Albatrossity2
Posts: 2780
Joined: Mar. 2007
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The 60th annual Manhattan CBC was held today, and the cold and windy conditions (plus a few snow flurries) kept our numbers of participants and species rather low. Waterfowl and gull diversity was quite low; we managed to tally only 82 species (+ 2 count week species so far), including a Northern Shrike, some Rusty Blackbirds, 2 Prairie Falcons, and lots of Canada, Cackling and Snow Geese. Notable misses included Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Loggerhead Shrike, Bufflehead, Greater Prairie-chicken, Field Sparrow, Merlin, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. The highlight of my part of the count was a stunning dark-phase Rough-legged Hawk (the only Rough-legged Hawk seen on the count today).
My daughter Ellen and I also rescued a very fancy rooster who was apparently abandoned; he was cold, hungry, and headed toward the vehicle as soon as I opened the door. He was grateful for a warm place, food and water, and will soon be back amongst other chickens at an acquaintance's farm near Alma. And no, this chicken is not included in the species total above.But he is very handsome!
One interesting sighting that is awaiting more details before inclusion in the list is a report of a very large tern ("size of a ring-billed gull") seen along the Kansas River by two experienced observers. If these details are correct, we will add Caspian Tern to the Manhattan CBC checklist, bringing that list up to a total of 170 species over the last 60 years.
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Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mind
Has been obligated from the beginning
To create an ordered universe
As the only possible proof of its own inheritance.
- Pattiann Rogers
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