Re: Dickcissel, Anilorac Farm (NC)

[stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu (Stephen J. Perry)]

>Went to see the Dickcissel yesterday afternoon.  (Just where do 
>those cees and esses go in that name!?)  Found Shelley Theye there, 
>watching the male singing from the power line.  As we watched, he 
>repeatedly flew down to the grass on the north side of the road. 
>Shelley reported thinking she had seen another, similar looking bird 
>in the area.
>
>At one point, the male flew off, seemingly in company with another 
>bird.  Shelley and I waited and watched, but never got a good look. 
>We finally decided it was time to go.  Shelley left in one 
>direction; I had to turn my car around.  As I came back by the spot, 
>I saw both birds in the grass about 20 feet back from the road.  The 
>second bird was definitely a Dickcissel, without a black bib.  I 
>assume a female from the way they were consorting.
>
>A breeding pair?  Seems likely.  Pretty cool.  (No, actually, it was 
>about 90 degrees.)
>
>Norm
>

Hi Folks,

I was out there on Saturday a.m. and thought I saw 2 dickcissels, but 
never together so I could not be sure if I was seeing the same one 
all the time. A male was perching for the most part on top of a pole 
on the LHS of the road (as you head  up the hill after you pass the 
farm, over the small creek). He would fly off into the field and 
perch on long stems of corn. The reason I think I saw 2 was that I 
heard singing from one direction, but then very shortly afterwards I 
would see a bird in an apparently different place. I failed to get a 
good view of the breast though. And the bird could have doubled back 
quickly to fool me into thinking there was a second one. I also saw 
one bird fly down into the creeping plants at the base of the singing 
post, but a closer inspection failed to reveal a nest. A female 
orchard oriole did fly out there though, carrying what looked like a 
large black berry or maybe a beetle. I couldn't locate the oriole 
nest by the creek where it was reported to be: is it visible from the 
road?

Also saw a male orchard oriole, plenty of rw blackbirds, indigos, 
chippers, a bobwhite, E. meadowlarks, and the farmer was kind enough 
to come along and start mowing the verge, displacing a grasshopper 
sparrow to the overhead telephone line. He stopped, sang for me and 
then dropped down into the field, never to appear again!

I failed to see or hear the warbling vireo: I felt rather 
uncomfortable peering into the farmer's front yard so I did not get 
too close.

I may go out there this week to hunt for dickcissel number 2. I'll 
let you know if I find him/her.

-- 
Steve Perry

Receptor Biology Lab, Duke Uni Med Center, Durham, NC

stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu