Below is a posting to a US mailing list about a remarkable avian event.
Syd
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From: "Martyn Stewart" <>
Reply-To:
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 22:17:28 -0700
To: "'Naturerecordists'" <>, "'Naturesound'"
<>
Subject: [Nature Recordists] Migrating birds
Amazing story from last night......
Last night a low misty/rainy weather system set of Ithaca. At about 10:00p,
while I was walking home, I became aware of the numerious night calls above
my head lower and more frequently then I had ever heard before. As soon as I
returned to the door of my residence my roommate (a fellow birder) calls me
to exclaim, "Colin, get to the stadium right now and bring your binoculars!
There are birds all over the place, they're falling out of the sky!"
Moments later I was driving up to the stadium, the flood lights were still
on because of band practice which was just wrapping up, and there were
hundreds of birds some nearly missing my cars headlights others just sitting
on the ground. Once out of the car the night calls washed over me, looking
up at the lights there seemed to be swarms, as you would imagine the gnats
in spring, of passerines flying around them. In the trees nearby, just as if
a bee's nest had been disturbed, more passerines bubbled from the leaves.
Over the next five minutes we attempted to sort through the birds in the
parking lot while waiting for renforcements who were arriving rapidly. After
15 of us had gathered, which took about 7 mintues we moved down into the
unlocked, well-lit, stadium. The much better lighting within the stadium
unveiled many more birds in the surrounding trees, bushes, bleachers and the
recently band-free field.
We all stood in disbelief at the spectacle around us, Cm. Yellowthroat were
cacthing moths from the TOPS of trees, Savannah Sparrows littered the feild,
butter-butts dripped off leaves fly to and from the empty bleachers. The
experience was unparalell, I would never be accurately able to discribe such
a sight. I wish we had a video camera. Here the list of birds that we as a
group saw/heard (everyone saw/heard 98% of them). Attached is a link to more
photos. This experience could have been the largest fallout in in-land north
america. 17 species of warblers in 2.5 hours at midnight!!!
Good Birding
Colin Thoreen
Great Blue Heron (8+)
heron sp. (1, possibly a bittern, seen from my house by Tim and myself)
Green Heron (10+)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Killdeer (1+)
Semipalmated Plover (1+)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
possible Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Pectoral Sandpiper (1)
possible Wilson's Snipe (1)
Mourning Dove (2+)
cuckoo sp. (1)
Belted Kingfisher (1!)
Eastern Phoebe (1+)
Wood Thrush (2 on ground, many overhead)
Swainson's Thrush (many overhead)
Gray-cheeked Thrush (many overhead)
Hermit Thrush (1 on ground, quite a few overhead)
Gray Catbird (4+ on the ground, 1 heard calling apparently overhead from my
house -
possibly unprecedented?)
American Pipit (2+)
Northern Parula (4+)
Tennessee Warbler (1)
Nashville Warbler (1)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1)
Magnolia Warbler (4+)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (15+)
Blackburnian Warbler (1)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (400++)
Black-throated Green Warbler (8+)
Palm Warbler (20+)
Bay-breasted Warbler (2)
Blackpoll Warbler (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (1)
American Redstart (2)
Ovenbird (1, specimen later obtained)
Common Yellowthroat (45++)
Hooded Warbler (1)
Scarlet Tanager (1)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2+)
apparent BLUE GROSBEAK (2-3!, I heard these birds and I agree that they are
consistent with recordings and what I remember of Blue Grosbeak calls, but I
will
lieave it to those who identified these birds to provide additional details)
Indigo Bunting (2+)
DICKCISSEL (4+, calling overhead, often low)
Bobolink (6+)
Chipping Sparrow (few heard overhead, none on ground)
Savannah Sparrow (200+ on astro-turf at one time, many dozens more in trees,
parking
lots, and overhead. probably over 1000 on the night!)
White-crowned Sparrow (4: 1 ad, 3 juv)
White-throated Sparrow (3+)
Swamp Sparrow (2)
Check out additional pictures:
http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/mgh27/footballfallout.html
Martyn
****************************************
Martyn Stewart
Bird and Animal Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
http://www.naturesound.org
Redmond. Washington. USA
N47.65543 W121.98428
e-mail:
Tel: 425-898-0462
Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat!
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