Birds

[Brenda]

Here's a link to the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory (say that three times fast): http://www.bbbo.org/

and here's some more info on Mute Swans in NY: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7076.html

[Matt]

I had no idea Braddock Bay was such a big deal. I guess it's really the only protected Ontario Marsh left in the area.

[cbobcat49]

I was wondering if any of our in-house bird experts can take a stab at this one: A few moments ago there was a mourning dove sized bird perched on our telephone wire. It was the same color as a mourning dove - gray-tan. Except it had a splash of bright red on the back of its head. It flew off before I could get a picture of it. It's call was a high pitched 2 notes "EEEEE-ew". Something like that.

Chris

[Brenda]

My guess would be a Northern (Yellow-Shafted) Flicker.

[Matt]

Found this article:
Birds Help Trees Soar
http://www.livescience.com/environment/ ... trees.html

Majestic trees owe a sizeable chunk of their sky-high stature to tiny birds.
Birds boost tree height up to 33 percent by munching on pesky parasites that can literally suck the life out of the tall-growing plants, a new study shows.
"In a nutshell ... the presence of these birds in pine forests increased the growth of the trees by helping to rid them of damaging insects," said Kailen Mooney, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Birds remove harmful species of beetles, caterpillars, ants and aphids from branches, Mooney explained, increasing the vigor of trees. His findings are detailed in the August issue of the journal Ecology.
The avian activity also changes the chemical "flavor" of the trees by boosting terpenes—chemicals found to repel tree-eating pests such as bark beetles as well as porcupines and squirrels.
"More than anything, this study underscores the importance of preserving the ecological communities in the forest and not just the trees," Mooney said.

[Brenda]

Very cool! I never thought about it, but it makes total sense.

[Matt]

While at Holley Falls we found that watch the Bohemian Waxwings catch flying insects to be highly enjoyable. They seem to show off and you can get very close. They are very beautiful-looking birds.

[Matt]

Ok, maybe they are Cedar Waxwings. I checked anohter guide and the Bohemian ones seem to have a bit more color.
Plus Brenda and Shana also tell me they of the cedar variety.
The only way to know for sure though is to catch one and ask it myself.