HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ditch@prefect.cc.bellcore.com (ditch,r l)
Subject: Re: Bluebirds in winter; Common in NJ?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: nj
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 20:09:52 GMT
Keywords: Bluebirds

In article <1993Jan8.172210.21438@cbnewsm.cb.att.com> ka1gt@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (robert.m.atkins) writes:
>Since the topic of bluebirds has come up, how common is it to see them
>here in NJ in winter? I was out last week and was quite suprised to see
>one flying around in the cold, wet weather. I was under the impression that
>they were spring/summer visitors here.
>
>Bob Atkins
>


They are seen year round in NJ.  I usually take birding groups to
the Great Swamp NWR at some point in winter (Jan-Feb) for views of
a few birds.  They are usually present at the Yard's Creek Reservoir
near Blairstown in NW NJ; also easy to see near Dingman's Ferry at
the upper end of the Delaware River.  We had them on both the Sandy
Hook and Assunpink CBCs.  I also often see them near Huber Woods
(Monmouth Co), Corbin City WMA (Atlantic Co), and once at Brigantine
NWR on a winter visit.

Always nice to see in winter, or any other time of year for that
matter.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| Richard Ditch, in the New Jersey "Wilderness"    Voice: 908-758-2284  |
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From: josh@pogo.cqs.washington.edu (Josh Hayes)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Townsend's Solitaire in Toronto
Date: 11 Jan 93 22:07:36 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: pogo.cqs.washington.edu

I'm surprised that veeries are that rare in Ontario. They
were pretty thick on the ground in SW Ohio when I lived
there a couple years ago, and it's really not that far
from SW Ohio to southern Ontario; maybe a couple hundred
miles tops.

It's the Townsend's Solitaire that interests me; it's one
of my nemesis birds. I had one sighting in Austin, Texas,
in 1987, but the ornithology professor just laughed when
I mentioned it, so I guess it was a blown i.d. (though,
frankly, I can't think what else it might have been).
What is good habitat/good region to find them in?

A previous nemesis bird was yellow-headed blackbirds, but
I managed to see them when we drove the Ryder from Ohio
to Seattle -- along the sides of the interstate in eastern
Washington! Easiest i.d. I've had in quite a while....

Josh Hayes

--
  Josh Hayes, Quantitative Sciences HR-20 U of Washington
  josh@mowgli.cqs.washington.edu             206 543-5004
       And I feel that the world should come with me
         When I rise through a crack in the Earth
From: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Joe Morlan)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: bluebirds and wrens:
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 10:53:02 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/20 - SeaHunt BBS, San Francisco CA

        ***** On 01-11-1993, Adam Winer wrote to All *****

AW> I was just in southern Mexico (Oaxaca);  the House Wrens
AW> there were of two types: the "Northern" House Wren (T.  a.
AW> aedon), the migrant from the North: these were all over the
AW> place in dry scrub.  We also saw one "Brown-throated" House
AW> Wren: I'm not sure if these are resident or migratory, and
AW> for the life of me, I can't remember what habitat it was
AW> in.

Actually there are two species of House Wrens that overlaps
slightly in Oaxaca.  The Northern House Wren (T. aedon) and the
Southern (Tropical) House-Wren (T. musculus).  The
"Brown-throated" Wren is a subspecies of the former but looks
more like the latter.  It is a bird of pine/oak woodland in the
mountains.


--  
Joe Morlan
UUCP: amdahl.com!kennel!125!20!Joe.Morlan
INTERNET: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG
"The views expressed above are those of Joe Morlan only."
Newsgroups: rec.birds
From: fease@dkas.enet.dec.com (Andrea Midtmoen Fease)
Subject: Re: Telling Jakes from Hens
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Marlboro MA
Date:  4 JAN 93 08:27:57    


In article <1i57n0INN3c0@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, br105@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeffrey A. Del Col) writes...
> 
>For the past several days I've had a flock of wild turkeys, sometimes
>as many as 21, parading through a field about fifty yards from my house.
>I can identify only one gobbler in the flock, but it would seem that there
>ought to be more than one male in the group.  I've noticed some wing
>flapping displays and threatening behavior among the other birds, but does
>anyone know a reliable method for telling the hens from the jakes(beardless
>males)?  BTW, when they take wing it's a magnificent sight, huge birds
>powering their way through the trees, dead leaves and twigs raining down
>as they head for another feeding ground.

     As an owner of some domestic bronze (dark) turkeys, and a friend of a 
breeder of these, I can tell you that one Tom can "service" 1-20 Hens.  So it
is quite possible that you only have one Tom in your wild flock.

     I used to think that fanning the tail, dropping the wings and "barking"
was a male trait, but my females do that during mating season.  It's almost
like the females are competing among themselves for the attention of the
male, not like mammals where the males compete.

     I don't know if there is a method to tell beardless Toms from Hens; with
our flock our friends picks them up and sexes them, but this is kind of
difficult with a wild flock ;^) !

					- Andrea
From: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Joe Morlan)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Townsend's Solitaire
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 18:17:02 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/20 - SeaHunt BBS, San Francisco CA

     ***** On 01-11-1993, Anthony L. lang wrote to All *****

ALL> There is a March, 1962 specimen from Pt.  Pelee; a photo
ALL> record from Dec.  1975 at Toronto; photo records of one bird
ALL> from winter 1986/87 at Mississauga (30 km w.  of Toronto),
ALL> and 6 sight records from Point Pelee to Toronto up to the
ALL> late 1970s and 8 more reports in the 1980s.  There are also
ALL> a few reports from northern and northwestern Ontario.

There are also numerous sight-records of Swainson's Thrush from
Christmas Bird Counts in California.  Unfortunately the vast
majority of them are incorrect.

--Joe Morlan, Albany, CA
Joe.Morlan@f28.n125.z1.fidonet.org.

--  
Joe Morlan
UUCP: amdahl.com!kennel!125!20!Joe.Morlan
INTERNET: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG
"The views expressed above are those of Joe Morlan only."
From: winer@husc10.harvard.edu (Adam Winer)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Sanderlings on the jetty
Date: 12 Jan 93 19:52:03 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc.winer.726868323
Distribution: usa

I don't remember the winter range of Sanderlings, but I still doubt
that these were Sanderlings.  Sanderlings inhabit sandy beaches
(is that the origin of their name?)

As far as visual clues are concerned, Sanderlings (in winter plumage)
are by far the palest of the small shorebirds.

To be honest, I can't think of any shorebirds beside Turnstones
that would be on a rocky shore there.  Anyone have any ideas?

Adam
-- 
Adam Winer              | The number you have reached is imaginary.
WINER@HUSC.HARVARD.EDU  | Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and
                        | try again.
From: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Joe Morlan)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Mexican sp. moving north
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 18:19:00 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/20 - SeaHunt BBS, San Francisco CA

     ***** On 01-11-1993, Anthony L. lang wrote to All *****

ALL>  Probably more likely what is happening is that they are
ALL> moving north with the increase in temperature that we have
ALL> been experiencing in the last half century.  Bird species
ALL> all over North America are moving northward.  In Ontario we
ALL> have seen the invasion of NORTHERN CARDINAL (Cardinalis
ALL> cardinalis), NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus polyglottos), and
ALL> TUFTED TITMOUSE (Parus bicolor) in the recent past without
ALL> any habitat change to the south of us.

It is the nature of successful species that to expand their range
to include all available habitat.  Changes in habitat are
probably more significant in encouraging the range extensions of
those southern species than any major warming trend.

While some species are expanding, others have ranges which are
contracting, and these include some "southern" species.  Here in
California there have been major range contractions of Elf Owl,
Northern Cardinal, Harris' Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Willow
Flycatcher and Gray Vireo.  At the same time species like Gray
Flycatcher, Hepatic Tanager, Virginia's Warbler, Broad-tailed
Hummingbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and Black Skimmer have all
expanded, some of them dramatically.

In many of these cases, the range expansion or contraction may
have been part of a long term ongoing process which we are only
beginning to monitor.  In other cases the changes are in response
to habitat changes caused by development or to pressure or
vacancies from other species as they change their ranges.  Other
cases may be just part of normal population cycles.

In no case, is a change in climate implicated in any of these
range changes.

In the long term, I believe climate changes are a major factor
in bird distribution, but it takes a really significant climate
change such as an Ice Age to make a real difference.  Sort term,
I don't think it's much of a factor.  E.g. the Carolina Wren has
been famous for expanding its range northward until beaten back
by the next cold winter.

--Joe Morlan, Albany, CA
Joe.Morlan@f28.n125.z1.fidonet.org.

--  
Joe Morlan
UUCP: amdahl.com!kennel!125!20!Joe.Morlan
INTERNET: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG
"The views expressed above are those of Joe Morlan only."
From: mas@icf.hrb.com (Mark A. Singer)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Help the Bluebirds
Date: 7 Jan 93 14:43:50 EST
Organization: HRB Systems, Inc.

In article <1993Jan6.134112.19898@icf.hrb.com>, mas@icf.hrb.com (Mark A. Singer) writes:
>    HELP.... the Bluebirds make a comeback. Hand made bluebird houses 
>             and instructions where to install. Mailed UPS same day check
>             or money order recieved.
> 
> 
>                                     Send to   Mark A. Singer
>                                               RD 3 box 120
>                                               Howard PA. 16841
> 
>     
>                 
> 
> 
            SORRY I forgot to say the houses are $ 10.00
            A plan to build your own bluebird house is $ 3.00

            Many other houses for cavity dwelling birds are available.
            Send for free brochure of houses and price list.
Newsgroups: rec.birds
From: tony@zoo.toronto.edu (Anthony L. Lang)
Subject: Re: Everglades recovery
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 20:21:26 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

I saw a brief report on TV that included interviews from
biologists in Florida.  They were concerned that the new
space opened up when the hurricane knocked down tropical 
hardwoods would be colonized by the many exotic species that
are now established in south Florida.  If this were to happen,
the rest of the ecosystem would probably suffer.
-- 

Anthony Lang
Dept. of Zoology, 
University of Toronto
From: bt768@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Orville L. Ballard)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: What is a Green Parakeet?
Date: 9 Jan 1993 16:13:09 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


I am not an expert birder, just someone who enjoys feeding, watching
and reading. The last time i stayed at the Fort Brown Hotel in 
Brownsville the palms around the parking lot were full of both
of these birds late in the afternoon. As to the question of feral
versus vagrant or migratory we have a number of Mexican species
rapidly being forced northward due to the destruction of habitat
in northern Mexico,. I live about 120 miles north of Brownsville.
I saw my first green jay along the border close to McAllen about 
12 years ago. This morning my feeders are over run with them and I
understand they are now fairly common 100 miles north of here.
They are now the most common and dominant bird             at my feeders.

The same story for anis. In the spring we have flocks of them 
in the yard and had one pair nest here last summer. I think as
we continue to have habitat destruction due to the population 
explosion along the border we will see more and more Mexican 
species appearing at our feeders.
From: mas@icf.hrb.com (Mark A. Singer)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Help the Bluebirds
Date: 6 Jan 93 13:41:11 EST
Organization: HRB Systems, Inc.

   HELP.... the Bluebirds make a comeback. Hand made bluebird houses 
            and instructions where to install. Mailed UPS same day check
            or money order recieved.


                                    Send to   Mark A. Singer
                                              RD 3 box 120
                                              Howard PA. 16841
From: willner@head-cfa.harvard.edu (Steve Willner)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: BLUEBIRDS, RI, USA
Date: 11 Jan 93 19:45:09 GMT
Organization: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA,  USA


In article <1il42uINNput@early-bird.think.com>, sandee@Think.COM
(Daan Sandee) writes: 
> 50 CFR 20.71 reads :
> "No person shall at any time, by any means or in any manner, take, possess,
> transport, or export any migratory bird, or any part, nest, or egg of
> any such bird, in violation of any act of Congress or any regulation
> issued pursuant thereto."

This is obviously incomplete without an enumeration of the "act(s) of
Congress" and the "regulation(s) issued pursuant thereto."  (In fact,
taken literally, the citation is nearly meaningless since it only
applies when _another_ law, perhaps trespassing on Federal land, is
violated.  Of course we all know the legal meaning is not necessarily
the same as the literal meaning.)

The best-known exceptions where taking etc. are allowed are: 1)
hunting, 2) the various "nuisance" exemptions as for agriculture and
aviation, and 3) activities carried out with permits like cowbird and
gull control efforts and scientific collecting.  There may be others.

Reading the USC and CFR, even if completed, are the _start_ of the
legal research process, not its finish.  If you want to know what
"the law" really says, you have to research case law.

Since the practical answer is that nobody is likely to be prosecuted
for removing nests _on his own property_, could we get back to
discussing the wisdom or otherwise of doing so?
-- 
Steve Willner            Phone 617-495-7123         Bitnet:   willner@cfa
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA                 Internet: willner@cfa.harvard.edu
  member, League for Programming Freedom; contact league@prep.ai.mit.edu
Newsgroups: rec.birds
From: bloc0017@student.tc.umn.edu (The DuDe)
Subject: Bird Programs
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:10:47 GMT

	I have written this before but something has always happened to my
post so I will try again.  Does anybody know of any birding programs that i
can get from an ftp site.  I want to check out what they do and to see if I
want to get a non share ware birding program.
	Any help would greatly be appreciated.

-- 

The DuDe
bloc0017@student.tc.umn.edu
From: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Joe Morlan)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: What owl makes this soun
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 93 10:24:00 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/20 - SeaHunt BBS, San Francisco CA

  ***** On 01-03-1993, Tina Hay wrote to All *****

TH> The sound was a long, drawn out whirring sound that started
TH> low, rose gradually in pitch, and then lowered in pitch and
TH> faded out.  I'd hear it to my north, and then about 15-30
TH> seconds later I'd hear what I asssume was a response coming
TH> from the other side.

Might have been Long-eared Owl.  They have long drawn out hoots.

TH> Or was it just some piece of farm equipment off in the
TH> distance?

Might have been that too. ;)

--Joe Morlan, Albany, CA
Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.fidonet.org.

--  
Joe Morlan
UUCP: amdahl.com!kennel!125!20!Joe.Morlan
INTERNET: Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG
"The views expressed above are those of Joe Morlan only."
From: winer@husc10.harvard.edu (Adam Winer)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: bluebirds and wrens: facts and opinions
Date: 12 Jan 93 01:57:09 GMT

I was just in southern Mexico (Oaxaca);  the House Wrens there were of
two types: the "Northern" House Wren (T. a. aedon), the migrant from the
North: these were all over the place in dry scrub.  We also saw one
"Brown-throated" House Wren: I'm not sure if these are resident or
migratory, and for the life of me, I can't remember what habitat it was
in.
-- 
Adam Winer              | The number you have reached is imaginary.
WINER@HUSC.HARVARD.EDU  | Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and
                        | try again.
From: willner@head-cfa.harvard.edu (Steve Willner)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: BLUEBIRDS, RI, USA
Keywords: Bluebirds
Date: 8 Jan 93 22:17:54 GMT
Organization: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA,  USA


In article <1ihu56INN3ur@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>, drintoul@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
(David A Rintoul) writes: 
> I know that many of you know this already, but it bears repeating.  It
> is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty (punishable by a $500 fine)

Technically, it's a violation of the "implementing legislation"
and/or state laws.  I'm not a lawyer either, but I don't think it's
possible for an individual citizen to violate a treaty.

> to interfere with the nesting of any native bird in the USA. Removal
> of wren nesting material would certainly qualify for this sort of
> violation.

There are various circumstances where removal of nesting material is
legal - where the material causes a "nuisance," for example.  You
would have to be a wildlife lawyer to say whether or not the example
given is a violation.  Even then, case law on the question might or
might not be clear.

Whether removing the wren nest was wise or moral is a different
question, of course, but please don't try to intimidate people 
by mis-stating the law.
-- 
Steve Willner            Phone 617-495-7123         Bitnet:   willner@cfa
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA                 Internet: willner@cfa.harvard.edu
  member, League for Programming Freedom; contact league@prep.ai.mit.edu
From: sandee@Think.COM (Daan Sandee)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: What is a Green Parakeet?
Date: 8 Jan 1993 01:05:29 GMT
Organization: TMC
NNTP-Posting-Host: tremor.quake.think.com

In article <1993Jan7.173558.11137@vax.oxford.ac.uk>, culshaw@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
|> I am currently planning a birding trip to Texas in April, and according to
|> previous trip reports, there is a possibility of seeing Green Parakeets in
|> Brownsville.
|> 
|> Neither the National Geographic Guide or the Audubon Master Guide to Birding
|> appear to mention Green Parakeet. Howard and Moore's Checklist of Birds of the
|> World has Antipodes Green Parakeet but not plain old Green Parakeet. Lane's
|> Guide to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas mentions the Parakeet at the back
|> under the heading "Recent Sightings", but there are no other details.
|> 
|> Does anyone know an alternative name for Green Parakeet, or, preferably, its
|> Latin name? Is it a genuine US tick, or is it another of these feral jobs? On

Green Parakeet, _Aratinga holochlora_, from Mexico and other countries, is
pictured in the Golden Guide "Birds of North America", by Robbins, Zim, et al.,
together with a miscellanous bunch of exotic parrots. I think it's also in
Peterson.
There are several flocks resident for many years in McAllen and Brownsville.
Neither the ABA (the birders' organization) nor the AOU (the professional
ornithologists' organization) has accepted these for inclusion on their
lists. They consider them feral and not enough established to warrant
listing. Whether you count them on your own list is, of course, entirely
your own affair.

|> the same tack, are the Red-crowned Parrots in Brownsville considered to be
|> genuine wanderers from NE Mexico?

Red-crowned Parrot, _Amazona viridigenalis_, *is* considered a valid
North American species by both ABA and AOU, as an established introduced
species. I am not certain whether this covers the Southern California,
the Southern Texas, and/or the Southern Florida populations. (I saw a flock
in Los Angeles last week.) As far as I know, the ABA is not recognizing
any records as vagrant - and if the Southern Texas birds are regarded as
feral, then nobody will ever be able to prove vagrancy in the same area.

Daan Sandee                                           sandee@think.com
Thinking Machines Corporation
1010 El Camino Real, Suite 310
Menlo Park, CA 94025                                  (415) 329-9300
Newsgroups: rec.birds
From: stefan@leland.Stanford.EDU (Stefan Michalowski)
Subject: Hawaiian bird sounds
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 93 20:37:09 GMT

During a vacation on the Big Island, my wife and I would sit on 
the lanai of our rented house and listen to the melancholy cry
of a bird that we were never able to see. The sound, mellow,
plaintive and drawn-out, went something like this:

                ku-ku-kui, ku-ku-kui

We assumed, of course, that the bird was sitting in a kukui nut tree.
Can any one provide an ID? Thanks.

Stefan (wishing I was back there now) Michalowski




Newsgroups: rec.birds
From: rice@mirage.rtp.dg.com (Brian Rice)
Subject: Re: A different "identify th
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 93 18:05:27 GMT
Distribution: na
Reply-To: rice@dg-rtp.dg.com (Brian Rice)
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC
Followup-To: rec.birds

Joe.Morlan@f20.n125.z1.fidonet.org writes:
>I cannot play WAV files, but your description sounds like
>Bachman's Sparrow or possibly Bewick's Wren.  I'm inclined to
>think the former.

Hmmmm...unless I'm mistaken, neither of those species has much
of a presence in this area (Research Triangle Park is far from
the Appalachians and relatively near to the Virginia border).  
Also, the sonograms in the Golden book don't look right (though 
we all know how tricky those can be).  I'll keep the suggestion
in mind, though; thanks very much.

Let me reiterate my offer to e-mail the sample in any desired
format to anyone who requests it.  Just send e-mail to the
reply address above and specify your format.  I will be out
of the office (and in New Orleans!) next week, but I will 
respond to any requests promptly on my return.

--
Brian Rice   rice@dg-rtp.dg.com   +1 919 248 6328
DG/UX Software Quality Engineering
Data General Corp., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina    
"If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!" --William Strunk
Newsgroups: rec.birds