[cayugabirds-l] SFO Montezuma Sunday April 8, 2012
Had another spectacular SFO field trip. Was planning on just a short day, 7-11 am, but no one showed up for just the 1/2 day trip. So, I more than willingly, volunteered to lead a group for the whole day! I had a small group, just 4 of us, including me so we had one car. What a day! 1 student got 6 life birds and the other got 3! We hit pretty much all of the target birds that the group wanted, many with excellent looks at field marks, behavior etc. The weather cooperated very nicely. Chilly in the morning but excellent for scoping on Cayuga Lake. Afternoon was breezy but not as windy as Saturday. Still good viewing. We totaled an amazing 82 species!! Some photos... http://www.flickr.com/photos/davenicosia/sets/72157629406612342/ Began at Ladoga Park and got 3 COMMON LOONS, 8 RING-NECKED DUCKS and a few BUFFLEHEAD. Next was Myer's point...picked up 5 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, KILLDEER, NORTHERN FLICKER, and many RING-BILLED GULLS and 2 fly-by HERRING GULLS. Then we headed up toward Union Springs/Harris Park to get the western grebe and others. But, on the way up, we hit the jackpot on field birds. First we saw a few AMERICAN PIPITS right next to the road, some were in the ditch on Lake Road in King Ferry. We stopped and got great looks and estimated about 30. We also saw a HORNED LARK and a NORTHERN HARRIER who perched on the ground for us. Then a SAVANNAH SPARROW was singing from the top of a post on the other side of the road. Got great views and the students took some great photos. Very cooperative! Then before Lake Road merges with Rte 90 in King Ferry, we saw flock after flock of AMERICAN PIPITs fly by. There were all over...we estimated 75-100! awesome views of these cool birds. Also some good photos were taken (not by me!). Near Union Springs there was a COMMON RAVEN being mobbed by AMERICAN CROWS not far from the lake. Then we stopped to see an OSPREY sitting on one of the nests along Route 90 near Union Springs before Harris Park turn off. Of course got great views and then an EASTERN MEADOWLARK visited us pretty close singing and offering great looks. The bird was doing its classic hover and glide flight. He also landed close by for killer looks. But I don't think he was still enough for anyone to get photos. Then we hit the WESTERN GREBE spot on Lake Street right by where Wheat Street meets it, south of Harris Park. Like yesterday, all of our usual aythya species were present with RUDDY DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER. Had 4 RED BREASTED MERGANSERS fly-by as well here. Then after some searching both WESTERN GREBES showed up within an aythya raft. We also had PIED-BILLED and HORNED GREBES here too. The rafts by the way are thinning down. Next stop was the Mud Lock BALD EAGLE nest. 2 chicks visible, 1 adult perched in the tree and the other soaring overhead...perfect lighting. Then we hit the Montezuma vistor's center...teal species continue dominate. Many many GREEN-WINGED TEAL, several BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a few NORTHERN SHOVELERS and several GADWALL. Also TREE SWALLOWS. Did not get PURPLE MARTINS. Wildlife drive yielded more ducks that we had already seen giving the group a chance to practice id. Also got an excellent view of a SWAMP SPARROW singing from the top of a reed by the road. We then stopped at Benning Marsh and the shorebirds that were seen yesterday were very cooperative. Got 6 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 3 DUNLIN, several LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS and several WILSON'S SNIPE. The PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were close so we got some excellent photos. Awesome birds. Next stop was Marten's Tract. Highlight was a SANDHILL CRANE that was flying but then landed out of sight. We walked on the trails but did not relocate. But we had more waterfowl. We also got AMERICAN COOT and COMMON GALLINULE (formerly MOORHEN). There was not too much on Morgan Road so next stop was East Road over Knox-Marcellus Marsh. Many many birds there. We were kind of tired and probably could have spent a very long time there. But birds were distant and we got only fair scope views of most species. Highlights were 1 CASPIAN TERN which was distant but the large size (much bigger than the ring-billed gulls with it), very light wings that were pointed and tern-like flight were very diagnostic. Also go some black on the head. Was hard to see the bill due to the heat shimmer and shear distance...60x on scope. The bird eventually landed and was loafing with a bunch of gulls too far to see good enough from east road. Unfortunately only one of the students was able to see this bird in my group before it landed. Also had WOOD DUCK, a couple left-over SNOW GEESE, small rafts of aythya species, RUDDY DUCK, NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and a few others. We drove back to the lab and decided to head to Freese Road and see if we could find the VESPER SPARROWS that have been seen last few days. And bingo, 2 appeared for us in the lone tree between fields across from the
Re: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Montezuma Sunday April 8, 2012
Our Common Gallinule may have been an American Coot. It is still a bit early for gallinule (formerly moorhen) and we only heard it. There has been a report of american coot(s) in Marten's Tract that sound very much like a gallinule. We did see a few coots up there, so it probably was just that. From: david nicosia daven1...@yahoo.com To: Cayugabirds- L Cayugabirds-L@cornell.edu; Bluewing bluewing-gr...@googlegroups.com Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 7:35 PM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Montezuma Sunday April 8, 2012 Had another spectacular SFO field trip. Was planning on just a short day, 7-11 am, but no one showed up for just the 1/2 day trip. So, I more than willingly, volunteered to lead a group for the whole day! I had a small group, just 4 of us, including me so we had one car. What a day! 1 student got 6 life birds and the other got 3! We hit pretty much all of the target birds that the group wanted, many with excellent looks at field marks, behavior etc. The weather cooperated very nicely. Chilly in the morning but excellent for scoping on Cayuga Lake. Afternoon was breezy but not as windy as Saturday. Still good viewing. We totaled an amazing 82 species!! Some photos... http://www.flickr.com/photos/davenicosia/sets/72157629406612342/ Began at Ladoga Park and got 3 COMMON LOONS, 8 RING-NECKED DUCKS and a few BUFFLEHEAD. Next was Myer's point...picked up 5 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, KILLDEER, NORTHERN FLICKER, and many RING-BILLED GULLS and 2 fly-by HERRING GULLS. Then we headed up toward Union Springs/Harris Park to get the western grebe and others. But, on the way up, we hit the jackpot on field birds. First we saw a few AMERICAN PIPITS right next to the road, some were in the ditch on Lake Road in King Ferry. We stopped and got great looks and estimated about 30. We also saw a HORNED LARK and a NORTHERN HARRIER who perched on the ground for us. Then a SAVANNAH SPARROW was singing from the top of a post on the other side of the road. Got great views and the students took some great photos. Very cooperative! Then before Lake Road merges with Rte 90 in King Ferry, we saw flock after flock of AMERICAN PIPITs fly by. There were all over...we estimated 75-100! awesome views of these cool birds. Also some good photos were taken (not by me!). Near Union Springs there was a COMMON RAVEN being mobbed by AMERICAN CROWS not far from the lake. Then we stopped to see an OSPREY sitting on one of the nests along Route 90 near Union Springs before Harris Park turn off. Of course got great views and then an EASTERN MEADOWLARK visited us pretty close singing and offering great looks. The bird was doing its classic hover and glide flight. He also landed close by for killer looks. But I don't think he was still enough for anyone to get photos. Then we hit the WESTERN GREBE spot on Lake Street right by where Wheat Street meets it, south of Harris Park. Like yesterday, all of our usual aythya species were present with RUDDY DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER. Had 4 RED BREASTED MERGANSERS fly-by as well here. Then after some searching both WESTERN GREBES showed up within an aythya raft. We also had PIED-BILLED and HORNED GREBES here too. The rafts by the way are thinning down. Next stop was the Mud Lock BALD EAGLE nest. 2 chicks visible, 1 adult perched in the tree and the other soaring overhead...perfect lighting. Then we hit the Montezuma vistor's center...teal species continue dominate. Many many GREEN-WINGED TEAL, several BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a few NORTHERN SHOVELERS and several GADWALL. Also TREE SWALLOWS. Did not get PURPLE MARTINS. Wildlife drive yielded more ducks that we had already seen giving the group a chance to practice id. Also got an excellent view of a SWAMP SPARROW singing from the top of a reed by the road. We then stopped at Benning Marsh and the shorebirds that were seen yesterday were very cooperative. Got 6 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 3 DUNLIN, several LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS and several WILSON'S SNIPE. The PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were close so we got some excellent photos. Awesome birds. Next stop was Marten's Tract. Highlight was a SANDHILL CRANE that was flying but then landed out of sight. We walked on the trails but did not relocate. But we had more waterfowl. We also got AMERICAN COOT and COMMON GALLINULE (formerly MOORHEN). There was not too much on Morgan Road so next stop was East Road over Knox-Marcellus Marsh. Many many birds there. We were kind of tired and probably could have spent a very long time there. But birds were distant and we got only fair scope views of most species. Highlights were 1 CASPIAN TERN which was distant but the large size (much bigger than the ring-billed gulls with it), very light wings that were pointed and tern-like flight were very diagnostic. Also go some black on the head. Was hard to see the bill due to the heat shimmer and shear distance...60x on scope. The bird eventually landed
