BIRD NOTES ~ Oct. 14, 2008

Bird Notes

 

Vermont Public TV (PBS) Program Note

Oct. 26: Sunday at 8 p.m., “Nature” presents “White Falcon, White Wolf” It traces the perilous parenthood of two species, white Gyrfalcons and Arctic Wolves, on Canada’s remote Ellesmere Island.

 

 

Birding Behind the Marina & Environs

I’ve been birding the swampy edges on the east and north sides of the cornfield behind the Marina Oct.2, 3, and 6 in the late afternoon. Each time, I’ve spotted 2 Lincoln Sparrows, a few white-crowned sparrows-1 mature, 4 immature, several swamp sparrows, many savannahs, a few chipping sp, white throated sp, and song sp. Who knows what other sparrows are skulking about...? On Oct 6 I got a nice look at 1 rusty blackbird at the north end of the field; my first of the year.  Also noted there: indigo buntings, palm warblers, myrtle warblers, c. yellow throats, killdeer, b-h vireo, db cormorant, gbh, 10 wood ducks, gw teal, 100’s of c. geese, red tailed hawk, 20-30+tv’s, etc. On the water yesterday at the Meadows were 13 c. mergansers. Behind the water treatment plant a marsh wren popped up and perched on the tall weeds for a bit of a show. Good Birding.

---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro, VT

 

 

A Very Lucky Bird

A new species made an appearance at the Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch near Oneonta, NY on 9/24, when a Macaw flew in and perched in a tree near the lookout.  Richard Hendrick, one of the counters that day, happened to have in his lunch a banana which he took out and held up.  The bird promptly flew down and landed on his shoulder where it devoured the fruit and remained the rest of the day.

 

An interesting enough experience, but the rest of the story is even better.  At the end of the count, Richard and Steve Hall contacted a local veterinary clinic who sent someone up to get the bird.  They

checked it over (it was IDed as a Severe Macaw) and found it healthy, and over the next few days tried to locate the owner via ads, radio announcements and phone calls--with no success.

 

After a few days, the bird began talking.  It repeated the same three names over and over.  Soon one of the veterinarians recognized the names as those of his landlord's family!  He checked, and sure

enough, it was their pet.  He had no idea they owned a macaw.

 

It turned out the bird had gone out in their yard with the landlord's wife, which it often did.  But the husband came out to do some work and started up a chain saw, startling the bird off into the woods.  It was on the lam for 3 days before it appeared at the hawk watch a mile or so away.

 

A very lucky bird to have avoided the regular Cooper's Hawks tallied at the hawk watch, to have found a sympathetic shoulder to land on, and to have talked its way back home!

 

A picture is available at:

http://members.localnet.com/~amason1/Severe%20Macaw%20at%20FMHW.jpg.

---Andy Mason, Jefferson, NY 

 

Please keep us abreast of what birds you are seeing, whether at home or on a trip in or out of the Windham County area.

A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

 

Al Merritt

W. Brattleboro, VT

chpmnkx@sover.net