I went to the sycamores along Pier Road by Ithaca's Newman Golf Course at 6 AM on Wednesday. I found one YELLOW-THROATED VIREO and the WARBLING VIREO pair at its nest as Dave Nutter described the other day. The score was vireo species 2, Yellow-throated species 1, with one versatile individual accounting for a point on each side. The drama mounted. Would the Yellow-throated Warbler show up and break the tie? No, alas, it did not. (But then a Common Yellowthroat sang, setting off a confusing and still unresolved rulebook debate.)
I then ran over to the woods on both the lighthouse/Newman side and the Stewart/Renwick side in the hope of finding Cerulean Warblers. Again I missed, but did find more Yellow-throated Vireos, lots of AMERICAN REDSTARTS and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, WOOD THRUSHES, a pair of ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, WOOD DUCKS, and other expected birds. The biggest surprise was a pair of sleepy RUDDY DUCKS in the creek. (Yesterday by the boathouse, Tilden and I found two PALM WARBLERS.) Then I dashed off to Sapsucker Woods and made a fast full circuit of the Wilson Trail (6:55-7:10 AM). Birding mostly by ear, I found only a few passage migrants - a singing MAGNOLIA WARBLER and chipping YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER north of the Sherwood Platform, and a silent SWAINSON'S THRUSH in the woods. Mark Chao -- 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/ --
