Yesterday afternoon (Saturday 27 Oct) I biked to the lake, but toward Stewart Park instead of closer Treman. Cave Swallows turned out to be a mere dream, but there were compensations.
In the brush along Third Street Extension I saw a PINE SISKIN among several AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, AMERICAN ROBINS, a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, and RED-BELLIED and DOWNY WOODPECKERS.
Next I went to the Cornell Biological Field Station (a.k.a. Jetty Woods), which rang of BLUE JAYS, HAIRY WOODPECKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.
I walked out to the white lighthouse, displacing one each of the usual 3 gull species. Alongside numerous gulls, a trio of BRANT grazed on algae on the red lighthouse breakwater. They appeared to all be adults, but the white on the neck of one of them was narrower, so I wonder if it was a youngster after all, and this is a family. Later I saw presumably the same trio off Stewart Park. Across the mouth of Fall Creek Suan's tiercel MERLIN cleaned its talons atop a dead tree beside the swan pond.
Cayuga Lake was glassy-calm with practically no shimmer, so the lack of Black Scoters was obvious for miles. My maximum count of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS in a single scope sweep was 268. Of more interest to me was one very distant COMMON LOON to the northwest and one very distant female scoter far to the northeast. After I biked to East Shore Park I verified that it was a/the SURF SCOTER. I also biked further north to where the road starts uphill, then walked the railroad track to where I could see around the bend, but the lake appeared empty as far as Myers. There was just one female scoter out in the middle with its head tucked. I stared for half an hour as it swam toward the other side before it both lifted its head and turned it sideways at the same time: Surf Scoter again, probably the same bird.
Among the waterfowl off Stewart Park (mainly CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, AMERICAN COOTS, RUDDY DUCKS, and PIED-BILLED GREBES) was one female RING-NECKED DUCK, one male BUFFLEHEAD (my first of season), and a tight flock of ten GREATER SCAUP. The immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON hid by the swan pond, but I finally added it to my Luddite List.
When I got home I was greeted by a yard bird adult BALD EAGLE atop one of the utility poles on Inlet Island.
--Dave Nutter
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