The shorebird numbers and habitat at Montezuma are truly spectacular -- I don't remember ever seeing such conditions in spring. I only had time to do Kipp Island and the Wildlife drive this morning, but between those areas I counted more than 1300 DUNLIN, 600 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 250 LEAST SANDPIPERS, and 270 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS. Other highlights included 2 WHITE-RUMPRED SANDPIPERS and 4 SHORT-BILLED SANDPIPERS at Kipp, and 10 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS flying over the main pool. So, not a tremendous diversity, but great shore-birding nonetheless. (I can't believe there wasn't a Curlew Sandpiper among all those Dunlin)
Kudos and thanks to the managers and staff at Montezuma NWR for their excellent management of water levels and creation of more and more shorebird habitat over the past decade! The incredible count of Black-bellied Plovers seen by Mike and Joann Tetlow is just a hint, I think, of the shorebirds that are going to pass through there in the next week to 10 days. I also had a high count of 32 BLACK TERNS in a single scan of Tschache Pool. On the way up and back, the "Rt. 90 Grasslands" produced GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS near Rafferty Rd., across from Aurora Shoe Co., corner of Ledyard Rd. and just north of Lake Rd. (2). Also 2 on Lake Rd. past the house. KEN Ken Rosenberg Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2412 607-342-4594 (cell) k...@cornell.edu<mailto:k...@cornell.edu> -- 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/ --
