Hi Bill/All,
I was out last night from about midnight to 1 a.m. and it was remarkable! I liked your image of awestruck birders wandering around in darkness! I've given up the notion of a good night's sleep at this time of year - I don't have any recording equipment.yet, but I've spent years just listening truly in "awe" of bird migration. Last night, there were 10 to 30 calls per minute flowing overhead. We live in the central Adirondacks (Long Lake) at 2,000'. There is no human noise on our mountain except occasional jets going over. (Nor are there any lights to obscure the stars, planets, and Milky Way band from view.) I arrived home very late in intermittent fog. I listened in fog conditions and at first, most of the birds heard were Swainson's Thrushes high overhead. I also heard Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a Scarlet Tanager, and many warblers. Standing in the fog, there were several moments when the birds were so low, that it felt like you could reach out and touch them as they flew by! (And I felt thankful that wind turbines are not allowed in the Adirondack Park.) I will be out again tonight - I may even spend the whole night out. I would join you on Mount Pleasant if it were only closer. It is terrific to know that there are others outside in "awe" of this remarkable phenomenon too. It is wonderful that you offered your nocturnal activity to the list serve members - enjoy the night! Take care, Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bill Evans Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 10:14 AM To: Cortland nature listserve; natural history network; CAYUGABIRDS-L Birding Cc: [email protected] Subject: [nysbirds-l] nocturnal flight call listening on Mount Pleasant tonight. Greetings Birders, For anyone interested in listening to nocturnal flight calls of migrating birds, I'll be in the vicinity of Cornell's Hartung-Boothroyd Astronomical Observatory on Mount Pleasant tonight from 9PM-midnight with a couple amplified microphone listening stations. I'll also have a realtime NEXRAD display for observing the migration via weather radar. Last night was the first big nocturnal movement of birds across central NY in the past two weeks. The forecast tonight is for light northerly winds and I'm anticipating another large flight with a great variety of warblers along with lots of Swainson's Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the mix. Should be very pleasant outside tonight. Temps are forecasted to be in the low 60s, dropping into the high 50s. There are no lights atop Mount Pleasant so bring a flashlight. Please take caution in driving by and in parking on the side of Mount Pleasant Rd as awestruck birders may be wandering around in the darkness. And as always, when you arrive keep voices down and be respectful of others who are trying to listen. For directions, seach Google maps for "Hartung-Boothroyd". If you'd like any other information, email me before 7PM tonight. The conditions look good for listening to night migrants across most of New York State tonight. If you can't make it over to Ithaca, find your nearest open hilltop and get out for a listen. Bill Evans -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
