[cayugabirds-l] SFO Group 6 Sunday 3/27/11
SFO group 6 had a really nice day despite the cold. In fact, this likely was one of the coldest days in SFO history (along with Saturday!!). Highlights: Right out the front door of the lab we had one COMMON REDPOLL in the top of a bush. Next, on the Wilson Trail in one of the Willow Trees to the left of the Owens observation platform, we had a single RUSTY BLACKBIRD of which everyone got great views through the scope. There were also common grackles and red-winged blackbirds around for comparision...a great learning experience! Then we found a FOX SPARROW which was facing away from us in the top of a bush. We saw the two GREAT BLUE HERONS by their nests. We also had many others at SSW including BROWN CREEPER, and HOODED MERGANSERS. Then, after warming up in the lab for a few minutes, we headed to Stewart Park. There was a fierce north wind blowing down the lake and it was coldvery cold. There was a lot of waterfowl though, and we got great views of AMERICAN WIDGEON, RING-NECKED DUCK, REDHEAD, and LESSER SCAUP fairly close to shore. We cut our time short here, because we were all freezing. Then, we headed over by the boathouse out of the wind and walked by the canal toward Renwick Woods. We had many MALLARDs, and a nice group of WOOD DUCKs. In addition, there were two KILLDEER on the edge of the grass across the canal. Then we walked back into the woods to see the GREAT HORNED OWLS and they were VERY cooperative. Carl Steckler, one of the SFO students, got a nice photo of this pair in which he posted on the SFO class page: http://sfocornell.ning.com/photo/great-horned-owl-1?xg_source=activity If you look close near the bottom of the cavity, you can see the other owl tucked in. Thanks Carl! All in all, it was a nice start to SFO 2011 as we totaled 43 species for the day. Now let's hope we can get some spring weather for SPRING field ornithology in the coming weeks!!! Dave Nicosia -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO group 5 Sunday
This chilly morning I led SFO's beginners Group 5 at Sapsucker Woods and Stewart Park. We spent a lot of time indoors at the Lab of O, not simply because the weather was so cold but because there was some really neat stuff to watch. As soon as we arrived, and intermittently later on, we saw a FOX SPARROW in the feeder garden as well as several other sparrow species for comparison. We also saw a female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD to compare with males and one male BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD as well as male and female COMMON GRACKLES shining in the sun. A single COMMON REDPOLL joined the yellow-mottled AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES as did a couple of HOUSE FINCHES. But the real show was on the small open area of the pond. The male MALLARDS' heads positively glowed green in the sun, while the females quietly dipped their wings to show off their blue speculums. They were joined by 2 pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS, but for some reason only one of the females got all the males' attention. The males went through an amazing array of simultaneous displays such as Candace Cornell recently described, including rapid sideways shaking of the head, throwing the head far back, and stretching up the head on the extended and inflated vertical neck. At some point the bill was rapidly clattered open and shut, and we wished the microphones had been turned on for us to hear them inside the observatory. These displays were all new to me, and quite a treat, but seemed to have little effect on the female. There was also one chase which I missed because I was distracted by the feeder birds. We did venture out onto the Wilson Trail North where the excitement included a pair of GREAT BLUE HERONS flying east, an accipiter circling high overhead which we judged to be an adult COOPER'S HAWK, and a singing female NORTHERN CARDINAL. We also went to Stewart Park where we spent just enough time along the windy lakeshore to ID male RING-NECKED DUCKS, REDHEADS, one CANVASBACK, SCAUP sp, and AMERICAN WIGEON. In the marshy edge of the Jetty Woods across Fall Creek we saw a crowd of WOOD DUCKS, a pair of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a pair of AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, a male COMMON MERGANSER, and more HOODED MERGANSERS, MALLARDS, and CANADA GEESE. A few of us saw an OSPREY fly upstream along Fall Creek. We ventured carefully into Fuertes Sanctuary and managed to see an adult GREAT HORNED OWL clinging to the upper part of the entrance of its nesting cavity. As we were leaving the woods we heard calls, then deep drumming then saw a PILEATED WOODPECKER. It was a great morning despite the cold, and among the 47 species I think we all saw things that were new to us. --Dave Nutter
[cayugabirds-l] Fox Sparrows
Was delighted to be able to watch two Fox Sparrows foraging in a snowless patch of leaves this morning, on our hill. But I was sad to find that the loud commotion of crows and whatever-else in our spruce grove (where crows have always nested) resulted in one crow lying dead in the snow. Nancy Dickinson Mecklenburg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Sunday Walk
After splitting up from the birdwalk at Mudlock, my dad and I went over and checked out Montezuma. There was a little open water at the pool by the visitor's center, which had a Tundra Swan, Wigeons and several Green-Winged Teals. Mixed in was a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, the white stripe on him quite visible. We stopped at the boat house in Aurora on the way back- nothing much, two pairs of Bufflehead. Just before we drove through Locke, a Rough- Legged Hawk flew over. Bruce Packard Groton -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma, Friday & Saturday (3/25 & 3/26)
Hey all, I've been at Montezuma the past couple days; Saturday for a 60+ student SUNY-ESF field trip and Friday for a scouting trip. Both days yielded excellent birding throughout the complex. On Friday, we found the previously reported male EURASIAN WIGEON at Marten's Tract. The bird was in the far pool, almost to the distant sycamores and barely visible at 60x in the scope. We failed to relocate the bird on Saturday though there were still good numbers of wigeon in the far pool. Also on Friday, we found the NORTHERN SHRIKE at Van Dyne Spoor Rd. The bird was seen briefly in the small trees on the north side of the road before flying off to the northeast. No Short-eared Owls were observed at dusk (my 3rd time dipping on them this winter). Saturday, we found an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Tschache Pool visible from the parking area, among the many thousands of Ring-billeds. The bird stood out very well and was easily found. There was also an adult GREAT BLACK-BACKED here. No white-winged gulls were seen there either day, but I did not have the time to scan through the gulls as well as would have been necessary. Friday, we found an EASTERN PHOEBE in the spruce trees lining the Visitor Center road, immediately off of Route 20. On Saturday, we located two distant, calling SANDHILL CRANES flying over the main pool from the observation tower and platform just north of the Visitor Center. Throughout the complex, there are excellent numbers and diversity of all of the expected waterfowl species. The biggest misses were Blue-winged Teal and, somewhat surprisingly, either species of Scaup (are there typically no scaup here in the spring?? - Ring-necks were everywhere). At Knox-Marcellus, we found one individual each of HORNED and PIED-BILLED GREBE (the only grebes that I saw either day). Snow Geese seem to have largely moved out, as I only saw 3 groups flying total between the two days (~600 birds total), and one pair at the Mucklands on our drive out on Saturday. My two day total was 56 species, though we didn't put much effort into locating the common land birds either day. Good birding, Lewis -- Lewis Grove PhD Student, Wildlife Ecology President, Graduate Student Association SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry 244 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210 Mobile: (814) 880-5667 http://zugunlew.smugmug.com/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Lewis's Woodpecker
Many thanks to Fred, for helping us spot Lewis's woodpecker yesterday. Very exciting! One picture is posted, hope to have more up shortly. http://www.flickr.com/photos/auburnnewyork/5564120184/ __ Visit the Auburn Photography Club .---. |[X]| _.==._.".___n__ d __ ___.-''-. _b |[__] /..\ _ | | // /""\ \\_) | | \\ \__/ //| |Canon \`.__.'/ | \===`-..-'==/ `-' ©2010 chris.com Event Coverage: http://www.AuburnNewYork.com Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/auburnphotographyclub facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150315908324463 Blog: http://auburnphotographyclub.blogspot.com/ __ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday group 3 highlights
Hi all, Yesterday, I lead a Group 3 of SFO (Spring Field Ornithology) class. We did Snyder and Neimi Road and SSW. Highlights were, a singing cold, hunched Eastern Meadowlark on a post in the airport compound; several chickadees drinking from icicles (chickadee popsicles) near Cornell Research Ponds, two beautiful reddish Fox sparrows in the same area scratching ground and were often chased away by the Red-winged Blackbirds, don't know if they chased them off after they exposed some food or just general nastiness on the part of blackbirds; a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds and at the SSW, as we were entering the building a powerful Cooper's Hawk flew over into the woods and a flock of Rusty Blackbirds feeding in the muck. It was cold grrr, but a beautiful day. After an hour everyone forgot that we were cold as toes and fingers had lost all sensations and birds were getting us excited. PS: I have been looking for Redpolls that are being reported in hundreds all over the places, but none seem to be around in the natural areas, everyone seem to be hanging around the bird feeders :-( Meena Meena Haribal Ithaca NY 14850 http://haribal.org/ http://meenaharibal.blogspot.com/ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
