Re: [cayugabirds-l] Yellow crowned night heron

[Lea LSF]

That's a good reminder Dave, about giving the bird space, especially
because it seems so much more tolerant of people than our usual skittish
herons.  Yesterday, at the edge of the field there were some puddles where
the bird seemed very actively to be stalking. I assumed it was frogs the
bird was after, but not sure if that makes sense. I hadn't considered
worms, but have been wondering what it's doing in the field. I bet it does
have a nest nearby, but it is hard to even imagine finding it without
disturbing the birds. I wish I had reported the day last year when I saw a
ycn heron near Mill Dam Park up in a tree over the bend in the creek there.
I think it was mid summer. That's very super cool that it might be making a
home here!
Best,
Lea

On Wed, May 3, 2023 at 10:42 AM Dave Nutter  wrote:

> Most of the eBird reports of Yellow-crowned Night Heron in the Cayuga Lake
> Basin have been of juveniles in the summer.
>
> There is one report of an adult in April 2009 seen on a single day next to
> the Clyde River at Mays point, Town of Tyre. There is also a report of one
> adult on private property in Waterloo from late March through the end of
> June 2006.  Other than the Freeville sightings, that is all there is for
> springtime or for adult birds.
>
> To me, it seems likely that an adult would only stay for the spring (as
> 2006 in Waterloo) or show up repeatedly in spring and be seen various
> months (as in Freeville) if it was breeding. It would be very cool to
> verify breeding for the Atlas. But, it would only be cool if the bird(s)
> aren’t disrupted.
>
> I recall when a juvenile was found by the marina at Taughannock Falls
> State Park. It spent a long time up in a tree while satisfied birders stood
> nearby below, talking to each other and no longer even looking at the bird.
> It wasn’t until the people drifted away that the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
> came back down to the grassy shore of the marina and resumed devouring
> Crayfish. Was the bird tolerant of people? Only kinda. It was hungry, and
> loath to leave a good food source, and keeping a safe distance. A bird that
> stays in a tree may just be waiting for the people to leave (as non-birders
> do) so it can get on with its business.
>
> Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is noted for being more nocturnal than the
> Black-crowned Night-Heron and for specializing in eating crabs. In MD I’ve
> seen adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in April wading in a creek in
> daytime. As Lea wrote, she has seen one in Fall Creek eating a Crayfish.
> Why would it leave the creek to eat worms on a field during daytime? Maybe
> high water made feeding in the creek difficult. Maybe to get enough food
> for breeding - egg laying, or feeding while taking a shift off from
> incubating, or feeding young.
>
> The satellite view of the area in Google Maps seems to show a lot of wild
> undeveloped land along & near Fall Creek, so a mate on a nest could be
> anywhere within half a mile, yet that playing field has been attractive to
> it lately. Please give it space. And if you prowl around looking for a mate
> or a nest, again please give them space. Please, if you find a nest, take
> the quick bad photo, don’t approach more, & leave promptly. If there is a
> way to watch a nest through a scope from a long distance, that would be way
> to do it.
>
> Also, if anyone wants to compare the markings & plumage in all the recent
> Freeville photos to see if it’s actually 2 birds, that would be cool.
>
> - - Dave Nutter
>
> On Apr 26, 2023, at 9:11 PM, Dave Nutter  wrote:
>
> Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is rarely reported in the Cayuga Lake Basin
> generally and in Tompkins County specifically. However, there have been
> several reports in recent years from Fall Creek in the Freeville area, two
> of which were verified with photographs and accepted by eBird: In May 2021
> an adult was seen in Mill Dam Park very near to this location, and in June
> 2021 an adult was seen along Fall Creek adjacent to Groton Avenue Park.
> It’s possible the species is regular there and just hasn’t been noticed
> much.
>
> - - Dave Nutter
>
> On Apr 26, 2023, at 7:31 PM, Fred Rimmel  wrote:
>
> A yellow crowned night heron was seen about 7:00 pm at Groton Avenue Park
> in Freeville.  I would appreciate knowing how common they are in this area?
>
> Fred Rimmel
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[cayugabirds-l] Yellow crowned night heron at Groton Ave Park

[Lea LSF]

The bird is at the far edge of the field closest to the woods, near the
path on the left hand side. I know there are some folks wanting to see this
bird so hopefully he or she sticks around. This is the third year in a row
I've encountered the ycn heron here in the Village of Freeville so I'm
guessing this bit of Fall Creek has become it's summer palace.

Also in the woods behind there is a little trail and some ruby crowned
kinglets, white throated sparrows, a towhee, and more.

Best of luck,
Lea

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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Another Tompkins Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

[Lea LSF]

My husband Danila and I saw a yellow crowned night heron about a month ago
on Mill St. in Freeville as well. Unfortunately, I did not make an ebird
report. It's impressive how the bird is not as easily spooked as our more
regular herons are. Danila and I were the ones who spotted one in 2018 as
we kayaked down Fall Creek.  I remember being confused when the heron did
not fly away.  In fact, we were nearly hanging out together, having parked
our canoe right by the low overhanging willow tree our new friend was
perched on. Maybe these birds are sticking around, having developed a taste
for our ever abundant crayfish. Next time I'll be sure to file an ebird
report. Thanks everyone for sharing your findings and thoughts.
Best,
Lea

On Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 11:47 PM Dave Nutter  wrote:

> I celebrated Sandy Podulka’s find of a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
> at Taughannock Falls State Park that so many of us saw. I still do.
>
> I said one of the previous Tompkins sightings of the species was an adult
> along Fall Creek in Freeville. That was in 2018. Today Tom Schulenberg
> noticed something in eBird that I had overlooked (Thank-you, Tom!). There
> was a second similar sighting of an adult along Fall Creek in Freeville,
> this time specifically in Mill Dam Park, THIS YEAR, on May 31 by Gwen
> Gallagher and a second person not named in the eBird report. Each of those
> reports has a photo of a beautiful calm bird watching the person. So that’s
> the newly corrected 2021 Cayuga Lake Basin First Record for the species.
> This is also cool, because the earlier record was not a single fluke event.
> Maybe it’s annual, or a pair, or breeding, or the source of the juvenile(s)
> downstream at Cayuga Lake.
>
> Meanwhile, this evening Sandy relocated the juvenile Yellow-crowned
> Night-Heron in Cass Park in a Willow along the lower reaches of Linderman
> Creek near where it crosses NYS-89 opposite Cove Lane. Maybe there’s better
> hunting there than in the soccer field floodles!
>
> - - Dave Nutter
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Help with Merlin nesting

[Lea LSF]

At least one merlin has been very active in the Village of Freeville. It
has been keeping me company as I garden in the yard, but I am assuming it
is back at its regular nest down the road a bit.
Best Wishes,
Les

On Fri, Apr 3, 2020, 7:34 PM John Confer  wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
>I continue to monitor Merlin nesting. It is early now, but I'd sure
> like it if people would let confergoldw...@aol.com know about nesting. I
> am good at not sharing if theire is any possibility of adversely affecting
> the nesting pair.
>
> John Confer
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[cayugabirds-l] Yellow crowned night heron

[Lea LSF]

Kayaking down Fall Creek in the Village of Freeville early evening my
family and I got some real good looks at a yellow crowned night heron. He
seemed as curious about us as we were about him and kept moving around on
his perch for better views. His unexpected beauty was a special treat.
Happy Summer Birding,
Lea

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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Vote for the trail....

[Lea LSF]

Just did it, and will do it every day when I am reminded.  Reminders like
this popping up in mailboxes are helpful!

On Thu, May 4, 2017 at 11:15 AM, Linda Orkin  wrote:

>
>
>
> Each of us can vote EACH day till May 12.
>>
>> Vote people...it's easy. Imagine the Jim Shug trail in Dryden extended to
>> intersect with Ithaca trails!!
>>
>> http://act.usatoday.com/submit-an-idea/#/gallery/60418376/
>>
>> Linda Orkin
>> Ithaca, NY
>>
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] URGENT ALERT: Dodge Rd Spruce Woods may be cut down for massive Solar Farm on Dodge rd, STARTING in APRIL !!

[Lea LSF]

HI all,
In general I am a lurker on this list that benefits from all the wonderful
learning I get to do via this listserv. Thank you everyone who posts!

We are having a discussion right on on the Village of Freeville listserv
regarding a proposed solar farm next to Willow Glen Cemetery. There are so
many sensitive issues to consider both at that location and Dodge Woods,
still I urge folks to show up to the Dryden Town Board meetings and listen
to the concerns and opinions of others and to voice their own- the dates
and times are listed below. My main concern was that not many people knew
about this issue since the language used in disseminated materials used
something along the lines of protest a Power Generating Plant, an omission
that I felt came with detrimental outcomes. In fact when I wrote my email
to the village many responded privately saying thank you, and that they did
not know about this proposal for large scale solar in Dryden.

I would like to leave you with a little bit of my perspective and linking
to an online document

that might be of use to other folks out there who wish to leave their
concerns, pros, cons, etc with the Dryden Town Board.

My opinion- I greatly respect the people that are willing to speak up for
what they believe in now, and for people that are willing to stand up and
work across generations, inter-politically, and across other divides for
solutions that we all need now. Solar is the number one solution for our
energy crisis currently. *We said no to fracking.* If we say no to solar
now the next time fracking corps come through nobody will have the fight
left in them to stand up to them.  How could we fight next time when we
would clearly know that we cannot follow through with solutions, that we
are after all only NIMBYists?  How would a hydraulic fracking operation
look next to Willow Glen Cemetery, or the woods at Dodge Rd?  Maybe a giant
plant next to a cemetery is not the best idea? Perhaps we can use a screen
to shield the view if there are so many concerns about that? Are there
other places where we can do this? One worry though is that we will say no
to one location after the other, and that this is no time to waver on our
commitment to sustainable energy sources.

Please voice your concerns to the town board via this google form

soon as they are trying to make a decision soon, by March 30th I believe or
come to one of these meetings. Even if you have concerns regarding these
specific locations please let the town board that you support solar in
Dryden (that is if you do). Currently there are no regulations or laws in
Dryden about solar and this is an opportunity to weigh in and do this
right. I'd feel much differently about this community if we said no to
solar after we said to to fracking.

And if you are a Dryden resident come to a meeting at the Dryden Town Hall


*March 23 at 7 pm (today)*
*March 30 at 7 pm *



Thank you for your time,
Lea Elleseff

On Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 8:47 PM, Gary Kohlenberg  wrote:

> I imagine this new solar farm will be leased by Cornell, but built /
> maintained by a third party just like the one at the airport. For the solar
> company low installation cost will be the driving factor. Many separate
> panels all over campus installed by Cornell wouldn't be as cost effective
> and CU would have to maintain them.
> The PSC got rid of net metering for residential solar this week so I
> suspect individual homeowner installation will become less desirable even
> as it has also been moving to leased systems.
>
> Gary
>
> On Mar 22, 2017, at 3:22 PM, Melanie Uhlir  wrote:
>
> I wish all parking lots had solar panels over them. It would be win-win
> since it would shade the parking lots and they are giant heat-generators
> and wasted space anyway. Put solar panels on top of malls too. On top of
> hospitals, industrial buildings, schools. There are lots of non-habitat
> spaces solar panels ought to go instead of places that support wildlife.
> Why is that not happening?
>
> (yard bird news: I still had 2 Fox Sparrows visiting as of yesterday. I
> haven't seen them today.)
>
> On 3/21/2017 5:40 PM, Dave Nutter wrote:
>
> If the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas production, then cutting down
> trees
> is counterproductive when installing solar panels. Also cutting trees down
> if they
> are just along the edge of the array makes little sense because the great
> majority
> of solar energy is during the middle of the day, not early morning nor
> late afternoon.
>
> Putting solar panels in places that are just creating heat islands, not
> habitats, makes
> lots of sense. Put them on rooftops. Put them over parking lots. Put them
> on lawns
> that were already getting mowed. That's why home solar