[birdky] RPT: Morgan County EVENING GROSBEAKS!!!
- From: brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: BIRDKY <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:14:28 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
Amy Covert, Brian Wulker, and I checked out the eBird report of Evening
Grosbeaks in Morgan County this morning. I had begun to think I might never see
or hear them again in Kentucky, but there they were, phantoms from the past!
Up to about a dozen birds have been seen for the past couple of months in two
yards near Woodsbend in western Morgan County. Bill "Bud" and Brenda Angus
reported them to the Great Backyard Bird Count on Saturday, but apparently they
have been sharing the flock with Norman & Betty Elam, who live about 1/2 mile
away along KY 705 west of West Liberty. From what we saw today, I think they
will be more reliably found at the Elam's, who have more feeders and a yard
with a bit less traffic. We saw the birds come in twice in about 1.5 hours from
1030 to noon. Both times visits by raptors frightened them away. We initially
saw 5 including a male, but Norman said he'd counted at least 3 males recently,
and when a kestrel zoomed into the yard around noon, a flock of 11 including at
least 3 males flew out and circled around to land in a tall deciduous tree
several hundred yards up the hill from the yard.
Both the Anguses and the Elams report that the birds typically are much more
reliable during the morning, but that they have not been seeing them as often
for the past few weeks. However, I can't imagine that they are just going to up
and leave after being around for a couple of months at this point in the winter.
Both the Anguses and the Elams welcome visitors, but not before 900 am. If you
care to visit, you can call the Elams at 606/743-3677 to let them know you are
coming. They live at 5065 Hwy 705, which is between US 460 and KY 772
essentially at the community of Woodsbend(DeLorme p. 40, block I-3). I noted
this morning that the Elam's address does not come up to the correct place in
Google Maps, but I didn't try Mapquest. Coming from Hwy 772, you pass by Mile
Markers 13 and lower to Mile Marker 10; the Elams are just past MM 10 in a
brick ranch house on the right up on the hill with marked mailbox on the
opposite (north) side of the road at the end of their driveway. If you are
coming from US 460, their place will be almost to MM 10. It is *very* easy just
to sit in the car or stand in the driveway and watch the birds come and go to
their feeders in the back yard.
The Anguses live just down Hwy 705 (around a couple of curves) to the east and
again on the south side up on the hill at the Community Church (Bud is the
pastor); their feeders are on both sides of their brick home which is just past
the church as accessed off Hwy 705 at the blacktop lane with the "Flatwoods
Cemetery" sign. As mentioned earlier, we did not see the grosbeaks there this
morning, but that is where they were reported from yesterday to the GBBC.
Anyone who has not visited this area should be prepared to see the devastation
caused by the March 2012 tornado that struck downtown West Liberty. The Elams
lost some barns, but their house was just south of the tornado's path; the
Community Church had to have a new roof, but it also fell just outside the main
path.
After visiting Morgan County, we returned to Cave Run Lake, where Brian had 50
gorgeous Redheads scouted out for us at the Minor Clark Fish Hatchery. Other
species seen included 9 Northern Pintail, a few Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, and
Buffleheads (Shallow Flats Ponds), and scattered Horned Grebes.
I will post some pics to the KOS Flickr site this evening.
bpb, Louisville
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