After reading the post below this morning, Gale VerHague went out looking for the NEOTROPIC CORMORANT and she found it(!) on Lake Erie at Lake Erie State Park, just north of Brocton. This is about five miles from where Jim Pawlicki first saw it this morning. She sent out a text alert to WNYBIRDS at 11:30. The bird flew a little after 1:00 but Sue Barth and Gale relocated it about two miles away at a large pond on Van Buren Road (County Route 73) in the Town of Pomfret. The bird left the pond twice for about 15 minutes each time. As Celeste Morien and I raced down to try for the bird, Sue kept us updated with texts. Three times our greatest fears were realized when she told us that it had taken off. Twice our excitement reached new heights when she said it had been refound. When we arrived, however, the bird was not there. But somehow it snuck in and Greg Lawrence noticed it! It stayed for the entire time we were there, about an hour. Mostly it sat on the grass on the back side of the pond but it was also swimming around the pond. There were 25 or so Double-crested Cormorants at the pond also.
Big kudos to Jim for identifying the bird while driving, something most mortals would not even attempt, as well as for getting the word out. The same to Gale for having the initiative to search for the bird and having in mind good places to check. I think it's amazing that she found it twice (with Sue's help the second time), miles apart. Record shots will be up on my Flickr site shortly. DIRECTIONS: The locations were near Lake Erie between the Dunkirk-Fredonia exit and the Westfield exit from the NYS Thruway. If coming from the north, exit at Dunkirk-Fredonia and turn left onto NY 60. In 0.6 miles, turn right onto Rt 20 (heading southwest). In 1.4 miles, turn right onto Temple Street in Fredonia. In 1.1 miles turn left onto Matteson, across from SUNY Fredonia. Matteson eventually becomes Van Buren Road. In 2.5 miles from Temple Street, the pond will be in your right. Lake Erie S.P. is about two miles southwest of the pond. Good birding! Willie From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2015 7:57 AM To: [email protected]; 'nysbirds-l'; 'David Suggs' Subject: [nysbirds-l] Neotropic Cormorant - Fredonia, Chatauqua County At 6:42 this morning, Jim Pawlicki texted to WNYBIRDS that he had an adult NEOTROPIC CORMORANT while driving on the NYS Thruway. The bird was flying WSW, basically following the Thruway, with a flock of 12 Double-crested Cormorants. He pulled over onto the shoulder and got a look at the bird in his binoculars, noting the white on the head. Fortunately, the flock flew right over him when he was out of the car and he managed to get a record shot of the flock with his cell phone. The photo shows a much smaller cormorant. The location was along the I-90 between Temple Road and Brigham Road in Fredonia. Barcelona Harbor would be a spot worth checking for this bird. If there is a Chautauqua County birding list or facebook page, could someone please cross-post this? Earlier this month there was a Neotropic Cormorant in Hamilton, Ontario that stayed for several days. Local birders have been looking for the species in western NY. There are currently no accepted records of Neotropic Cormorant in New York State. A record of one flying by Hamlin Beach SP a couple of years ago, which was also photographed, is currently under review by the committee. Good birding! Willie ----------------- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY dannapotterATroadrunner.com http://www.betsypottersart.com <http://www.betsypottersart.com/> 2013 Big Year: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/2013-big-year/ Big Year List: http://www.happtech.com/BigYearDanna/CurrentList/ShowCurrentListTable.aspx Odenates: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/dragonflies -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
