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Re: Changing scene



Hi Carolinabirders,

I'm up late grading exams, but don't think that it'll keep me from the 
Jordan Lake count, starting in about three hours... I hope the hot sunny 
weather won't disperse too many of the migrants.

Anyway, like Bob Perkins, I've lost my Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. They 
started visiting one feeder, the one furthest from the house and closest 
to the brush pile, the first day they arrived. They did so for about 
three days, and have not been back since. I think I still have one White- 
throated Sparrow around, and a Song Sparrow showed up day before last, 
the first time in weeks. I have not seen a single Chipping Sparrow since 
the invasion week, when there were dozens. For probably the same reason, 
I have had no Indigo Buntings or Blue Grosbeaks at my feeders; apparently 
too darn woodsy.

Most of the migrant warblers vanished along with the grosbeaks. The 
exceptions are Black-throated Blue, which I've heard hourly and seen 
daily; and American Redstart, which suddenly started singing in the Duke 
Forest yesterday (no visual confirmation yet). Parulas are still around 
as well; those might be local breeders.

I did hear and briefly see a Common Nighthawk Thursday evening, my (if 
not Durham's) first of the year.

I also led five other grad students up Occoneechee Mountain Thursday 
morning. That place is spectacular! Mostly for the Mountain Laurels, 
which are exploding with flowers right now! A friend demonstrated how 
their spring-loaded stamens catapulted pollen onto bees. I was hoping the 
Mountain might accumulate some migrants (you know, like that Kennesaw 
place near Atlanta), but no such luck. All birds were breeders, except 
maybe the Ovenbird. Other sightings were Prairie Warbler, Indigo Bunting, 
Green Heron, Red-eyed Vireo, a few others. One interesting development: 
they're building an observation deck at the overlook! Would make a great 
place for hawk-watching, except that it faces west and has very little 
north or south exposure. Oh well, at least it's great for sunsets... The 
place had an impressive diversity of dragonflies, as subscribers to that 
listserv already know. But the plants were the real show, even though all 
the Trailing Arbutus had finished for the year.

Thanks to the many who replied to my Columbine query. A friend actually 
pointed out some Columbines in a flower bed in front of Bio Sci, 100 
yards or so from the two "wild" flowers I reported, so perhaps they were 
feral. I have not had a chance to lure my botanically inclined friends 
over to investigate further.

Better get back to work. Good birding, especially to those up at the CBC 
meeting and to my fellow Jordan Lake counters...

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/