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Re: Scissor-tailed flycatcher, and Nature Listservs



On Sat, 3 Jun 2000, Anne Olsen wrote:
> 
> I did not post this yesterday hoping to see the bird to verify the
> sighting.  I have seen a scissor-tailed flycatcher out west, but did not
> think there was any possibility of seeing one in NC.   I have not seen
> any other postings of such a sighting this year. (I think there was a
> sighting last year in SC.)  Has anyone else seen one?

There is certainly a possibility of seeing a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in 
NC, just not a very big one. Scissor-tails are noted vagrants, regularly 
showing up far beyond their breeding range as late spring overshoots or 
as fall wrong-way migrants. I have not seen one in NC yet, but have seen 
two in extreme northern Michigan at Whitefish Point; they also regularly 
show up at Cape May, NJ, and a few usually winter in Florida. Their 
breeding range also may be expanding, as birders in Georgia have been 
following a pair attempting to nest near McDonough, in Henry County. 
Unfortunately, when a Scissor-tail strays, it usually doesn't stay in one 
place for long, so if there was one in Union County, it could b almost  
anywhere in either Carolina by now...

As for confusing species, there isn't much. Fork-tailed Flycatcher is 
even less likely in NC than Scissor-tailed. I once called a fly-over 
Cuckoo a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (we were doing 80 mph down I-95 in 
Florida at the time), but I've never seen a cuckoo perch on anything as 
exposed as a telephone wire.

RE: Bill Hilton's questions about nature listservs, I have never seen a 
comprehensive general listing. I used to know where to find a couple of 
pretty thorough lists of birding listservs, but not any other lists about 
nature, just birds. I do know that Alex Netherton has started several NC 
listservs on various aspects of natural history in NC, including one on 
natural history in general; one on frogs and toads; one on turtles, 
tortoises, and terrapins; one on dragonflies and damselflies, and 
probably others. The dragonfly listserv has since expanded to cover most 
of the southeastern US, with subscribers from Florida to New Jersey to 
Tennessee and maybe further...

Good birding,

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

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