birding in August?
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birding in August?
by Gordon Bonnet
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Hi all,
I'm a high school teacher, and have the summer off -- it looks like I will have some time to travel in August & I was wondering if anyone might have some recommendations. I know a lot of the local birding activity (I'm in upstate New York) has died down by August -- picks up again in mid-September with migration. So, I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation for somewhere that might be good birding in late summer. I'd love to go somewhere exotic, but realistically (from a time & money perspective) I'm probably looking at US, Canada, or western Europe. Any recommendations? thanks, Gordon Bonnet Trumansburg NY BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Six Harpy Eagles seen in less than two weeks.
by Paulo Boute
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Hello !
Good News: The Harpy Eagles were at their nesting tree at Serra das Araras, State of Mato Grosso - Brazil. The male adult was near the young Harpy. Which makes a total of six Harpy Eagles in less that two weeks: The previous ones were seen at the Cristalino Jungle Lodge ( two adults) and also an adult & its chick at the Floresta Amazonica Hotel. It is incredible the contribution that birdwatching has done in the past years to the Harpy Eagles! Not a long time ago Harpy Eagles were a bird that everyone dreamed about to see but, no one had any clue of whrere to find them... Very Best Regards, Paulo Boute. www.boute-expeditions.com _________________________________________________________________ Deixe suas conversas mais divertidas. Baixe agora mesmo novos emoticons. É grátis! http://specials.br.msn.com/ilovemessenger/pacotes.aspx BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Stephen Christopher
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Hi Gordon
If you decide on Europe, come to Spain. Catalonia (the region around Barcelona) has more breeding birds than anywhere else in the Iberian peninsular. I'm aware you're talking about doing it on a budget and going it alone so this isn't a plug for my guiding. I'd be happy, as always, to help birders who come out here to get the best out of their trip. To start with, take a look here - www.catalanbirdtours.com (click the photo-link squares on home page) - for an idea of possible species such as bustards, sandgrouse, Lammergeier, etc. or I'll send you a list of possibles if you wish. Feel free to throw a few questions in a personal email if you have any queries. All the best wherever you go - do let us know and may be even post a trip report when you get back. Stephen Christopher www.catalanbirdtours.com Birding Holidays and Bird Tours in Spain www.surfbirds.com/blog/spainbirding/ Spain Birding blog, trip reports and photos !! 10% Discount !! on all shared birding short-breaks and holidays (offer ends 20 July 2009). On 21 Jun 2009, at 13:51, Gordon Bonnet wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm a high school teacher, and have the summer off -- it looks like > I will have some time to travel in August & I was wondering if > anyone might have some recommendations. I know a lot of the local > birding activity (I'm in upstate New York) has died down by August > -- picks up again in mid-September with migration. So, I'm > wondering if anyone has a recommendation for somewhere that might > be good birding in late summer. I'd love to go somewhere exotic, > but realistically (from a time & money perspective) I'm probably > looking at US, Canada, or western Europe. > > Any recommendations? > > thanks, > > Gordon Bonnet > Trumansburg NY > > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html > Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: Birding in Nova Scotia in August
by Joan Czapalay
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Consider Nova Scotia, Gordon. Late summer and fall is wonderful birding
here! We have an amazing number on our species list for such a small province. Notice our geography stuck out from the North American continent - latitude 45oN; Longitude 63oW; with 7 600 km. (4750 miles) of coastline. Our human population is sparce - less than 940 000 people- of which about 300 000 live in Halifax. (Our only other city is Sydney on the northeast coast of Cape Breton Island.) We are almost separated from the rest of Canada by the Bay of Fundy, and connected to New Brunswick by the Isthmus of Chignecto. Most of the peninsula interior is Acadian forest, with multiple lakes and rivers where the young warblers will provide a challenge! There are extensive beaches, salt marshes and mudflats along the coast, where shorebirds stage in great numbers on their return from Arctic breeding grounds. You may have heard of the Important Bird Area on Cape Sable Island? This is the only known nesting site of the American Oystercatchers in Canada. We sometimes get birds blown in from Europe, as well as the strays from the Caribbean after tropical storms. Seabirds are best in August from the whale watching outings (South Polar Skua eludes me, but many others have seen one off Brier Island). There are lots of guides whom you may find through the NS Bird Society website, Blake Maybank's Birding the Americas site, or contact your Chatter friends for tips on where to stay and where to bird. Have you a wish list? Have you considered a trip to an off shore island? or hiking backpacking? Or a family holiday? Best wishes where ever you go. Joan Joan McCulley Czapalay Cape to Cape Nature Tours 11 Balcome Drive, Halifax, Nova Scotia. B3N 1H9 summer: #8210 Port Greville, Nova Scotia. B0M 1T0 Gordon Bonnet wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm a high school teacher, and have the summer off -- it looks like I > will have some time to travel in August & I was wondering if anyone > might have some recommendations. I know a lot of the local birding > activity (I'm in upstate New York) has died down by August -- picks up > again in mid-September with migration. So, I'm wondering if anyone > has a recommendation for somewhere that might be good birding in late > summer. I'd love to go somewhere exotic, but realistically (from a > time & money perspective) I'm probably looking at US, Canada, or > western Europe. > > Any recommendations? > > thanks, > > Gordon Bonnet > Trumansburg NY > > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html > Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Gail Mackiernan
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Hi Gordon,
If I were going somewhere that is exciting in August, and not TOO expensive, I would go to Arizona. Not only is this Arizona's "second spring" but August is a great time for rarer vagrants to show up. Although right now some good birds are about, such as Sinaloa Wren and Flame-colored Tanager. If you have not been to Arizona, it can really blow you away -- or even if you have -- our last trip we did the whole state, from the Grand Canyon to the Mexican border and had a great time. Flights into Phoenix can be great values, as well. Gail Mackiernan Silver Spring, MD p.s. If you want a more exotic destination, perhaps consider the Canopy Tower in Panama which has great "green season" rates on 06/21/2009 7:51 AM, Gordon Bonnet at jaggy227@... wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm a high school teacher, and have the summer off -- it looks like I > will have some time to travel in August & I was wondering if anyone > might have some recommendations. I know a lot of the local birding > activity (I'm in upstate New York) has died down by August -- picks > up again in mid-September with migration. So, I'm wondering if > anyone has a recommendation for somewhere that might be good birding > in late summer. I'd love to go somewhere exotic, but realistically > (from a time & money perspective) I'm probably looking at US, Canada, > or western Europe. > > Any recommendations? > > thanks, > > Gordon Bonnet > Trumansburg NY > > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html > Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Larry Gardella
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Gordon,
Gail beat me to the bunch on the recommendation of Arizona. While Alabama has had some good shorebirds in August (the next American Birds will include discussion of several great days in Montgomery last year), it is too hot for someone to want to come here to bird. Arizona is hot, too. But it cools down some in August. And if you do the Mount Lemon drive, you get the thrill of starting the day in desert already quite warm in the morning and moving up through various ecoclines, with it being quite cool at the top even in mid-afternoon. Larry Gardella Montgomery, AL ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gail Mackiernan" <katahdinss@...> To: <BIRDCHAT@...> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2009 8:50 PM Subject: Re: [BIRDCHAT] birding in August? > Hi Gordon, > > If I were going somewhere that is exciting in August, and not TOO > expensive, > I would go to Arizona. Not only is this Arizona's "second spring" but > August > is a great time for rarer vagrants to show up. Although right now some > good > birds are about, such as Sinaloa Wren and Flame-colored Tanager. If you > have > not been to Arizona, it can really blow you away -- or even if you have -- > our last trip we did the whole state, from the Grand Canyon to the Mexican > border and had a great time. Flights into Phoenix can be great values, as > well. > > Gail Mackiernan > Silver Spring, MD > > p.s. If you want a more exotic destination, perhaps consider the Canopy > Tower in Panama which has great "green season" rates > > on 06/21/2009 7:51 AM, Gordon Bonnet at jaggy227@... wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I'm a high school teacher, and have the summer off -- it looks like I >> will have some time to travel in August & I was wondering if anyone >> might have some recommendations. I know a lot of the local birding >> activity (I'm in upstate New York) has died down by August -- picks >> up again in mid-September with migration. So, I'm wondering if >> anyone has a recommendation for somewhere that might be good birding >> in late summer. I'd love to go somewhere exotic, but realistically >> (from a time & money perspective) I'm probably looking at US, Canada, >> or western Europe. >> >> Any recommendations? >> >> thanks, >> >> Gordon Bonnet >> Trumansburg NY >> >> BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html >> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html > > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html > Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html > > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Steve Sosensky
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Gordon,
I'd have to echo the Southeast Arizona votes. This is the best time for hummingbirds, Cassin's and Botteri's Sparrows, and most of the SE AZ specialties. If you're looking for shorebirds, mid to late August is a great time to come to Southern California. At 04:51 AM 2009-06-21, Gordon Bonnet wrote: >looks like I will have some time to travel in August & I was >wondering if anyone might have some recommendations. Good birding, Steve Sosensky, SoCA Bird Guides <steve at sosensky.com> www.sosensky.com/guides Nature Photos www.sosensky.com/nature_photos.htm Optics4Birding <steve at optics4birding.com> www.optics4birding.com Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-269-2161 33.56485 N, 117.72205 W BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Hilary Powers
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Ted Floyd wrote:
> Hello, BirdChatters. > > I've been enjoying the discussion about birding in August. ... Sure, > it's awesome in southeastern Arizona, as several BirdChatters have > noted. But it's truly exciting pretty much everywhere across the > Lower 48. ... > My guess is there are more birds in North America in August than in > any other month of the year. But not at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California - a bird sanctuary for the last century or so and my favorite stomping grounds. In August, it can offer Canada Geese, and Mallards, and more Canada Geese - though not quite so many as in July, as a lot of the geese that came in on molt migration have departed. By early November, on the other hand, the lake will host a couple of dozen species, including both goldeneyes, half a dozen grebes, and assorted diving and dabbling ducks that summer in and near the Arctic.... -- - Hilary Powers - hilary@... - Oakland CA - - Freelance copyediting and developmental editing - - Author: "Making Word Work for You" - available now - - www.the-efa.org/res/booklets.php - - The edit you want - online, on time, and on target - BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Stephen Christopher
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Some great points there Ted. I love birding in summer and here in
Spain, often because of the heat, as well as in the UK, summer birding is seen as dull and uneventful with many not even bothering. Not only are the juveniles a challenge, it's obviously the only time of year to see them AND they bring their parents out into the open to be fed on exposed posts, wires, etc. And migration of course. A great one here is Dotterel, which begin passing through mid-August, as well as many other waders, some raptors, etc. Hadn't heard of Zugunruhe but will look into it now. Many thanks and all the best Stephen Christopher www.catalanbirdtours.com Birding Holidays and Bird Tours in Spain www.surfbirds.com/blog/spainbirding/ Spain Birding blog, trip reports and photos !! 10% Discount !! on all shared birding short-breaks and holidays (offer ends 20 July 2009). On 23 Jun 2009, at 20:12, Ted Floyd wrote: > Hello, BirdChatters. > > I've been enjoying the discussion about birding in August. > > As Gordon Bonnet says: > >> I know a lot of the local birding activity (I'm in >> upstate New York) has died down by August -- picks >> up again in mid-September with migration. > > For sure, that's the conventional wisdom. Over the years, though, > I've come to view the month of August as the most exciting in mid- > latitude North America. Seriously. Birding in the month of August > is, in a word, dynamic. Sure, it's awesome in southeastern Arizona, > as several BirdChatters have noted. But it's truly exciting pretty > much everywhere across the Lower 48. > > Here are 5 things that are especially exciting about birding in > August: > > 1. Juveniles. If you want a cutting-edge ID challenge, try recently > fledged juveniles. These birds are out of the nest, they can fly, > and they're more-or-less independent. Something as "easy" as a > Mountain Bluebird or Western Tanager can be surprisingly hard to > identify in August. If ID challenges aren't your thing (which is > fine), there's the whole other angle of the fascinating biology of > juveniles. It is well worth the effort to really pay attention to > young Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, whatever. > > 2. Molt. All birds do it, and most North American birds are doing > it, to some extent or another, in the month of August. (All of our > breeding birds, I believe, have a "prebasic," or fall, molt.) As > with juveniles, molt can present both an ID challenge and the > opportunity to observe fascinating biology in action. If you want a > "point of entry," so to speak, into the world of molt, check out > all those male ducks in August. Or how about grebes? I wonder how > many U.S. birders are aware that many grebes are flightless--in > connection with molt--during much of the summer. I sure didn't know > that until fairly recently. > > 3. Zugunruhe. It's a goofy word, but it's a really interesting > phenomenon. The German, translated very loosely, comes out in > English to "migratory restlessness." Prior to migration, many birds > get fidgety, and this fidgetiness is easy to observe. In Colorado, > for example, I've noticed a sharp increase in the number of flight > calls given by Swainson's Thrushes and Veeries while still on the > breeding grounds--after they've stopped singing, yet prior to > migration. The August woods are alive with the flight calls of > these and other species getting ready to migrate. > > 4. Nighttime. Many landbird species are on the move in August--even > in July--and you can hear them at night. In Colorado, there are > strong nighttime flights in August of Chipping Sparrows, Lark > Sparrows, and Yellow Warblers. In fact, we get our heaviest night > flights, it seems, in the last week of August, with decent > nocturnal passages as early as late July. I love going out on hot > August nights and hearing the chips and buzzes of invisible > migrants in the dark. > > 5. Shorebirds! Even for avowed dicky-bird types like myself, the > August shorebird flight across North America is a thing of wonder. > You can witness this phenomenon practically anywhere: in big cities > like New York and Chicago, at our national wildlife refuges, in > deserts and grasslands, you name it. Our August shorebird flight > has it all: ID challenges, if you want that; great biology for > anybody to observe; and always the potential of some outlandish > rarity. > > One final thought, if I may. I guess this would be #6. > > 6. Lots of birds. My guess is there are more birds in North America > in August than in any other month of the year. (Because of all the > juveniles; they haven't died yet, as so many will, on fall > migration and on the wintering grounds.) Just walk outside your > house, wherever it is, and start looking and listening. Birds are > conspicuous in August, they're doing fascinating things, and there > are so many of them. > > Ted Floyd > tedfloyd57@... > Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado > > ------------------------------- > > Ted Floyd > Editor, Birding > > ------------------------------- > > Please support the American Birding Association: Click on http:// > www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=884482 to search the internet. > > Every search provides support to the ABA's programs in Education, > Conservation, and Publications. > > Please visit the website of the American Birding Association: > http://www.aba.org > _________________________________________________________________ > Bing™ brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one > place. Try it now. > http://www.bing.com/search? > q=restaurants&form=MLOGEN&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MLOGEN_Core_tagline_l > ocal_1x1 > BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html > Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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Re: birding in August?
by Steve Sosensky
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Hillary,
I think you're being a bit too parochial. I'm sure if you go to the mudflats along the bay near the Berkeley Marina in August you will have a wealth of shorebirds. As with any time of the year, you have to select your target habitat based on when birds are using it. At 11:46 AM 2009-06-23, Hilary Powers wrote: >But not at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California - a bird sanctuary >for the last century or so and my favorite stomping grounds. In >August, it can offer Canada Geese, and Mallards, and more Canada >Geese - though not quite so many as in July, as a lot of the geese >that came in on molt migration have departed. Good birding, Steve Sosensky, SoCA Bird Guides <steve at sosensky.com> www.sosensky.com/guides Nature Photos www.sosensky.com/nature_photos.htm Optics4Birding <steve at optics4birding.com> www.optics4birding.com Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-269-2161 33.56485 N, 117.72205 W BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html |
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