August 2 2008

7:30 am

3 vultures circling east end of woods; and moved west over my house. A Coopers hawk is chasing one.

8:15 am

Grower monitoring.

Side note: I am seeing, as have been all summer, more barn swallows than ever, and they are active all day vs early evening in past years.

9:45 am

3 vultures moving over woods and closer to bait. 1 Rough-legged hawk watching from tree in woods. Heard a bald eagl near by, don't see.

10:00 am

4 vultures moving from woods going SW over dairy. Seems much less presence of Starlings near my area and the adjacent dairy.

10:45 am

Drove west edge of field.
Observed 10 robins; 5 finches, 0 starlings. Distribution of birds is about 60% locating around the north-center of the field; but more are in south sections. Robins now arriving from woods but going to the south end. I can see that the cow innards being scavanged as I drive by.

10:43 am

Still notice very few starlings around.

11:17 am

Grower monitoring.

11:30 am

Bald eagle in tree by dairy across road.

12:30 pm

My hawk is quite active and vocal; flew over my house, looking a bit ragged, is missing a fair number of wing feathers. The other Rough-legged hawk is circing over woods, with a vulture over NW corner of field. Another vulture flew over me at 60'. Young Rough-legged just flew over me and backyard. So there appears to be 3 Rough-legged hawks using my woods. Young hawk and 3 vultures over my grass field circling over bait area. There are now 5 vutures, one flying lower, right over me at 25' height. They know there's food at bait, but wary, flying over it with 1/4 mi radius.

Ah ahh...all this time, there were 4 vultures on the bait...something spooked them...it was the bald eagle. Wow now there is 16 vultures all circling over bait. Gradually they scattered.

1:00 pm

1 Rough-legged hawk came in from the north and traveled south, followed by vulture that circling bait.

1:15 pm

Went to check the bait. Then to blueberry field. I was amazed for there was not one bird in or near the field. This is the first time during ripening, that I have not seen ONE bird of some sort in the field. Wow! I videoed the vultures and the condition of the field. [See below] This shows one bald eagle feeding on some yummies; with a group of 10-15 turkey vultures buzzing around wishing for some portions. The effect: no robins, finches or starlings: they all but disappeared!




2:45 pm

One lone vulture circling very high over field, moving north to south.

4:30 pm

I am monitoring.
Observed 7 robins all in 1 group fly in in "hot and heavy" (fast and low)...they seemed very uneasy. There were 0 finches, 1 starling. Field very quiet. 3 vultures within 1/2 mile radius, flying separately.

6:00 pm

I drove the north end of field, stopped, waited.
Observed 0 birds of any kind.

7:15 pm

I drove full perimeter of field.
Observed 0 robins, 2 finches, 0 starlings. Amazing!

CS

REMEMBER: The villain is the Starling. It is not the grower.