On Thursday 6 Aug I went with Ann Mitchell & Dave Nicosia to Knox-Marsellus and Pudder to scout for the shorebird trip tomorrow which he will lead (meet 8am at Montezuma NWR visitor center or 820am at East Rd overlook). Among at least 13 species of shorebirds we saw a single adult non-breeding plumage RED-NECKED PHALAROPE swimming in the open water of the NW part of Puddler. It took us a long time to get a good enough view to pin down the ID due to distance and heat shimmer, but we saw white and gray streaking on the back, and the black cheek stripe curved down at the rear. For awhile this sighting was erroneously entered into eBird as 3 of them, but I think that has been corrected.
Although we were unaware at the time, there was also an eBird report from the Towpath Rd area for August 5 of a RED PHALAROPE, but the only supporting info given was, "Seen at distance another experienced birder id'ed it." Without even a name of the other birder to consult nor any description whatsoever of the bird or why it wasn't the similar-looking and expected-but-early Red-necked Phalarope, the possibility seems too strong that the person making the eBird report mixed up the names or that the person making the ID didn't get a good enough look or mixed up the ID of what may have been the bird which we saw the next day. Red Phalarope is much rarer here, but in non-breeding plumage looks very similar to Red-necked, and until I get more information I'm going to hold off adding Red Phalarope to the 2015 Cayuga Lake Basin list. I hope we find a/the phalarope on tomorrow's field trip. With lots of eyes, scopes, birders' backgrounds, and possible vantage points, I hope we are able to pin down an ID if we do. Even if unidentified, though, phalaropes are really fun birds to watch, as they erratically swim, wade, or run while pecking seemingly randomly at the surface of the water or mud for minute food items. When I was scouting for my previous shorebird walk, the Red-necked Phalarope I saw briefly spun in place on the water, a classic phalarope action which causes surface water to spread out, creating an upwelling which brings new prey to the surface. --Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
