This morning (Thursday 25 August) at 6:42am I watched the 2 Great Egrets fly over the Equine Drug Testing Lab (opposite the east end of Cherry Rd, north of the airport) and toward the Cornell experimental ponds which were hidden from my view by fences and vegetation. Again, anyone with access to this area, I'm interested in confirmation that the egrets are feeding there.
Yesterday evening at 8:15pm the 2 Great Egrets were near each other in a tree along Cayuga Inlet at the edge of Jetty Woods.
--Dave Nutter
On Aug 24, 2011, at 08:51 AM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@mac.com> wrote:
This morning (Wed 24 Aug) from Snyder Rd behind the airport I had a brief glimpse of the 2 Great Egrets flying north-ish above the trees by the Borg-Warner factory at 6:31am, but I lost track of them while moving to what I thought would be a better vantage.Stuart Krasnoff saw them in a tree together yesterday evening at 7:45pm in Jetty Woods looking from Treman Marina.
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYTuesday 23 August I stood by the North Triphammer Road bridge over NYS 13 as a gorgeous sunrise spread across the clouds to the west. At 6:24am the 2 Great Egrets appeared over the horizon to the southwest. Although they crossed North Triphammer to the south of me, their course carried them north across MYS 13 before I lost them beyond trees to me east around Warren Rd at 6:27am. I suspect they were headed for the many ponds near the airport. I neglected to check the business park ponds, but I did drive around the back of the airport, where fog, vegetation, and fences hampered my efforts. If anyone with access to the research ponds behind the Equine Drug Testing lab or by Neimi Road, or east of the airport could look around and let me know if there are a couple of egrets around, I'd be very grateful.
--Dave NutterIthaca, NY...Route 13 and disappeared to the east over the trees and out of the lake valley.
(Sorry again about the hair-trigger "send" feature on this device I'm using.)
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYThis evening (Monday 22 August) the egrets are, like last night, sleeping separately. I walked through the dusk to have a brief look (8:35-8:40pm). Yet this morning as I scoped from East Shore Park they appeared nearly simultaneously out from behind Jetty Woods at 6:18am and immediately flew, very close together, almost directly towards me over the lake. When they were nearly overhead they circled once, then continued over NYS
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYFrom 8:20-8:30pm this evening (21 Aug) I was by the mouth of Treman Marina gazing across Cayuga Inlet at our 2 local roosting Great Egrets. The sedentary one was on it's usual perch. The active one moved among 5 different perches during the darkening 10 minutes I watched. When I left it was on the more northerly of its 2 favorite roosting perch atop a small tree quite separate from the other egret. How does it decide between the 2 perches it regularly uses? How did the other decide on its single perch?
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYSorry about that - the message got sent before it was finished. Consider this interval while I finish writing to be like waiting for the egrets...At 7:31pm I spotted the first Great Egret, but perhaps because I was only armed with binoculars, it was only a minute away from landing. I first saw it about lined up with East Shore Park against the hillside about halfway between the lake and the sky. It flew south, then followed the Stewart Park shoreline toward us, veering a bit north as it rounded the Swan Pond, and as soon as it got to Cayuga Inlet it flew south to the perch occupied last night by, I believe, the same bird. That was the earlier one taking off which disappeared from my view for awhile because it took a more southerly route. This bird stayed put at least until we left, also characteristic of the earlier occupant of that perch. At 7:43 I spotted the second Great Egret flying toward us, initially seen in about the same direction, but it flew in a more direct path over the lake, then took a perch a few feet below its comrade. As we walked around the marina I saw this lower bird fly to its alternate perch, a low tree to the north. But by the time we had gotten back to the Inlet it was back again at the perch it first came to this evening and that it used last night. I wonder if they also have distinct feeding habits or other personality traits to distinguish them if I were to see them elsewhere during the day.
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYAt 7pm this evening (Saturday 20 August) Laurie and I settled in on a bench north of the mouth of Treman Marina to await the arrival of our egrets. Judging by how long they took to disappear from view after taking off in the morning I figured I might have 6 minutes of lead time to see where they came from.
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYBack at dawn today, Saturday 20 August, I found the 2 Great Egrets perched near each other in the same tree as I left them. At 6:20am the first took flight, and judging by perch choice it was the same one that flew first yesterday without me seeing it. It flew north, then turned sharply east just past Jetty Woods such that it was hidden from my view by 6:21am. I thought (temporarily, it turns out) that perhaps it was headed for Stewart Park or Fuertes Sanctuary. I immediately looked back to the roost tree and found it devoid of egrets - no 15 minute delay between take-offs today! Fortunately I saw the second egret in flight before it reached the end of Jetty Woods, and I was able to follow it through my scope as it veered northeast (a bit more northerly than yesterday) and flew steadily toward the treeline atop the edge of the valley. As it cleared those trees I saw that it was joined by the other egret, who must have taken a less direct route, and they headed east together about where NYS 13 cuts through by the Cayuga Heights exit. Again, I wonder where they go for they day to feed - the Lab of O? Fall Creek's middle reaches? some fortunate farmer's pond? And I'm intrigued that they return faithfully to Jetty Woods to roost, sometimes to a particular branch. Perhaps they are attracted by the Double-crested Cormorants who fly conspicuously around the area and have established a successful and comfortable roosting site.
--Dave NutterIthaca, NYToday (Friday 19 August) I checked out the Ithaca egret roost in the morning and in the evening. During a dawn lull in work I stopped by Treman Marina and saw the 2 GREAT EGRETS in their separate trees a few minutes after 6am as I had left them Thursday night. Unfortunately I got distracted and did not see when one of them flew off around 6:10am. That one had been more actively stretching. I was hoping to see where they went. The second, more lethargic, bird eventually stretched more, and at 6:23am it suddenly took flight to the north. When it got to the white lighthouse jetty it turned toward East Shore Park, flapping continuously and slowly gaining altitude. Then it circled several times for more altitude and continued east over the treetops of Cayuga Heights and out of sight at 6:29am. I wonder if it went all the way to George Road or Dryden Lake.This evening both Great Egrets were back. At one point they occupied the same perches in separate trees as the previous night, but this evening there was more interaction and one of them (presumably the second to fly this morning, considering its perch preference) moved back and forth, landing near the other, returning to its previous perch (perhaps told to leave), then eventually settling down near the other bird. So tonight when I left they were just a few feet apart in the same tree.Other birds included an adult BALD EAGLE flying north over the lake. This morning I also stopped by Stewart Park and saw a/the adult Bald Eagle perched on the snag opposite the boathouse I was able to see leg bands, blue on its left leg and silver on its right. I know I photographed an eagle with these color bands years ago on ice at Stewart Park, and when I get access to those photos I will check whether they were on the same legs and whether it was the adult or the juvenile with the bands.Continuing from this evening, I counted at least 80 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS in the trees near the egrets. Two GREAT BLUE HERONS were also nearby. A GREEN HERON flew past over the inlet then turned east at the south edge of Jetty Woods. A GREAT HORNED OWL flew from around the north part of Jetty Woods westbound over the inlet and into the trees north of the marina. There were 13 CASPIAN TERNS discernible on the submerged red lighthouse breakwater from my vantage south of the marina boating entrance. There was also at least one BELTED KINGFISHER & BARN SWALLOW, lots of MALLARDS & RING-BILLED GULLS, a couple of GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, and a few CANADA GEESE.--Dave Nutter
On Aug 18, 2011, at 06:55 PM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote:This evening (Thursday 18 August) the two Great Egrets were clearly identifiable with binoculars at 8:30pm in the same two trees as before.--Dave Nutter
On Aug 13, 2011, at 07:48 PM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@mac.com> wrote:This evening (13 August) I took a walk along Cayuga Inlet by Cass Park to Treman Marina. Although it was fairly dark by 9pm when I was opposite Jetty Woods, with binoculars I was able to discern what I believe were probably (the) 2 GREAT EGRETS roosting in separate trees.--Dave Nutter
On Aug 06, 2011, at 06:35 PM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@mac.com> wrote:Two GREAT EGRETS were roosting in the same spot on the edge of Jetty Woods next to Cayuga Inlet this evening, 6 August. Also seen on this evening's canoe-paddle all the way around the red lighthouse: 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 2 BELTED KINGFISHERS, 2 PURPLE MARTINS, 3 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 32 CASPIAN TERNS, 41 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 3 WOOD DUCKS, 6 COMMON MERGANSERS, 2 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 1 HERRING GULL, plenty of RING-BILLED GULLS, MALLARDS AND CANADA GEESE, one or more BARN SWALLOWS, 2 AMERICAN ROBINS, and 1 MOURNING DOVE. Also heard were 1 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and 2 SONG SPARROWS.We did not see any fireflies in our yard this evening On August 1 we only saw 1 firefly, but a few weeks ago it was spectacular.--Dave NutterIthaca, NY
On Aug 02, 2011, at 06:55 PM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@mac.com> wrote:The Great Egret is roosting in the same place this evening, 2 August.
--Dave Nutter
Ithaca, NY
On Aug 1, 2011, at 9:56 PM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@mac.com> wrote:
>
> On this evening's (1 Aug) canoe-paddle on Cayuga Inlet Laurie and I saw a Great Egret atop a small tree on the edge of Jetty Woods. A Great Blue Heron stood on a log below, and 17 Double-crested Cormorants rested on dead trees or soared nearby. A Belted Kingfisher and a couple of Caspian Tern families flew past. When we got home an Eastern Screech-Owl was calling from the edge of our yard.
> --Dave Nutter
> Ithaca, NY
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