Hi all, Good morning! I was up around 3.47 am to look at the close alliance of Moon and Mars. They were very pretty to watch. But while watching I listened to migrants. Exactly at that time there was a flock of Caspian Terns migrating and they were croaking along. I also heard several tseeps and chips. But as per Murphy's rule that also happened to be time when the train to Power Plant was also passing by. To save humans and animals I guess they honk every few seconds. Though railway line is more than a mile away as crow flies, the sound of train honking is heard several miles.
So I decided to get up a little later and listen. I spent some 20 minutes listening and try recording, I did hear some tseeps, but very few, but then I heard lots of trucks rumbling down 79 and probably traffic from Rt 13. I decided to wind up. So it is that time of the year to listen to birds go south! Temp was almost freezing! Yesterday I spent some time in Mundy during lunch time. I saw more birders than birds. Highlights were a Warbling Vireo and a Magnolia in a chickadee flock. But the best bird was YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER at Kentucky spot. It was calling and flycatching. For those who are new to this area, Kentucky spot is to the south side of Plantations Hort Building in Mundy, A path from the south western end of the parking lot goes up the edge of the hill towards west with a board walk. The Kentucky spot is where this board walk is, there is a marshy seepage with skunk cabbages. This location is as follows in the Google maps. http://tiny.cc/snnsc Yesterday evening on an impulse, I got into the car to go somewhere to look for birds. I was deciding between Stewart park and some other locations. I took decision by the time I got out of my driveway to go to Six Mile Creeks Overlook. It is such a peaceful location and does not feel that you are in town. Sitting on "Edna Clausen" bench, I watched several Barn Swallows, one of the parent fed an youngster in flight; many waxwings flycatching, a chattering Baltimore Oriole, Chimney Swifts, two very cute ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, I think they were HY birds, House Wren, a Peewee, Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Red-bellied Woodpeckers (chukchuking) and more than 50+ robins coming in flocks of five to six birds, heading into Poplars. It is such a nice peaceful location, I am glad I went there. Let's see what the day hold for us! Meena Haribal Ithaca NY http://haribal.org/ http://picasaweb.google.com/ithmoths http://picasaweb.google.com/mharibal http://www.flickr.com/photos/91426...@n00/ -- 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/ --
