I spent mid-afternoon until sunset in the Montezuma area today (19 Sept 2009).
In the mucklands south of NYS 31 and toward the west (near where NYS 89 joins) in the second row of harvested field south of NYS 89 I found: NORTHERN HARRIER - 2 KILLDEER - several AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER - 6 with no signs of breeding plumage unless the yellow glitter on the back of some counts. I spent considerable time dealing with backlighting, distance & heat shimmer, then waiting for the single bird I'd been staring at to spread its wings. When it did fly, the other 5 appeared out of nowhere, and they circled around and landed in good light. AMEICAN CROW - several AMERICAN PIPIT - several SAVANNAH SPARROW - 1 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH - several At the Muckrace Flats on Savannah-Spring Lake Road near Bixby Woods Road the water is way down, mainly confined to a central strip and a few puddles, and much is dried out: KILLDEER LESSER YELLOWLEGS WILSON'S SNIPE - 4 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS At the pond by the parking area at Martens Tract: GREEN-WINGED TEAL WOOD DUCK RING-NECKED DUCK - 1 male in near breeding plumage (Over several visits the individual differ. Maybe they hide.) PIED-BILLED GREBE - 1 GREAT BLUE HERON - 1 COMMON MOORHEN - several At Montezuma Audubon Center I circumambulated the south mostly drained pond, also noting birds across the north pond: CANADA GOOSE - several flying in the distance BLUE-WINGED TEAL - 2 on north pool WOOD DUCK - 2 flyby GREEN HERON - 1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - 1 non-breeding, sat preening for a long time and finally flew revealing white rump and dark wingpits. The plumage otherwise was very like the American Golden-Plovers. The main difference seems to be that the Golden-Plovers are cute, something to do with a more bulbous head on a thin neck. SEMIPALMATED PLOVER - several KILLDEER - several GREATER YELLOWLEGSS - 3+ LESSER YELLOWLEGSS - several SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER - several LEAST SANDPIPER - 10+ PECTORAL SANDPIPER - 3 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER - heard NORTHERN FLICKER - heard NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW - several BARN SWALLOW - several EUROPEAN STARLING - several on distant dead trees SONG SPARROW - 1 SWAMP SPARROW - 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRD - 1 on distant dead trees May's Point Pool, the big mud area straight out from viewing area was sterile; birds were far to left & right (mud) along channel. WOOD DUCK AMERICAN BLACK DUCK MALLARD GREEN-WINGED TEAL DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT - several flyby GREAT BLUE HERON GREAT EGRET - 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS - a few RING-BILLED GULL - 1 flyby East Road at sunset I got cold and my interest in IDing every species waned: CANADA GOOSE WOOD DUCK AMERICAN WIGEON MALLARD NORTHERN SHOVELER GREEN-WINGED TEAL PIED-BILLED GREBE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT GREAT BLUE HERON - lots GREAT EGRET - many BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON - 1 adult seen flying NORTHERN HARRIER - 1 juvenile KILLDEER GREATER YELLOWLEGSS LESSER YELLOWLEGSS RING-BILLED GULL - several resting HERRING GULL - at least 1 resting among Ring-bills lots of stuff hiding in marsh stubble Tschache Pool as it got dark: TRUMPETER SWAN - family of 4 CANADA GEESE MALLARDS DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS BALD EAGLES - 2 immature EUROPEAN STARLINGS lots of waterfowl I did not see well Odds & ends various places included RED-TAILED HAWK ROCK PIGEON MOURNING DOVE EASTERN BLUEBIRD CEDAR WAXWING RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD HOUSE SPARROW --Dave Nutter -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --