Rare Bird Alert

Thursday, March 4, 2010

 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.

 Highlights of reports received February 25 through March 4 from the Niagara Frontier Region include EARED GREBE, PEREGRINE FALCON, YELLOW-R. WARBLER, RED-W. BLACKBIRD and COMMON GRACKLE.

 The EARED GREBE at Dunkirk Harbor was still present on March 4. Also of note in the harbor, 2 HORNED GREBES, 6 LESSER SCAUP, 204 BUFFLEHEADS and 4 sub-adult BALD EAGLES.

 On the upper Niagara River, over 20,000 waterfowl, including abundant CANVASBACKS and GREATER SCAUP, continue off Beaver Island State Park, Motor Island and Strawberry Island. Several reports of a pair of adult BALD EAGLES at Beaver Island, Strawberry Island and the south Grand Island bridge. Also a sub-adult BALD EAGLE at Beaver Island and Navy Island.

 February 28, a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS, exchanging calls, at the Ontario Street boat launch in Buffalo's Riverside. PEREGRINE FALCON also at Beaver Island on the 4th. And in Amherst, March 3, a PEREGRINE FALCON between two plastic owl decoys atop St. Benedicts Church at Main and Eggert Road.

 For three weeks, 2 YELLOW-R. WARBLERS at a corn meal and peanut butter feeder on Silver Road in the Genesee County Town of Bethany. Also in Bethany, mixed flocks of HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS on McLernon Road, BROWN CREEPER and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on Francis Road, and in Genesee County Park, NOR. SAW-WHET OWL and GREAT HORNED OWL were heard calling the night of February 27.

 In the Niagara County Town of Porter, HORNED LARKS singing along many of the roadsides, with small numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS.

 March 4, migrant RED-W. BLACKBIRD and COMMON GRACKLE returned to the Town of Tonawanda.

 Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, March 11. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.

- End Transcript