the term "sensuous birding" referred to the woman sunbathing by the pool at the home adjacent to the field where we were standing. On two occasions directions to locating birds flying in the featureless sky began with, "If you look at the pool and go up..." It was mere coincidence that this catch phrase was uttered by men in the group, but more on this sensuous birding concept later. Returning to Gainesville, we renewed our acquaintance with Ophelia at Roger's and Sons Store and loaded up on cold drinks, ice cream and ice. Suitably restocked, we took a quick driving tour of some historic homes in Gainesville. A few looked inhabited but most were silent, decrepit sentinels of a bygone era - their weathered and peeling facades standing proud in the bright sunlight. Turning our attention to birds once again, we drove south from Gainesville on AL Hwy 39. A short distance from town we encountered 12-15 Mississippi Kites feeding above a field adjacent to the road. These birds were much closer than our previous sightings so Anne was satisfied that we were now doing some real, sensuous birding. We had not yet eaten lunch, which we planned to do in Greensboro, and we also wanted to stop and view the chalk bluffs on the Tombigbee River at Epes, so we scooted along without delay. As usual, the local county sheriff was curious about what the caravan on the US 11 bridge was doing but he returned to town when he realized we were a harmless bunch. Lunch at the PieLab in Greensboro (www.pielab.org) was more like a mid-afternoon break since we didn't arrive until about 2:30, but it was delicious and well-received nevertheless. The unusual architecture in this reclaimed, abandoned storefront was most evident at the bathroom in the rear of the store. I encourage you to visit this place before the summer is out - there's a chance it will close its doors at summer's end. Hours are 9-5, Monday through Saturday. We then began the second half of our day, even though it was two-thirds over, driving south on Al Hwy 61. A mile or two south of Newbern, at its intersection with Red Bamberg Road, we found the Holy Grail of our target birds - Swallow-tailed Kites. Interestingly, it was another Mississippi Kite flying directly over the road that led me to stop the caravan. Then, upon exiting our cars for a better view, we discovered the Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields and tree lines to our west. As was our good fortune, four of the kites - adults with exquisitely cleft tails - came soaring overhead, then plunged headlong into a dive that ended mere feet above the ground not 20 yards away from us! Exclamations of awe rang out as the show unfolded above our heads. The striking black-and-white plumage complimented perfectly the backdrop of blue sky. All in all, there were about 15-18 kites here. Now I have a better understanding of what sensuous birding means. As we were wrapping up the birding here a huge kettle of 150 or so Turkey Vultures took to the skies to our west, precisely the direction we were headed. At the Rocking R Farm at CR 10 and AL Hwy 25, we once again found an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (the other Holy Grail species for some) on the wires across from the elevated catfish feed grain silos, but the four young in the nest had already fledged. Somewhere, a harried adult was busy trying to herd her clueless gang, trying to teach them the survival skills they'd need. Having seen all of our target birds, several cars peeled off to return home but a handful of us headed east to Jim's Little Store, south of Marion at the intersection of CR 38 and CR 45. This time we were on a mission: to dress Venus deMilo in new attire. I had heard a few days before our trip that sometimes the proprietor selected her wardrobe, and other times passersby took the task upon themselves in the dead of night. This time, we came to the crossroads bearing a gift: a new Birmingham Audubon Society t-shirt. Mike, working behind the counter, said that if we weren't too modest about undressing a statue of an armless, nude woman he approved of our selection. A few minutes later Ms. Venus became the newest member of the Birmingham Audubon Society. She looked sharp and sassy in her new outfit, Tilley Hat, and binoculars. If you've read this far, you know that Perry Lakes Park was our final destination for the day. Great Egrets returning to roost in the cypress trees were the closing act. Last week's Cerulean Warbler pair had long since departed, replaced by a fuzzy-faced Yellow-throated Vireo. He was trying, bless his heart - that's a tough act to follow. On the boardwalk below Mary Frances was photographing the day's last fork-tailed beauty, a lime-green Luna Moth. We hurried back to the cars to beat the sunset closing time and concluded the outing at Juane's Mexican Grill in Brent. Final tally was 53 species, some of which were rather sensuous indeed. Take care all, Greg Gregory J. Harber Birmingham, AL gharber AT mindspring.com "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." Tom Robbins Subject: RE: Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" From: "littonsphac" <littonsphac AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:02:58 -0500 Drats, I don’t think I have seen this P. flavescens species in my more inland safaris. Mine seem to be local aquatic active species however they may be feeding on air-plankton also since they dart about snatching something too small for me to see and they are sometimes real close when they do the snatching. I bet it takes a whole mess of air-plankton to fill a mouth or internal parts or make an impact on hunger even for a dragonfly. Looks like you could see the dragon fliers if they are so prevalent that radar sees them. Looks like a good pair of binoculars would give a eye full of silhouetted dragonflies and lacy shimmering wings flitting like crazy in the sunlight just to fly, to out run birds, other insects on a prowl and air-plankton camouflaged damsel dragon fly catchers for surely there must be something in that missing link. This may sound a little crazy but learning about dragonflies just took a big leap as has air-plankton levels. Also gives a whole new concept to atmosphere aerosols and radiant solar transfers and greenhouse warming. Maybe greenhouse warming is exactly what is suppose to be occurring due to atmosphere aerosol emissions, air-borne earth critters by the gazillions and air traffic moisture and chemistry above the rinse zones of precipitation wash and transfer. High altitude air currents are more predictable than low altitude unlss you get side-swiped by a towering cumulous and end up uplifted about 20,000 feet in a few minutes and a free for all crystallization of moisuture enough to freeze your socks off right on your wing tips. Holy moly what an animal and to think I had so much admoration for hummers and I won’t walk to the store to get ice cream. Jerry L. Litton Jackson MS _____ From: owner-missbird AT willow.olemiss.edu [mailto:owner-missbird AT willow.olemiss.edu] On Behalf Of Matt Smith Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 3:42 PM To: Jake Walker; albirds AT yahoogroups.com; brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU; Lucy and Bob Duncan Cc: missbird AT listserv.olemiss.edu Subject: Re: [MISSBIRD] Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" Great to get ID confirmation -- thanks, Jake. P. flavescens is truly a remarkable animal, not only the most cosmopolitan dragonfly but also probably the world's champion insect migrant. Check out the link below for information on this species' transoceanic movements (and note that the study of dragonfly migration is still in its infancy): http://insectsspiders.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_fantastic_dragonfly_migrati on Weather radar stations all along the Gulf Coast have been lit up over the last few days with what appear to be insect swarm signatures (heavy, diffuse "clouds" with velocities lower than what one would expect for migrating birds). I'd bet that Wandering Gliders are contributing substantially to these radar signatures. The one at Lake Charles, LA (encompassing those great coastal marshes) has been especially dramatic, mainly during late morning and early afternoon. Here's the link to the current image: http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?zoommode=pan &prevzoom=zoom&num=1&frame=0&delay=15&scale=1.000&noclutter=0&ID=LCH&type=N0 R&showstorms=0&lat=0&lon=0&label=you&map.x=400&map.y=240&scale=1.000¢erx =400¢ery=240&showlabels=1&rainsnow=0&lightning=0&lerror=20&num_stns_min= 2&num_stns_max=9999&avg_off=9999&smooth=0 Matt Smith Hattiesburg, MS _____ From: Jake Walker To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com; brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU; Lucy and Bob Duncan Cc: missbird AT listserv.olemiss.edu Sent: Sat, July 31, 2010 11:04:42 AM Subject: [MISSBIRD] Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" Bird and Odonata watchers, The incredible dragonfly movement is upon us here in coastal MS as well. They descended on our yard yesterday afternoon, some 5 miles North of the coast. This morning, my curiosity took over and I spent 10 minutes wildly swinging a bug net around in my front yard until I finally captured a few to confirm the ID. (my neighbors were quite amused) They are indeed Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens). Here are a few interesting excerpts from Sidney Dunkle's, Dragonflies through Binoculars; a Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America, pg 216: "The world's most evolved dragonfly, it drifts with the wind as it feeds on aerial plankton until an airmass of different temperature produces the rain pools in which it breeds. Over the ocean they fly day and night for thousands of miles." and "It is the only dragonfly found around the world, breeding on every continent except Europe." As for birds, Black-and-White Warblers are showing up in coastal MS, and a flock of Yellow Warblers went through my yard this morning. Two big movements of Purple Martins have gone through already. They stacked up at the Grand Bay NERR boat launch the last week of June until the flock reached ~500 birds, then one day they left. More trickled in during the following weeks, and the flock gradually built in numbers to ~500 before they too left. Now I am just seeing a few solo martins. Swallow-tailed Kites have been passing over on their way south. Good birding (and Odonating) Jake Walker Ocean Springs, MS RE: In Ocean Springs for the past two days there has been great numbers of dragon flies in the skies wherever we go. Who else across the south has noticed this? When I lived in a second story apartment in Columbus MS a couple of years ago, I noticed a lot of birds I outside the windows flying around the nearby parking lot. When I went to observe, I found hundreds of dragon flies in the air being chased by more nighthawks than I've ever seen in one place. Nick Ocean Springs --- On Fri, 7/30/10, Lucy and Bob Duncan wrote: From: Lucy and Bob Duncan Subject: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com, brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU Received: Friday, July 30, 2010, 1:33 PM Hi all, Six Broad-winged hawks passing through our neighborhood in Gulf Breeze, extreme w. Panhandle should be a portend of things to come. The Santa Rosa peninsula is a hawk migration corridor. Regarding our recent posting on the 540 dragonfly / min. estimate Lucy made earlier today, we estimated 810,000 passing through in a 2 ½ hr period from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m through our neighborhood and they were still coming but slacking off somwhat. We got a report they were passing through Pensacola as well and through Dauphin Is. yesterday. I have tentatively identified them as Wandering Gliders with the help of suggestions from several of you. Good birding, Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: New Members 2 New Photos 17 Visit Your Group IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: Post message: albirds AT yahoogroups.com Subscribe: albirds-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com List owner: albirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com AOS website: http://www.aosbirds.org/ This list is sponsored by the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) and is provided as a service to the birding community. AOS does not endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Nor does AOS support or endorse the advertising provided by the Yahoo Groups list service. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ Subject: Re: Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" From: Matt Smith <mcsmitfl AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:41:34 -0700 (PDT) Great to get ID confirmation -- thanks, Jake. P. flavescens is truly a remarkable animal, not only the most cosmopolitan dragonfly but also probably the world's champion insect migrant. Check out the link below for information on this species' transoceanic movements (and note that the study of dragonfly migration is still in its infancy): http://insectsspiders.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_fantastic_dragonfly_migration Weather radar stations all along the Gulf Coast have been lit up over the last few days with what appear to be insect swarm signatures (heavy, diffuse "clouds" with velocities lower than what one would expect for migrating birds). I'd bet that Wandering Gliders are contributing substantially to these radar signatures. The one at Lake Charles, LA (encompassing those great coastal marshes) has been especially dramatic, mainly during late morning and early afternoon. Here's the link to the current image: http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?zoommode=pan&prevzoom=zoom&num=1&frame=0&delay=15&scale=1.000&noclutter=0&ID=LCH&type=N0R&showstorms=0&lat=0&lon=0&label=you&map.x=400&map.y=240&scale=1.000¢erx=400¢ery=240&showlabels=1&rainsnow=0&lightning=0&lerror=20&num_stns_min=2&num_stns_max=9999&avg_off=9999&smooth=0 Matt Smith Hattiesburg, MS ________________________________ From: Jake Walker To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com; brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU; Lucy and Bob Duncan Cc: missbird AT listserv.olemiss.edu Sent: Sat, July 31, 2010 11:04:42 AM Subject: [MISSBIRD] Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" Bird and Odonata watchers, The incredible dragonfly movement is upon us here in coastal MS as well. They descended on our yard yesterday afternoon, some 5 miles North of the coast. This morning, my curiosity took over and I spent 10 minutes wildly swinging a bug net around in my front yard until I finally captured a few to confirm the ID. (my neighbors were quite amused) They are indeed Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens). Here are a few interesting excerpts from Sidney Dunkle's, Dragonflies through Binoculars; a Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America, pg 216: "The world's most evolved dragonfly, it drifts with the wind as it feeds on aerial plankton until an airmass of different temperature produces the rain pools in which it breeds. Over the ocean they fly day and night for thousands of miles." and "It is the only dragonfly found around the world, breeding on every continent except Europe." As for birds, Black-and-White Warblers are showing up in coastal MS, and a flock of Yellow Warblers went through my yard this morning. Two big movements of Purple Martins have gone through already. They stacked up at the Grand Bay NERR boat launch the last week of June until the flock reached ~500 birds, then one day they left. More trickled in during the following weeks, and the flock gradually built in numbers to ~500 before they too left. Now I am just seeing a few solo martins. Swallow-tailed Kites have been passing over on their way south. Good birding (and Odonating) Jake Walker Ocean Springs, MS RE: In Ocean Springs for the past two days there has been great numbers of dragon flies in the skies wherever we go. Who else across the south has noticed this? When I lived in a second story apartment in Columbus MS a couple of years ago, I noticed a lot of birds I outside the windows flying around the nearby parking lot. When I went to observe, I found hundreds of dragon flies in the air being chased by more nighthawks than I've ever seen in one place. Nick Ocean Springs --- On Fri, 7/30/10, Lucy and Bob Duncan wrote: From: Lucy and Bob Duncan Subject: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com, brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU Received: Friday, July 30, 2010, 1:33 PM Hi all, Six Broad-winged hawks passing through our neighborhood in Gulf Breeze, extreme w. Panhandle should be a portend of things to come. The Santa Rosa peninsula is a hawk migration corridor. Regarding our recent posting on the 540 dragonfly / min. estimate Lucy made earlier today, we estimated 810,000 passing through in a 2 ½ hr period from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m through our neighborhood and they were still coming but slacking off somwhat. We got a report they were passing through Pensacola as well and through Dauphin Is. yesterday. I have tentatively identified them as Wandering Gliders with the help of suggestions from several of you. Good birding, Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: New Members 2 New Photos 17 Visit Your Group IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: Post message: albirds AT yahoogroups.com Subscribe: albirds-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com List owner: albirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com AOS website: http://www.aosbirds.org/ This list is sponsored by the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) and is provided as a service to the birding community. AOS does not endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Nor does AOS support or endorse the advertising provided by the Yahoo Groups list service. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ Subject: Re: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" From: Jake Walker <jakenwalker AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:04:42 -0700 (PDT) Bird and Odonata watchers,   The incredible dragonfly movement is upon us here in coastal MS as well. They descended on our yard yesterday afternoon, some 5 miles North of the coast. This morning, my curiosity took over and I spent 10 minutes wildly swinging a bug net around in my front yard until I finally captured a few to confirm the ID. (my neighbors were quite amused) They are indeed Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens). Here are a few interesting excerpts from Sidney Dunkle's, Dragonflies through Binoculars; a Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America, pg 216: "The world's most evolved dragonfly, it drifts with the wind as it feeds on aerial plankton until an airmass of different temperature produces the rain pools in which it breeds. Over the ocean they fly day and night for thousands of miles." and "It is the only dragonfly found around the world, breeding on every continent except Europe." As for birds, Black-and-White Warblers are showing up in coastal MS, and a flock of Yellow Warblers went through my yard this morning. Two big movements of Purple Martins have gone through already. They stacked up at the Grand Bay NERR boat launch the last week of June until the flock reached ~500 birds, then one day they left. More trickled in during the following weeks, and the flock gradually built in numbers to ~500 before they too left. Now I am just seeing a few solo martins. Swallow-tailed Kites have been passing over on their way south. Good birding (and Odonating) Jake Walker Ocean Springs, MS RE: In Ocean Springs for the past two days there has been great numbers of dragon flies in the skies wherever we go. Who else across the south has noticed this? When I lived in a second story apartment in Columbus MS a couple of years ago, I noticed a lot of birds I outside the windows flying around the nearby parking lot. When I went to observe, I found hundreds of dragon flies in the air being chased by more nighthawks than I've ever seen in one place. Nick Ocean Springs --- On Fri, 7/30/10, Lucy and Bob Duncan wrote: From: Lucy and Bob Duncan Subject: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com, brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU Received: Friday, July 30, 2010, 1:33 PM   Hi all, Six Broad-winged hawks passing through our neighborhood in Gulf Breeze, extreme w. Panhandle should be a portend of things to come. The Santa Rosa peninsula is a hawk migration corridor. Regarding our recent posting on the 540 dragonfly / min. estimate Lucy made earlier today, we estimated 810,000 passing through in a 2 ½ hr period from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m through our neighborhood and they were still coming but slacking off somwhat. We got a report they were passing through Pensacola as well and through Dauphin Is. yesterday. I have tentatively identified them as Wandering Gliders with the help of suggestions from several of you. Good birding, Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: New Members 2 New Photos 17 Visit Your Group IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: Post message: albirds AT yahoogroups.com Subscribe: albirds-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com List owner: albirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com AOS website:  http://www.aosbirds.org/ This list is sponsored by the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) and is provided as a service to the birding community.  AOS does not endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group.  Nor does AOS support or endorse the advertising provided by the Yahoo Groups list service. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ Subject: Re: Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" From: Jake Walker <jakenwalker AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:04:42 -0700 (PDT) Bird and Odonata watchers,   The incredible dragonfly movement is upon us here in coastal MS as well. They descended on our yard yesterday afternoon, some 5 miles North of the coast. This morning, my curiosity took over and I spent 10 minutes wildly swinging a bug net around in my front yard until I finally captured a few to confirm the ID. (my neighbors were quite amused) They are indeed Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens). Here are a few interesting excerpts from Sidney Dunkle's, Dragonflies through Binoculars; a Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America, pg 216: "The world's most evolved dragonfly, it drifts with the wind as it feeds on aerial plankton until an airmass of different temperature produces the rain pools in which it breeds. Over the ocean they fly day and night for thousands of miles." and "It is the only dragonfly found around the world, breeding on every continent except Europe." As for birds, Black-and-White Warblers are showing up in coastal MS, and a flock of Yellow Warblers went through my yard this morning. Two big movements of Purple Martins have gone through already. They stacked up at the Grand Bay NERR boat launch the last week of June until the flock reached ~500 birds, then one day they left. More trickled in during the following weeks, and the flock gradually built in numbers to ~500 before they too left. Now I am just seeing a few solo martins. Swallow-tailed Kites have been passing over on their way south. Good birding (and Odonating) Jake Walker Ocean Springs, MS RE: In Ocean Springs for the past two days there has been great numbers of dragon flies in the skies wherever we go. Who else across the south has noticed this? When I lived in a second story apartment in Columbus MS a couple of years ago, I noticed a lot of birds I outside the windows flying around the nearby parking lot. When I went to observe, I found hundreds of dragon flies in the air being chased by more nighthawks than I've ever seen in one place. Nick Ocean Springs --- On Fri, 7/30/10, Lucy and Bob Duncan wrote: From: Lucy and Bob Duncan Subject: [ALBIRDS] Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" To: albirds AT yahoogroups.com, brdBRAIN AT LISTSERV.ADMIN.USF.EDU Received: Friday, July 30, 2010, 1:33 PM   Hi all, Six Broad-winged hawks passing through our neighborhood in Gulf Breeze, extreme w. Panhandle should be a portend of things to come. The Santa Rosa peninsula is a hawk migration corridor. Regarding our recent posting on the 540 dragonfly / min. estimate Lucy made earlier today, we estimated 810,000 passing through in a 2 ½ hr period from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m through our neighborhood and they were still coming but slacking off somwhat. We got a report they were passing through Pensacola as well and through Dauphin Is. yesterday. I have tentatively identified them as Wandering Gliders with the help of suggestions from several of you. Good birding, Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Cerulean day in Opelika July 30 From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:34:06 +0000 At 5:28 there were 2more at once in bath! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Sender: albirds AT yahoogroups.com Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:24:33 To: Al birders Reply-To: jjoa AT mindspring.com Subject: [ALBIRDS] Cerulean day in Opelika July 30 10:45 today 1 male and 2 female Ceruleans. In birdbath at2:20 female ,3:14 female,another 3:40 and then again at 3:50.the mister is a drawing factor.It is very rewarding to look down on that beautiful shade of blue while I in cool house!Good birding,Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Cerulean day in Opelika July 30 From: jjoa AT mindspring.com Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:24:33 +0000 10:45 today 1 male and 2 female Ceruleans. In birdbath at2:20 female ,3:14 female,another 3:40 and then again at 3:50.the mister is a drawing factor.It is very rewarding to look down on that beautiful shade of blue while I in cool house!Good birding,Lorna West,Opelika,Al Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T Subject: Clarifications to the AOU checklist supplement From: "Howard Horne" <hhorne AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:24:03 -0000 Hi all, In my haste to quickly type my previous post I accidently introduced some slight "errors" in summarizing the new supplement to the AOU checklist. Here are some clarifications: Winter Wren: My post indicated that Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) was split from Winter Wren (T. hiemalis) which doesn't reflect the full story. Formerly, the AOU considered Winter Wren to be a widely distributed species occurring both in the Nearctic and Palearctic (portions of New and Old World). Under this old taxonomic construct, our Winter Wren was the same species as the "Wren" of Europe (T. troglodytes). The 51st supplement splits the New World Winter Wren into two separate species distinct from the Eurasian species. The two newly added species to the AOU Checklist are the Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) occurring on the Pacific Coast of North America and our familiar Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) found here in the East. The (Eurasian) Wren (T. troglodytes) is the species found in the Old World. The new genus for the brown towhees is misspelled; it should be MELOZONE (I inadvertently typed "Melzone" in the introductory explanation. The species listed in my post use the correct spelling Melozone). I mentioned that Crowned Slaty Flycatcher(Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus) was added to the Checklist. This species was actually added in 2009 to the overall North American checklist area (which includes Middle America) based on a record from Panama in 2007. Crowned Slaty Flycatcher is now added as new to the United States based on a specimen from Louisiana taken in 2008. In the previous checklist the name used was Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher. The hyphen has been removed to give the new English name, Crowned Slaty Flycatcher. Hope this helps. Sorry for any confusion. Cheers, Howard Horne Mobile, AL --- In albirds AT yahoogroups.com, "Howard Horne" wrote: > > Hi all, > > The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) has released its Fifty-first supplement to the checklist of North American Birds in the latest issue of their journal The Auk. There are several changes that apply to Alabama birds and many others are of interest for traveling North American and World birders. Here are just a few of the many changes that are noteworthy: > > Our Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra) has been split from the nominate Old World form. The species gets the new name AMERICAN SCOTER (M. americana). > > Puffinus gravis previously known as Greater Shearwater is renamed GREAT SHEARWATER > > PACIFIC WREN (Troglodytes pacificus) occurring on the Pacific Coast of North America is newly recognized after being split from Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis). > > The genus Warbler genus Vermivora has been split. Orange-crowned Warbler (V. celata), Tennessee Warbler (V. peregrina), Nashville Warbler (V. ruficapilla), Virginia's Warbler (V. virginiae), Colima Warbler (V. crissalis) and Lucy's Warbler (V. luciae) are all moved into the genus OREOTHLYPIS. Also two Paurula species; Flame-throated Warbler and Crescent-chested Warbler, are moved into Oreothlypis. Blue-winged Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and Bachman's Warbler remain in the genus Vermivora. The Blue-winged Warbler gets a new scientific name (V. cyanoptera). Tropical Parula and Northern Parula remain in the genus Parula. > > The Waterthrushes are moved from the genus Seiurus to PARKESIA. The new names are: Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), and Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) > > The four brown towhees are moved from Pipilo into the genus MELZONE: > > Melozone fusca Canyon Towhee > Melozone albicollis White-throated Towhee > Melozone crissalis California Towhee > Melozone aberti Abert's Towhee > > The southwest subspecies of Whip-poor-will (subspecies arizonae) is split from the nominate form as a distinct species. It becomes the MEXICAN WHIP-POOR-WILL(Caprimulgus arizonae) and the nominate form is now the Eastern Whip-poor-will (C. vociferus). > > The genus PEUCAEA is resurrected for the several sparrow species formerly included in Aimophila: > > Peucaea carpalis Rufous-winged Sparrow > Peucaea ruficauda Stripe-headed Sparrow > Peucaea humeralis Black-chested Sparrow > Peucaea mystacalis Bridled Sparrow > Peucaea botterii Botteri's Sparrow > Peucaea cassinii Cassin's Sparrow > Peucaea aestivalis Bachman's Sparrow > > Also, the Five-striped Sparrow (Aimophila quinquestriata) is transfered to the genus Amphispiza. > > McCown's Longspur (Calcarius mccownii) is moved from the genus Calcarius to the monotypic genus RHYNCHOPHANES. > > White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps)and Crowned Slaty Flycatcher > (Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus) are added to the Checklist. > > The Order Pelicaniformes has been dismembered and rearranged considerably: > > The Tropicbirds are moved from the order Pelicaniformes to the new order PHAETHONTIFORMES. > > A new order, SULIFORMES, is created to include the Frigatebirds, Boobies,Cormorants, Darters, and their allies. > > Members of the family Ardeidae (e.g.Herons, Bitterns, and Allies) previously placed within the Order CICONIIFORMES are now moved to the Order Pelicaniformes (!) which includes the Pelicans, Herons, > Ibises, and Allies. The large Ciconiiformes now only includes the Storks (the single family Ciconiidae). > > The new order ACCIPITRIFORMES is split from the Falconiformes to include the Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies. > > There are many more changes. I am looking forward to fully reading the article later this evening. > > Cheers, > > Howard Horne > Mobile, AL > Subject: Re: Fw: CONSERVATION: Satipo road/Pampa Hermosa project From: Gunnar Engblom <gengblom AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:12:19 -0500 Thanks Greg for reposting this. And thanks to all for chipping in. The Rainforest Partnership project sailed up to 2nd place temporarily yesterday after some fund raising in Austin, but dropped down on 4th place again - just to just now make a sudden leap to second place a few minutes ago only 1200 dollars from first place. Follow the scoreboard here. http://www.globalgiving.org/leaderboards/green-open-challenge/ and donate here: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pampa-hermosa-peru/ Saludos Gunnar Engblom - in Peru! On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 5:15 PM, Greg D. Jackson wrote: > > > AL Birders: > > Just saw this from a reputable birding service in Peru. Looks like a nice > opportunity to help save a great area while both benefitting and engaging > the local community. I just donated through the GlobalGiving website (link > below to the proper project), and it is an easy and quick procedure. If lots > of folks gave just a little, it could go a long way in a place like this. > Time is short, so if you would like to help please do so soon. > > Thanks. > > Greg > > Greg D. Jackson > Birmingham, AL > g_d_jackson AT bellsouth.net > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Gunnar Engblom > To: NEOBIRD AT LISTSERV.UH.EDU > Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:24 AM > Subject: Fwd: Satipo road/Pampa Hermosa project > > Hi all > > Sent this mail already to the Birding Peru listserv so many on NeoOrn and > NeoBird have already recieved it, but I really think that others with > interest in conserving a unique forested road with a transect from > 1000-3600m of forest would be interested in chipping in. The project is run > by Austin based Non-profit RainForest Partnership. Donations are deductable. > Time is short only 36 hours left. Please forward this message as you feel > fit. Satipo road really has the chance of becoming a major eco-tourism and > research destination. > > Saludos > > Gunnar > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Gunnar Engblom > > Date: 28 July 2010 20:55 > > Hi all > > Only two more days left to support Satipo road and the Pampa Hermosa > community. > http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pampa-hermosa-peru/ > > Pampa Hermosa is the district that comprise Mariposa, Calabaza/Apaya and > Carrizales on the birding route known as Satipo road which house endemic > birds such as Eye-ringed Thistletail, Marcapata Spinetail (weskei race), > Fire-throated Metaltail, obscura ssp of Rufous Antpitta, Unstreaked > Tit-Tyrant, the undescribed Millpo Tapaculo and access to Black-spectacled > Brush-Finch and the undescribed Wren and Thornbird in the Andamarca valley > (Mantaro drainage). Birding is simply fantastic with spectacular birds such > as Cock of the Rock, Umbrellabird, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzal, > Black-chested and Solitary Eagles, Torrent Duck, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, > Sunbittern, Lyre-tailed and Swallow-tailed Nightjar, 45 species of > Hummingbirds and 53 species of Tanagers. The species composition reminds me > very much of Manu road. There is contineous forest habitat from around 1000m > to 3600m. > A more complete species list and birding information can be found on > Birding Peru http://www.birdingperu.com/peru/details.asp?idperu=26 > > The community is commited to conservation and RainForest Partnership is > doing great awareness work here. Right now the project is in fourth place in > the Global Giving Open Green Challange competition. If RP could sail up as a > winner, 10000 dollars extra would be granted. > The money will be used to build a basic community lodge with clean beds and > linen and working toilets and showers - as a minimum infrastructure to > promote tourism (not only birding) and leave some funding with the community > itself. There will also be workshops for the locals to learn to provide food > for visiting tourists (hygiene and presentation) and mapping of eco-tourism > in general such as waterfalls and cock-of-the-Rock leks. Other projects in a > near future include sustainable Butterfly and Orchid farming. > > So pretty please, make an effort to make a small donation (as little as 10 > dollars is possible) to the project on this link, With a basic lodge on > Satipo road, it will constitute as a budget alternative to Manu road in > which no flights are needed and accomodation is much less expensive - and > within the budget also for the growing numbers of Peruvian birders. Its > relative closeness to Lima and reachable from Satipo or Huancayo served by > economic comfortable sleeper nightbuses from Lima make Satipo road a winner. > The sooner the local community can be involved in a conservation and > eco-tourism the more habitat can be saved. At this point $7617 have been > raised 2 days and 2h left of the competion. The leader has raised just about > $3000 more. I calculate that if 5000 dollars can be donated on the final > stretch RP could win this. This email reach around 500 people I guess, so a > donation from each and everyone of 10 dollars would do the trick. > Personally, I have during this phase donated $161, so relatively few people > matching my own effort would also take us there. > Afterwards, you can be proud to have secured one of the best birding routes > in Peru. > > Saludos > > Gunnar Engblom > My latest blogpost: > > http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com/birdingperu/blog/index.php/50-years-happy-birthday-gunnar/ > > -- Gunnar Engblom-Lima, Peru. Gunnar's Blog - updated frequently. http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com/birdingperu/blog/ Follow me on www.twitter.com/kolibrix http://www.facebook.com/Gunnar.Engblom/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Broad-wings and "mosquito hawks" From: "Lucy and Bob Duncan" <town_point AT bellsouth.net> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:33:30 -0500 Hi all, Six Broad-winged hawks passing through our neighborhood in Gulf Breeze, extreme w. Panhandle should be a portend of things to come. The Santa Rosa peninsula is a hawk migration corridor. Regarding our recent posting on the 540 dragonfly / min. estimate Lucy made earlier today, we estimated 810,000 passing through in a 2 ½ hr period from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m through our neighborhood and they were still coming but slacking off somwhat. We got a report they were passing through Pensacola as well and through Dauphin Is. yesterday. I have tentatively identified them as Wandering Gliders with the help of suggestions from several of you. Good birding, Bob Duncan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]