The location where David Suggs found the Yellow-headed Blackbird is south of NYS-318 and north of the mountains of garbage landfill and other operations by the company called Seneca Meadows. Never having seen a Yellow-headed Blackbird in the Cayuga Lake Basin, I decided to chase this first-basin-record-of-2024 bird.
Shortly after 4pm, Dennis Anderson and Tim Wing sent out text alerts that they had refound the large mixed-blackbird flock, including the Yellow-headed Blackbird, at the Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve, the amazing large area of prairie, pond, and marsh land which the landfill operators constructed next to some existing woods on former cornfields to the east of their holdings on both sides of NYS-414. Daytime access to the extensive trail system is from a parking lot on Black Brook Rd nearly opposite King Rd. Mark Miller and I converged on that parking lot and met Dennis & Tim as they were walking out. The location of the flock was along the north border of the Preserve. Waves of blackbirds - largely Common Grackles with Red-winged Blackbirds - were alternately feeding just out of sight in a cornfield just north of the Preserve, and flying up to rest briefly in a hedgerow of bare deciduous trees along the border near a small shack along the trail for people to rest or take shelter from rainstorms. This is southeast of where David Suggs saw them. Mark & I both scanned the birds flying and in the trees for several minutes, but we did not see the Yellow-headed Blackbird, and at 4:35pm the large flock took off and flew ENE, presumably to roost, in the direction of Montezuma NWR. Mark, being an avid photographer with a good camera, also took a bazillion photos, and the Yellow-headed Blackbird was perched in one set. I will have to try again &/or be lucky to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird locally, and I will appreciate any further reports of this bird. Good birding! - - Dave Nutter (607)229-2158 > On Jan 27, 2024, at 1:18 PM, David Suggs > <dsu...@buffaloornithologicalsociety.org> wrote: > > Saturday, Jan 27. Rt 414 & Worden Rd. Male yellow-headed blackbird in flock > of 2000 grackles, red-wings, cowbirds and starlings. Noon, at intersection. 1 > pm, first cornfield, south side of Worden Rd. > > David & Debbie Suggs > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > ABA > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
