Yesterday (Saturday 3 March) I went up to Mount Pleasant with the quixotic goal of repeating others' findings (Golden Eagle! Northern Goshawk! Red-shouldered Hawk! Eastern Meadowlark!) of the previous day. But every day is different. Although the winds were still southerly they were brutally strong from the southwest rather than less intense (surely!) from the southeast the day before. I arrived at the observatory about 11am where I was immediately noticed by Ann Mitchell & Bob McGuire who were scanning from the eastern hilltop along the radio tower access drive in the lee of Bob's SUV. They called me over and I joined them for about 2 hours. (We later saw another birder for awhile at the observatory whom we would have invited if we could ID him and had his cell phone number.) The company was pleasant, but the birding was challenging. Since this was my first raptor watch of the season, I felt out of practice at picking out distant specks with binoculars then aiming, following, and identifying them through the scope, but the 20mph wind with 40mph gusts certainly did not help. The roar and whine through the electric wires and the nearby tower also made hearing any birds, or even each other, difficult.
While I was there several very distant flocks of geese passed to our east and a couple to our west. Since I never saw glittering white, I assume they were likely CANADA GEESE, even though their formations were very irregular (similar to Snow Geese) and changeable (similar to Brant, which should wait another 2 months before passing through), presumably their lack of discipline being due to the gusty winds. We also had numerous sightings of distant RED-TAILED HAWKS, some in pairs and all of which we deemed to be local residents by their behavior. Ann & Bob saw one raptor which I think they decided was a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, but I was never able to see it. Similarly Bob & I saw one COOPER'S HAWK migrate past in a long, rather irregular path, which I think Ann may have only seen briefly toward the end. The viewing of that transit was interrupted (I am proud to say that I immediately re-found the Cooper's Hawk in my scope) by the overhead call by one of a pair of very close flyover KILLDEER. This was a first-of-the-year observation for both Ann & me, but old news to Bob who was in on the first 2012 Cayuga Lake Basin find of that species in mid-January. Other observations included a single distant northbound TURKEY VULTURE, a single distant somewhat playful COMMON RAVEN, several distant GULL, SP sightings, and numerous sightings at various distances of AMERICAN CROWS as singles, small groups, or small flocks. There were also a few fairly close ROCK PIGEON flybys (does their activity correlate with the dearth of raptors?), singles of flying local male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD and local AMERICAN ROBIN, a flock of EUROPEAN STARLINGS on some local business, and a flock of about 100 COMMON GRACKLES (including one with no tail) determinedly northbound. I also saw one small flying passerine, perhaps a Horned Lark, which alit far off to become invisible in a field. In between these sightings I inadvertently honed my skills by tracking numerous windblown leaves and shreds of corn stubble.
--Dave Nutter
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