[birdky] RPT: Black-capped Chickadee, et al. in eastern KY
- From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>
- To: "BIRDKY" <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 20:30:27 -0500
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
Other related posts:
- » [birdky] RPT: Black-capped Chickadee, et al. in eastern KY
