Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
I did a quick glance at a website that said Whoopers are the only big
birds that fly with their necks straight and these had straight necks. Another one said the first sighting in Aransas Pass occurred on the 25th, with a census count of two Whoopers. If about 50 show up in the next couple of days, I'll claim they are my Whoopers.......... }:-) "animaux" wrote in message ... Cranes or pelicans, but both are an amazing sight. On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 14:19:09 -0600, "cat daddy" wrote: I was at the dogpark at Riverside yesterday and saw flock of what appeared to be Whooping Cranes in low flight headed south. It was late in the afternoon and I would have thought they might be settling for the night, but they looked to be forming up after a rest and then flew off down I-35 in V-formation. Pretty cool. "Robbin" wrote in message ... I noticed white-wing doves gathered in large groups yesterday. I think they are likewise ready to head south. "Rusty Mase" wrote in message ... Black vultures and Turkey Vultures are "kettling" along the Loop 360 corridor and are heading south. There are a few hawks mixed in as well as a pair of Osprey. There are still a dozen or so perched in trees near my home waiting for the thermals along the north face of the Barton Creek valley to strenghen. At least they appear to be taking the approaching cold front seriously. Rusty Mase |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
I saw a hummingbird Monday--I went out my back door and he was right
there at some of my Cardinal Climber vine that crept up the railing to the back stairs. I think we both scared each other but he just flew over to the main vines on the fence and continued eating. The foilage on those vines looks bad now and I had thought about taking them out but they're still putting out flowers so I left them--I guess at least one bird is still using them although maybe he should have been on his way out of town by now? animaux wrote: On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 14:34:08 -0600, Rusty Mase wrote: Yes, there are some birds, like these, that have a permanent resident component and a migratory component. Others are variations of true permanent residents or true migratory birds. I also think naturalistically, Austin and surrounding areas are a part of a very large corridor. A corridor which has animals who only live in the corridor. Some live within and can go to either side of the corridor, but this is still pretty untouched around here. Still large hay fields and farms. I have not seen a hummingbird for several weeks now. And maybe we will be lucky and the grackles will all migrate to Mexico and forget how to get back. Rusty Mase Me neither. I saw one hummer about 3 weeks ago sopping up my S.mexicana and tithonia, etc. We had more hummers this year than any other year. I hope they made it down to Mexico through that hurricane. As for grackles, they were coming here to my large live oaks during the day. Boy are they noisy and did they get grackle spackle all over the place. The weather changed and they've not been back, but I did see a HUGE flock of them today on the road. I thought they were bats at first. That's a sign they are on their way off. Bye to them. Poor Benihanna's (sp?) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
"Briana Miriani" wrote in message kerage.com... | I saw a hummingbird Monday--I went out my back door and he was right | there at some of my Cardinal Climber vine that crept up the railing to | the back stairs. I think we both scared each other but he just flew over | to the main vines on the fence and continued eating. | The foilage on those vines looks bad now and I had thought about taking | them out but they're still putting out flowers so I left them--I guess | at least one bird is still using them although maybe he should have been | on his way out of town by now? | That's how ours look right now, also--just putting out a new flush of flowers, even though the leaves look bad. Now that it's cooler, we're also getting clockvine/Thunbergia flowers again. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
cat daddy wrote:
I did a quick glance at a website that said Whoopers are the only big birds that fly with their necks straight and these had straight necks. Another one said the first sighting in Aransas Pass occurred on the 25th, with a census count of two Whoopers. If about 50 show up in the next couple of days, I'll claim they are my Whoopers.......... }:-) Not saying they *weren't* whoopers, but we do get a lot of sandhill cranes through here, too. A lot of people mistake them for whoopers. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/fram...es/h2060p3.jpg Dale |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
Rusty Mase wrote: On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 16:50:57 GMT, animaux wrote: I have not seen a hummingbird for several weeks now. And maybe we will be lucky and the grackles will all migrate to Mexico and forget how to get back. Rusty Mase Haven't seen hummerw for two days now here in NE texas zone 7 but am wondering about the black birds and Grackles. They were thick as theives this time last year and have not come in yet although I did hear a crow calling day before yesterday. Haven't seen one yet. Wondering if WNV is effecting them. We do have infected birds in Lamar County. -- nTX USDA Z 7B Leona Non Commercial site http://www.geocities.com/tvksi/index.htm |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
"d.tilson" wrote in message ... cat daddy wrote: I did a quick glance at a website that said Whoopers are the only big birds that fly with their necks straight and these had straight necks. Another one said the first sighting in Aransas Pass occurred on the 25th, with a census count of two Whoopers. If about 50 show up in the next couple of days, I'll claim they are my Whoopers.......... }:-) Not saying they *weren't* whoopers, but we do get a lot of sandhill cranes through here, too. A lot of people mistake them for whoopers. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/fram...es/h2060p3.jpg Hmm, the straight neck theory sure seems to have been shot down by that photo............ However, these guys were white, not grey, although the black wingtips weren't as dramatic as the photos I found. Thanks for the picture. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
I've been unsure of the temperature warnings regarding hummingbirds ever
since we went to New Mexico and saw about a million of them hanging out in the mountains where it got in the 30-40F range every night. Anyone shed some light on this? "Briana Miriani" wrote in message kerage.com... I saw a hummingbird Monday--I went out my back door and he was right there at some of my Cardinal Climber vine that crept up the railing to the back stairs. I think we both scared each other but he just flew over to the main vines on the fence and continued eating. The foilage on those vines looks bad now and I had thought about taking them out but they're still putting out flowers so I left them--I guess at least one bird is still using them although maybe he should have been on his way out of town by now? animaux wrote: On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 14:34:08 -0600, Rusty Mase wrote: Yes, there are some birds, like these, that have a permanent resident component and a migratory component. Others are variations of true permanent residents or true migratory birds. I also think naturalistically, Austin and surrounding areas are a part of a very large corridor. A corridor which has animals who only live in the corridor. Some live within and can go to either side of the corridor, but this is still pretty untouched around here. Still large hay fields and farms. I have not seen a hummingbird for several weeks now. And maybe we will be lucky and the grackles will all migrate to Mexico and forget how to get back. Rusty Mase Me neither. I saw one hummer about 3 weeks ago sopping up my S.mexicana and tithonia, etc. We had more hummers this year than any other year. I hope they made it down to Mexico through that hurricane. As for grackles, they were coming here to my large live oaks during the day. Boy are they noisy and did they get grackle spackle all over the place. The weather changed and they've not been back, but I did see a HUGE flock of them today on the road. I thought they were bats at first. That's a sign they are on their way off. Bye to them. Poor Benihanna's (sp?) |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
Yes, it 's one of the things I love most about this part of the states. It's a
rich migratory path for most all birds, one or another. The hummer you saw may have been an immature male. Sometimes they stagger behind by several weeks or so. Either way, my garden is still teaming with nectars and the monarchs and red admirals are covering the landscape. victoria On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 11:42:48 -0600, "John T. Jarrett" wrote: Saw the first hummingbird in weeks just pulled up outside my window. Skinny thing, mostly light brown...hadn't seen one like it before. And a dove on the back fence yesterday...they must have been running ahead of this front we got today! Y'all were speaking of this area being a corridor. If you look at flight patterns, almost every single bird between Toronto and Maine will have to fly between us and New Orleans. I built a small wetland at Galveston for the Houston Audubon Society for the birds that fly over Houston. With all the farming in that rich coastal land, most of the fresh water has been filled in. These poor birds, haggard as all get out, fly from Mexico ACROSS that corner of the Gulf, and hit dry land with no clean water in sight with heavy salt encrusted feathers. Mind you most of them haven't slept in a long time at this point either! They loved that fresh water so close to the ocean. Anyway, we really do form a pretty important part of the migrating corridor! May your pumpkins survive the night! John T. Jarrett http://logontexas.com |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 12:19:41 -0600, Rusty Mase wrote:
On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 17:55:41 GMT, Karen Kay wrote: Where can I find information on flight patterns of birds? Karen, this pertains only to seasonal presence, but most of the bird ID books like Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds of Texas" provide some info on this and some years back one book, "A Bird Finding and Naturalist's Guide for the Austin, Texas, Area" provided a very convenient chart. Travis Audubon Society published that. Rusty Also, I would suggest you (Karen) look into actually taking the Master Naturalist certificate program. Kelly Bender (did I get that last name right?) from Texas Parks and Wildlife runs the program, or she did when I went through it. The amount of wonderful information about Texas is astounding. V |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
animaux wrote in
: Also, I would suggest you (Karen) look into actually taking the Master Naturalist certificate program. Kelly Bender (did I get that last name right?) from Texas Parks and Wildlife runs the program, or she did when I went through it. The amount of wonderful information about Texas is astounding. Thanks, Victoria. I'd like to, but I have to find a job, first. I haven't worked for over a year. -- Karen |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
"Terry Horton" wrote in message ... | On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 12:19:41 -0600, Rusty Mase | wrote: | | On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 17:55:41 GMT, Karen Kay wrote: | | Where can I find information on flight patterns of birds? | | Karen, this pertains only to seasonal presence, but most of the bird | ID books like Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds of Texas" provide | some info on this and some years back one book, "A Bird Finding and | Naturalist's Guide for the Austin, Texas, Area" provided a very | convenient chart. Travis Audubon Society published that. | | Wish there were something like this for bird calls. We occasionally | hear unusual birds that are too far back in the woods to hope to see. | There's fresh water down there for them all year 'round, and shelter | and food from the woods and stream. One lonesome sounding visitor I | think comes back here every year. | snip A quick Google on "recorded bird calls resulted in: http://www.naturesongs.com/pass.html There are others of course--Cornell Ornithological Laboratories used to have vinyl recordings. At lease some of the above recordings are made in Texas. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
Saw the first hummingbird in weeks just pulled up outside my window. Skinny
thing, mostly light brown...hadn't seen one like it before. And a dove on the back fence yesterday...they must have been running ahead of this front we got today! Y'all were speaking of this area being a corridor. If you look at flight patterns, almost every single bird between Toronto and Maine will have to fly between us and New Orleans. I built a small wetland at Galveston for the Houston Audubon Society for the birds that fly over Houston. With all the farming in that rich coastal land, most of the fresh water has been filled in. These poor birds, haggard as all get out, fly from Mexico ACROSS that corner of the Gulf, and hit dry land with no clean water in sight with heavy salt encrusted feathers. Mind you most of them haven't slept in a long time at this point either! They loved that fresh water so close to the ocean. Anyway, we really do form a pretty important part of the migrating corridor! May your pumpkins survive the night! John T. Jarrett http://logontexas.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Web Design - Program - Host - Maintain - Databases - E-Commerce $9.95 Nationwide Dial-Up ISP new customers welcome... --------------------------------------------------------------- "Robbin" wrote in message ... I noticed white-wing doves gathered in large groups yesterday. I think they are likewise ready to head south. "Rusty Mase" wrote in message ... Black vultures and Turkey Vultures are "kettling" along the Loop 360 corridor and are heading south. There are a few hawks mixed in as well as a pair of Osprey. There are still a dozen or so perched in trees near my home waiting for the thermals along the north face of the Barton Creek valley to strenghen. At least they appear to be taking the approaching cold front seriously. Rusty Mase |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Buzzards are Leaving
"animaux" wrote in message ... On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 17:50:41 -0600, "cat daddy" wrote: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/fram...es/h2060p3.jpg Hmm, the straight neck theory sure seems to have been shot down by that photo............ However, these guys were white, not grey, although the black wingtips weren't as dramatic as the photos I found. Thanks for the picture. Pelicans also fly with straight necks. Cranes make a honking noise, much like geese, but prettier. They fly very, very high up. Not to high to see with the naked eye, but to really identify them you'd need binoculars. Pelicans swoop around and around in formation. There are so few Whooping Cranes left it's scary. Upon further research, it was unlikely they were Whoopers. One site mentioned they don't fly in such large groups. The good news is this article reports 190 cranes are expected in the migration this year, up from 174 reported in a census last year. All in all it was pretty neat, no matter which species. I live near Longhorn dam and take my Labrador, Caitlin, wading in the Colorado when the level is down. The herons, egrets and other waterbirds make it pretty special there and it's easy to forget one is in the city. http://www.poncacitynews.com/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=34239?Local_Sports "Whooping Cranes typically migrate during the day in small groups of two to six birds and will occasionally join groups of migrating sandhill cranes," http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/whopcran.html "The whooping crane is the only large white bird with black wingtips that flies with its neck straight out in front, the legs trailing far behind." |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Leaving off hte lights | Freshwater Aquaria Plants | |||
Jackdaws to Buzzards | United Kingdom | |||
Moving and leaving ponds with fish! Suggestions for new | Ponds | |||
Something leaving 1 - 2" bare trails in grass - what is it? | Gardening | |||
Leaving my algae in the dark | Freshwater Aquaria Plants |