{BIRD NOTES} ~ June 18, 2013

 

Bird Notes

 

Cecropia Moth ~ Photo by Carol Schnabel

 

The Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) is North America's largest native moth. It is a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. Females with a wingspan of six inches (160 mm) or more have been documented. It is found as far west as the Rocky Mountains and north into the majority of Canadian provinces.  The larvae of these moths are most commonly found on maple trees, but they have been known to feed on cherry and birch trees among many others.  Like all members of the Giant Silk Moth family, the nocturnal adult cecropia moths are designed only to reproduce, lacking functional mouthparts or digestive system. Therefore, they survive a maximum of about two weeks.

---Wikipedia

 

 

Strange Syrup Sipper

Two different days this week I've had a Catbird at the hummingbird feeder at the West B. Post Office.  I've never had a non-hummer at one of those feeders before - have you or anyone else?

---Hollie Bowen, Brattleboro

 

 

Please Take in Your Bird Feeders

How distressing it is to me that folks still have their feeders up, even though they "take them in at night." Seed spills on the ground while the birds are feeding and still attracts not only bears but racoons. Would you please encourage folks to take their feeders down in April and put them back up in the late fall. The birds will manage fine without them.

---Karen Murphy, West Guilford, VT

**NOTE: There is a new state law taking affect on July 1, 2013, addressing feeding of the bears. I have sent out a copy of the news release to all who subscribe.

 

 

Birding in Colorado

A few weeks ago while the rest of you were enjoying the peak of our eastern migrants, brother Rich and I visited Colorado to search for some western species. Briefly, we began in Denver, headed southward exploring the Rocky Mountain foothills through Colorado Springs and Pueblo, then to the wide-open plains that were highlighted by the Pawnee National Grasslands, finishing up with a few days in Rocky Mountain National Park. Most birders travel to Colorado earlier in season targeting Prairie-chickens and Sage-grouse on their leks. We decided to forego the opportunity of cross-state drives and pre-dawn birding, and opted for better late May weather. The strategy worked, as we had 14 days of glorious weather, identifying 181 species that included 15 new lifers for me. To my great satisfaction I was able to finally find two nemesis birds . . . the Yellow-headed Blackbird (should have had it long ago), and Clark's Grebe (to complete the North American grebes). Oddly enough, one of the trip highlights was Tree Swallows (yes, Tree Swallows) at one location where they were feeding en masse all around us on a hatch of some insect on the sagebrush....an amazing Hitchcockian display. Go figure . . . we head cross-country to be delighted by Tree swallows.
---Greg Prelich

 

 

Montague Sandplains in MA for Whip-poor-wills

A couple of years ago Bob Engel led an excursion to Montague Sandplains in MA to listen to, and perhaps see, Whip-poor-wills. As I was traveling at that time I had to miss it. I went back this year and, although I didn't get a good look at the birds, they were close enough to allow me to record their calls which I published in my blog:

http://onejackdawbirding.blogspot.com/2013/06/vanishing-whip-poor-wills.html

 

Montague Sandplains WMA is a unique pine barrens area maintained by controlled burning and mowing. My post contains a link to Joshua Rose's excellent description on the Hitchcockcenter.org website:

http://hitchcockcenter.org/index.php/blog/blog_entry_50th/429

For anybody interested in going there I put a map with directions on my post. It's about a 45 min drive from Brattleboro.

---Hilke Breder, Brattleboro, VT

 

 

 

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Please share your birding news with us.

Any new migrants?

What have you seen while on a trip?

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Al Merritt

chpmnkx@sover.net

SVAS   www.sevtaudubon.org