[cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday
Ann Mitchell and I led the single-day SFO trip up the lake yesterday. We were able to get everybody into two cars and acquaint the participants with many of the good birding spots along the east shore and around the Montezuma complex. The day started out cold with a strong north wind and remained chilly throughout. Our first stop was along Burdick Hill Road with an attempt astseeing an early Meadowlark. We heard one sing a couple of time but were never able to get it in sight. >From there we headed to Myers, spending almost an hour on the spit and then at >Ladoga picking through the few remaining ducks. On the water to the south was >the largest number of HORNED GREBES I have ever seen there (25+/-), in a >selection of plumages, as well as Common Loons, a RED-THROATED LOON, and SURF >and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Our next stop was along Center Road to fulfill a request for Horned Lark. A single lark popped up, but that was enough to bring a smile to Holly’s face. We stopped again along Lake Road, downhill from the winery, and this time we were able to hear AND see our Eastern Meadowlark. The lake at the Aurora boathouse was rough, but we were still able to pick out quite a few more Horned Grebes, Common Loons, and our first Red-breasted Mergansers. We continued up the lake to the refuge visitor’s center. A small flock of PURPLE MARTINs obliged by flying in and around the martin houses, giving great examples of their weird, electronic-sounding call. Feeding in the pool was a variety of dabling ducks, and we got great looks at both Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Gadall, American Wigeon, and a couple of Northern Pintail. We drove the wildlife drive, hoping for Friday’s Trumpeter Swan (missed), but were rewarded by several singing Swamp Sparrows - first of the year for all of us. Lunch was eaten in the cars while we drove up to the Mucklands. We drove the southeast dike road off of Rt 31 and got fair looks at the small flock of BONAPARTE’s GULLs and stopped briefly at the end of the road to look over the remains of the Richmond Acqueduct (one of the hidden gems in the area). We then reversed course and drove the northeast dike road for our first look at GREATER YELLOWLEGS - some 15 in all. The rest of the Mucklands remained flooded, and the hunting pressure of the past few days assured that the area was mostly empty of waterfowl. We drove down East Road in hope of finding the pair of SANDHILL CRANES (gone) but did get good looks at three recently-arrived GREAT EGRETs flying around the Knox-Marsellus Marsh. Still seeking cranes, we drove up through Savannah and out Carncross Road. Still no cranes (though they had been seen shortly before taking off from the MAC and heading our way), but the partially-flooded corn field yielded several dozen Greater Yellowlegs. At that point we set our sights on home, with a quick stop back at the visitor’s center for the reported EURASIAN WIGEON. Our last bird of the day was a KESTREL on a wire, bringing the day’s total to 68 species. Oh, and we tallied 23 OSPREYs for the drive. Virtually all of the nest platforms atop electric towers and poles seemed to be occupied. I can’t wait to see Candace and Karen’s map of their nests in the CL Basin! Bob McGuire -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: amazing snow goose decoys in mucklands; was [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake
Well . . . . there go many of our snow geese from today! Except for the dozen or so actively foraging birds on the near dike. Bob On Apr 6, 2013, at 7:30 PM, Kevin James McGowan wrote: I just thought it worth mentioning that someone has an amazing array of Snow Goose decoys deployed out in the mucklands, to the SE of the potatoes building. They are visible from East Road, too. These are just about the most awesome artificial birds I think I have ever seen. From what I could scope out last weekend, they are cloth, wind-inflatable, and actively moving. I had to stare twice and shake myself to convince myself that they weren't really birds. The wind-activated motion was incredibly true to life. Plus, even if they were only a buck a piece, that's a huge investment in having several hundred decoys there. They even have the right amount of "Blue" geese tucked in among the whites. Impressive! If I was a goose, I'd be fooled!! Kevin -Original Message- From: bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu ] On Behalf Of bob mcguire Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 7:14 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake ... We spotted a dozen or so Snow Geese on the near dike and several hundred more in the distant corn fields. Most of the several hundred ducks were Canvasbacks. ... -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: amazing snow goose decoys in mucklands; was [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake
Oops. I need to subtract 250 Snow Geese from my East Rd eBird list from last weekend! Sent from my iPhone On Apr 6, 2013, at 7:30 PM, "Kevin James McGowan" wrote: > I just thought it worth mentioning that someone has an amazing array of Snow > Goose decoys deployed out in the mucklands, to the SE of the potatoes > building. They are visible from East Road, too. These are just about the > most awesome artificial birds I think I have ever seen. From what I could > scope out last weekend, they are cloth, wind-inflatable, and actively moving. > I had to stare twice and shake myself to convince myself that they weren't > really birds. The wind-activated motion was incredibly true to life. Plus, > even if they were only a buck a piece, that's a huge investment in having > several hundred decoys there. They even have the right amount of "Blue" > geese tucked in among the whites. Impressive! > > If I was a goose, I'd be fooled!! > > Kevin > > > -Original Message- > From: bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu > [mailto:bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of bob mcguire > Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 7:14 PM > To: CAYUGABIRDS-L > Subject: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake > ... > > We spotted a dozen or so Snow Geese on the near dike and several hundred more > in the distant corn fields. > Most of the several hundred ducks were Canvasbacks. ... > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
amazing snow goose decoys in mucklands; was [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake
I just thought it worth mentioning that someone has an amazing array of Snow Goose decoys deployed out in the mucklands, to the SE of the potatoes building. They are visible from East Road, too. These are just about the most awesome artificial birds I think I have ever seen. From what I could scope out last weekend, they are cloth, wind-inflatable, and actively moving. I had to stare twice and shake myself to convince myself that they weren't really birds. The wind-activated motion was incredibly true to life. Plus, even if they were only a buck a piece, that's a huge investment in having several hundred decoys there. They even have the right amount of "Blue" geese tucked in among the whites. Impressive! If I was a goose, I'd be fooled!! Kevin -Original Message- From: bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-79501342-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of bob mcguire Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 7:14 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake ... We spotted a dozen or so Snow Geese on the near dike and several hundred more in the distant corn fields. Most of the several hundred ducks were Canvasbacks. ... -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday: up the lake
Eleven people joined me today for an all-day trip up the lake. The primary focus was on waterfowl, and we managed to find all but two of the expected species (missed Wood Duck and Red-breasted Merganser). All together we totaled 61 species, the highlights being "just seeing all those ducks", aerial maneuvers of two juvenile Bald Eagles, breeding plumaged Horned Grebe, and a close-in Belted Kingfisher. The day began at the Lab with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-20s. We checked the feeders and headed immediately for Myers. After studying a Killdeer along the creek, we arrived at the spit, checked the gulls for anything unusual, and focused on the first couple of Common Loons of the day. We watched a couple of flyby Buffleheads and then a close, slowly circling Osprey. There were a few distant ducks, but we chose to scoot around to the marina for close looks at both Scaup, a Coot, several Gadwall and Common Mergansers. Following a tip from Dave Nutter, we back-tracked to Drake Road to chase the reported Bohemian Waxwings. We had excellent directions but, unfortunately by the time we got there, there were only a few of them left in a distant tree and only a few of us were able to get on them before they, too, left. From there we headed north, stopping along lake Ridge Road to listen for Meadowlarks (missed them) and to watch a couple of recently- returned Tree Swallows. Since one of the goals of the trip was to introduce folks to popular birding spots, we did stop at Long Point State Park. And today it lived up to its nickname: Long DISApoint SP. We could find nothing but a few Buffleheads. From the boathouse in Aurora we spotted our first Common Goldeneye, a couple more Loons, and three Horned Grebes, one of which was in nearly full breeding plumage. For those of us who are used to watching winter plumaged grebes through the cold months, that was a special treat. Factory Street pond in Union Springs produced our first Blue-winged Teal, a couple of Gadwall, and the close-in Kingfisher. Mill pond was nearly empty, but we did manage to pull a Redhead out from the shadowy edge. Mud Lock was a surprise. The former Bald Eagle nest atop the electrical tower was apparently vacant, occupied today by a trio of Rock Pigeons. However, the newer nest to the south was occupied - with an adult Bald Eagle feeding young. The visitor center pond at the refuge was also nearly empty, with a dozen or more Green-winged Teal, Mallards, our first Black Duck, and not much else - except for a distant Northern Harrier. LaRue's Lagoon held our first Northern Shovelers as well as both Teal. The new shorebird area was deep in water. Bennings Marsh again held both Teal, some Shovelers and Gadwall, but not the hoped-for snipe. At Tschache Pool we added a couple more new birds: Northern Pintail (one male), Pied-billed Grebe (2), and American Wigeon (several). At that point It was 2:30, going on time to leave for home. We made one more stop, at Knox-Marsellus marsh. The water was high: good for ducks, bad for any shorebirds. We spotted a dozen or so Snow Geese on the near dike and several hundred more in the distant corn fields. Most of the several hundred ducks were Canvasbacks. No cranes. No egrets. That was it. We headed back down the east side, adding an American Kestrel on a wire to our trip list. My only regret was that we did not have nearly enough time to visit more of the great sites at the north end of the lake. I look forward to hearing what the overnight groups find tomorrow. Bob McGuire -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO SAturday Derby Hill, Summer Hill trip
Hi all, Meteorologists are really getting better and better. Our meteorologist told us it was going to be 100% rain at Derby Hill and we thought may be there would some variables and we get lucky. But it turned out to be 100% rain. Highlights (some were for me alone!) At Derby Hill, we had Brown Thrasher, Palm and Yellow Rumped Warblers, Eastern Towhee, Song and White-throated Sparrows, Tree, Barn and Rough-winged swallows. From the bluffs, we watched a few Long tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers and flyover of Common Mergansers, Double crested cormorants and Caspian Terns. At the Sage Creek marsh, before we arrived Wes's group had found a Greater Scaup female and had heard a Sora. After we arrived we could id Scaup sp and as a female, luckily for us, Sora decided to call again! Just before we left this location we saw a NORTHERN HARRIER cruise over the marsh into the woods and a couple of Common Loons over our head, flying north-east. That was our hawk of the day. Then my group headed to Peter Scott swamp. Did not get much here, but two Great Blue Herons and several hidden Swamp Sparrows trilling as response to each other. Then we headed to Summer Hill. Along upper reaches of Fall Creek, we stopped to look for a possible Louisiana Water Thrush, but did not hear any, but we did hear and see a chirping Junco, who was later joined by its mate. I also had a flyover of a Raven chased by crows. Earlier, at the Junction of Lake Como road and Rt 90 there was another Raven being chased by a Kestrel and I think some blackbirds, we did get to see the Kestrel later. At Summer Hill, it was initially very quiet. We spent sometime on Dresser Road, when we heard and saw a flock of PINE SISKINS that were calling, later they were doing zet or zreeet calls to from top of a Norway spruce. On Dresser, a little ahead, back in the woods, there were at least three or four WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS singing. Later at the junction of the Salt and Hoag road we encountered the same siskins, but it was really difficult to see their colors as there was very dense fog and light was very low. We also had a pair of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES doing a song which sounded like Brown Creeper. I have heard this song from them previously a couple of times too. Then there were two RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES singing at two different speeds, that confused lots of students. A WINTER WREN sang his short bars twice and a HERMIT THRUSH gave one song bar. Over all we had some 46-50 (for me) species of birds, in spite of almost continuous rain and fog at Summer Hill! Cheers meena PS: Today morning I was getting out of the house, a PILEATED WOODPECKER in my yard screamed in delight! 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 http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday All Day Group
Below are total species for our SFO Saturday All Day Trip. Leaders were Ann Mitchell and I. | Ann's notes are below. We had a total of 18 students. It was such a great day. We had so much fun that, before we knew it, the day was over!! Thanks to all for such a great birding trip!! Dave Nicosia Johnson City, NY Apr 7, 2012 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Comments: Dave Nicosia and I led the day trip around the lake. Since Dave's and my agenda were about the same, we decided to combine our trip. These are the highlights of the trip: Ladoga Park - 3 Common Loons, 2 Red-necked Grebes, a couple Coots, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Merganser. Myers Point - We saw a raft of waterfowl south of the point, so we walked to the lighthouse. The raft consisted of 2 White-winged Scoters, many Long-tailed Ducks, some Horned Grebes in breeding plumage, Ring-necked Ducks, and Wood Ducks. Harris Park area on Lake Street - All Aythya species (except for Ring-necked Ducks), Ruddy Ducks, 2 Western Grebes, Horned Grebe in breeding plumage. Visitors Center - Blue and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, American Wigeon, 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Martens Tract - Pied-billed Grebe, Sora, Virginia Rail, possible American Bittern. Dave saw a Eurasian Wigeon, but no one else got on it. East Road - Add ons were Double-crested Cormorants, 2 Snow Geese. We ran out of time, so we headed home. While there, we did see numerous Osprey nests and Osprey with fish, the Mudlock Eaglets, 2 male Northern Harriers in different locations, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures. Best, Ann P.S. If anyone remembers any other important sightings, please respond. Total 76 species- this is what at least 2 students saw/heard or 1 student + 1 leader saw/heard. Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) X Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) X Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) X Gadwall (Anas strepera) X American Wigeon (Anas americana) X American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) X Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) X Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) X Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) X Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) X Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) X Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) X Redhead (Aythya americana) X Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) X Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) X Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) X White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca) X Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) X Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) X Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) X Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) X Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) X Common Loon (Gavia immer) X Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) X Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) X Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) X Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) X Seen for many weeks in this vicinity. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) X Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) X Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) X Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) X Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) X Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) X Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) X American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) X Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) X Sora (Porzana carolina) X American Coot (Fulica americana) X Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) X Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) X Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) X Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) X Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) X Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) X Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) X Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) X Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) X Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) X Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) X Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) X Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) X Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) X Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) X American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) X Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) X Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) X Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) X Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) X Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) X White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) X Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) X Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) X American Robin (Turdus migratorius) X Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) X European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) X Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) X Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) X Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) X Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) X Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) X Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) X Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) X Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) X House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) X American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) X House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) X This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday
Today dawned cold, windy, and rainy and, as expected, not many students showed up for the Saturday SFO field trip. We split the group in half, Laura Stenzler and Dave Nutter taking one group, Dave Nicosia and I the other. Our group headed for Stewart Park where we would be able to scan the lake from the shelter of the large pavilion. Even though there were few birds on the lake, we were able to concentrate on the salient features of several ducks (Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye) and one gorgeous, breeding -plumaged Horned Grebe. A few Ring-billed Gulls were visible, but no other gulls or terns showed up. And we got to watch and listen to a couple of Fish Crows. From there we drove over to and walked around the Swan Pen. We had good luck with the warblers: a bright male Yellow Warbler and two Yellow-rumpeds. There was one cormorant on the snag across from the boathouse. At that point the rain had almost stopped, and we headed out to Shindagin Hollow where we walked up Leonard Road and eventually heard two, maybe three, Louisiana Waterthrushes. But, try as we might, we were unable to spot them. We drove Shindagin Hollow Road to the bottom. No Winter Wrens, but we did get good looks at a singing Purple Finch, several Belted Kingfishers, a group of Field Sparrows (what were they doing around the pond?), a fly-over Wood Duck, and brief looks at an Eastern Towhee. By the time we returned to the Lab, we had dried out, and I don't think anyone regretted coming out on what initially looked like a miserable day. We had 51 species for the trip. Bob McGuire -- 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
I lead an enthusiastic group of nine (or was it ten - or eleven - people kept jumping in) up and around the lake today. Because I'm tired and am going to do it all over again tomorrow, all I am going to do here is list the highlights. Myers Point: three Belted Kingfishers in aerial combat over the creek; two Barn Swallows in a group of some 20 Tree Swallows. Lake Road below Lake Ridge Winery: Savannah Sparrow, flew across the road and perched up, singing. Aurora Bay; distant looks at 5 Horned Grebes and 4 Long-tailed Ducks; Tree Swallows and a single Barn Swallow. Mill Pond, Union Springs: Blue-winged Teal and Wood Duck - both difficult to spot on the far shore. MNWR Visitor's Center: Common Teal (missed Purple Martens). Wildlife Drive: 2 Dunlins and Greater Yellowlegs in new shorebird area. Tschache pool: Mute Swan (missed Lesser Black-backed Gull). Mays Point Pool: numerous Ruddy Ducks, Pied-billed Grebe, Redhead (only one for the trip). MAC: Eurasian Wigeon (north pool, seen from the wooden overlook structure); 9 Trumpeter Swans in pond on east side of Rt 89. Marten's Tract: flushed a Wilson's Snipe (no bittern or rail - or crane). Railroad Road: calling American Bittern (no rail). On the way home we drove through the Empire Farm Days grounds to look for Upland Sandpipers - nothing; did have a few Horned Larks. Our last stop was the Creamery which was packed at 4 PM. Bob McGuire -- 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/ --
RE: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday 4/9/11 single-day Montezuma trip highlights
Hello all, I was leading one of the two single-day SFO trips to the Montezuma area today, and aside from the occasional incongruous dip-out (e.g., no Black-capped Chickadees!) we had a very nice day. Probably our highlights were a pair of SANDHILL CRANEs and a beautifully-plumaged male EURASIAN WIGEON in the wetlands just west of the Montezuma Audubon Center. At the end of our time in the wildlife refuge a few of us saw a third SANDHILL CRANE flying over the fields at the eastern end of Carncross Road. Also, the BALD EAGLE nest at Mud Lock held at least one young eaglet whose head was occasionally visible above the rim of the nest while one of its parents was feeding it. We did not see any shorebirds, and passerine species diversity was low (as expected). Basically, we saw a lot of ducks, with a motley of other species thrown in for good measure. I think that everyone on our group got good looks at the species that made themselves visible, which was one of the purposes of the trip. Wesley Hochachka From: bounce-16120448-3494...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-16120448-3494...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of david nicosia Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 2:24 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday 4/9/11 Local Trip Had the pleasure of leading the SFO "local" group this morning. All of us had no strict time constraints so we decided to head up the east side of Cayuga Lake so it really was not that "local" after all! We didn't plan on it but we made it all the way up to Montezuma since the birding was great. Light south winds bringing migrants north, and great viewing on Cayuga Lake made for such an action-packed day. I can't wait to see what the other SFO groups come up with! On the way up and back, we got great views of both OSPREY nests seen from Route 89 near Union Springs. We also saw a RING-NECKED PHEASANT on the way up as well. Our first stop was Mud Lock and the BALD EAGLE was sitting on the nest with nice views. We also had a nice, fairly close up view of a COMMON LOON in breeding plumage. There was a distant group of REDHEAD, SCAUP sp., 1 RING NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEADS, and RUDDY DUCKS. We heard an EASTERN PHEOBE, heard and briefly saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a flyover BELTED KINGFISHER. A couple small flocks of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flew by as well. Great start. Since we were so close, we decided to stop at the Montezuma NWR visitor's center and we were not disappointed. There was a waterfowl bonanza there with close-up views of many species. Great for studying field marks. We had many NORTHERN SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, several AMERICAN WIGEON, and 1 GADWALL. There were 4 PURPLE MARTINS by the martin homes and several TREE SWALLOWS floating around. A SWAMP SPARROW was singing in the marsh. We had two OSPREY and TVs soaring overhead and a female NORTHERN HARRIER coursing low over the marsh. On the way back, we stopped at the Factory Street Pond but we did not see "screechie" today in his box. It was still cold and fairly cloudy so maybe he/she was hiding? Not much else at this pond. Next stop was the Aurora boathouse on Aurora Bay. We had a nice HORNED GREBE in breeding plumage, many BUFFLEHEAD, a distant COMMON LOON and distant LONG-TAILED DUCKS. There were also many RING-BILLED GULLS and a few HERRING. We also had a fly-by BARN SWALLOW at Aurora bay. Next stop was Lake Road near Long Point and we got great views of a singing EASTERN MEADOWLARK. What a treat. At the Ithaca Airport we had nice views of both a RED-TAILED HAWK and an AMERICAN KESTREL. Back at the Lab I am learning that the best place to go over your list is by the feeders. We added COMMON REDPOLL, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (still many!), WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and HOUSE FINCH while adding up our species totals. For just 4 1/2 hours of birding, we totaled 56 species. Not bad. More importantly we got great views of many of our beautiful watefowl and migrants. Dave Nicosia Johnson City, NY -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday 4/9/11 Local Trip
*Bob Marx was an AVID birder, very familiar with their calls, esp. warblers, and a real "Butterfly guy" as well. He loved the outdoors and had been an encouragement to me(as was his son, Wayne, also passed on) at a time when I was struggling. I still love both these men. Mark * On Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 3:40 PM, Robert L. Marx wrote: > HI, could whoever manages this bird list pls. remove Bob Marx's name? He > died on April 5. > Thank you. > > PS - he checked this list up to the day he died! A birder forever! > > Sally > > > On Apr 9, 2011, at 2:23 PM, david nicosia wrote: > > Had the pleasure of leading the SFO "local" group this > morning. All of us had no strict time constraints so > we decided to head up the east side of Cayuga Lake so > it really was not that "local" after all! > > We didn't plan on it but we made it all the way up to > Montezuma since the birding was great. Light south > winds bringing migrants north, and great viewing on > Cayuga Lake made for such an action-packed day. > I can't wait to see what the other SFO groups come > up with! > > On the way up and back, we got great views > of both OSPREY nests seen from Route 89 > near Union Springs. We also saw a RING-NECKED > PHEASANT on the way up as well. > > Our first stop was Mud Lock and the BALD EAGLE > was sitting on the nest with nice views. We also had a > nice, fairly close up view of a COMMON LOON in > breeding plumage. There was a distant group of REDHEAD, > SCAUP sp., 1 RING NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEADS, > and RUDDY DUCKS. We heard an EASTERN PHEOBE, > heard and briefly saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a > flyover BELTED KINGFISHER. A couple small flocks of > DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flew by > as well. Great start. > > Since we were so close, we decided to stop > at the Montezuma NWR visitor's center > and we were not disappointed. There was a > waterfowl bonanza there with close-up views > of many species. Great for studying > field marks. We had many NORTHERN SHOVELERS, > NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, > BLUE-WINGED TEAL, several AMERICAN WIGEON, > and 1 GADWALL. There were 4 PURPLE MARTINS > by the martin homes and several TREE SWALLOWS > floating around. A SWAMP SPARROW was > singing in the marsh. We had two OSPREY and TVs > soaring overhead and a female NORTHERN HARRIER > coursing low over the marsh. > > On the way back, we stopped at the Factory Street Pond > but we did not see "screechie" today in his box. It was > still cold and fairly cloudy so maybe he/she was hiding? > Not much else at this pond. Next stop was the > Aurora boathouse on Aurora Bay. We had a nice > HORNED GREBE in breeding plumage, many > BUFFLEHEAD, a distant COMMON LOON > and distant LONG-TAILED DUCKS. > There were also many RING-BILLED GULLS > and a few HERRING. We also had a fly-by > BARN SWALLOW at Aurora bay. > > Next stop was Lake Road near Long Point and > we got great views of a singing EASTERN > MEADOWLARK. What a treat. > > At the Ithaca Airport we had nice views > of both a RED-TAILED HAWK and > an AMERICAN KESTREL. > > Back at the Lab I am learning that the > best place to go over your list is > by the feeders. We added COMMON > REDPOLL, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW > (still many!), WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, > and HOUSE FINCH while adding up our > species totals. > > For just 4 1/2 hours of birding, we totaled > 56 species. Not bad. More importantly we > got great views of many of our beautiful > watefowl and migrants. > > Dave Nicosia > Johnson City, NY > > > > -- Mark Walls -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] SFO Saturday 4/9/11 Local Trip
HI, could whoever manages this bird list pls. remove Bob Marx's name? He died on April 5. Thank you. PS - he checked this list up to the day he died! A birder forever! Sally On Apr 9, 2011, at 2:23 PM, david nicosia wrote: > Had the pleasure of leading the SFO "local" group this > morning. All of us had no strict time constraints so > we decided to head up the east side of Cayuga Lake so > it really was not that "local" after all! > > We didn't plan on it but we made it all the way up to > Montezuma since the birding was great. Light south > winds bringing migrants north, and great viewing on > Cayuga Lake made for such an action-packed day. > I can't wait to see what the other SFO groups come > up with! > > On the way up and back, we got great views > of both OSPREY nests seen from Route 89 > near Union Springs. We also saw a RING-NECKED > PHEASANT on the way up as well. > > Our first stop was Mud Lock and the BALD EAGLE > was sitting on the nest with nice views. We also had a > nice, fairly close up view of a COMMON LOON in > breeding plumage. There was a distant group of REDHEAD, > SCAUP sp., 1 RING NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEADS, > and RUDDY DUCKS. We heard an EASTERN PHEOBE, > heard and briefly saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a > flyover BELTED KINGFISHER. A couple small flocks of > DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flew by > as well. Great start. > > Since we were so close, we decided to stop > at the Montezuma NWR visitor's center > and we were not disappointed. There was a > waterfowl bonanza there with close-up views > of many species. Great for studying > field marks. We had many NORTHERN SHOVELERS, > NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, > BLUE-WINGED TEAL, several AMERICAN WIGEON, > and 1 GADWALL. There were 4 PURPLE MARTINS > by the martin homes and several TREE SWALLOWS > floating around. A SWAMP SPARROW was > singing in the marsh. We had two OSPREY and TVs > soaring overhead and a female NORTHERN HARRIER > coursing low over the marsh. > > On the way back, we stopped at the Factory Street Pond > but we did not see "screechie" today in his box. It was > still cold and fairly cloudy so maybe he/she was hiding? > Not much else at this pond. Next stop was the > Aurora boathouse on Aurora Bay. We had a nice > HORNED GREBE in breeding plumage, many > BUFFLEHEAD, a distant COMMON LOON > and distant LONG-TAILED DUCKS. > There were also many RING-BILLED GULLS > and a few HERRING. We also had a fly-by > BARN SWALLOW at Aurora bay. > > Next stop was Lake Road near Long Point and > we got great views of a singing EASTERN > MEADOWLARK. What a treat. > > At the Ithaca Airport we had nice views > of both a RED-TAILED HAWK and > an AMERICAN KESTREL. > > Back at the Lab I am learning that the > best place to go over your list is > by the feeders. We added COMMON > REDPOLL, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW > (still many!), WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, > and HOUSE FINCH while adding up our > species totals. > > For just 4 1/2 hours of birding, we totaled > 56 species. Not bad. More importantly we > got great views of many of our beautiful > watefowl and migrants. > > Dave Nicosia > Johnson City, NY > -- 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 4/9/11 Local Trip
Had the pleasure of leading the SFO "local" group this morning. All of us had no strict time constraints so we decided to head up the east side of Cayuga Lake so it really was not that "local" after all! We didn't plan on it but we made it all the way up to Montezuma since the birding was great. Light south winds bringing migrants north, and great viewing on Cayuga Lake made for such an action-packed day. I can't wait to see what the other SFO groups come up with! On the way up and back, we got great views of both OSPREY nests seen from Route 89 near Union Springs. We also saw a RING-NECKED PHEASANT on the way up as well. Our first stop was Mud Lock and the BALD EAGLE was sitting on the nest with nice views. We also had a nice, fairly close up view of a COMMON LOON in breeding plumage. There was a distant group of REDHEAD, SCAUP sp., 1 RING NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEADS, and RUDDY DUCKS. We heard an EASTERN PHEOBE, heard and briefly saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a flyover BELTED KINGFISHER. A couple small flocks of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flew by as well. Great start. Since we were so close, we decided to stop at the Montezuma NWR visitor's center and we were not disappointed. There was a waterfowl bonanza there with close-up views of many species. Great for studying field marks. We had many NORTHERN SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, several AMERICAN WIGEON, and 1 GADWALL. There were 4 PURPLE MARTINS by the martin homes and several TREE SWALLOWS floating around. A SWAMP SPARROW was singing in the marsh. We had two OSPREY and TVs soaring overhead and a female NORTHERN HARRIER coursing low over the marsh. On the way back, we stopped at the Factory Street Pond but we did not see "screechie" today in his box. It was still cold and fairly cloudy so maybe he/she was hiding? Not much else at this pond. Next stop was the Aurora boathouse on Aurora Bay. We had a nice HORNED GREBE in breeding plumage, many BUFFLEHEAD, a distant COMMON LOON and distant LONG-TAILED DUCKS. There were also many RING-BILLED GULLS and a few HERRING. We also had a fly-by BARN SWALLOW at Aurora bay. Next stop was Lake Road near Long Point and we got great views of a singing EASTERN MEADOWLARK. What a treat. At the Ithaca Airport we had nice views of both a RED-TAILED HAWK and an AMERICAN KESTREL. Back at the Lab I am learning that the best place to go over your list is by the feeders. We added COMMON REDPOLL, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (still many!), WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and HOUSE FINCH while adding up our species totals. For just 4 1/2 hours of birding, we totaled 56 species. Not bad. More importantly we got great views of many of our beautiful watefowl and migrants. Dave Nicosia Johnson City, NY -- 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/ --
