Inspired by Robyn Bailey's report of Ospreys at the new nest platform at Portland Point, I took a walk to the lakeshore at Treman Park this afternoon. Even with my 7x binoculars I could discern the new wood of the nest platform, but I think the birds at that distance (about 5 miles) would have required a scope, which I didn't carry today. On my way home about 5:30pm I was lucky, though, and I watched as an OSPREY flew north over Cayuga Inlet near the Farmers' Market. It was at a good height for hunting, but it may have been migrating as well. It was a year-bird for me, and initially I mistook its long bowed wings for a Great Blue Heron.
Another bird of interest was an adult BALD EAGLE cruising southeast over the lake toward Jetty Woods, where I re-found it (I assume) 20 minutes later halfway up a large tree eating a large fish. My attention had already wandered when I heard a Bald Eagle call from the same direction, and when I glanced up I saw a yearling BALD EAGLE flying north from the same vicinity of Jetty Woods where the adult still dined. The youngster flew toward East Shore Park, scaring up plenty of gulls and ducks, and as it returned it was joined in close flight by the (presumably same) adult (no longer seen in the tree). I'd like to think this was one of our twice-successfully-breeding local pair greeting of one of its progeny, but the message might have been "scram". I lost track of the youngster before I saw the adult fly northwest again, but don't know how far the adult went, as I quickly lost track of it too. If there aren't lots of big trees around me I can see an eagle in flight better. I am impressed by how quickly the adult managed to get a large fish (was it cached?), and how readily it abandoned so much food. There's probably a big fish on the ground somewhere in Jetty Woods with lots of good meat left on it.
On the subject of local Bald Eagles, I have only looked at the nest on Maplewood Rd off NYS-89 in Ulysses a few times this winter/spring, but never seen any Eagles. Maybe I was just unlucky as to when there would be a second adult, and maybe the one incubating sits too low to be seen easily. If anyone knows of activity at this nest this season, I'd like to hear about it. I'm concerned that the house being built next to it, and the associated logging, may have disturbed them. Today's adult Bald Eagle sighting, especially considering the direction it seemed to come and go, raised my hopes. I also spoke with someone along the Cayuga Inlet Trail who had seen a Bald Eagle near the Hospital today.
More birds of interest:
A dozen swallows, all flying north (into the wind), and 5 of them identifiable as TREE SWALLOWS.
One adult BONAPARTE'S GULL flying slowly north along the east side of the white lighthouse jetty.
One DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT was initially on a dock in Treman Marina. Perhaps waves were too high on the favored log northwest of the red lighthouse. Or perhaps this individual never liked that log and stays in the marina, and the one I saw for much of the winter was the one which Norm Trigoboff reported dead on the mud in the southwest corner of the lake. Later this afternoon I saw a/the DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT fly south and alight on Cayuga Inlet near the Cornell boathouse, but it only had time for a few dives before it fled north from an armada of racing shells.
I heard 2 unseen NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS singing, one behind the Hangar Theatre, and the other on Newman Golf Course. As I scanned in vain for the latter, I startled a KILLDEER which I hadn't seen on the mud on the near side of Cayuga Inlet.
Several pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS were displaying inside Treman Marina and in the Inlet next to the white lighthouse jetty.
--Dave Nutter
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