Tuesday rain flooded K-M (no shorebirds) and Puddler, leaving only phalaropes and long-billed/long-legged shorebirds. Increase in ducks at K-M and obviously a lot of reshuffling of shorebirds (or possibly many have left for the coast). It'll be good again in a few days unless we get a lot more rain. Only shorebird diversity was on the far side of Mays Pt. Wildlife Dr spots in good shape but not much diversity. Forgot to check Larue and Jackie's survey sheet while at the V.C. Excellent blackbird and swallow roost flight seen from the Wildlife Dr, and other birds moving around as well.
Medium-strong west winds will follow the cold front and should turn on some new birds. Dave Wheeler Oswego County, NY Montezuma NWR--Knox-Marcellus Marsh, Seneca, US-NY Aug 9, 2011 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Flooded from recent rains - no shorebirds. Some ducks have returned. Could see three distant phalaropes in Puddler, as viewed from the East Rd overlook. 10 species Canada Goose X Wood Duck X Mallard X Double-crested Cormorant X Great Blue Heron X Great Egret 2 Bald Eagle 1 Northern Harrier 1 Ring-billed Gull 3 Caspian Tern 3 Montezuma NWR--Puddler Marsh, Seneca, US-NY Aug 9, 2011 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM Protocol: Traveling 0.5 mile(s) Comments: Flooded from recent rains and the only shorebirds were long-legged/long-billed types, plus RN Phalaropes 9 species Canada Goose X Great Blue Heron X Including one bird persistently "fishing" for frogs in the puddles on Towpath Rd Bald Eagle 1 Greater Yellowlegs X a few Lesser Yellowlegs 50 estimate Least Sandpiper 3 Red-necked Phalarope 3 Think there was 2 adult and a juv. Ring-billed Gull 2 Caspian Tern 2 Montezuma NWR--Mays Point Pool, Seneca, US-NY Aug 9, 2011 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Water level up from recent rains, but still good shorebird habitat on the far side, mostly straight out from the Birder's Corral 15 species (+1 other taxa) Canada Goose X Trumpeter Swan 2 Wood Duck X Mallard X Great Blue Heron X Great Egret 32 Sandhill Crane 2 Semipalmated Plover 25 Greater Yellowlegs 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 30 Semipalmated Sandpiper 75 Possible to look for Westerns at high power, but not easy. Didn't see any obvious candidates. Least Sandpiper 50 Baird's Sandpiper 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Got involved in looking for Western Sand and forgot to get back to it Caspian Tern 1 Montezuma NWR--Visitor Center, Seneca, US-NY Aug 9, 2011 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Water level good 18 species Canada Goose X Wood Duck X Gadwall 4 American Wigeon 2 Mallard 12 Northern Pintail 1 handsome bird with ruddy plumage continues Green-winged Teal 6 Hooded Merganser 3 Great Blue Heron 1 Osprey 1 Killdeer 1 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Greater Yellowlegs 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 35 approximately Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Short-billed Dowitcher 7 Ring-billed Gull 10 Caspian Tern 6 Montezuma NWR--Auto Loop, Seneca, US-NY Aug 9, 2011 7:45 PM - 8:30 PM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s) Comments: Shorebirds at Seneca Spillway and shorebird flat; half an hour at Benning parking spot watching evening blackbird/swallow roost flight 21 species Canada Goose X Wood Duck X Mallard X Double-crested Cormorant 12 flyby American Bittern 1 Great Blue Heron X Solitary Sandpiper 4 Greater Yellowlegs 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 6 Ring-billed Gull 1 Caspian Tern 2 Purple Martin 20 Tree Swallow X hundreds Bank Swallow X heard at least a few calling Barn Swallow X hundreds Marsh Wren 1 European Starling X Song Sparrow 2 Swamp Sparrow 1 Red-winged Blackbird X Big evening roost flight American Goldfinch X -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
