[birdky] McElroy 9 May 2008
- From: David Roemer <dlroemer@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bird ky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 20:19:45 -0700 (PDT)
The heavy overcast and drizzle had many birds grounded this morning. This
afternoon, the clearing skies and Peregrine Falcon attacks put most shorebirds
on the road. Several observers were present off and on during the day with the
following highlights:
Probably in excess of 4000 shorebirds with many not seen until the falcons
appeared in the afternoon putting the birds in the air. Numbers below are very
conservative as counts/estimates were made before I was able to go through all
the birds. Upon arrival of the first hunting falcon, approximately half of the
shorebirds which became visible in the air departed and others left with
subsequent Peregrine visits. There were still approximately 1500 shorebirds
present when I left near sunset, with Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers
accounting for most. Species of interest recorded today are listed below.
Canada Goose
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon (2)
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant (2 fly-over flocks totalling appr. 120)
Northern Harrier
Peregrine Falcon (2 birds hunting together observed at 2 different times.
Singles observed 3-4 times with 2 making kills of which appeared to be Least
Sandpipers. Both of these birds thermalled up and left with their prey rather
than eating at the site. I've seen Ospreys make a catch during migration and
depart with it but dont' remember seeing Peregrines do this before.
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover (1000-1200)
Piping Plover (unbanded male)
Greater Yellowlegs (4-5)
Lesser Yellowlegs (300-400+)
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper (40-50)
Western Sandpiper (2)
Least Sandpiper (~2000)
White-rumped Sandpiper (15-20)
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper (25-30)
Dunlin (~12)
Stilt Sandpiper (7)
Dowitchers: A sweep of the shoreline around the lake with the scope early
revealed 80-85. Most left before I had time to study them. The distant birds
that I could see clearly enough to have an idea of their identity appeared to
be Short-billed. Of those close enough to study before they departed:
Short-billed Dowitcher (26)
Long-billed Dowitcher (1)
Wilson's Phalarope (A scan of the shoreline before count revealed most at the
south end with seveal more along the western shore. I counted 22 at the south
end but the others were flushed by Peregrines before I could complete a count.
Probably ~30 total)
Herring Gull (An adult dropped in for about 30 minutes late afternoon. There
was also an immature gull present early which I believe was a 2nd or 3rd cycle
Herring which must have departed while the shorebirds were being studied or
when the Peregrines showed up. I never found it again to confirm the ID)
Black Tern (3)
All swallow species including ~400 Bank
Marsh Wren (flushed along lane at south end)
American Pipit (~100)
Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows in song all day
Bobolink (fly-over calling)
David L. Roemer
Bowling Green, Ky.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS==============
The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign
your messages with first & last name, city, &
state abbreviation.
--------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to:
birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
--------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send e-mail to:
birdky-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY
E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx
Other related posts:
- » [birdky] McElroy 9 May 2008
