Observers: Chris McCreedy, Sean Fitzgerald, Dawn Konkoly, Brie Anderson
Email: cmccreedy atprbodotorg
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 12.110.32.113
Date: 05/19/2008
Time: 07:46 PM -0400
He was loud and blue. We knew he was a bunting from his loud bouncy song. Then he jumped out of the tamarisk, blue in body and wing, bunting-sized. Dawn found a Virginia Rail nest two days ago. Bell's Vireos have still not re-colonized the Amargosa Canyon after the catastrophic 2002 burn, which I believe was caused by a careless campfire. Our Brown-headed Cowbird traps are doing well, and we as yet have not recorded a parasitized nest. We by far capture the most cowbirds at China Ranch, where a local resident (not the Ranch) has insisted on feeding birds, and at Shoshone behind the Crowbar, where I have watched cowbirds capitalize on scraps at the restaurant and near the gas station. Others may be feeding cowbirds with seed in Shoshone as well, I have not managed to survey the town for this. Please restrict your summer feeding to goldfinch socks and hummingbird feeders! Our native songbirds are getting hammered by cowbirds that we support through seed feeders.