Sorry - the subject line should read 5/5/2012, not 5/3/2012! On Sun, May 6, 2012 at 5:52 PM, Christopher Dalton < christopher.m.dal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi folks, > > Sorry for the late posting. Just catching up on a busy weekend that > included some excellent birding. On Saturday, Alberto Lopez, Nancy Chen, > Hector Claudio-Hernandez (friend visiting from Puerto Rico) and I had a fun > morning checking out sites in Tompkins County. Highlights of the 113 > species were 1 MOURNING WARBLER and many CANADA WARBLERS at Hammond Hill, 1 > MERLIN, 2 SNOW GEESE in farm fields, a CLIFF SWALLOW at Dryden Lake, > lingering AMERICAN PIPIT and NORTHERN PINTAIL plus LEAST SANDPIPER at Myers > Point, and SOLITARY SANDPIPER and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Stewart Park. > Details below: > > We started the morning at Goetchius Preserve around dawn (from Flatiron > Road), where it was raw and misty and the air was full of Swamp Sparrow > trills and spring peepers. We heard a grunting VIRGINIA RAIL over the din > of trills and peeps, Wood Ducks were flying about and we heard one Willow > Flycatcher calling from far out in the preserve. From there we moved to > Hammond Hill which was quietly birdy, despite the cold, fog and mist. > Highlights there were a number of CANADA WARBLERS, one singing MOURNING > WARBLER, a quite a few BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS to go with singing PURPLE > FINCH, BROWN CREEPERS and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, to name a few. All, of > course, had to be heard over the ceaseless din of singing Ovenbirds from > every direction. > > From there we passed singing BOBOLINKS and a perched MERLIN on Irish > Settlement Road to arrive at Dryden Lake, which had no water birds to speak > of but tons of swallows, including many Barn, and Tree, a few ROUGH-WINGED > SWALLOWS and BANK SWALLOWS, and at least one CLIFF SWALLOW. En route to > Myers, by way of Dunkin' , we were very surprised to find two SNOW GEESE in > a roadside farm field on Rt 38. The bird we studied closely was an immature > with a clear grin patch, light mottling on the back and behind the eye, and > size and shape right for Snow Geese. We paused just long enough to confirm > the ID on the one bird, which was within 50 yds of the road, and we moved > on quickly due to the traffic. It'd be nice if someone could confirm these > birds at a time when traffic is more leisurely and might permit longer > study. > > At Myers Point, which was pleasantly birdy, Two CASPIAN TERNS were on the > spit and a COMMON TERN fought the winds offshore. A lingering AMERICAN > PIPIT graced the spit, and the creek was home to a GREATER YELLOWLEGS and > LEAST SANDPIPER as well as killdeer and the lingering NORTHERN PINTAIL. > Offshore was quiet except a few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and 3 COMMON > LOONS. Many swallows here too, mostly tree and barn but also BANK SWALLOW > and ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. > > Heading down the lake to Stewart Park, we found a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL > (adult plumage, seen well in comparison to Ring-billed, Herring and Great > black-backed Gulls on the jetty to the red lighthouse). No Bonaparte's > Gulls or diving ducks of any sort, but Alberto and Hector picked out PALM > WARBLERS and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER plus the woods held BLUE-GRAY > GNATCATCHER. Stops at Sapsucker Woods and Hawthorn Orchards did not add > anything new to the lists already sent out about those sites. > > Ebird Checklists: > Goetchius: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10657470 > Hammond HIll: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10657543 > Dryden lake: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10657667 > Myer's Point: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10658692 > Stewart Park: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10658815 > Sapsucker: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10658855 > Hawthorn Orchard: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10658908 > > Good birding! > Chris Dalton > Ithaca, NY > > > > > -- 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/ --
