I led two trips to the BBBO this weekend for the Spring Field Ornithology class - one Saturday and a second one Sunday. It is absolutely amazing what difference a single day can make on an almost identical itinerary.
There was a lot of discussion among the leaders at the end of the week as to whether the trip should go on at all. The weather forecast was for rain both days, with strong winds and falling temperatures on Sunday. Finally, at around 8 pm Friday the decision was made to go - and take our chances with the weather. We were told that the banding station would be active and the nets would be open during any period of no rain and if the wind remained below something like 20 mph. Saturday morning I met my group at Cass Park at 5:30 and sat in our cars for the next 10 minutes to wait out a terrific downpour. As we drove north, the sky lightened and the rain cut back to just a drizzle. By the time we arrived at Braddock Bay, on the lake shore just west of Rochester, the rain had quick altogether, and the net check crew was just coming in with a handful of cloth bags - full of birds. For the next couple of hours we watched the banding process and listened to the crew explain their work and the data collection. Around mid-morning we left the banding station and drove a short distance to Owl Woods, a wooded preserve just up the road. We walked the loop trail, focusing on an array of common birds: Cardinal, Catbird, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Chickadee. As we were finishing the loop and about to leave to get an early lunch, we encountered a so-called “feeding flock”. Birds were everywhere, and it was impossible to get everyone on each bird. We had Ruby-crowned Kinglets (we saw many Kinglets netted and banded earlier in the morning), Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black-and-White Warblers, American Redstarts, Red-breasted Nuthatches (and heard more: Black-throated Green Warblers and House Wrens). It was all over in about a half hour as the birds moved on. We were left, literally, breathless! >From there we drove a mile east and pulled into the Braddock Bay marina for a >quick picnic on the hoods of our cars. Somehow we had picked the right spot - >right under a tree with foraging Yellow Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers. >After lunch we walked out to the lakeshore. My intention had been to walk >along the shore, looking for birds in the trees overhead and then scoping the >lake for water birds. However, the water level in the lake was so high (many >of the houses along the shore had sand bags in front to keep back the waves) >that we could only scope from one spot. But that spot happened to be near the >nest of a Spotted Sandpiper, and we were able to study its erratic wing motion >in flight and the typical tail-bobbing while perched. Cormorants flew past, >and a group of Red-breasted Mergansers flew in and landed close by. At one >point I spotted an American Pipit, distant along the shore, before it >disappeared into the brush. At that point we called it a productive day and headed home, stopping briefly at the Lott Farm to look for Upland Sandpipers (unsuccessfully) and to admire the dozens of Bobolinks chasing each other around the unmowed portion of the fields. That was Saturday. That evening the discussion continued as to whether we should go again the next day (different groups, though). The forecast for Sunday actually looked worse, but with Sandy Podulka willing to take her group first (at 4 am!) and her promise to let me know how it look up there when she arrived (and about the time I would be waking up - 6 am) I let my group know that we would try it. This morning at Cass Park, before we could even get out of the parking lot, we had seen and discussed a White-CROWNED Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and House Sparrow. On the road to Geneva we encountered a small flock of Wild Turkeys, birds we have watched carefully for the day before but missed for that day’s list. We arrived at the BBBO around 9:30 and found that, because of rain early in the morning, they has just recently opened the nets and begun to catch birds. Once again we watched the whole process of taking birds out of the nets, banding them, and recording their physical measurements (wing chord, tarsus length, weight), aging and sexing them. Once again the majority of birds captured were Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, several of them being birds that had been banded there the day before and had not yet moved on. One of the great thrills of being there is seeing the birds so close in hand and being able to observe and discuss the plumage patterns, the condition of the feathers (fresh vs worn used in determining the bird’s age), how much fat the bird is carrying, and so on. We watched while they banded a Robin, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and several Chickadees (as well as numerous Kinglets). Shortly before noon we left the banding station to, just like yesterday, walk the trail in Owl Woods. Today was a bit different. It was colder (low 40’s) with a stiff westerly wind. And the Woods was silent! We heard one Cardinal, one chickadee, two House Wrens, and a couple of odd chip notes. No feeding flock. No great looks at warblers. We ate a quick picnic at the cars and headed around the corner to Braddock Bay State Park. On advice from Sandy, we walked out the short boardwalk into the marsh below the hawk watch platform. Even facing into the brisk west wind, we were able to pick out Mute Swans, Ruddy Ducks, and Greater Scaup on the water, and both Marsh Wrens and Swamp Sparrows in the cattails. We should have skipped Owl Woods and gone straight there! After awhile we drove out to the lakeshore, and thought we didn’t see the Spotty (or the Pipit), we did get multiple Double-crested Cormorants and Caspian Terns flying past. At that point we decided we had seen enough (it was already 3 pm) and should head home. I had received an RBA earlier in the morning about a flock of Brant at the north end of Seneca Lake. With only a short detour we got to Seneca Lake State Park, scoped the water, and NO Brant! But what we did find was a group of 7 Horned Grebes in breeding plumage and close to shore. And a couple of Common Loons. And some Greater Scaup. And a singing Yellow Warbler. And some distant Bonaparte’s Gulls. I was more than satisfied that we had seen a lot and suggested that we finally head home. Then, about a mile down Rt 96 I got another RBA that the Brant were on the lawn at the Geneva Visitor’s Center. We turned around and raced back along the lake, pulled into the VC parking lot, and there were the 23 Brant calmly foraging on the lawn. Of course, with the scope already set up, we kept looking - and spotted several Common Terns out over the lake and a Purple Martin in its condo on the shore. Today, after being shut out in Owl Woods and with all the cold and wind, I had figured by lunch time that the day was going to be a bust. But with a couple of fortunate stops at Braddock Bay and then Seneca Lake, we were able to agree - success! Two different days, back-to-back, and two completely different experiences. Two long days, and now it’s time for bed. Thanks to all my group participants and to Sandy and Andrea (at the BBBO) helping make it a great weekend. 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/ --
