[Birdtalk] Bear River MBR

[MUHLESTEINCLAN at aol.com]

For those who are interested in "Untangling the  Dowitchers", there is a very 
interesting article in the Birders  Digest magazine under that title, 
July/August 2006. I have found some  fascinating points to ponder. One such fact was 
that Short-billeds have no  problem with saltwater, whereas Long-billeds avoid 
it. Short-billeds could go to  either one, saltwater or fresh, but 
Long-billeds will only go to fresh water.  Also, Different Timetables with the Short and 
Long of it. We may be  seeing a lot of juveniles right now. Ms Long tends the 
nest, but she leaves  shortly after a nice brood of fuzzy little dowitchers 
comes forth in the first  days of July. So she is South by now. Mr Long spends 
another couple of weeks  tending the kids, then fly's south, arriving in the 
Southern United States in  early August.  Now the juveniles, being 
inexperienced, bumbled their way  through Canada, but they don't even try to stay 
together. Some Long kids do find  their way pretty much directly south, but it took a 
while. They don't get  to western Mexico until the end of September. (I have 
used many quotes from  the article.)
There is some great information through out the entire article, I hope you  
can find a magazine and read it. I am not trying to SELL anything, I am  
"retired." But I do hope you enjoy your Long and Shorts of it, I'm sorry it will  
probably be more Longs than Shorts.
 
MarJean M
"Oh the Joy of Birding"
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