Whiteblaze A.T. bird list 2010

[emerald]

This thread is a blatant attempt to motivate people to do something other than post.

The 1st person to post a sighting of each species gets credit for it. We will need to know where and when you saw it and may take your word for it. Post questionable sightings and expect to be questioned.

The top WhiteBlaze A.T. birder will be recognized at the end of the year. We're already more than 3 months behind, so let's get busy!

[emerald]

I could list a hundred AT species without stepping foot one on the AT. . . .

Sorry to disappoint you. Only entries for 1st-hand sightings from the A.T. count toward the total. We accept linked entries, but the credit goes to the A.T. hiker who posted the sighting first.

We are expecting your posts to help put us over 200.

[max patch]

Thats a battle between Emerald and RickB. The rest of us don't have a chance.

[emerald]

Sure you do. I'm declaring myself ineligible. Besides, any through hiker has more time to devote to it than I do.

The easy birds will go fast and credit for them will go to those who sieze the opportunities. I was more interested in us working together to see if we could break Chet's 105 and if so how far beyond it we can go. Maybe we could adopt a one bird per person policy to encourage more individuals to participate, but why wait for those who may never show?

If no one lists Peregrine Falcon before October and I can get a good day off, I'll see if I can pick up one for us at Bake Oven Knob.

[emerald]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1000864&postcount=235

[emerald]

Start by listing the easy birds and we'll figure out where to find the tougher birds.

[emerald]

Berks County Nature Blog

Not sightings from the A.T. proper, but close enough to indicate what birds were present nearby.

[warraghiyagey]

Saw 2 Loons in Monson's Lake Hebron 2 weeks ago. . .

[emerald]

Cool, wargy claims Common Loon! Anyone else who sees a loon should post it. but only wargy = +1, provided we can accept he saw a loon from the A.T. in Monson. This thread could be time consuming if we have posters fishing for fish-eating birds on blue-blazes or no-blazes.

Everyone who wants to keep score should keep his or her own and simply list your birds. I'd like to read about sightings, but have already lost interest in keeping score.

[warraghiyagey]

Cool, wargy claims Common Loon! Anyone else who sees a loon should post it. but only wargy = +1, provided we can accept he saw a loon from the A.T. in Monson. This thread could be time consuming if we have posters fishing for fish-eating birds on blue-blazes or no-blazes.

Umm. . . check the AT map as it travels south of Monson. . . the trail travels down along the shoreline for a few hundred yards. . . the reason I stopped posting my bird sightings shades of gray. . . is because you suck the fun out of it. . . plain and simple. . . .

[emerald]

What is your idea of fun with respect to this thread? I'm hesitant to ask, but will. I don't expect a list fit for posting to eBird and even they are quite forgiving with respect to beginners allowing broad categories in some cases where identification may be difficult.

I am interested in participation, but this is meant to be a serious thread where readers might come for advice on where to find particular birds. It's in the News and Updates forum, not humor. If I'd wanted it there, I would have put it there and had altogether different expectations for it.

So we have our 1st bird, a Common Loon. Thank you for your contribution. Just trying to define the parameters for people who are reading and they're pretty simple. An A.T. bird is any bird seen from the A.T.

[warraghiyagey]

So as I said, check the AT map if you need to. . . saw 2 loons on the lake just south of Monson 2 weekends ago. . . from the trail. . . I wasn't talking about humor. . . I was talkin about reporting a bird sighting to you and you denying the possiblility.. . . like I said - sucking the fun out of responding - it's too bad because I really do enjoy bird-watching but it is insufferable trying to respond to your threads . . . I'll just keep my future sightings to myself. . .

[emerald]

If you cannot tolerate someone questioning your sightings and do not wish to discuss them, maybe we would all be happier if you were refrain from posting them, but I believe A.T. hikers would benefit from your participation and a discussion of your loon post in particular since it may be the one species hikers desire most to see and hear. Loons will of course be a topic of Maine A.T. birds which can be expected soon.

Regardless, my offer to send you the report I made earlier still stands. If you wish to read it, I'll be happy to forward it.

[Pedaling Fool]

This is strange, I never would have guessed it. Seems like if you want to attract some birds to your feeder and notice that your neighbor consistently has far more birds than you, it may be because you are using organically grown seeds.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7130240.ece


Garden birds turn up their noses at organic bird seed and cannot be tricked into changing their minds. A three-year study by the University of Newcastle that monitored birds’ feeding patterns showed that they had a strong preference for conventional seed, with significantly more being consumed than organic alternatives. Analysis of the bird seed found that seed grown with fertilisers and pesticides had an average 10 per cent higher protein content, which helped the birds to survive the winter.

Even when feeders with organic and non-organic wheat seeds of the same variety were swapped around the birds could still easily spot the difference.

Other differences between wheat samples, such as mycotoxin levels, grain size, energy content or pesticides, could not explain the preferences shown by the birds.

While consumers buy organic foods because they consider them to be healthier, the research showed that the factors governing food choice in human beings and in animals and birds are not the same.
The organic market now accounts for between 2 per cent and 3 per cent of food purchased in Europe and the US.

Dr Ailsa McKenzie from the university’s School of Biology, said that the findings may trigger debate on the merits of organic foods. But she said that the study had looked at “one aspect of the organic food debate — it does not take into account the long-term health implications of using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, or the often negative environmental impact of conventional farming.
“But it does raise questions about the nutritional benefits of organic food and what consumers are being led to believe.”

The findings are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

[JJJ]

Crows and Ravens in the Whitetop, VA area.

[JJJ]

Great blue heron northeast of Damascus and 2 miles south

A pair of mallard ducks northeast of Damascus

Heard a barred owl and whipoorwill 16 miles south of Damascus.

Hearing count?

[FritztheCat]

Saw a yellow bird that had the same markings of a scarlet tanager in Shenandoah National Park last weekend. Was looking through the bird book and it looks like it was a female. Brilliant yellow.

[emerald]

Heard a barred owl and whipoorwill 16 miles south of Damascus.

Hearing count?

Absolutely! Thank you for your posts.

[Tinker]

I saw a bunch of gold finches right at the ranger station at High Point last Wed.

[emerald]

Yesterday afternoon while participating in a BMECC hike:

A.T. Eagle's Nest Trail to Weiser State Forest

Red-eyed Vireo

Eagle's Nest Shelter BBT / Vista

Blue Jay
Eastern Wood-Pewee fly-catching from snag at vista
Scarlet Tanager (male) also at vista

SGL 110 Northkill Gap

Gray Catbird
Eastern Towhee
Veery
Wood Thrush