I too went up to Montezuma today, arriving just as David's party was leaving I guess. I spent several hours around the Knox Marcellus impoundment, from Towpath and East Rds and finally walking in on both the grassy impoundment on the north side, and then on the east side in the late afternoon. Shorebirds continue in abundance, although as others have noted they are mostly distant and the heat waves were brutal. Roughly the same total numbers (1-2 thousand) and species composition as a week ago, but with obvious turnover of individuals, based on ratios of age classes.
The most notable change was unlike last Saturday's 20 adult STILT SANDPIPERS, today I found only 1 adult, but 5 fresh-plumaged juveniles. Many of the 200+ LEAST SANDPIPERS were juveniles, but all of the 100 or so SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS I could age were adults (many fewer than last week. Interestingly, the 12 adult SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS were surrounded by adult LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS in the deeper water, while many juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS are now scattered across the mud (about 600 total). There were at least 6 adult BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in partial to complete breeding plumage, and I found 1 worn adult WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 2 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS (possibly worn adults as they looked dull and not very "scaley," and a single worn adult SANDERLING. Other shorebirds were about 50 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 80 SEMILPALMATED PLOVERS, 100 KILLDEER, 10 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS (mostly juvs), 2 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, and 1 WILSON'S SNIPE. Also at K-M were 200 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 1 GREAT EGRET, 1 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, 5 SANDHILL CRANES, 6 SHOVELER, many GREEN-WINGED and BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 1 BLACK DUCK in with sev hundred MALLARDS, 1 SNOW GOOSE, family of TRUMPETER SWANS, and at least 10 immature BALD EAGLES. A very buffy juvenile BONAPARTE'S GULL was in with the 55 CASPIAN TERNS and 50+ RING-BILLED GULLS. A juvenile PEREGRINE put on a show all afternoon, terrorizing the shorebirds, ducks and terns. Interesting how the herons just stood there and watched as the Peregrine hunted right by them. Along May's Point Rd, I could not find the Prothonotary Warbler among the chickadees and Yellow Warblers on my second try, but 2 rather late immature CERULEAN WARBLERS were a nice find. Thousands of TREE SWALLOWS dominated at most places, with smaller numbers of BANK and BARN SWALLOWS - at dusk (after 8 PM), PURPLE MARTINS came in from all directions, and I counted 200 martins from Tsasche tower just after sunset. It was a beautiful afternoon, and it was fun sharing some shorebirding with Ann Mitchell and Dave Nutter. KEN ********************************************** Ken Rosenberg Director of Conservation Science Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY 14850 Phone: 607-254-2412 cell: 607-342-4594 k...@cornell.edu www.birds.cornell.edu -- 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 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
