As noted earlier today, there were four Snowy Owls just to the north of the Potato Building in the Mucklands this afternoon. One of them was heavily barred (most likely a 1st year female). One was nearly pure white (most likely an adult male). The other two showed varying amounts of barring (making them likely adult females and/or 1st year males). I remained on the road or at the Potato Building, sufficiently close (about 80 yards) for great scope views and decent photos. I wondered out loud if the owls might have been the four seen recently at Hancock Airport, but then Jay reminded me that there are now 7 Snowy owls at the airport.
While watching the owls (with Jay & Perry McGowan, David Kennedy, and Chuck Gibson) a flock of some 5,000 Snow Geese flew in and took at least 20 minutes to eventually settle in the corn stubble just to the north. Among them was at least one Ross's Goose, a few blue morphs, and one notable SNGO with entirely white wings (no black tips). Also of note in the Mucklands were hundreds of Tundra Swans and several Sandhill Cranes. I counted four Cranes, but there were likely more hidden beyond the distant hedgerow. One the way home at around 4 pm I passed a foraging Short-eared Owl at the corner of Rt 90 and Lake Road. 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/ --
