Birdnotes: Bird Notes ~ February 13, 2008

Bird Notes

Any of you who saw the PBS program last Sunday CRASH : Decline of Horseshoe Crabs/ Red Knots, must surely be as depressed as we were. We heard from a friend that it was reported on the radio yesterday that NJ is going to lift the horseshoe crab harvest moratorium. Obviously, if this is true, a very disappointing, insensible decision. But, everyone can fight on, collectively. Click on the link below.
http://www.njaudubon.org/Conservation/HSCrabAlert.html

Brattleboro Birding Highlights 2/9/08

Birding highlights from Brattleboro and Vernon Saturday morning: 1 LAPLAND LONGSPUR with 30 HORNED LARKS in the field and along the road by Vernon School; 6 species of woodpeckers: 1 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER eating bittersweet berries along our driveway, 1 N. FLICKER in a tree behind Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center with 1 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER on a couple trees to the north; 1 PILEATED WOODPECKER on E. Orchard Steet; several HAIRIES & DOWNIES noted at several locations throughout the morning; a flock of 30 EVENING GROSBEAKS, 8 PINE GROSBEAKS, and 15 GOLDFINCHES at feeders near BEEC on Bonnyvale Rd.; 10 HOUSE FINCHES,~ 12 ROBINS, 13 PINE GROSBEAKS, and 50 CEDAR WAXWINGS eating apples off of trees on Orchard St. just above New England Drive. A RED-TAILED HAWK was also circling at this location and 1 more RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was in a tree; a flock of ~80 CEDAR WAXWINGS, a perched RED-TAILED HAWK, and a MOCKINGBIRD were spotted around the water treatment plant on RT. 30 in Brattleboro; 1 BELTED KINGFISHER was perched on a snag over the Connecticut River south of Vernon Dam; also in Vernon -2 BALD EAGLES were perched next to their nest, the third RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER of the day, two more perched RED-TAILED HAWKS, and 1 Eastern Bluebird. (Many thanks to Dave for this great report--Al.)

---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro

I saw 5 PINE GROSBEAKS at the entrance to Vernon Green Nursing Home feeding in a cherry tree. My REDPOLL is back today and eating a lot of seeds. We also had a BARRED OWL in our backyard cherry tree. Our neighbor Paul Miller was able to get a couple of photos of it.

---Judy Farley, Vernon

New Species for the U.S.

I travel to Texas quite often, so I follow the RBAs there regularly. Yesterday, an ELAENIA was discovered on South Padre Island (I have birded there many times, and know the spot). The bird has tentatively been identified as a WHITE-CRESTED ELAENIA!

This would be a first North American record of a highly migratory species from South America. They already have an abundance of great photos of the bird! Just thought there may be people interested in the fantastic find.

---John Haas, Yankee Lake, NY

*NOTE: The White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay. See attached photo by Francisca Urria.