Re: [cayugabirds-l] Final numbers from 2024 Christmas Bird Count

[Stephanie P. Herrick]

Thank you,  Paul, for all you've done for and improvements of the Christmas 
Bird Count compilation!   I'm grateful you've found your successor and very 
thankful for all your fine efforts!

- S

From: bounce-127974946-82496...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Paul Anderson 

Sent: Monday, January 15, 2024 11:38:48 AM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L 
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Final numbers from 2024 Christmas Bird Count

All:

After some late additions and some forensic investigation of sightings, I've 
finally settled on what I believe will be the final numbers from the count.

It was an epic year. We had a total of 97 species on the day and a 
record-breaking 107 for the week (previous record was 104 in 2008.) 47540 
individual birds were observed by 159 humans.

New species for the count were Wilson's Warbler, Northern Parula and Trumpeter 
Swan.

We had record high counts (or ties) for the following species:

  *   Cackling Goose
  *   Canada Goose
  *   Trumpeter Swan
  *   Red-throated Loon
  *   Common Loon (tie)
  *   Golden Eagle (tie)
  *   Barred Owl (tie)
  *   Short-eared Owl
  *   Red-bellied Woodpecker
  *   Hairy Woodpecker
  *   Pileated Woodpecker
  *   Merlin
  *   Tufted Titmouse
  *   Brown Creeper
  *   Golden-crowned Kinglet
  *   Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  *   Gray Catbird (tie)
  *   Chipping Sparrow
  *   Dark-eyed Junco
  *   White-throated Sparrow
  *   Song Sparrow
  *   Northern Cardinal
  *   American Goldfinch
  *   European Goldfinch (tie)

Full details are in the spreadsheet which can be found 
here.
 If anyone has any last-minute corrections, let me know before I submit the 
numbers to Audubon (in about a week).

I've found a volunteer to take over this role next year, so this is my last 
report. It's been fun doing this!

-Paul





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[cayugabirds-l] Final numbers from 2024 Christmas Bird Count

[Paul Anderson]

All:

After some late additions and some forensic investigation of sightings,
I've finally settled on what I believe will be the final numbers from the
count.

It was an epic year. We had a total of 97 species on the day and a
record-breaking *107 *for the week (previous record was 104 in 2008.) 47540
individual birds were observed by 159 humans.

New species for the count were Wilson's Warbler, Northern Parula and
Trumpeter Swan.

We had record high counts (or ties) for the following species:

   - Cackling Goose
   - Canada Goose
   - Trumpeter Swan
   - Red-throated Loon
   - Common Loon (tie)
   - Golden Eagle (tie)
   - Barred Owl (tie)
   - Short-eared Owl
   - Red-bellied Woodpecker
   - Hairy Woodpecker
   - Pileated Woodpecker
   - Merlin
   - Tufted Titmouse
   - Brown Creeper
   - Golden-crowned Kinglet
   - Ruby-crowned Kinglet
   - Gray Catbird (tie)
   - Chipping Sparrow
   - Dark-eyed Junco
   - White-throated Sparrow
   - Song Sparrow
   - Northern Cardinal
   - American Goldfinch
   - European Goldfinch (tie)

Full details are in the spreadsheet which can be found here
.
If anyone has any last-minute corrections, let me know before I submit the
numbers to Audubon (in about a week).

I've found a volunteer to take over this role next year, so this is my last
report. It's been fun doing this!

-Paul

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[cayugabirds-l] Eagle in Cayuga Lake

[Dave Nutter]

Yesterday (14 Jan) at midday Ann Mitchell & I were at Cayuga Lake State Park, 
near the northeast corner of the lake. We were there especially to visit the 
rare overwintering Red-headed Woodpeckers (most people are thrilled to see one 
adult, but Jay McGowan and a few other folks assure everyone that there are 
actually 2!), and we quickly saw one high in a tree across Lower Lake Road from 
the park office. 

Wanting to submit a complete eBird list, we scanned the lake. To get out of the 
fierce west wind, we set up our scopes on the landing partway down the stone 
stairs between the road and the fishing pier (whose railing hosted a Belted 
Kingfisher). In the middle of the lake was a substantial dense raft of 
Redheads. Ann said she only saw 1 Scaup among... how many thousand?

This assessment was cut short when the entire flock took flight. We soon 
figured the probable reason: I noticed that nearby was an immature Bald Eagle. 
It was flying toward us, chasing a single duck, and as the eagle reached out 
its talons the duck flew down directly into water. The eagle spend a couple 
minutes flying over that part of the lake, kiting in the wind and at least once 
dipping down to put its feet in, but coming up empty. 

Figuring the duck had escaped, we turned our attention elsewhere, but 
apparently the eagle did not. When I next glanced that way, the immature Bald 
Eagle was still over the middle of the lake, but flying very low toward the 
west shore and carrying what we determined to be a male Redhead, apparently 
dead, with its head and neck, one wing, and one leg dangling. An adult Great 
Black-backed Gull followed with interest. The eagle was making slow progress, 
and when the prey touched the surface, the eagle dropped down into the water. 

I am accustomed to seeing Bald Eagles perched vertically. Seeing a female lying 
in a nest to incubate or brood, looks odd to me, but obviously they have done 
this as long as there have been birds. Similarly, the eagle floating low in the 
water was a new and strange sight, like the pictures I’ve seen of penguins on 
the ocean surface. Plenty of times I’ve watched a long-winged Osprey, after a 
plunge, immediately rise to the surface, lift its wings high, and power itself 
into the air, even while clasping a substantial fish, then shake off water as 
soon as it was a few feet high. This was different. After resting in the water 
the better part of a minute, the eagle struggled to become airborne. Again it 
flew very low, carrying the duck, toward the still-distant west shore. 

And after a short time the eagle again dropped into the water and rested before 
barely flying with the duck. It was either the 3rd or 4th time that the 
immature Bald Eagle lay in the water that it took off a bit more easily having 
left its prey behind, and flew alone to our side of the lake. Ann noticed that 
a pair of adult Bald Eagles had approached the scene from the opposite shore, 
but they were higher above the lake, and we did not see them go down to the 
surface. 

That young Bald Eagle had separated a single bird out of the huge busy Redhead 
flock, pursued it, stayed aloft above it a long time when it dove, succeeded in 
catching and killing it, then struggled multiple times to fly with it, but 
failed to bring its prey to shore or get anything to eat. I felt sorry for the 
eagle.  (Okay, I felt a bit sorry for the duck, too, but it was dead, and there 
were thousands more of them.) My guess is that the strong headwind hampered the 
eagle’s ability to fly while burdened to the west shore. It may have chosen 
that more difficult direction because it knew the adult pair lived on the east 
shore. And when the team of adult Bald Eagles showed up, the young bird knew it 
stood no chance of keeping that meal. 

- - Dave Nutter
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