[cayugabirds-l] 6 SNOWS north of Mud Lock

[John and Fritzie Blizzard]

Took son Jim to the lock about 4 p.m. today. One adult  & one juv. eagle were 
sitting in diff. trees over on the point. No birds left on the nest. One osprey 
sat in a bare tree west of the old platform. 

Behind the cottages along River Rd. & just south of where the Seneca R. & the 
canal come together we saw SIX (6) SNOW GEESE out on the grass grooming 
themselves. The right wing of one appeared to be hanging down a bit but 
certainly not like the left one on the lone snow over near the main pool. This 
is the 1st time I have ever seen ANY snows along the river, there, or on the 
refuge in my 21 winters here.

Yesterday, here at home, John & I had close looks at a brown thrasher that 
caught a moth in the grass just outside our LR window. It brought the moth to 
the sidewalk, which is against the house, where it proceeded to make sure the 
moth was incapacitated, removed one wing & flew away with the reat of the moth, 
presumably to feed a youngster. Close encounter of the nicest kind.

Yesterday I found all the contents of one tree swallow nest on the ground. In 
the bare box, 2 of 5 babies, with their eyes open, remained. I held them while 
I put the nesting materials back in the box. Mid-a.m. today I found them 
huddled together, not making any hungrey noises. Later I saw an adult fly down 
to the box. I had determined if I saw no activity I would take the 2 babies & 
put them in another box that has 5 babies about the same age. 

>From the looks of the nest mess, I suspect a coon but the predator might well 
>have been a possum. I have trapped several of each in that area this spring. 

I am enjoying watching the chimney swifts flying about the campus here at Union 
Springs Academy. One evning I saw 2 zip down into the tall chimney on the 
girl's dorm & figured they were the 1st of  the 6 flying around, that were 
going to "bed." Shortly they popped out again! Obviously they had taken a 
bedtime snack to babies!

Despite agitation by 7 male H. sparrows, the bluebirds safely reared their 5 
babies & now are looking at the box near the kitchen for their next home. The 
nastiest of  the male sparrows was carrying grass to the old BB box at the 
opposite end of the clothesline today so maybe that will keep him occupied.

Checked another BB box today & 4 eggs were about to roll out. Mom had laid them 
right against the wood & not back in the poorly formed nest which looked like a 
wren might have put some sticks in the box. I may remedy that situation.

Wren is still in her house with babies in the cedar. Mockers are very busy 
feeding babies in the spruce tree. Cardinals are in another spruce & the 
catbirds are back in the east hedgerow. We're still seeing the ospreys on their 
platform across the field. I think the thrasher is in the south hedgerow.

Last wk. one day I watched 5 crows mobbing a turkey vulture while one of the 
crows was being harassed by a red wing blackbird! Never saw any actually make 
contact with each other. Nature is very interesting if we take a moment to look 
& then watch. To me they are blessings. Hope you all enjoy the same.

Fritzie Blizzard














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[cayugabirds-l] Prothonotary Warbler?

[Pat Martin]

Has anyone seen the Prothonotary Warbler on Armitage Road recently? The last 
time I saw it reported was on May 23rd. I missed it on Sunday, June 9th. 
Pat Martin

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[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma Birding Van Tour

[Christopher Lajewski]

Montezuma Birding Van Tour
Thursday June 20, 8:00 AM—11:00 AM
Migrating songbirds, marsh birds and raptors are back on their breeding grounds 
and raising their young. Hop in the Montezuma Audubon Center’s van for an 
excursion to Montezuma’s backcountry birding hotspots where dozens of birds can 
be seen and heard! Fee: $7.50/child; $12.50/adult, $35/family. Space is limited 
and registration is required. Call 315.365.3588 to register. 

Chris Lajewski
Education Manager
Montezuma Audubon Center 
2295 State Route 89 Savannah, NY 13146
315.365.3588
http://ny.audubon.org/montezuma

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[cayugabirds-l] Syracuse RBA

[Joseph Brin]

RBA
 
*  New York
*  Syracuse
* June 10, 2013
*  NYSY  06. 10. 13
 
Hotline: Syracuse Rare bird Alert
Dates(s):

June 03, 2013 - June 10, 2013
to report by e-mail: brinjoseph AT yahoo.com
covering upstate NY counties: Cayuga, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) (just outside Cayuga County),
Onondaga, Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida, Herkimer,  Madison & Cortland
compiled:June 10 AT 6:30 p.m. (EDT)
compiler: Joseph Brin
Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org
 
 
#358 -Monday June 10, 2013
 
Greetings. This is the Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert for the week of 
June 03, 2013
 
Highlights:
---

LEAST BITTERN
RING-NECKED DUCK
SANDHILL CRANE
RUDDY TURNSTONE
RED KNOT
BLACK TERN
EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
SWAINSON’S THRUSH
PRAIRIE WARBLER
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
CERULEAN WARBLER
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
EVENING GROSBEAK


Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC)


     6/6: 3 RED KNOTS were seen on the Wildlife Trail along with RUDDY 
TURNSTONE, PEEP and SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER.
     6/8: 6 BLACK TERNS, a SANDHILL CRANE and TRUMPETER SWANS were seen in 
Tschache Pool.


Oswego County


     6/4: 2 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were found at Sunset Bay Park in Scriba.A 
SWAINSON’S THRUSH, probably a breeding bird, was heard on Otto Mills Road north 
of Redfield. 2 SORA RAILS plus VIRGINIA RAILS and PIED-BILLED GREBES with young 
were seen in the County Rt.6 wetlands north of County Rt. 3. The TRUMPETER 
SWANS also have young in that location again this year.
     6/6: A PRAIRIE WARBLER has returned to Happy Valley on Churchill Road 
north of Rt.69 in Parish after being absent for a number of years. Up to 3 
BLACK TERNS were sighted on the common Tern island on Oneida Lake in Constantia.
     6/7: A GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was found on O’Conner Road in Scriba. 2 
CERULEAN WARBLERS were found in pine ttrees on County Rt.51 in New Haven.
     6/8: 5 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were found at the south end of Main Street in 
Richland. An EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL was seen at Roosevelt Road north of 
Constantia.
     6/9: A SANDHILL CRANE was seen on Sage Creek Road near Derby Hill. A LEAST 
BITTERN was heard at the County Rt. 6 wetlands


Madison County


     6/6: A pair of EVENING GROSBEAKS continues to frequent a feeder on 
Carpenter Road near Shedds.


Onondaga County


     6/7: A possible early migrant RING-NECKED DUCK was seen on Crooked Lake 
near Tully.


        
     
--  end report



Joseph Brin
Region 5
Baldwinsville, N.Y.  13027  U.S.A.
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[cayugabirds-l] Oriole/ Catbird confrontation

[Carol Keeler]

I had a confrontation between my resident male Oriole and Catbird over the 
jelly feeder.  Hanging  off my deck are two pairs of feeders.  One is for the 
Hummingbirds and is lower.  The other hangs higher and is a jelly feeder.  
While I was eating my breakfast the normally quiet Oriole was doing a lot of 
vocalizing so I went to peak out just to see the normally allusive Oriole.  
Perched on the bar above the jelly feeder was the Catbird, who was silent.  On 
the lower hummer feeder was the Oriole.  The Catbird had its wings 
outstretched, and was leaning forward in what I took as a threat posture.  The 
Oriole kept vocalizing, but gave up and flew off.  I've fed the jelly for years 
now and that's the first time I've seen any confrontation between any of the 
bird species that come.  It was really cool to see.


Sent from my iPad
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[cayugabirds-l] Clay-colored Sparrow, Locke Acadian Fly, etc.

[Kenneth V. Rosenberg]

Hi all,

another belated report on Sunday morning birding.

I started pre-6 am at Myer's Point hoping for some late moving shorebirds or 
terns, but nothing there of interest. I then headed up Salmon Creek Rd., 
stopping to walk most of the stretch along the FLLT Cerulean Warbler preserve 
and poke a little ways up some side creeks. I confirmed another season with 
zero Cerulean Warblers along this stretch -- there were a dozen or more here 
(and 40+ males in the entire creek drainage) in the mid 1990s, all of which 
disappeared for unknown reasons (Chris T-H's paving theory aside). Also now 
Acacian Flycatchers I could find. There was a close loud-singing MOURNING 
WARBLER along the road, and all of the other common breeders seemed to be in 
their usual numbers and places.

I followed Salmon Creek and Indian FIelds Rd all the way north to Rt. 90 and 
then headed west towards Summerhill. As I descended a forested stretch towards 
Locke, I remembered a tip from Bill Evans from 15+ years ago and slowed down to 
listen out the window. Sure enough a loud ACADIAN FLYCATCHER sang from the 
north side of the road where the forested creek crosses under the road. I 
believe this is Hemlock Creek? and is outside the Cayuga Lake Basin, for those 
who care.

I then continued on to Lick St. in Summerhill and found Stuart Krasnoff (and 
Carl Steckler?) waiting for the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW to appear in the christmas 
tree farm north of Rt. 90. Stuart and I walked up and down Lick St. and a loop 
through the christmas tree farm (with permission) without any luck for an hour 
or so. Then after walking further north to the very far north end of the 
plantation (almost to where the tall spruces start), the CLAY-COLORED appeared 
briefly and silently in a shrub on the east side of Lick St. We got a brief 
look at the grayer overall color (no reddish anywhere) compared to numerous 
Chipping and Field Sparrows), the gray collar, and the white racing stripe 
through the brown crown. The bird flew back into the denser shrubs to the 
northeast.

We also had a nice adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK calling and circling, a fly-by 
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, and other usual local birds. Another largish hawk that 
dove across the road gave the impression of a non-adult N. Goshawk, but could 
not confirm. Yet another bird that "got away" was a flock of 5 smallish birds 
that were flying north over the spruces -- they were similar in size to Cedar 
Waxwings (which are commonly flying over these days), but the flight seemed 
more undulating and at least a couple of the birds appeared to have goldish 
yellow rumps contrasting with darker backs -- my guess is that these were Red 
Crossbill, but again couldn't confirm.

I then did a quick walking and slow-driving "transect" along Hoag Rd. between 
Lick and Salt -- I had 11 species of warbler along this stretch, including 4 
MOURNING WARBLERS and 1 CANADA WARBLER. Also most of the other "northern" 
forest breeders including an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, HERMIT THRUSHES, 
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, etc.

KEN

Ken Rosenberg
Conservation Science Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
607-254-2412
607-342-4594 (cell)
k...@cornell.edu


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[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Bird Club dish to pass tonight

[Linda Orkin]

Okay all,

The picnic is on for tonight, rain or rain.

 6 PM, pavilion A, Myers Point.  Bring a dish to pass, your own place
setting, a beverage and a raincoat.

Oh, and your binoculars. Rain, thunder, wind!!!  this will be just like a
normal bird club field trip.

There's always good food, good company and a good time to be had.

Hope to see you there. Members and non-members alike.

Linda Orkin
President, Cayuga Bird Club



-- 
Don't ask what your bird club can do for you, ask what you can do for your
bird club!! <')_,/

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[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma 8May2013

[Jay McGowan]

I too should post a belated Montezuma report. Livia and I spent some time
Saturday morning checking some of the usual spots. Nothing
earth-shattering, as you might imagine, but a few nice birds. Kipp Island
had no visible shorebirds but was highlighted by 17 Great Egrets foraging
out in the back. Although shorebird numbers are nothing like they were a
few weeks ago, a few species remain on the main pool, which remains low and
with good habitat. We were able to find at least 3 Dunlin, ~45 Semipalmated
and a few Least sandpipers, 10+ Semipalmated Plovers, and 5 WHITE-RUMPED
SANDPIPERS in nice colorful spring plumage, mostly across from the carp
outflow.

We only went a little way out Towpath Road, but in the cattails on the left
near the beginning of the road we heard a consistently singing LEAST
BITTERN. An American Bittern called once and a Virginia Rail gave a few
grunting series as well as some odd single note calls. A few Black Terns
were foraging here as well, the first I have seen at this spot this year.

Finally, a stop at the Empire Farm Days fairground in Seneca Falls yielded
11 UPLAND SANDPIPERS, 7 adults and 4 chicks. A few photos here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/37855303614931880/Summer2013#5887480227076139970
https://picasaweb.google.com/37855303614931880/Summer2013#5887481286833106258
https://picasaweb.google.com/37855303614931880/Summer2013#5887481164979286178
https://picasaweb.google.com/37855303614931880/Summer2013#5887481790615661810

Also got some of my first good pictures of a juvenile Horned Lark, which
could be a confusing sight for anyone who hasn't seen one before:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Lys5bRo6-UAPHuKTavojVdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink


Good birding,
Jay

-- 
Jay McGowan
Macaulay Library
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
jw...@cornell.edu

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