Date: 7/24/24 9:56 am From: \Corey, Ed\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: [External] Re: NC Birders input your opinion on NC State Parks
Hello all,
Yes, please fill out the poll at your convenience. We do take this information into account when modifying regulations of our parks and recreation areas. And since your tax dollars help pay for these properties, you should have a voice in how they are managed!
I will note, though, that some of our parks do open at 7am instead of 8 this time of year and close at 9-10 pm, so make sure to check out this information on our website before visiting. Similarly, several of Virginia’s State Parks, the state from which Mr. Blalock hails, open at 8am as well. As I’ve mentioned in the past, one way to gain access to the parks earlier is to plan a camping trip to the park. We have lots of options for overnight stays!
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Ben Acker
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2024 10:51 AM
To: Jeremy Wrenn <jeremy.wrenn...>
Cc: carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>
Subject: [External] Re: NC Birders input your opinion on NC State Parks
CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless verified. Report suspicious emails with the Report Message button located on your Outlook menu bar on the Home tab.
Thanks for sharing!
On Wed, Jul 24, 2024 at 10:44 AM Jeremy Wrenn <carolinabirds...><mailto:<carolinabirds...>> wrote:
I hope it's not too presumptuous to add the link (and that the list serve allows it!), but here it is for convenience:
Date: 7/24/24 7:45 am From: Jeremy Wrenn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: NC Birders input your opinion on NC State Parks
I hope it's not too presumptuous to add the link (and that the list serve
allows it!), but here it is for convenience:
On Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 9:55 AM Jeffrey Blalock <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> Greeting to all my birding friends in NC
>
> How many times have you wanted to bird in a NC State Park early but the
> park is closed until 0800 hrs.
>
> Which by that time the best time for birding is over.
>
> So now is the time to voice your opinions to the NC State Park service by
> going the park website to let’s get the parks opened earlier.
>
> If you live out of NC and visit NC to bird then you should do the same.
>
> From my iPhone
>
> Go Birding be Safe
>
> May God Bless and Keep You
>
> Jeff Blalock
> 103 Elizabeth Court
> South Boston VA 24592
> 434-470-4352 Cell
> <jcbabirder...>
>
>
Date: 7/24/24 6:55 am From: Jeffrey Blalock (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: NC Birders input your opinion on NC State Parks
Greeting to all my birding friends in NC
How many times have you wanted to bird in a NC State Park early but the park is closed until 0800 hrs.
Which by that time the best time for birding is over.
So now is the time to voice your opinions to the NC State Park service by going the park website to let’s get the parks opened earlier.
If you live out of NC and visit NC to bird then you should do the same.
From my iPhone
Go Birding be Safe
May God Bless and Keep You
Jeff Blalock
103 Elizabeth Court
South Boston VA 24592
434-470-4352 Cell
<jcbabirder...>
Thanks to both Sarah and Kent. I'll check out the data tomorrow! Too
tired now. I figured there are enough eBird techies out there that one or
several would know how to find such data.
Harry
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:47 PM Kent Fiala <kent.fiala...> wrote:
> Here are records of Scopoli's Shearwater. You'll have to zoom in.
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ebird.org/map/scoshe1?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2024*more-map-options__;Iw!!OToaGQ!pHdYt8lqkkh740Ieh-SG5_t3_I0moexXcYot54uN3q6E4tW4CIM5J0NatbUSuqEy9F2UeXkT1buS8IsnGbcjwdc$ >
> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024, 10:14 PM Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...> wrote:
>
>> Tom Howard and I have made these updated changes to the *Birds of North
>> Carolina* website.
>>
>> The account for Scopoli's Shearwater has been written. I don't have any
>> information regarding high counts for this species in the state, and I have
>> contacted Brian Patteson to see what he has from his numerous pelagic trips
>> off Hatteras. (eBird doesn't help here; it isn't on their list, so I can't
>> search records.) If anyone else has some data on that (notable/high
>> counts), please send it to me, so that I can update the species account.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Harry LeGrand
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:49 AM Paul Glass <carolinabirds...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Ah, that makes sense. I forgot about the breeding range issue. Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>> ------ Original Message ------
>>> From "Nate Swick" <carolinabirds...>
>>> To "Paul Glass" <pag...>
>>> Cc "Kent Fiala" <kent.fiala...>; "carolinabirds" <
>>> <carolinabirds...>
>>> Date 7/19/2024 10:26:31 AM
>>> Subject Re: Taxonomic updates
>>>
>>> Per the ad hoc committee report, birds that breed primarily outside of
>>> North America out outside of the purview of the committee at this time
>>> pending cooperation with other taxonomic bodies.
>>>
>>> Which is why Cory’s and Scopoli’s, which breed in western Europe, remain
>>> but Audubon’s, which breeds in the Caribbean, was changed.
>>>
>>> Nate Swick
>>> GSO, NC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Nate Swick
>>>
>>> Education & Digital Content Coordinator
>>>
>>> American Birding Podcast
>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!pHdYt8lqkkh740Ieh-SG5_t3_I0moexXcYot54uN3q6E4tW4CIM5J0NatbUSuqEy9F2UeXkT1buS8Isnr9rel1A$ >>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPGvy3uc-$> >>>
>>> he/him
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:07 Paul Glass <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
>>>> Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
>>>> Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now rather
>>>> than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
>>>>
>>>> Paul Glass
>>>> South Boston, VA
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ------ Original Message ------
>>>> From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
>>>> To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
>>>> Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
>>>> Subject Taxonomic updates
>>>>
>>>> I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
>>>> through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
>>>> different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
>>>> checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!pHdYt8lqkkh740Ieh-SG5_t3_I0moexXcYot54uN3q6E4tW4CIM5J0NatbUSuqEy9F2UeXkT1buS8IsnfjR8gQ8$ >>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> >>>> and you can find this same summary at
>>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!pHdYt8lqkkh740Ieh-SG5_t3_I0moexXcYot54uN3q6E4tW4CIM5J0NatbUSuqEy9F2UeXkT1buS8IsnJQ_uDss$ >>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$> >>>> .
>>>>
>>>> We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
>>>> repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies"
>>>> of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the
>>>> American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological
>>>> Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is
>>>> generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple
>>>> of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of
>>>> birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For
>>>> the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
>>>> exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that
>>>> there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual
>>>> update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October,
>>>> so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
>>>> Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have
>>>> applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club
>>>> web site.
>>>>
>>>> Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of
>>>> October, not just yet.
>>>>
>>>> Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas
>>>> are:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
>>>> Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in
>>>> fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a
>>>> subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>>>>
>>>> 2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs
>>>> in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more
>>>> Audubon's Shearwater.
>>>>
>>>> 3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
>>>> Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where
>>>> they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a
>>>> late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was
>>>> understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did.
>>>> Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year
>>>> Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle
>>>> Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and
>>>> Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to
>>>> the hyphenated forms.
>>>>
>>>> 4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only
>>>> one hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last
>>>> year as well.
>>>>
>>>> 5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
>>>> American Barn Owl.
>>>>
>>>> 6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
>>>> United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>>>>
>>>> 7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply
>>>> Redpoll with no adjective.
>>>>
>>>> Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
>>>> Clements.
>>>>
>>>> Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
>>>> four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>>>>
>>>> You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
>>>> removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not
>>>> hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>>>>
>>>> There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and
>>>> Snowy Plover move from genus *Charadrius *to *Anarhynchus*
>>>> Least Bittern moves from genus *Ixobrychus *to *Botaurus *(same as
>>>> American Bittern).
>>>> Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus *Bubulcus *to *Ardea *(*Bubulcus
>>>> *no longer exists).
>>>>
>>>> And a few changes in listing sequence:
>>>> Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
>>>> Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes
>>>> you read that right).
>>>> A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kent Fiala
>>>>
>>>>
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024, 10:14 PM Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...> wrote:
> Tom Howard and I have made these updated changes to the *Birds of North
> Carolina* website.
>
> The account for Scopoli's Shearwater has been written. I don't have any
> information regarding high counts for this species in the state, and I have
> contacted Brian Patteson to see what he has from his numerous pelagic trips
> off Hatteras. (eBird doesn't help here; it isn't on their list, so I can't
> search records.) If anyone else has some data on that (notable/high
> counts), please send it to me, so that I can update the species account.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Harry LeGrand
>
> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:49 AM Paul Glass <carolinabirds...>
> wrote:
>
>> Ah, that makes sense. I forgot about the breeding range issue. Thanks.
>>
>>
>> ------ Original Message ------
>> From "Nate Swick" <carolinabirds...>
>> To "Paul Glass" <pag...>
>> Cc "Kent Fiala" <kent.fiala...>; "carolinabirds" <
>> <carolinabirds...>
>> Date 7/19/2024 10:26:31 AM
>> Subject Re: Taxonomic updates
>>
>> Per the ad hoc committee report, birds that breed primarily outside of
>> North America out outside of the purview of the committee at this time
>> pending cooperation with other taxonomic bodies.
>>
>> Which is why Cory’s and Scopoli’s, which breed in western Europe, remain
>> but Audubon’s, which breeds in the Caribbean, was changed.
>>
>> Nate Swick
>> GSO, NC
>>
>>
>>
>> Nate Swick
>>
>> Education & Digital Content Coordinator
>>
>> American Birding Podcast
>>
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!rUycw_XkgEoKzCERyUI02EXDvuJMKg5zQaBHazcFsoi-c-3wLDr5F4Vgv0P9cfy-qNu-n_nYy-6xOZbKskMEy0A$ >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPGvy3uc-$> >>
>> he/him
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:07 Paul Glass <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>
>>> Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
>>> Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
>>> Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now rather
>>> than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
>>>
>>> Paul Glass
>>> South Boston, VA
>>>
>>>
>>> ------ Original Message ------
>>> From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
>>> To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
>>> Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
>>> Subject Taxonomic updates
>>>
>>> I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
>>> through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
>>> different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
>>> checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!rUycw_XkgEoKzCERyUI02EXDvuJMKg5zQaBHazcFsoi-c-3wLDr5F4Vgv0P9cfy-qNu-n_nYy-6xOZbKI4BF9vM$ >>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> >>> and you can find this same summary at
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!rUycw_XkgEoKzCERyUI02EXDvuJMKg5zQaBHazcFsoi-c-3wLDr5F4Vgv0P9cfy-qNu-n_nYy-6xOZbKZkeDS7s$ >>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$> >>> .
>>>
>>> We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
>>> repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies"
>>> of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the
>>> American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological
>>> Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is
>>> generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple
>>> of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of
>>> birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For
>>> the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
>>> exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that
>>> there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual
>>> update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October,
>>> so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
>>> Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have
>>> applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club
>>> web site.
>>>
>>> Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of
>>> October, not just yet.
>>>
>>> Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas
>>> are:
>>>
>>> 1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
>>> Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in
>>> fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a
>>> subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>>>
>>> 2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs
>>> in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more
>>> Audubon's Shearwater.
>>>
>>> 3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
>>> Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where
>>> they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a
>>> late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was
>>> understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did.
>>> Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year
>>> Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle
>>> Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and
>>> Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to
>>> the hyphenated forms.
>>>
>>> 4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only
>>> one hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last
>>> year as well.
>>>
>>> 5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
>>> American Barn Owl.
>>>
>>> 6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
>>> United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>>>
>>> 7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply Redpoll
>>> with no adjective.
>>>
>>> Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
>>> Clements.
>>>
>>> Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
>>> four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>>>
>>> You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
>>> removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not
>>> hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>>>
>>> There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and
>>> Snowy Plover move from genus *Charadrius *to *Anarhynchus*
>>> Least Bittern moves from genus *Ixobrychus *to *Botaurus *(same as
>>> American Bittern).
>>> Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus *Bubulcus *to *Ardea *(*Bubulcus *no
>>> longer exists).
>>>
>>> And a few changes in listing sequence:
>>> Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
>>> Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes you
>>> read that right).
>>> A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Kent Fiala
>>>
>>>
Tom Howard and I have made these updated changes to the *Birds of North
Carolina* website.
The account for Scopoli's Shearwater has been written. I don't have any
information regarding high counts for this species in the state, and I have
contacted Brian Patteson to see what he has from his numerous pelagic trips
off Hatteras. (eBird doesn't help here; it isn't on their list, so I can't
search records.) If anyone else has some data on that (notable/high
counts), please send it to me, so that I can update the species account.
Thanks.
Harry LeGrand
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:49 AM Paul Glass <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Ah, that makes sense. I forgot about the breeding range issue. Thanks.
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "Nate Swick" <carolinabirds...>
> To "Paul Glass" <pag...>
> Cc "Kent Fiala" <kent.fiala...>; "carolinabirds" <
> <carolinabirds...>
> Date 7/19/2024 10:26:31 AM
> Subject Re: Taxonomic updates
>
> Per the ad hoc committee report, birds that breed primarily outside of
> North America out outside of the purview of the committee at this time
> pending cooperation with other taxonomic bodies.
>
> Which is why Cory’s and Scopoli’s, which breed in western Europe, remain
> but Audubon’s, which breeds in the Caribbean, was changed.
>
> Nate Swick
> GSO, NC
>
>
>
> Nate Swick
>
> Education & Digital Content Coordinator
>
> American Birding Podcast
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!uATFnZzXOlntmlQCeYeQT9Wp7omyqJTeNUcWLA_D-K3JS0AJab1hUJ_0MdpqX2mbGj86qYpTn1dIeNTaWbDOd-Q$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPGvy3uc-$> >
> he/him
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:07 Paul Glass <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
>> Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
>> Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now rather
>> than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
>>
>> Paul Glass
>> South Boston, VA
>>
>>
>> ------ Original Message ------
>> From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
>> To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
>> Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
>> Subject Taxonomic updates
>>
>> I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
>> through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
>> different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
>> checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!uATFnZzXOlntmlQCeYeQT9Wp7omyqJTeNUcWLA_D-K3JS0AJab1hUJ_0MdpqX2mbGj86qYpTn1dIeNTatYI9wZQ$ >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> >> and you can find this same summary at
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!uATFnZzXOlntmlQCeYeQT9Wp7omyqJTeNUcWLA_D-K3JS0AJab1hUJ_0MdpqX2mbGj86qYpTn1dIeNTarZEJNY4$ >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$> >> .
>>
>> We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
>> repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies"
>> of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the
>> American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological
>> Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is
>> generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple
>> of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of
>> birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For
>> the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
>> exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that
>> there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual
>> update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October,
>> so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
>> Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have
>> applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club
>> web site.
>>
>> Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of
>> October, not just yet.
>>
>> Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas
>> are:
>>
>> 1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
>> Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in
>> fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a
>> subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>>
>> 2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs
>> in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more
>> Audubon's Shearwater.
>>
>> 3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
>> Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where
>> they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a
>> late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was
>> understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did.
>> Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year
>> Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle
>> Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and
>> Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to
>> the hyphenated forms.
>>
>> 4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only one
>> hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last year
>> as well.
>>
>> 5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
>> American Barn Owl.
>>
>> 6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
>> United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>>
>> 7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply Redpoll
>> with no adjective.
>>
>> Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
>> Clements.
>>
>> Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
>> four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>>
>> You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
>> removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not
>> hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>>
>> There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and
>> Snowy Plover move from genus *Charadrius *to *Anarhynchus*
>> Least Bittern moves from genus *Ixobrychus *to *Botaurus *(same as
>> American Bittern).
>> Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus *Bubulcus *to *Ardea *(*Bubulcus *no
>> longer exists).
>>
>> And a few changes in listing sequence:
>> Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
>> Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes you
>> read that right).
>> A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Kent Fiala
>>
>>
Thank you for the email. The worst one I have experienced was when Merlin
reported me hearing a Hawfinch in Southeastern Arizona. Also, thank you
for the lead on BirdNet. I was frustrated this year in Ecuador with Merlin
and how well it functioned. But overall I love Merlin.
And lastly, when I was in Vietnam they used an app to identify birds from
photos that I like better than Merlin. It is called Bird ID Master.
Jeff
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 11:19 AM Robin T <carolinabirds...> wrote:
Date: 7/19/24 8:19 am From: Robin T (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: Merlin Sound App article
Enjoyed the article and responses. Living in a relatively remote area many birds are "unreported" or "infrequent" when in reality they are regulars, but I have learned to use Merlin as a heads up to look for the bird and only then report it.
I couldn't understand at first why it kept hearing house sparrows when I have never seen one here, then realized that when I was on the deck with door closed that my indoor budgies' calls and chatters were being IDd as house sparrows. It also can't ID fledgling calls reliably which is understandable.
Still a great tool.
Robin TingleyPNF, Yancey
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 9:10 AM, <sshultz...><sshultz...> wrote:
Great article! Thanks for sharing as, IMHO, it hits on important points from a data collection perspective (the point of eBird) but also on the sporting aspect of birding
Date: 7/19/24 7:50 am From: Paul Glass (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re[2]: Taxonomic updates
Ah, that makes sense. I forgot about the breeding range issue. Thanks.
------ Original Message ------
From "Nate Swick" <carolinabirds...>
To "Paul Glass" <pag...>
Cc "Kent Fiala" <kent.fiala...>; "carolinabirds"
<carolinabirds...>
Date 7/19/2024 10:26:31 AM
Subject Re: Taxonomic updates
>Per the ad hoc committee report, birds that breed primarily outside of
>North America out outside of the purview of the committee at this time
>pending cooperation with other taxonomic bodies.
>
>Which is why Cory’s and Scopoli’s, which breed in western Europe,
>remain but Audubon’s, which breeds in the Caribbean, was changed.
>
>Nate Swick
>GSO, NC
>
>
>
>
>Nate Swick
>
>Education & Digital Content Coordinator
>
>American Birding Podcast
>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!pbAmJRIMxnq9Fneirb-JTIqGs8lMNmzX8GdQYKTL0Wi9XwhujMi64RysdnE3qauJj1JefG9w6Zn64k6OTw$ ><https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aba.org/podcast__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPGvy3uc-$> >
>he/him
>
>
>
>On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:07 Paul Glass <carolinabirds...>
>wrote:
>>Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
>>Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
>> Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now
>>rather than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
>>
>>Paul Glass
>>South Boston, VA
>>
>>
>>------ Original Message ------
>>From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
>>To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
>>Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
>>Subject Taxonomic updates
>>
>>>I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
>>>through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit
>>>a different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the
>>>online checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!pbAmJRIMxnq9Fneirb-JTIqGs8lMNmzX8GdQYKTL0Wi9XwhujMi64RysdnE3qauJj1JefG9w6ZkmpHq8OA$ >>><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> >>>and you can find this same summary at
>>>https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!pbAmJRIMxnq9Fneirb-JTIqGs8lMNmzX8GdQYKTL0Wi9XwhujMi64RysdnE3qauJj1JefG9w6ZncmCcpAg$ >>><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$>.
>>>
>>>We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably
>>>bears repeating every year: there are different classifications, or
>>>"taxonomies" of birds maintained by different organizations. Since
>>>the 19th century, the American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as
>>>the American Ornithological Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the
>>>birds of North America, which is generally used by American
>>>ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple of decades, another
>>>(worldwide) classification called the Clements list of birds of the
>>>world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For the most
>>>part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
>>>exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding
>>>that there are two different classifications, especially since the
>>>AOS annual update is published in July and the Clements annual update
>>>in late October, so between now and Halloween there actually are a
>>>few differences. The Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed
>>>the AOS taxonomy so I have applied the new changes to the online bird
>>>lists on the Carolina Bird Club web site.
>>>
>>>Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of
>>>October, not just yet.
>>>
>>>Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the
>>>Carolinas are:
>>>
>>>1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
>>>Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters,
>>>and in fact both the records committees have already accepted
>>>Scopoli's as a subspecies so the new species is immediately on each
>>>state's list.
>>>
>>>2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that
>>>occurs in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no
>>>more Audubon's Shearwater.
>>>
>>>3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
>>>Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case
>>>where they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it
>>>was a late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change,
>>>and it was understood that AOS would make the change this year, as
>>>they did. Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty
>>>change: Last year Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret
>>>and Western Cattle Egret. This year the AOS change has them as
>>>Eastern Cattle-Egret and Western Cattle-Egret, and in October,
>>>Clements will correct their names to the hyphenated forms.
>>>
>>>4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only
>>>one hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change
>>>last year as well.
>>>
>>>5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
>>>American Barn Owl.
>>>
>>>6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in
>>>the United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>>>
>>>7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply
>>>Redpoll with no adjective.
>>>
>>>Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
>>>Clements.
>>>
>>>Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split
>>>it four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>>>
>>>You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
>>>removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren
>>>are not hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>>>
>>>There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and
>>>Snowy Plover move from genus Charadrius to Anarhynchus
>>>Least Bittern moves from genus Ixobrychus to Botaurus (same as
>>>American Bittern).
>>>Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus Bubulcus to Ardea (Bubulcus no
>>>longer exists).
>>>
>>>And a few changes in listing sequence:
>>>Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
>>>Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes
>>>you read that right).
>>>A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>Kent Fiala
Per the ad hoc committee report, birds that breed primarily outside of
North America out outside of the purview of the committee at this time
pending cooperation with other taxonomic bodies.
Which is why Cory’s and Scopoli’s, which breed in western Europe, remain
but Audubon’s, which breeds in the Caribbean, was changed.
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:07 Paul Glass <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
> Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
> Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now rather
> than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
>
> Paul Glass
> South Boston, VA
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
> To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
> Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
> Subject Taxonomic updates
>
> I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
> through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
> different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
> checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPKEkXZrA$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> > and you can find this same summary at
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!ttFom6YrOVAlMz5VHorfRjB3lSxFuttfLOCLftznDxnfOJ4DzNf-8znjnhl8oSxgrdKbwdQwPAtrt4Y8$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$> > .
>
> We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
> repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies"
> of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the
> American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological
> Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is
> generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple
> of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of
> birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For
> the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
> exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that
> there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual
> update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October,
> so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
> Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have
> applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club
> web site.
>
> Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of October,
> not just yet.
>
> Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas
> are:
>
> 1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
> Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in
> fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a
> subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>
> 2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs in
> our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more Audubon's
> Shearwater.
>
> 3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
> Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where
> they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a
> late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was
> understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did.
> Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year
> Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle
> Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and
> Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to
> the hyphenated forms.
>
> 4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only one
> hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last year
> as well.
>
> 5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
> American Barn Owl.
>
> 6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
> United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>
> 7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply Redpoll
> with no adjective.
>
> Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
> Clements.
>
> Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
> four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>
> You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
> removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not
> hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>
> There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and Snowy
> Plover move from genus *Charadrius *to *Anarhynchus*
> Least Bittern moves from genus *Ixobrychus *to *Botaurus *(same as
> American Bittern).
> Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus *Bubulcus *to *Ardea *(*Bubulcus *no
> longer exists).
>
> And a few changes in listing sequence:
> Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
> Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes you
> read that right).
> A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>
>
> --
> Kent Fiala
>
>
Date: 7/19/24 7:07 am From: Paul Glass (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Taxonomic updates
Anyone know what the thought process was for sticking with the name
Scopoli's Shearwater when the plan is to do away with eponymous names?
Seems like it would make more sense to come up with a new name now
rather than have Scopoli's for a year or two and then change it.
Paul Glass
South Boston, VA
------ Original Message ------
From "Kent Fiala" <carolinabirds...>
To "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
Date 7/18/2024 7:11:13 PM
Subject Taxonomic updates
>I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
>through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
>different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
>checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!rAht8_5q5_A6u3715MU5ADXZEZjEyWEbEcNCO1g2Uc-8c2UL_V9f4d60J9I4q5KXcC8Q-g4IZbQpzvUFnw$ ><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> >and you can find this same summary at
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!rAht8_5q5_A6u3715MU5ADXZEZjEyWEbEcNCO1g2Uc-8c2UL_V9f4d60J9I4q5KXcC8Q-g4IZbTgF5rWtQ$ ><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$>.
>
>We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
>repeating every year: there are different classifications, or
>"taxonomies" of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the
>19th century, the American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the
>American Ornithological Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds
>of North America, which is generally used by American ornithologists
>and birders. Over the last couple of decades, another (worldwide)
>classification called the Clements list of birds of the world has come
>to the fore because it is used in eBird. For the most part, Clements
>follows the AOS classification, but there are rare exceptions where the
>two differ. It's good to have an understanding that there are two
>different classifications, especially since the AOS annual update is
>published in July and the Clements annual update in late October, so
>between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
>Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I
>have applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina
>Bird Club web site.
>
>Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of
>October, not just yet.
>
>Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas
>are:
>
>1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
>Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and
>in fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as
>a subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>
>2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs
>in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more
>Audubon's Shearwater.
>
>3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
>Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case
>where they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was
>a late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and
>it was understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they
>did. Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change:
>Last year Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and
>Western Cattle Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern
>Cattle-Egret and Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will
>correct their names to the hyphenated forms.
>
>4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only
>one hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change
>last year as well.
>
>5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
>American Barn Owl.
>
>6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
>United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>
>7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply
>Redpoll with no adjective.
>
>Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by
>Clements.
>
>Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
>four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>
>You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
>removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are
>not hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>
>There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and
>Snowy Plover move from genus Charadrius to Anarhynchus
>Least Bittern moves from genus Ixobrychus to Botaurus (same as American
>Bittern).
>Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus Bubulcus to Ardea (Bubulcus no
>longer exists).
>
>And a few changes in listing sequence:
>Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
>Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes
>you read that right).
>A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>
>
>--
>Kent Fiala
Great article! Thanks for sharing as, IMHO, it hits on important points from a data collection perspective (the point of eBird) but also on the sporting aspect of birding.
Merlin has probably enhanced data collection for eBird’s warehouses, but also probably degraded the quality of some of that data. How much? Probably minor or they would not let it happen. The obviously wrong stuff gets filtered out by eBird reviewers, but less obvious stuff slips through. We don’t have Worm-eating Warblers in Raleigh, NC in the summer for example (especially in subdivided suburban neighborhoods), but according to eBird (via Merlin) we do. These are Chipping Sparrows incorrectly identified by eBird and not filtered out.
I chuckled a little at the example given with a Black-throated Green Warbler where Merlin “excels” because the songs are “always the same”. But the birds don’t have to always sing the “right” songs. I’ve watched Black-throated Blue perfectly and consistently sing Black-throated Green. Nature is messy! Now more than 99% of the time, a black-green song really is that. But not always. It’s why I have no heard only lifers on my list. Yes, I am that picky.
And just a note for those who do like to use song identifiers (I do!) but also travel outside of the United States. Merlin is particularly lacking in ability to identify songs in the American tropics. I was birding with some folks in El Salvador over the weekend and they clued me in that they don’t use Merlin for this reason, they use an app called BirdNet instead. Indeed, BirdNet nailed most of the songs that Merlin could not identify. So if you travel down south, might be worth adding to your repertoire. (Merlin does work reasonably well in Europe).
None of these comments are meant to besmirch Merlin. It’s an amazing tool and has helped me personally quite a bit in learning sound “field marks”. But like most tools, it is not infallible, and results should always be considered in context and limitations understood.
Steve Shultz
Apex NC (sadly no summer time wormies here either)
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Paul Serridge (via carolinabirds Mailing List)
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2024 8:10 AM
To: Carolina Birds <carolinabirds...>
Subject: Merlin Sound App article
This article was sent to all eBird reviewers via Slack.
It explains the merits and shortfalls of the Merlin Sound App.
Thanks, Kent, for your usual thorough gleaning of the dozens of North/South
American changes and posting just those that affect the NC and SC lists.
A few comments:
1. As Michael Retter points out in his annual summary of the AOS changes
for those members of ABA (American Birding Association) --- " Note that
Scopoli refers to Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (
*SKOH-poh-lee*), so the accent falls on the first syllable, and the Os are
not pronounced “ah” as in “stop”." Remember to add the apostrophe and
"S"', and thus it is pronounced "SKOH-poh-leez".
2. Not only is Kent befuddled by the removal of hyphens from former
compound names, but so is Michael and so am I. Though Michael mentioned
one or two reasons why the AOS removed them, the reasons are lame, and
removal of them is truly unjustified in my opinion. Michael sarcastically
asked -- is American Barn Owl based on an American Barn? The genus *Tyto*
is that of barn-owl related species, with the heart-shaped disk. These
should be xxxxxxxxx Barn-Owl, just like Leach's Storm-Petrel, and many
other tropical groups like Foliage-Gleaners, Chat-Tyrants, etc., that
thankfully were not touched this year. A year or two ago the hyphen was
bizarrely removed from the Ground-Dove species. However, these small doves
are mainly in the genus *Columbina* and thus should be Common Ground-Dove,
Ruddy Ground-Dove, etc. Why should Ground be a stand-alone word, any more
than Night or Barn?
I bring up these points as I am the author/editor of the *Birds of North
Carolina* website, hosted by the Carolina Bird Club, and the names on it
follow those of AOS. I will be working with the webmaster, Tom Howard, to
make these many changes, hopefully being completed by early next week, if
not tomorrow (unlikely). I will have to write a new species account for
Scopoli's Shearwater; currently the comments for it are within the Cory's
Shearwater account.
At least we folks in the Carolina's didn't lose a species here; just losing
Hoary Redpoll on our ABA and Life lists. We do gain one here -- Scopoli's
Shearwater.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
On Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 7:18 PM Kent Fiala <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I had just about finished this long report when Steve's message came
> through. I'll go ahead and send mine anyway, in case I might have hit a
> different thing or two. I have also applied the updates to the online
> checklists at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!omRvO7uDgdjHeUViYwCXvsKwuIunu0cPibMTKLOADfDgBA00vAWXqZmLgILCTmXV8a_Lgiiw0DdwKm_6fJpWuqc$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWonV7nak$> > and you can find this same summary at
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!omRvO7uDgdjHeUViYwCXvsKwuIunu0cPibMTKLOADfDgBA00vAWXqZmLgILCTmXV8a_Lgiiw0DdwKm_6LtoyIXs$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html__;!!OToaGQ!vYmkE6vAdLyrvyhqC1juBIKTB4GQ79m-ROwesseMlB_HFn0ulLPBz815rox4la6gTiHdQFJNextzGIPWITG4slo$> > .
>
> We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears
> repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies"
> of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the
> American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological
> Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is
> generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple
> of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of
> birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For
> the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare
> exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that
> there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual
> update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October,
> so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The
> Carolina Bird Club has traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have
> applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club
> web site.
>
> Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of October,
> not just yet.
>
> Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas are:
>
> 1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's
> Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in
> fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a
> subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
>
> 2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs in
> our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more Audubon's
> Shearwater.
>
> 3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western
> Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where
> they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a
> late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was
> understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did.
> Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year
> Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle
> Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and
> Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to
> the hyphenated forms.
>
> 4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only one
> hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last year
> as well.
>
> 5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes
> American Barn Owl.
>
> 6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the
> United States becomes Northern House Wren.
>
> 7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply Redpoll
> with no adjective.
>
> Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by Clements.
>
> Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it
> four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
>
> You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was
> removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not
> hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
>
> There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and Snowy
> Plover move from genus *Charadrius *to *Anarhynchus*
> Least Bittern moves from genus *Ixobrychus *to *Botaurus *(same as
> American Bittern).
> Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus *Bubulcus *to *Ardea *(*Bubulcus *no
> longer exists).
>
> And a few changes in listing sequence:
> Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
> Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes you
> read that right).
> A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
>
>
> --
> Kent Fiala
>
>
We are entering into taxonomic update season again. This probably bears repeating every year: there are different classifications, or "taxonomies" of birds maintained by different organizations. Since the 19th century, the American Ornithologists' Union, continuing as the American Ornithological Society, has maintained a taxonomy of the birds of North America, which is generally used by American ornithologists and birders. Over the last couple of decades, another (worldwide) classification called the Clements list of birds of the world has come to the fore because it is used in eBird. For the most part, Clements follows the AOS classification, but there are rare exceptions where the two differ. It's good to have an understanding that there are two different classifications, especially since the AOS annual update is published in July and the Clements annual update in late October, so between now and Halloween there actually are a few differences. The Carolina Bird Club has
traditionally followed the AOS taxonomy so I have applied the new changes to the online bird lists on the Carolina Bird Club web site.
Again, you will start seeing these changes in eBird at the end of October, not just yet.
Of the many AOS updates, the ones that apply to birds in the Carolinas are:
1. Cory’s Shearwater is split into Cory's Shearwater and Scopoli's Shearwater. Both of these occur in North and South Carolina waters, and in fact both the records committees have already accepted Scopoli's as a subspecies so the new species is immediately on each state's list.
2. Audubon's Shearwater is split into five species. The one that occurs in our area has the new name Sargasso Shearwater, there is no more Audubon's Shearwater.
3. Cattle Egret is split into Eastern and Western. Ours are Western Cattle-Egret. Clements already did this split last year; a rare case where they did a split that AOS did not do, in this case because it was a late-breaking change that missed the cutoff for the AOS change, and it was understood that AOS would make the change this year, as they did. Meticulous spellers will note the peril of such a hasty change: Last year Clements split the species as Eastern Cattle Egret and Western Cattle Egret. This year the AOS change has them as Eastern Cattle-Egret and Western Cattle-Egret, and in October, Clements will correct their names to the hyphenated forms.
4. Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron have only one hyphen apiece instead of two. Actually Clements did this change last year as well.
5. Barn Owl is split into three species; the American species becomes American Barn Owl.
6. House Wren is split into seven species. The one species found in the United States becomes Northern House Wren.
7. All three Redpolls are lumped into one species, called simply Redpoll with no adjective.
Note that Green-winged Teal is not split and will not be split by Clements.
Also, Herring Gull has not been split, but expect Clements to split it four ways, with ours becoming American Herring Gull.
You might wonder why Cattle-Egret is hyphenated, and the hyphen was removed from Night-Heron, and the new names Barn Owl and House Wren are not hyphenated. Well, because, that's why.
There are a few changes in scientific names. Wilson's, Mountain, and Snowy Plover move from genus /Charadrius /to /Anarhynchus/
Least Bittern moves from genus /Ixobrychus /to /Botaurus /(same as American Bittern).
Western Cattle-Egret moves from genus /Bubulcus /to /Ardea /(/Bubulcus /no longer exists).
And a few changes in listing sequence:
Move Passenger Pigeon to follow Rock Pigeon
Move Northern Lapwing between Piping Plover and Wilson's Plover (yes you read that right).
A bunch of changes in the sequence of herons; see the checklist.
For birders, Christmas comes twice a year. Once in December and once in
July. The July Christmas is when the Check-list Supplement" by the American
Ornithological Society's (AOS) Committee on Classification and Nomenclature
of North and Middle American Birds (say that three times fast) is released.
And just as Christmas is a season for giving and receiving, this year's
update provides both splits (gifts!) and lumps (of coal).
For ABA listers, biggies this year include:
Redpoll lump. If you had Hoary and Common, you just have Redpoll now. Sorry.
Booby split. Yes, two boobies. West Coast Brown Boobies are now Cocos
Boobies. Cha ching.
Cory's split. Cory's and Scopoli's are split. Cory's is the common species
in NC, but I believe we have good records of Scopoli's as well. The latter
species breeds in the eastern Med.
Goodbye Audubon's Shearwater. Ours are now Sargasso Shearwater. This was a
5-way split, so you might have a bunch of goodies in the stocking, depending
on your travels.
Black-capped Petrel split (but the split off species is extinct so.)
House Wren split 7 ways (but only Northern House Wren is in the ABA area.
those weird looking Arizona birds are still the same as ours here. Sorry.)
Cruisers to Cozumel and folks birding the Caribbean and tropical Americas
might really rack up on this one.
Date: 7/18/24 10:42 am From: Courtney Rousseau <mcrousse...> Subject: NC Estuarium in little Washington (Beaufort county)
I had the recent pleasure of visiting the NC Estuarium in Beaufort county.
The NC Estuarium in little Washington has a public purple martin colony onsite. It has been declining due to lack of management and being overrun with invasive house sparrows, since the staffers they had that managed it are no longer there. While I was there a couple of weeks ago, I saw a grand total of two purple martins, but the overwhelming percentage of occupants consisted of house sparrows, and the housing needs repair. I have been communicating with the director (Tom Stroud) and he is hoping I can send him some volunteers that live nearby that area that can help with managing the housing. It will need to be someone who can do weekly nest checks during the season, or at the very least, trap/remove the invasive house sparrows in the martin housing as needed, so the purple martins can be successful there. I'm happy to train someone to do this as well as help with necessary off-season repairs via a road trip, since I live in Wake county. If you know of anyone in your birding networks who might be a good fit for this work, please let me know. My NCPMS members are sparse in that area.
Thank you, Courtney Rousseau president, NC Purple Martin Society ncpurplemartin.org
Date: 7/9/24 4:01 am From: Matt Spangler (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Jordan Lake eBird hotspot refresh (incl. New Hope Creek/Transis Camp Rd)
Hey folks, now that the piedmont reservoirs are once again developing nice mudflats, I wanted to highlight a few updates to the Jordan Lake eBird hotspots that Mark K. and I worked with Shelley R. to implement over the last year. We updated hotspot names with more descriptive and standardized terminology, moved hotspot pins to parking lots (instead of unsafe bridges), and tried address other points of confusion.
The mudflats on the New Hope Creek arm of Jordan Lake, typically accessed via Transis Camp Rd., have been a source of historical hotspot confusion. As reconfigured/renamed, here is the basic arrangement: 1 general catch-all location, and 3 more specific locations.
Here are some examples of how the hotspots could be used during wader/shorebird season:
* If you want to keep a single checklist for your entire effort, including the road, parking area, power cut, maybe a detour through the forest, and then a stationary or more adventurous hike along the lakeshore or mudflats, use the Transis Camp Rd (general area) hotspot.
* If you want to be more precise, consider using the Power Line & Trails ONLY hotspot for the first part of your journey around the power cut and trails, and then create a separate list using the New Hope Creek (Chatham Co. Seasonal Mudflats) hotspot once you get down to the lake shore and begin focusing on waterbirds.
We made a bunch of other changes around the lake, but they seem less deserving of explanation. The eBird hotspot system isn't perfect, but hopefully these changes will help resolve some of the confusion surrounding these excellent hotspots. Happy birding!
Date: 7/5/24 2:00 pm From: scottjr (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
Though the Keightons and I shared some Durham/Chapel HIll years, we officially met through Blue Ridge Birders around 2000. I had a small history with what was first called, 'The Children's Museum' and became 'The Museum of LIfe and Science', for which Jim held a major role. We also had mutual associations with 'The Friends School'.
When we finally met, Jim supported my interest in developing an educational outreach component of our bird club. James Coman, also orginally from Durham, created a fund for that effort. Jim and I visited many local elementary schools in at least three counties bordering the NC.VA line. He was an exceptional teacher and generious mentor.
That nascent educational outreach slowly but deliberately morphed into Blue Ridge Discovery Center, under the umbrella of which Blue Ridge Birders thrives to this day.
I cannot overstate how important Jim was to me. I learned so much from him, both at Mahogany Rock and the Outer Banks. But it was his humility and wisdom that dominated our friendship. This news flattened me. My heart goes out to Alice and their family, of course.
Jim was a quiet giant.
Scott Jackson-Ricketts
July 4, 2024 at 6:25 PM, "Rob G" <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> Jim was among the first birders I encountered when I moved out here in 1981, though never had much contact with him once he left the Triangle. Good man/teacher, good life and legacy....
> -- Rob Gluck.... Carrboro, NC....
>
> ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
>
> **From:** <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Will Cook <carolinabirds...>
> **Sent:** Thursday, July 4, 2024 5:14 PM
> **To:** <carolinabirds...> <carolinabirds...>
> **Subject:** Fwd: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
>
>
> This message seems not to have gone through to Carolinabirds for some unknown reason. We'll miss Jim!
>
> Will Cook - Durham NC
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
> From: Ann Robertson <annbluebird2730...>
>
> Date: Jul 4, 2024 4:39 PM
>
> Subject: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
>
> To: <Carolinabirds...>
>
> Cc: Will Cook <cwcook...>
>
> >
> > Dear Carolinabirders,
> >
> > It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Jim Keighton's passing. Many of you enjoyed Jim's gentle, fun-loving, and always instructive presence at the Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch, for which he was the longtime Compiler.
> >
> > With his wing board, tally sheets for raptors, Hawk Watch brochures, and other educational materials, Jim used MP 235 as an outdoor classroom for the many Parkway visitors who stopped to see what those people with dorky hats, binoculars and spotting scopes were doing. My late husband, Chester, and I were drawn in by a fluttering Osprey kite and an Owl on a post. That began, for us, many happy associations with like-minded friends - including some of you - in a beautiful place, contributing to Citizen Science; all thanks to Jim. Does it get any better?
> >
> > Jim was both an Ambassador for the Birds and a Master Naturalist - equally interested in Pink Lady's Slippers and Migrating Monarchs. He was by vocation and avocation a science educator. I would encourage you to take time to read his obituary at Omega Funeral Home in Burlington (link below) to absorb what a great person he was, and how much he contributed to our science education, conservation, and birding communities.
> >
> > If you've enjoyed the sighting of a Bald Eagle at Jordan Lake, or the Butterfly Exhibit at Durham's Museum of Life and Science, you have Jim to thank. Here's a link to the obituary: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!tY_aOXO55OGFlQZqMSJntbMydAl3Nu5lRd_4nbmkteKwfotYQKHb8kZFk_9o_ZgquV4zUR9aBEvtYG6spw$https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!qMSTFcEcIm5dlSr_5xrQZKLIySPYSu90G92qxQIWAaFZKhwmaGiVCkX1tHNaynsXLgsQ2nH496shVznfWUiTw7PsPw$ > >
> > I have to believe that Jim's spirit is soaring in a thermal at Mahogany Rock, patiently waiting for the annual miracle of migration to begin.
> >
> > Yous in the shared memory of this magnanimous Quiet Quaker who touched so many,
> >
> > Ann Robertson / Winston-Salem
> >
>
Date: 7/4/24 3:26 pm From: Rob G (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
Jim was among the first birders I encountered when I moved out here in 1981, though never had much contact with him once he left the Triangle. Good man/teacher, good life and legacy.... -- Rob Gluck.... Carrboro, NC.... ________________________________ From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Will Cook <carolinabirds...> Sent: Thursday, July 4, 2024 5:14 PM To: <carolinabirds...> <carolinabirds...> Subject: Fwd: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
This message seems not to have gone through to Carolinabirds for some unknown reason. We'll miss Jim!
Will Cook - Durham NC
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ann Robertson <annbluebird2730...> Date: Jul 4, 2024 4:39 PM Subject: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch To: <Carolinabirds...> Cc: Will Cook <cwcook...>
Dear Carolinabirders,
It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Jim Keighton's passing. Many of you enjoyed Jim's gentle, fun-loving, and always instructive presence at the Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch, for which he was the longtime Compiler.
With his wing board, tally sheets for raptors, Hawk Watch brochures, and other educational materials, Jim used MP 235 as an outdoor classroom for the many Parkway visitors who stopped to see what those people with dorky hats, binoculars and spotting scopes were doing. My late husband, Chester, and I were drawn in by a fluttering Osprey kite and an Owl on a post. That began, for us, many happy associations with like-minded friends - including some of you - in a beautiful place, contributing to Citizen Science; all thanks to Jim. Does it get any better?
Jim was both an Ambassador for the Birds and a Master Naturalist - equally interested in Pink Lady's Slippers and Migrating Monarchs. He was by vocation and avocation a science educator. I would encourage you to take time to read his obituary at Omega Funeral Home in Burlington (link below) to absorb what a great person he was, and how much he contributed to our science education, conservation, and birding communities.
Date: 7/4/24 2:38 pm From: Norman Budnitz (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
Jim Keighton was my mentor, my colleague, my birding companion, and my dear
friend. Jim Keighton--a lovely man. I will miss him.
Norm
On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 5:31 PM Jeremy Wrenn <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Well, I certainly can thank him for the Butterfly House! My kids went
> there many times as they were growing up, and it made such an impression on
> him.
>
> Seems like quite the individual, and we've all been blessed by his work!
>
> Rest in peace, friend.
>
> --Jeremy Wrenn
> Wake Forest, NC
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 5:15 PM Will Cook <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> This message seems not to have gone through to Carolinabirds for some
>> unknown reason. We'll miss Jim!
>>
>> Will Cook - Durham NC
>>
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Ann Robertson <annbluebird2730...>
>> Date: Jul 4, 2024 4:39 PM
>> Subject: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
>> To: <Carolinabirds...>
>> Cc: Will Cook <cwcook...>
>>
>> Dear Carolinabirders,
>>
>> It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Jim Keighton's passing.
>> Many of you enjoyed Jim's gentle, fun-loving, and always instructive
>> presence at the Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch, for which he was the longtime
>> Compiler.
>>
>> With his wing board, tally sheets for raptors, Hawk Watch brochures, and
>> other educational materials, Jim used MP 235 as an outdoor classroom for
>> the many Parkway visitors who stopped to see what those people with dorky
>> hats, binoculars and spotting scopes were doing. My late husband, Chester,
>> and I were drawn in by a fluttering Osprey kite and an Owl on a post. That
>> began, for us, many happy associations with like-minded friends - including
>> some of you - in a beautiful place, contributing to Citizen Science; all
>> thanks to Jim. Does it get any better?
>>
>> Jim was both an Ambassador for the Birds and a Master Naturalist -
>> equally interested in Pink Lady's Slippers and Migrating Monarchs. He was
>> by vocation and avocation a science educator. I would encourage you to
>> take time to read his obituary at Omega Funeral Home in Burlington (link
>> below) to absorb what a great person he was, and how much he contributed to
>> our science education, conservation, and birding communities.
>>
>> If you've enjoyed the sighting of a Bald Eagle at Jordan Lake, or the
>> Butterfly Exhibit at Durham's Museum of Life and Science, you have Jim to
>> thank. Here's a link to the obituary:
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!vE3Jo58EKu8XijKN5r_s3mK2bKLCXbuXm1E5Lue6PqipZFy56Ccm3Ri6w6t4VMgUTfj5mFrAwcVA1tQgJvYA$ >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!qMSTFcEcIm5dlSr_5xrQZKLIySPYSu90G92qxQIWAaFZKhwmaGiVCkX1tHNaynsXLgsQ2nH496shVznfWUiTw7PsPw$> >>
>> I have to believe that Jim's spirit is soaring in a thermal at Mahogany
>> Rock, patiently waiting for the annual miracle of migration to begin.
>>
>> Yous in the shared memory of this magnanimous Quiet Quaker who touched so
>> many,
>>
>> Ann Robertson / Winston-Salem
>>
>>
>>
Date: 7/4/24 2:31 pm From: Jeremy Wrenn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
Well, I certainly can thank him for the Butterfly House! My kids went
there many times as they were growing up, and it made such an impression on
him.
Seems like quite the individual, and we've all been blessed by his work!
Rest in peace, friend.
--Jeremy Wrenn
Wake Forest, NC
On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 5:15 PM Will Cook <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> This message seems not to have gone through to Carolinabirds for some
> unknown reason. We'll miss Jim!
>
> Will Cook - Durham NC
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Ann Robertson <annbluebird2730...>
> Date: Jul 4, 2024 4:39 PM
> Subject: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
> To: <Carolinabirds...>
> Cc: Will Cook <cwcook...>
>
> Dear Carolinabirders,
>
> It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Jim Keighton's passing.
> Many of you enjoyed Jim's gentle, fun-loving, and always instructive
> presence at the Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch, for which he was the longtime
> Compiler.
>
> With his wing board, tally sheets for raptors, Hawk Watch brochures, and
> other educational materials, Jim used MP 235 as an outdoor classroom for
> the many Parkway visitors who stopped to see what those people with dorky
> hats, binoculars and spotting scopes were doing. My late husband, Chester,
> and I were drawn in by a fluttering Osprey kite and an Owl on a post. That
> began, for us, many happy associations with like-minded friends - including
> some of you - in a beautiful place, contributing to Citizen Science; all
> thanks to Jim. Does it get any better?
>
> Jim was both an Ambassador for the Birds and a Master Naturalist - equally
> interested in Pink Lady's Slippers and Migrating Monarchs. He was by
> vocation and avocation a science educator. I would encourage you to take
> time to read his obituary at Omega Funeral Home in Burlington (link below)
> to absorb what a great person he was, and how much he contributed to our
> science education, conservation, and birding communities.
>
> If you've enjoyed the sighting of a Bald Eagle at Jordan Lake, or the
> Butterfly Exhibit at Durham's Museum of Life and Science, you have Jim to
> thank. Here's a link to the obituary:
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!oMTsG6l1bp6jzGKqqnRKLx49XqS_Ih_WSdgRNggXDWJYcgGJocpTBRA-bYuW3rk2PiyJ9BKdB8EXlgDJqw6BYykYrQ$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.omegafsc.com/obituary/JamesJim-Keighton__;!!OToaGQ!qMSTFcEcIm5dlSr_5xrQZKLIySPYSu90G92qxQIWAaFZKhwmaGiVCkX1tHNaynsXLgsQ2nH496shVznfWUiTw7PsPw$> >
> I have to believe that Jim's spirit is soaring in a thermal at Mahogany
> Rock, patiently waiting for the annual miracle of migration to begin.
>
> Yous in the shared memory of this magnanimous Quiet Quaker who touched so
> many,
>
> Ann Robertson / Winston-Salem
>
>
>
Date: 7/4/24 2:15 pm From: Will Cook (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Fwd: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch
This message seems not to have gone through to Carolinabirds for some unknown reason. We'll miss Jim!
Will Cook - Durham NC
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ann Robertson <annbluebird2730...> Date: Jul 4, 2024 4:39 PM Subject: Jim Keighton of Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch To: <Carolinabirds...> Cc: Will Cook <cwcook...>
Dear Carolinabirders,
It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Jim Keighton's passing. Many of you enjoyed Jim's gentle, fun-loving, and always instructive presence at the Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch, for which he was the longtime Compiler.
With his wing board, tally sheets for raptors, Hawk Watch brochures, and other educational materials, Jim used MP 235 as an outdoor classroom for the many Parkway visitors who stopped to see what those people with dorky hats, binoculars and spotting scopes were doing. My late husband, Chester, and I were drawn in by a fluttering Osprey kite and an Owl on a post. That began, for us, many happy associations with like-minded friends - including some of you - in a beautiful place, contributing to Citizen Science; all thanks to Jim. Does it get any better?
Jim was both an Ambassador for the Birds and a Master Naturalist - equally interested in Pink Lady's Slippers and Migrating Monarchs. He was by vocation and avocation a science educator. I would encourage you to take time to read his obituary at Omega Funeral Home in Burlington (link below) to absorb what a great person he was, and how much he contributed to our science education, conservation, and birding communities.
A few comments and some useful links that I found.
So, I just experimented again, and a cup of this finer sugar on my digital kitchen scale weighs 226 grams.
Using this chart https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://annaolson.ca/baking-conversions/__;!!OToaGQ!r_4DDz36xNMXYFVBwObxGqVKlkCxVLCwvvYPvoT04E_0ewYAqYEsLxiwlLK-Y0XZ8Y1999KDD18W3sJ_sbLR$ which is similar to other charts I found,
I ended up having to remove 2 tablespoons of sugar for it to weigh the target 200 grams which regular (not superfine) granulated sugar weighs.
I think I will just take out 2 tablespoons/cup of this superfine sugar and continue to use the 4:1 ratio for now.
I don’t know why I never do the 5:1 ratio other than feeling guilty, LOL.
I also buy organic whole foods sugar for coffee, and I thought it was an unrefined sugar, so I haven’t used it for hummingbirds, BUT, since
Rob, Susan, and Taylor’s emails, I looked up raw versus unrefined and I think I was getting them confused. The organic sugar is really a raw sugar, not an unrefined
sugar, and seems very close to refined sugar, so seems OK to use.
I found this website written by Adriane Campos, you can see her credentials on the ‘about' page towards the bottom.
It really explains the sugar processing differences nicely.
Most info on the web seems to recommend refined white sugar for feeders.
National Zoo- specifies 'refined white sugar, not raw’
Audubon- also refined white sugar
ABC- seems to discourage feeders but also says refined white sugar….
Susan, with your observations about darker feeder water in central America, do you know how they make it? Would be interesting to compare.
In regards to Ann’s good advice, Cornell says During hot, dry weather, when hummingbirds risk dehydration, it’s best to make your mixture no stronger than a quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. But during cold, rainy spells, making the mixture a bit stronger, up to about a third cup of sugar per cup of water, will not hurt your birds and may help them.
thanks for listening!
Shelley
> On Jul 4, 2024, at 12:37 PM, "Rob G\" (via carolinabirds Mailing List)" <carolinabirds...> <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> Interesting, I recently bought a bag of Trader Joe "Organic Cane Sugar" and realized upon opening it that it was finer than the generic Food Lion granulated I usually get, and it also had a slight yellow-brown tint?.... Wondered if there was any reason for concern (the hummers are eating it, but maybe I should've lowered dose?)
>
> On a different sidenote: the Yellow-crowned Night Herons at Ephesus Park (Chapel Hill) had another successful breeding season, at least 3 out of 5 (if not all 5) of the nests I observed putting forth offspring... who promptly dropped poop on the tennis & pickleball courts 😉
>
> -- Rob Gluck.... Carrboro, NC.......
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 10:31 AM Shelley Theye <veery...> <mailto:<veery...>> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
>
> I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
> I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasn’t
> changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
>
> There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
>
> With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
>
> I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
>
> Shelley
Date: 7/4/24 9:47 am From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: Re: Hummingbird advice- Sugar now superfine
So that could have more of the cane in it. Tropical cane sugar (if you notice at many hummingbird feeders in Central America/Carribean) has a brown tint.
Interesting, I recently bought a bag of Trader Joe "Organic Cane Sugar" and realized upon opening it that it was finer than the generic Food Lion granulated I usually get, and it also had a slight yellow-brown tint?.... Wondered if there was any reason for concern (the hummers are eating it, but maybe I should've lowered dose?)
On a different sidenote: the Yellow-crowned Night Herons at Ephesus Park (Chapel Hill) had another successful breeding season, at least 3 out of 5 (if not all 5) of the nests I observed putting forth offspring... who promptly dropped poop on the tennis & pickleball courts 😉
-- Rob Gluck.... Carrboro, NC.......
On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 10:31 AM Shelley Theye <veery...><mailto:<veery...>> wrote:
Hi,
I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasn’t
changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
Date: 7/4/24 9:37 am From: Rob G (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Hummingbird advice- Sugar now superfine
Interesting, I recently bought a bag of Trader Joe "Organic Cane Sugar" and realized upon opening it that it was finer than the generic Food Lion granulated I usually get, and it also had a slight yellow-brown tint?.... Wondered if there was any reason for concern (the hummers are eating it, but maybe I should've lowered dose?)
On a different sidenote: the Yellow-crowned Night Herons at Ephesus Park (Chapel Hill) had another successful breeding season, at least 3 out of 5 (if not all 5) of the nests I observed putting forth offspring... who promptly dropped poop on the tennis & pickleball courts 😉
-- Rob Gluck.... Carrboro, NC.......
On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 10:31 AM Shelley Theye <veery...><mailto:<veery...>> wrote:
Hi,
I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasn’t
changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
Date: 7/4/24 9:06 am From: Robert McLean (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Hummingbird advice- Sugar now superfine
Hi Shelley,
The ratio of water to sugar is 4:1. (4 cups water and 1 cup sugar).
Your concerns are very well taken, but I haven’t a clue if you are correct or not correct
You could add less sugar if you want to. Also, my Paula just brought home some organic white sugar (Trader’s Joe). It costs much more, but the granuals are not superfine.
Of late, I am seeing an increase in hummingbird activity in my suburban location. I have about an acre with lots of big trees and a nice group of mid sized trees. I believe our hummingbirds may be nesting on our property, as they always fly away in the same direction into a group of trees.
Good birding!
Taylor McLean
Towson, MD
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 4, 2024, at 10:31 AM, Shelley Theye <veery...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
>
> I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
> I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasn’t
> changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
>
> There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
>
> With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
>
> I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
>
> Shelley
>
>
>
Date: 7/4/24 7:57 am From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: Re: Hummingbird advice- Sugar now superfine
Shelley and All,
This is an interesting question!
Keep in mind that hummers nectar at flowers with varying sugar concentrations. At feeders they will readily feed from 4:1 and even 5:1 solutions. Therefore, your measurements need not be ultra- precise. 4:1 approximates the average concentration for the flower nectar that they sample.
So, if your feeder contains a bit higher concentration of sugar, it should not be problematic. Also remember that feeders only make up a fraction of hummer diets at this time of the year. Flowers are becoming increasingly abundant. Furthermore, the birds are spending much of their time bug hunting (especially the breeding g females).
If you are concerned about ultra fine sugar's effect, I would recommend switching to a 5:1 solution.
I have had an issue this season with certain sugar becoming cloudy within 36 hours in my feeders. I now wonder if it is the super fine stuff. I experimented and it is not a result of the water I am adding.....
I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasnt
changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my regular sugar weighs on my scale)
With hummingbirds being so tiny, dont we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we dont recalculate the sugar/water formula?
I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
On Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 10:31 AM Shelley Theye <veery...> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
>
> I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the
> texture was much smoother than it usually is.
> I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought
> was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label
> hasn’t
> changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they
> only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
>
> There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of
> superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
>
> With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra
> sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
>
> I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I
> feel more comfortable not guessing.
>
> Shelley
>
>
>
>
Date: 7/4/24 7:31 am From: Shelley Theye <veery...> Subject: Hummingbird advice- Sugar now superfine
Hi,
I am hoping the hummer experts might weigh in-
I purchased a new bag of granulated white sugar and noticed that the texture was much smoother than it usually is.
I googled a few baking websites for weights and found that what I thought was regular granulated sugar is now superfine sugar even thought the label hasn’t
changed. This is Domino Sugar brand. I looked up Dixie Crystals and they only offer superfine too, but at least they say that somewhere on the label.
There are 200 grams per cup of regular sugar versus 220 grams per cup of superfine (which is what my ‘regular sugar’ weighs on my scale)
With hummingbirds being so tiny, don’t we need to worry about the extra sugar in our feeders if we don’t recalculate the sugar/water formula?
I know I can tweak by adding a bit more or less sugar and water, but I feel more comfortable not guessing.
Date: 7/3/24 10:16 am From: Will Cook <cwcook...> Subject: Chapel Hill 2024 Spring Bird Count summary
2024 Chapel Hill Spring Bird Count — Compiler's Comments
by Will Cook
The Chapel Hill spring count on Saturday, May 4, 2024, recorded 112 species and 6098 individual birds, both below the average for the past 10 counts (121 species, 8255 individuals). Effort on the count was also low, hampered by rain in the afternoon, with 93.9 party hours (average 126.9) and 31 counters in 20 parties (average 39 counters, 21 parties). However, the number of birds per party hour, 64.9, was close to the average of 65.3. So perhaps the low numbers of this count were from counters stopping early because of the rain, not from an unusually low number of birds about. However, it was a very slow migration day, with only 17 warbler species found, the lowest in the 68 year history of the count.
The highlight of the count was a Swallow-tailed Kite, found buoyantly flying over Damascus Church Road near Belle Vie Farm by Rachelle Roake. She reported the sighting to a local rare bird alert and several Chapel Hill counters gave chase, relocating the bird and documenting the kite with good photos. This is only the second Swallow-tailed Kite on the count; the first was in 2020. Other super rarities were the first Common Loon in a decade (Marc Ribaudo at Jordan Lake), our 4th Anhinga and 6th Marsh Wren (both by Alex Nickley at the Little Creek impoundment on Farrington Road), our first White-crowned Sparrow in 15 years (Bob Lewis at Union Grove Church Road). More goodies included 7 Great Egrets (Nickley), a lingering Hermit Thrush (Jon Bennett), a Grasshopper Sparrow (Lewis), a Palm Warbler (Nickley).
We set no record highs, but several species were higher than usual: 30 Solitary Sandpipers (highest since 1986, average 11.7), 7 Great Egrets (average 0.8), 8 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons (avg 2.5), 14 Swamp Sparrows (avg 3.6), and 37 Yellow-breasted Chats (avg 25.1).
Our big miss was Field Sparrow, which has been declining for years. Last year was a record low of 3, this year our first miss; they were found on all the previous 67 counts. We set one other record low this year, another species that's been in serious decline for years: Wood Thrush, with only 24 recorded this count, compared to an average of 43. Many other species were recorded in very low numbers: 15 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (avg 37, lowest since 1974), 16 Double-crested Cormorants (avg 123, lowest since 1982), 16 Black Vultures (avg 90, lowest since 1998, 53 Turkey Vultures (avg 117), 23 Red-shouldered Hawks (avg 41), 6 Red-tailed Hawks (avg 18, lowest since 1974), 117 Red-bellied Woodpeckers (avg 179, lowest since 1994), 6 Northern Flickers (avg 12, lowest since 1974), 49 Blue Jays (avg 130, lowest since 1957), 134 American Crows (avg 227, lowest since 1975), 119 Carolina Chickadees (avg 243, lowest since 1974), 20 White-breasted Nuthatches (avg 46, lowest since 1996), 111 American Robins (avg 203, lowest since 1975), 29 Brown Thrashers (avg 55, lowest since 1972), 80 Northern Mockingbirds (avg 123, lowest since 1974), 80 Common Grackles (avg 148, lowest since 1969), and 19 Hooded Warbler (avg 35, lowest since 1978)
Team honors: Alex Nickley covering area 21, which includes the NC Botanical Garden, Parker Preserve, and impoundments on Little Creek, had an outstanding 83 species, followed closely by Roger Shaw, at the former Maple View Farm and University Lake, with 80. Will Cook, at Mason Farm and the Eagle Spur Trail, counted the most individual birds, with 701.
Weather in brief: low 67F, high 77F; wind ENE 5-10 mph; cloudy, intermittent rain.
Thanks to all counters for persevering on a rainy day!
Also just posted at https://chbc.carolinanature.com/ -- totals for all years for the Chapel Hill Christmas Bird Count (1923-present) as well as the Chapel Hill Spring Bird Count (1952-present).
Date: 7/1/24 6:12 am From: \Scott Anderson\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: Raven with red wing tags in Allegheny County
The best place to report any marked bird (alive or dead) is to the US Geological Service at https://reportband.gov . The USGS hosts the database that stores all banding data for birds marked in the US. These band recovery data are very important to learning about the demography, movement, and populations of birds!
Once reported, you can request to have a report sent to you including the location and date of banding if your report matches a known bird.
Date: 6/30/24 11:03 am From: <badgerboy...> Subject: Re: Wonderful website to learn birds and birdsongs
I agree with Yianni 100% and want to assure people that it is a totally
free tool. You do have to log in if you want to save custom quiz lists
for next time, and I use custom lists for each of my surveys, each year
to review--its amazing how many birds I forget and get wrong each year
the first quiz. The "Dendroica" module is what I use on the Nature
Instruct website. One caution is that there are no updates, so browsers
can react differently, and taxonomy is old. My browser for example no
longer plays the songs automatically, but requires an extra button click.
Date: 6/30/24 10:54 am From: Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Wonderful website to learn birds and birdsongs
Kent's carolina bird photo randomizer quiz is great, and I have recommended it widely (and inflicted it on my ornithology students, some of whom really like it). I used to try to see how long a streak I could get, a game also known as "dodge the flycatcher/hummingbird." Everybody should try it.
All the free online bird *sound* quizzes I can remember running across have had issues of one sort or another. The one Yianni Laskaris recommended earlier in the thread has kind of a clunky interface, but is a good level of challenge and has good sound quality. It made me feel smug when I got Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Great Egret and Wilson's Plover from sounds (definitely some luck involved), so I'm biased.
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Science2 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
> On Jun 30, 2024, at 11:42 AM, Kent Fiala <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
>
> eBird has provided quizzes for several years https://ebird.org/quiz/ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ebird.org/quiz/__;!!OToaGQ!qV5Wn5oh_pVFDI6SidoKq_MCediuFxTXJtl8pGL54QyeH-3DoJp3YoP3h2NYPx3SqmUe-6iA7OqS0sKmAg2b3lk$>. It has some of the same low-quality issues that Chris describes, but in general reports on eBird are of a much higher quality level than what you find on iNaturalist.
>
> Also, the Carolina Bird Club has a photo quiz that I wrote years ago. It only does photos though, no audio, and only Carolina birds. https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/gallery/flashcards/ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/gallery/flashcards/__;!!OToaGQ!qV5Wn5oh_pVFDI6SidoKq_MCediuFxTXJtl8pGL54QyeH-3DoJp3YoP3h2NYPx3SqmUe-6iA7OqS0sKm-0P1CTE$> > Kent Fiala
> On 6/30/2024 9:32 AM, Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote:
>> It's a wonderful idea and a wonderful implementation. Having said that, basing a quiz on iNaturalist submissions means that many of the audio clips are just unusable or inaudible, so the feedback is a bit discouraging (After I've studied bird song for 45 years, I don't like being told I cannot identify an American Robin by song). Since the creator is on this thread, maybe I could suggest adding a "skip to next" button to allow the user to filter through to the decent recordings? In a small sample, I found that only 2 of 5 clips had a clearly audible and identifiable bird.
>>
>> Chris Hill, Ph.D.
>> Professor
>> Biology Department
>> Coastal Carolina University
>> Office: Science2 207H
>> (843) 349-2567
>> email: <chill...> <mailto:<chill...> >>
>>> On Jun 29, 2024, at 10:08 PM, Sophia Cox <Carolinabirds...> <mailto:<Carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>>
>>> CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
>>>
>>> Good evening, all!
>>>
>>> My friend Adam (copied here) coded a website that provides infinite “flash cards” to practice bird ID (and actually, any other taxa as well), and I thought it might be of interest to some of you.
>>>
>>> It pulls from iNaturalist data to quiz you on, for instance, North Carolina sparrows or easily confused bird trills or common backyard birds.
>>>
>>> Some of the preloaded sets are for other organisms, like mosses or snakes or salamanders. There is also an option to create your own customized set to practice anything you want. The website can track your proficiency and make adjustments accordingly to give you more practice with the species you don’t know as well.
>>>
>>> I have found this endlessly useful (and really fun), and I figured many of you would enjoy it as well.
>>>
>>> Here’s the link for anyone who’s interested: https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html__;!!OToaGQ!swVCNgUTRFY_SioyTwjQDFvV0NyrS3reRakCaYcYEUYaOxH6EOEIBoFKLOb6Rhbsge6zqZcq7tk_t28_rkCoV4I$>.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Sophie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Get Outlook for iOS <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aka.ms/o0ukef__;!!OToaGQ!swVCNgUTRFY_SioyTwjQDFvV0NyrS3reRakCaYcYEUYaOxH6EOEIBoFKLOb6Rhbsge6zqZcq7tk_t28_Ozs1NOo$> >
On 6/30/2024 9:32 AM, Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote:
> It's a wonderful idea and a wonderful implementation. Having said that, basing a quiz on iNaturalist submissions means that many of the audio clips are just unusable or inaudible, so the feedback is a bit discouraging (After I've studied bird song for 45 years, I don't like being told I cannot identify an American Robin by song). Since the creator is on this thread, maybe I could suggest adding a "skip to next" button to allow the user to filter through to the decent recordings? In a small sample, I found that only 2 of 5 clips had a clearly audible and identifiable bird.
>
> Chris Hill, Ph.D.
> Professor
> Biology Department
> Coastal Carolina University
> Office: Science2 207H
> (843) 349-2567
> email: <chill...>
>
>> On Jun 29, 2024, at 10:08 PM, Sophia Cox <Carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>
>> CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
>>
>> Good evening, all!
>>
>> My friend Adam (copied here) coded a website that provides infinite “flash cards” to practice bird ID (and actually, any other taxa as well), and I thought it might be of interest to some of you.
>>
>> It pulls from iNaturalist data to quiz you on, for instance, North Carolina sparrows or easily confused bird trills or common backyard birds.
>>
>> Some of the preloaded sets are for other organisms, like mosses or snakes or salamanders. There is also an option to create your own customized set to practice anything you want. The website can track your proficiency and make adjustments accordingly to give you more practice with the species you don’t know as well.
>>
>> I have found this endlessly useful (and really fun), and I figured many of you would enjoy it as well.
>>
>> Here’s the link for anyone who’s interested: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html__;!!OToaGQ!qV5Wn5oh_pVFDI6SidoKq_MCediuFxTXJtl8pGL54QyeH-3DoJp3YoP3h2NYPx3SqmUe-6iA7OqS0sKmen6Sd_4$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html__;!!OToaGQ!swVCNgUTRFY_SioyTwjQDFvV0NyrS3reRakCaYcYEUYaOxH6EOEIBoFKLOb6Rhbsge6zqZcq7tk_t28_rkCoV4I$>.
>>
>> Best,
>> Sophie
>>
>>
>>
>> Get Outlook for iOS <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aka.ms/o0ukef__;!!OToaGQ!swVCNgUTRFY_SioyTwjQDFvV0NyrS3reRakCaYcYEUYaOxH6EOEIBoFKLOb6Rhbsge6zqZcq7tk_t28_Ozs1NOo$> >
Date: 6/30/24 6:33 am From: Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Wonderful website to learn birds and birdsongs
It's a wonderful idea and a wonderful implementation. Having said that, basing a quiz on iNaturalist submissions means that many of the audio clips are just unusable or inaudible, so the feedback is a bit discouraging (After I've studied bird song for 45 years, I don't like being told I cannot identify an American Robin by song). Since the creator is on this thread, maybe I could suggest adding a "skip to next" button to allow the user to filter through to the decent recordings? In a small sample, I found that only 2 of 5 clips had a clearly audible and identifiable bird.
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Science2 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
> On Jun 29, 2024, at 10:08 PM, Sophia Cox <Carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
>
> Good evening, all!
>
> My friend Adam (copied here) coded a website that provides infinite “flash cards” to practice bird ID (and actually, any other taxa as well), and I thought it might be of interest to some of you.
>
> It pulls from iNaturalist data to quiz you on, for instance, North Carolina sparrows or easily confused bird trills or common backyard birds.
>
> Some of the preloaded sets are for other organisms, like mosses or snakes or salamanders. There is also an option to create your own customized set to practice anything you want. The website can track your proficiency and make adjustments accordingly to give you more practice with the species you don’t know as well.
>
> I have found this endlessly useful (and really fun), and I figured many of you would enjoy it as well.
>
> Here’s the link for anyone who’s interested: https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adam-kosinski.github.io/Birds/index.html__;!!OToaGQ!swVCNgUTRFY_SioyTwjQDFvV0NyrS3reRakCaYcYEUYaOxH6EOEIBoFKLOb6Rhbsge6zqZcq7tk_t28_rkCoV4I$>.
>
> Best,
> Sophie
>
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Date: 6/29/24 7:08 pm From: Sophia Cox (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Wonderful website to learn birds and birdsongs
Good evening, all!
My friend Adam (copied here) coded a website that provides infinite flash cards to practice bird ID (and actually, any other taxa as well), and I thought it might be of interest to some of you.
It pulls from iNaturalist data to quiz you on, for instance, North Carolina sparrows or easily confused bird trills or common backyard birds.
Some of the preloaded sets are for other organisms, like mosses or snakes or salamanders. There is also an option to create your own customized set to practice anything you want. The website can track your proficiency and make adjustments accordingly to give you more practice with the species you dont know as well.
I have found this endlessly useful (and really fun), and I figured many of you would enjoy it as well.
Date: 6/29/24 2:33 pm From: Steve Dowlan (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Raven with red wing tags in Allegheny County
Today, while birding the Mouth of Wilson SE Atlas block along Baker's Ridge Road in Allegheny County, I saw a Common Raven with red tags on both wings. I did a quick Google search and came up empty. Does anyone know if there is a source to report to?
Steve Dowlan
Follow:The Gulf of Mexicoto the Mississippi Riverto the Ohio Riverto the Tennessee Riverto South Fork Holston Riverto the Watauga Riverto Cove Creekto Brushy Fork to Linville Creekto the first unnamed tributary
On Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 02:00:28 PM EDT, Robert Lewis" (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
This Brown Noddy has been frequenting a stretch of beach south of Avon NC (on the OBX). Unfortunately it spends most of its time loafing on the beach within tern nesting enclosures, so cannot be closely approached. On my fifth visit I got lucky and found the bird on a public area. June 23.
