Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!mit-amt!geek
From: geek@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Chris Schmandt)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Bird watching & rec.birds
Keywords: birding, bird-watching
Message-ID: <390@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Date: 30 Jul 89 17:49:38 GMT
References: <8863@cs.Buffalo.EDU>
Reply-To: geek@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Chris Schmandt)
Organization: MIT Media Lab, Cambridge MA
Lines: 27

In article <8863@cs.Buffalo.EDU> dmark@cs.Buffalo.EDU (David Mark) writes:
>Anyway, if there is so little traffic in what this group was supposed to do, 
>perhaps the cockatoo postings are better than nothing.  I'll try to post a few
>things over the next few days.
>

Well, one of my favorite topics is range expansion (range decline is all
too common!).    Like the mockingbird, which now winters over here (Boston),
yet back in Mark Twain's day was referred to as the "catbird of the south".

Over the last 5 years I've been watching Turkey Vultures move (back?) into
eastern Mass.  I almost always see them on the hilltops of the Blue Hills
(just south of the city and a few miles from my house), say half a dozen
soaring together yesterday.  Less than 10 years ago they simply were not
here.

I also saw one on Mt. Monadnock (southern NH) last weekend; I do not
know their history in that area.

There's something especially fun about finding birds just at the limits
of their ranges.

On the other hand, the indigo bunting population seems to be declining,
at least in the Blue Hills.  Some of the spots where I used to 
reliably find nesting pairs don't have any this year.

chris