Re: [cayugabirds-l] Montezuma area, etc.: snowy owl

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:16:32 -0800

I know of at least 4 and probably 5 parties who looked around the mucklands for the Snowy Owl this morning, but I've not heard of any success.  Maybe the bird migrated overnight, but it's very possible that it simply chose a less visible place to spend the day.  For all we know it may have been doing so for a couple of weeks before revealing itself to Steve Fast yesterday. Anyway, it's still worth looking for.  Consolation prizes today included 15 SANDHILL CRANES together in a field south of NYS-31 toward the east, hundreds of TUNDRA SWANS, and a few NORTHERN PINTAIL mixed in the the MALLARDS and AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS in the wet places.  There were also plenty of CANADA GEESE, HERRING and RING-BILLED GULLS, and 1 adult BALD EAGLE.  On our return trip down the west side of Cayuga Lake we noted a bold white stripe on the water out from Poplar Beach Road, just south of Thee Amish Mall: probably a raft of a thousand or so SNOW GEESE.  On our way north we saw at least 3 COMMON LOONS close enough to ID at highway speed.
--Dave Nutter

On Dec 16, 2011, at 03:15 PM, Susan Fast <sustf...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Susie & I started the day by going for breakfast at the Meetinghouse Café (Diner) at the corner of Salt Rd. and State Rt. 90 in Summerhill.  Friendly folks, reasonable prices.  They serve SCRAPPLE.  It’s not on the menu; you have to ask.  Also there is the finest bathroom that we have ever seen in all our visits to U.S. diners.

 

We could not find the Genoa Sandhill crane family.

 

At the Potato Bldg. in the Mucklands at MNWR, there are viewable many thousands of SNOW and CANADA GEESE, hundreds of TUNDRA SWANS, and hundreds of RING-BILLED GULLS.  There were about 50 PINTAIL with the MALLARDS.  I located 2 groups each of 7-8 SANDHILL CRANES a long ways off.  No sign of the 20 reported heading this way from Derby Hill earlier in the week.  There was an adult SNOWY OWL  due south from the building and about 100’ from the road.  I did not see it for a long time as I was looking too far out.  Susie should have seen it just by looking out the car window; but there was tall grass in the line of view, and anyway, she was crocheting.

 

The NORTHERN SHRIKE at the east end of Van Dyne Spoor Rd. was being its usual photogenic self. 

 

We found no rough-legged hawks, but for the day found 4 KESTRELS, 3 N. HARRIERS, and about 12 RED-TAILED HAWKS.

 

Steve & Susie Fast

Brooktondale

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