Hi all, In addition to many warblers, new arrivals today included WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at multiple locations, as well as influxes of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Yesterday I found my first LINCOLN'S SPARROWS of the fall, first in the Freese Road gardens and then on Niemi Road. Lingering birds included a LEAST FLYCATCHER on Niemi and a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER on Tareyton Drive in Northeast Ithaca yesterday.
Livia and I had a fun morning on Saturday at Montezuma, not participating in the Muckrace but just birding around and watching the teams. Shorebirding was disappointing from Towpath, where VERY few birds were found. We did have a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, but it was one of only eight individual shorebirds out on the flats. Eaton Marsh on the Wildlife Drive was better, with multiples of both dowitchers and a few peeps, the Visitor Center pools had three BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and many Pectoral Sandpipers, and the south pond at the Montezuma Audubon Center proved the most productive of all, with 11 STILT SANDPIPERS, ~150 peeps, 30+ PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. We missed the Wilson's Phalarope reported by Meena's team. A highlight for the morning was the ROSS'S GOOSE on the lake south of Mud Lock, refound by Dave Nutter et. al. after a three-week absence. Distant photos here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25095439 All in all, we ended up (with a little effort at the end finding titmouse and some other overlooked species) with 100 species for the day, a far cry from the 100-on-Towpath I had a couple years ago on the Muckrace, but not too shabby for a casual morning. I look forward to hearing more details from the Muckrace, whether highlights or standings. Cheers, Jay -- Jay McGowan Macaulay Library Cornell Lab of Ornithology jw...@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/ --