A full day of birding for Betsy and me came with the highlight of finding a BARNACLE GOOSE, with Canada Geese, at Ring-necked Marsh at Iroquois NWR. This marsh can be viewed from Mallard Overlook on Sour Springs Road or Ring-necked Overlook on Oak Orchard Ridge Road, the latter spot being where we saw the bird from today. After getting the word out, 16 appreciative birders were able to make it to the spot to see the goose before it flew. We were able to relocate the bird once more, with Chris Newton, in a corn stubble field on the north side of Fletcher Chapel Road, about ¾ mile east of Rt 63. There was also a white morph SNOW GOOSE here. This is likely the same bird found by Peter Yoerg during the week. He saw the bird at Forrestel Flats, which is more or less between the two spots we had the bird today. The bird does not have any bands.
Our next best bird was a SANDHILL CRANE flying overhead, seen from the Cayuga Pool Overlook on Rt 77. The crane may have been looking for a place to land so keep an eye out for it in the Tonawanda WMA and Cayuga Pool areas. On Lake Ontario in the morning, from the Towns of Somerset (Niagara County) and Yates (Orleans County), I counted 143 RED-NECKED GREBES, many well into breeding plumage. There were also many HORNED GREBES and a fair number of RED-THROATED LOONS. Good numbers of dabbling and Ring-necked Ducks on the lake plain and at Iroquois NWR. At Johnson Creek Road and Somerset-Hartland Townline Road, there were 14 CACKLING GEESE. Two CACKLING GEESE were at Ring-necked Marsh, where the Barnacle Goose was. One more was at the corn stubble field on Fletcher Chapel Road. Good birding! Willie ---------------- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY dannapotterATroadrunner.com http://www.betsypottersart.com -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
