Wow, what a day! My main contribution to the migration stories is from my early morning trip to Mt. Pleasant (although not as early as Tom!) to view "morning flight" at my favorite spot at the base of the radio tower road across from the woodlot with spruces. I was there from 6-8 am and had a steady stream of migrants - most of which work their way to the north-most trees in this woodlot, often singing, and then take off into the sky across the ag fields. In the time I was there I saw over 50 warblers of 10 species (mostly Yellow-rumps though), including adult male BLACK-THROATED GREEN (3), BLACK-THROATED BLUE, REDSTART, BLUE-WINGED, and several NASHVILLE. Also of note were over 100 BLUE JAYS migrating north in small, loose groups, sev. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, and SCARLET TANAGER.
Later in the morning, Anne and I walked the east trails at Sapsucker Woods, where we saw a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, CATBIRD, and at least 5 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, as well as a noisy flock of 15-20 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS moving through the wet woods, flipping leaves on the ground, and singing up a storm. Back home in the yard was a singing BLACK-THROATED BLUE and a (more unusual) singing EASTERN TOWHEE which seems to have taken up residence near some brush piles in the back of my yard and in an abandoned yard behind our lot - I usually don't associate them with suburban neighborhoods, but maybe there's just enough brush for him to stake a territory. A fly-over KINGFISHER and 3 WOOD DUCKS were welcome yard birds, as was a BARRED OWL which was calling out my window at 9:30 this evening - only the second time I've heard one in the neighborhood. Good birding, KEN ********************************************** Ken Rosenberg Director of Conservation Science Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY 14850 Phone: 607-254-2412 cell: 607-342-4594 k...@cornell.edu www.birds.cornell.edu -- 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/ --
