I was hoping the Savannah mucklands might have birds after a couple days of thawing temps. Jim Tarolli and I were surprised to find decent numbers of Canada Geese, Mallards, Black Ducks, gulls, and raptors. Good movement of birds flying around and into the mucks from other places. We couldn't find anything unusual. Stopping back at dusk, the roost flight was not into the mucks but to Cayuga Lake. Thursday through Saturday will have temps to 40F and possibly more will come in.
On to Sodus Bay where the female King Eider gave good looks. We didn't see the Barrow's or hybrid Goldeneye but there is constant exchange with birds on the lake. Good numbers of everything and a modest evening flight of gulls to the ice edge (much more water open). David Wheeler N Syracuse, NY Savannah Mucklands (Seneca Co), Seneca, US-NY Jan 24, 2012 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: With Jim Tarolli; recent thaw had much of the Mucks open and attracting birds; we checked back later but it appeared the evening roost flight was away from the Mucks rather into the Mucks (presumably birds going to Cayuga Lake) 15 species Snow Goose 64 Canada Goose 400 Tundra Swan 9 American Black Duck 20 or more, estimated Mallard 100 or more, estimated Northern Pintail 2 Bald Eagle 2 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Rough-legged Hawk 3 Ring-billed Gull 150 estimate Herring Gull 10 guesstimate American Crow 5 Horned Lark 10 American Tree Sparrow 4 Song Sparrow 1 Sodus Bay--Sodus Point, Wayne, US-NY Jan 24, 2012 2:15 PM - 4:15 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: With Jim Tarolli; 15 kt WSW winds 24 species (+1 other taxa) Canada Goose 75 Mute Swan X Mallard 10 Canvasback 10 Redhead 1000 estimated Ring-necked Duck 6 Greater Scaup X Greater/Lesser Scaup X many King Eider 1 female Surf Scoter 2 females White-winged Scoter 200 estimated Black Scoter 1 female Long-tailed Duck X Bufflehead 10 Common Goldeneye 350 or more Red-breasted Merganser X Common Loon 1 Horned Grebe 3 Bald Eagle 1 American Coot 25 Ring-billed Gull X Herring Gull 200 Iceland Gull 1 second-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 Great Black-backed Gull 8 -- 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/ --
