BIRD NOTES ~~~~~ September 28, 2006

Bird Notes

Ciao to the Western Reef Heron

The month long visit by the rare Western Reef Heron has apparently come to an end. It has not been seen in a few days and speculation has it that it and its close friends the Snowy Egrets have headed to warmer climes. It would be nice if it stopped off at Plum Island to give more birders a look at this handsome rarity.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker a Floridian?

On May 21, 2005 Dr. Geoff Hill, ornithology professor at Auburn University, and two research assistants, Tyler Hicks and Brian Rolek, took a kayak trip down the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida panhandle. Within an hour of launching their boats, they heard a bird hammering loudly on a tree. When the bird flew off through the canopy, Brian got a clear view of a large woodpecker with white on both the upper- and underside of the trailing edge of the wings. An hour later, Geoff heard a double knock, the diagnostic display raps of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Read the entire article at: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/

Vernon Birds

Our latest birds of interest are a Pileated Woodpecker on Rt. 142 in Vernon. I've also seen a male and a female Northern Harrier on the Miller Farm. Yesterday the Woodcock would hardly get out of the way of my tractor. I have also noticed that Teal ducks are making an appearance at the farm pond.

---Paul Miller, Vernon

A Rarity in Putney

Kai Reed emailed me saying he had a SAY’S PHOEBE in a field in the vicinity of Putney School, as he is a boarding student there. He is a very good birder and I would say the sighting is very reliable! However, Hector Galbraith and I searched the area later and could not find the bird.

---Taj Schottland, Putney

West River Ducks

Along with the hundred or so Canada Geese, we scoped 3 Great Blue Heron and 6 Green-winged Teal that were asleep on the sandbar.

Plum Island, Massachusetts

There were two American Avocets swishing their bills back and forth on Monday morning as they walked side by side at Joppa Flats. Both species of Yellowlegs and many Short-billed Dowitchers. Hundreds of Bonaparte Gulls were in the air and on the flats. Once on the Refuge we started our bird list with a Saltwater Sharp-tailed Sparrow. At the Salt Pannes we added Great Egret, Mute Swan, Pied-billed Grebe, 100+ American Wigeon and a flyover by an Osprey. At North Pool Overlook we watched 2 Whimbrel gleaning the grassy meadow. At Hellcat we added several Gadwall and watched an immature Northern Harrier on the dike jumping up and down in a clump of dry mown grass. It would leap into the air with the hay in its talons. Then land and quickly look around to see if anything of interest had run out. Nothing ever did and it flew on past us to meet up with a second Harrier further down the dike. At Stage Island Pool we counted a dozen or so Black-bellied Plover, a few Peep and the ever present DC Cormorants drying their wings in the warm sunlight.

All told we counted 52 species on a gorgeous day at the coast.

Al & Barb Merritt

W. Brattleboro, VT