FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT: Black-capped Chickadee, et al. in eastern KY

["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>]

I was over in eastern Kentucky Wed-Thurs. There have been posts to both the 
Virginia and West Virginia listserves concerning irruptive Black-capped 
Chickadees so I was hoping I might run into some. I didn't see any in various 
locales in Rowan and Morgan counties, so late on Wednesday I ran by the 
"epicenter" of the past few irruptions in northeastern KY, the vicinity around 
Blaine and Yatesville Lake WMA in Lawrence County. After about an hour of 
searching every flock of titmice-chickadees I could find, I finally had ONE 
Black-capped Chickadee come in with a flock of 6-8 Carolinas. In fact, this 
bird was at the EXACT spot where Mark Monroe and I had a pair of Black-caps 
several years ago! The bird was similar in appearance to irruptive birds in 
past years, with VERY obvious whitish edges to secondaries and greater coverts 
and a thin but very noticeable whitish edge to the outer tail feathers. The 
lower edge of the black bib was ragged and the colors were a bit richer. Also 
similar to many of the past birds, it was VERY inquisitive at the squeak and 
subsequently the fee-bay song and calls of one on a tape I played. This morning 
I put a make-shift feeder from a 2-liter bottle full of sunflowers up in case 
anyone gets back in this area to look for the bird. It is along the unnamed 
road that runs along the north side of Blaine Creek between KY 201 south of 
Cherokee and Irish Creek Road. The feeder is along a woods edge on the south 
side of the road near a pulloff just under 1.0 mile east of KY 201. 
 
Other highlights from 5-6 Dec:
 
Osprey - one over Cave Run Lake on 5 Dec
 
Winter Wren/Brown Thrasher/Hermit Thrush/both kinglets/Fox Sparrow - small 
numbers seen at scattered locales on the WMA both days
 
I stayed at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park last night; the feeders outside the 
dining room had at least 40 Am Goldfinches, at least 2 Pine Siskins, and a 
female Purple Finch.
 
Lapland Longspur -- flock of 11 in the open ground next to the Yatesville Lake 
Corps of Engineers office late 5 Dec (in the midst of a very beautiful 1" 
snowfall that stuck on everything execept the roads! 
 
Yatesville Lake flats across from KY 32, Lawrence Co., 6 Dec -- in brief stop 
at this location, heard overhead Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs, and saw 12 
American Pipits and 2 Chipping Sparrows.
 
bpb, Frankfort