[cayugabirds-l] Subject: Big Atlas Weekend is this week!

The third annual Big Atlas Weekend is this week, running from 6:00 pm on Friday evening, June 23 through 11:59 pm on Sunday night, June 25. This fun event is a great way to contribute to NY Breeding Bird Atlas III and also join a community of birders participating in current breeding bird atlases

[cayugabirds-l] June is a great time to participate in the Breeding Bird Atlas!

Hi All, Now that spring migration is over, it's time for breeding birds to take center stage! This year is the fourth year of NYS Breeding Bird Atlas III, and June is the peak breeding season in our area. I'm writing now to share some Atlas updates and also encourage people to get out to enjoy

[cayugabirds-l] Exciting Adirondack Opportunities for Big Atlas Weekend

Hi All, If you're interested in participating in the upcoming Big Atlas Weekend, and you also like to travel to the Adirondacks each summer to enjoy that region's specialty breeders, we have a couple of exciting trip ideas to share! The first-ever Big Atlas Weekend

[cayugabirds-l] Atlas Year 2 Kick-off Event Tonight @ 6:30 pm

Hi All, Just a quick reminder that the New York Breeding Bird Atlas Year 2 Kick-off Event is tonight (7 April 2021) at 6:30 pm. More information, including access to the meeting's Zoom link, can be found here: https://ebird.org/atlasny/news/atlas-year-2-kick-off-april-7th-630-pm Hope to see

[cayugabirds-l] New York Breeding Bird Atlas Year 2

Thank you for being a part of the New York birding community. Your checklists power research and conservation throughout the state and beyond, and 2021 brings another great way to enjoy birds: the third New York Breeding Bird Atlas! WHAT IS A BREEDING BIRD

[cayugabirds-l] Glaucous Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hi All, For those interested in Seneca Lake and Schuyler County birding, there is a nice flock of gulls at Clute Park in Watkins Glen that contains an adult Glaucous Gull and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. These two species are both infrequently reported here in Schuyler County. Good

[cayugabirds-l] Lesser Black-backed Gull and Bonaparte’s Gulls

As part of the Watkins Glen CBC today (26 Dec 2020) I just found a Lesser Black-backed Gull and five Bonaparte’s Gulls in the large gull flock off Clute Park. LBBG is fairly common in the Ithaca area, but much less so here in WG. Also two WWSC present. Matt Medler Sent from my iPhone --

[cayugabirds-l] Crossbills at Bear Swamp SF

I hit the finch jackpot while participating in the Cortland Christmas Bird Count yesterday (19 Dec 2020). While covering different sections of Bear Swamp State Forest, I came across flocks of both RED CROSSBILLS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS. I also had individual COMMON REDPOLL flyovers, as well

[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma area birding

To celebrate the start of the Christmas Bird Count season, I spent the day today (14 Dec 2020) birding at various spots in the Montezuma CBC circle. I was joined at different times by Tim Lenz, Jay McGowan, and Drew Weber for socially-distanced birding. In a testament to the incredible birding

[cayugabirds-l] Atlas Town Hall Meeting Tonight at 6:30 pm

Hi All, Just a quick reminder that Atlas coordinator Julie Hart will be leading another Atlas Town Hall meeting tonight, July 8, at 6:30 pm. Tonight's focus will be on answering data entry questions. Julie will also give a tutorial on how to use the Explore pages on the Atlas website so you

[cayugabirds-l] Atlas Insider Newsletter

Hi All, The latest Atlas Insider newsletter is now out! It contains information on identifying confusing fledglings, searching for secretive marsh birds, and tips (from yours truly) about how to read maps to maximize your atlas efforts in the field. Here's a link:

[cayugabirds-l] Everybody is crazy about this

I couldn't expect more http://web.idlifeproducts.me <http://web.idlifeproducts.me/> Matthew Medler -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirdi

[cayugabirds-l] Ruff at Montezuma NWR yesterday

Hi All, Last night, Tim Lenz, Bob McGuire, and I saw the RUFF that has been seen in the Montezuma area since Dave Nutter discovered it on Saturday, July 8. Like Dave, we saw the bird briefly at dusk at Eaton Marsh on the Montezuma NWR auto-loop. We had looked for the bird here and at Kips

[cayugabirds-l] Ruff updates?

Has anybody seen (or looked for) the Montezuma Ruff today? Any updates, positive or negative, from today (Sunday, July 16) would be appreciated! Thanks, Matt Medler Ithaca Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Asher, Is there any chance that the bird you saw this morning might have been a similar-looking female Purple Finch? Purple Finch is a classic early April migrant here in the Ithaca area, whereas Rose-breasted Grosbeaks typically arrive back here in late April or early May. This eBird map for

[cayugabirds-l] American White Pelican

The American White Pelican is still present in Ithaca this morning (4 Dec 2016). At 7:45 am, it was back on the red lighthouse jetty. There is also a nice loon flight this morning, with 150+ Common Loons departing the south end of Cayuga Lake in high flight in about 30 minutes of observation.

[cayugabirds-l] American White Pelican

Tim Lenz found an American white pelican on the red lighthouse jetty about an hour ago. The bird was visible naked eye as a white blob from Stewart Park around 430, and after rushing to Hog Hole to try to see it from there in the fading light, I saw a large White thing swimming away from the

[cayugabirds-l] Brown pelican now

The brown pelican is soaring over the south end of Cayuga Lake right now, 8:40 AM. Matt M. Mike Andersen Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES

[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Lake Basin Spring Arrival Dates and First Records

Fritzie and All, The Cayuga Bird Club site has a nice page with 2015 Cayuga Lake Basin first records, which Dave Nutter tirelessly updates, first records from previous years, and 10-year median arrival dates that I calculated based on the first records that I kept for 2000-2009. All of this

[cayugabirds-l] Red-throated Loon continues

Hi All, For those who haven't had a chance to see it yet, the very cooperative RED-THROATED LOON was still present at Treman State Marine Park today (31 March 2015) from about 5:15 to 7:15 pm. At first, the bird was in the small area of open water where the park's marina enters the Cayuga

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Purple Sandpiper continues

Hi All, The PURPLE SANDPIPER was still present at 6:35 pm, in the same spot that Jay describes below. It was actively foraging in the wind and light rain as it got dark. Good birding,Matt MedlerIthaca From: Jay McGowan jw...@cornell.edu To: Cayugabirds-L Cayugabirds-L@cornell.edu;

[cayugabirds-l] Avocets now at K-M Marsh

The two avocets are now (1:30) in Knox-Marsellus Marsh. Matt Medler Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm

[cayugabirds-l] Jaeger at Myers

This from the RBA text system just now: Ken Rosenberg. Jaeger off Myers point now - probable Parasitic. On water now just south of lighthouse. Way out. Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

[cayugabirds-l] Sunday Sabine's Gull?

Has anybody been to Stewart Park this morning to look for the Sabine's Gull? If so, could positive or negative reports be shared here? Thanks, Matt Medler P.S. And yes, I will be getting on the Cayuga RBA soon. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

[cayugabirds-l] Least Bitterns at Catharine Creek Marsh

Hi All, In the I can't believe I've never been there category, I visited Catharine Marsh in Watkins Glen for the first time today (19 July 2014). It's a beautiful marsh, and despite the late date and hour, my visit was quite productive. I birded from Rock Cabin Road, along the eastern edge of

[cayugabirds-l] Cuckoo Sounds

Hi All, The topic of cuckoo vocalizations, and how to identify them, came up recently, so I thought I would share a link to archived recordings of Black-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-billed Cuckoo at the Macaulay Library web site: Black-billed:

[cayugabirds-l] Kirtland's still present right now

7 pm, 1 June. Look for birders south of park entrance, south of both lanes of parkway. Matt Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES

[cayugabirds-l] Kirtland's still present

7 pm, 1 June. Look for birders south of park entrance, south of both lanes of parkway. Matt Sent from my iPhone Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES

[cayugabirds-l] Kirtland's Warbler at Hamlin Beach

Hi All, I wanted to provide a few details about where the Kirtland's Warbler was seen late in the day on Sunday, 1 June 2014. And, I wanted to thank Andy Guthrie for not only finding this bird, but also remaining at Hamlin Beach for nearly the entire day to help other birders (like myself)

[cayugabirds-l] Winged Warbler songs

Hi All, We are fortunate to have John Confer, one of the world's foremost experts on Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler, in our midst, so I'm hoping that he can provide a more insightful commentary on this topic than I can. But, I did want to point out that both the Blue-winged

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Kittiwake not at Myers

The kittiwake is not here at Myers right now. It may have been scared off by the awful music is being played from the picnic area. I will post again if it returns. Matt Medler Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Clay-colored sparrow copulation with chipping

Although Clay-colored Sparrow is rare here in the Cayuga Lake Basin, there is a history of this species breeding with Chipping Sparrow in our area. From a 1960 issue of The Kingbird: The lthaca Clay-colored Sparrow (see July, 1960, Kingbird, p. 651) mated with a female Chipping Sparrow, fed

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker Woods, Fri 5/9 full summary (22+ warbler species incl Golden-winged)

Just a quick note to add that there was a cooperative LINCOLN'S SPARROW in the feeder garden at the Cornell Lab Visitor's Center at about 11:30 this morning. Great day here at Sapsucker Woods! Best, Matt Medler Ithaca From: Mark Chao markc...@imt.org To:

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Willow Flycatcher and other migrants in Mundy

Hi Meena and All, Since Empidonax flycatchers can be notoriously difficult to identify visually, I thought I would mention the possibility that the flycatcher at Mundy might have been a Least Flycatcher. Least also gives a whit call, and there have been multiple reports of Least in our area

[cayugabirds-l] Rusty Blackbirds at Sapsucker Woods

Hi All, There were at least two Rusty Blackbirds singing near the boardwalk to the employee parking lot as I departed work today around 6 pm. Good birding, Matt Medler Ithaca -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

[cayugabirds-l] Red Knot still present

The Red Knot and six Sanderlings are still present at Myers at 4:45. The knot briefly moved to the beach, near the lighthouse, but it is now back at the very end of the spit. Beautiful bird in breeding plumage. Good luck! Matt Medler Ithaca Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info:

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Hooded Warbler songs

For those interested in more about Hooded Warbler songs, the Birds of North America account describes two singing modes in Hooded Warbler: repeat mode and mixed mode: Territorial males sing during the breeding season; males have several song types that differ in frequency range and number of

[cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker Woods Common Nighthawk

I took a quick walk along the Wilson Trail at Sapsucker Woods this evening (22 May 2013). Things were relatively quiet bird-wise, but I did hear and then briefly see a migrating Common Nighthawk flying in a rather direct manner to the northwest. The other highlight was seeing Gary Kohlenberg

[cayugabirds-l] Swan Pen Quiet

The Swan Pen is quiet this morning (4 May 2013). Only bird of note was a White-crowned Sparrow foraging on the trail, neat the lake. Good birding, Matt Medler Ithaca Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

[cayugabirds-l] Late morning birds at Sapsucker Woods

Nacho Areta, Mecky Holzmann, and I took a leisurely walk around Sapsucker Woods this morning (28 April 2013), from about 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. There was not a ton of activity, but it was a gorgeous morning and we had some nice birds. Here are a few highlights: Palm Warbler--1 at Sherwood

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Yellow-throated Warbler song question

Hi Dave and All, If you're interested in listening to more recordings of Yellow-throated Warbler to see how much variation there is, there are 40+ recordings available for listening on the Cornell Lab's Macaulay Library web site:

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Renwick vs. Fuertes

for the wooded area south of Stewart Park, as does the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. It would be particularly interesting to learn why the City has applied this term to this specific area... Matt Medler Ithaca   From: Dave Nutter nutter.d...@me.com To: Matthew Medler

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Yellow-throated Warbler directions

Just in case anybody else was interested in looking for this bird but wasn't clear on where it was, here are the coordinates:  42.455841, -76.502954 Google Maps is showing the road name as Pier Rd./Cayuga Waterfront Trail. The bird was singing from high up in a cluster of large sycamores,

[cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker at Sapsucker Woods

There was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker giving its wah call a few times as I walked into work here at Sapsucker Woods this morning (28 March 2012). The bird was calling from the patch of woods just south of the outer parking lot, on the east side of the road. Also in the early arrivals category,

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Western Grebe - Cayuga Co.

Can anybody go to Stewart Park right now to see if there might be three Western Grebes on the lake at the moment? Great finds, guys! From: Tom Johnson t...@cornell.edu To: Tom Johnson t...@cornell.edu Cc: cayugabirds cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu Sent:

[cayugabirds-l] Ovid Owls

Hi All, There were at least three Short-eared Owls present yesterday evening (21 Jan 2012) in the area in Ovid previously described by Marty Schlabach (thanks Marty and Mary Jean!). There was one owl perched on a post along Rock River Road, just north of the intersection of Wycoff, at 4:55 pm.

[cayugabirds-l] Red Phalarope today?

Hi All, I'm wondering if anybody has looked for the Red Phalarope at Montezuma today (Monday, 10 October 2011). Any reports from today, either positive or negative, would be much appreciated! Thanks, Matt -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Pine Siskins are like potato chips...except in Sapsucker Woods today

This is a great excuse to plug eBird's great new mapping interface: http://ebird.org/ebird/map/pinsis?neg=trueenv.minX=env.minY=env.maxX=env.maxY=zh=falsegp=falsemr=onbmo=10emo=10yr=1900-2011byr=1900eyr=2011 A quick check of this map shows that it's not unusual for Pine Siskins reports in our

[cayugabirds-l] Connecticut Warbler at Park Preserve

Chris Wood just reported a Connecticut Warbler on the text message rare bird alert: Connecticut Warbler at Roy Park Preserve. SE side along orange trail 35m past where other trail goes into woods/p That's all I know. Good luck if you go! Matt -- Cayugabirds-L List Info:

[cayugabirds-l] Thursday night south end birds

Hi All, There was a lot of bird activity at the south end of Cayuga Lake tonight, as viewed by various observers from Hog Hole, Stewart Park, and East Shore Park. I only saw a subset of the birds, but thought I would post the collective highlights, since others have not done so yet.

[cayugabirds-l] Interesting bird education tools available

Hi All, I am in possession of two interesting bird education tools that I would be happy to give to anybody who is interested in them. They are called Audubon Land Bird Guide Rapid Recognition Sheets, and they are basically 24 field guide plates printed on one large piece of paper (roughly 3'

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Prothontaries -- Yes

There were two Prothonotary Warblers countersinging from opposite sides of Armitage Road at 4:30 pm on Monday afternoon (31 May 2011). These birds were just 10-20 yards west of the little gravel pull-off area on the west side of the one-lane green bridge. No sign of any Acadians at that time,

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Prothontary Warbler Spot

. They are LOUD at close range. This area is amazingly birdie. Gary On Jun 1, 2011, at 9:58 AM, Matthew Medler m...@cornell.edu wrote: There were two Prothonotary Warblers countersinging from opposite sides of Armitage Road at 4:30 pm on Monday afternoon (31 May 2011). These birds

[cayugabirds-l] Singing Black-billed Cuckoo?

Hi All, I am wondering if anybody on the listserve is consistently hearing a singing (cu-cu-cu) Black-billed Cuckoo in our area. I would like to try to get a high-quality recording of this vocalization from this species to add to the Macaulay Library collection. If you happen to hear this

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker Woods, Wed 5/11

I spent a bit of time out on the Wilson Trail North this morning, and will add a singing TENNESSEE WARBLER to the day's warbler list at Sapsucker Woods. I'll also note that this species, like most of our North American Vermivoras, is now actually in the genus Oreothlypis. (Sorry, Chris.) Matt

[cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker Woods American Woodcock

Two nights ago (22 March 2011), as I departed the Lab of Ornithology around 7:45 pm, I heard peenting and then displaying from an American Woodcock. I believe that the bird was peenting from the grassy hill immediately north of the building, and then was displaying in the general area of the

[cayugabirds-l] American Coots and AVM

Hi All, I wanted to make people aware of a mysterious neurological disease that has afflicted American Coots, and, by extension, Bald Eagles and other higher-level predators, at artificial lakes in the southeastern U.S. for over 15 years. This disease is know as avian vacuolar myelinopathy

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Gray Kingbird reported at Montezuma

Hi All, Here is an e-mail from Jeff Doyle, who asked that I share this with the group. Matt From Jeff: No, I had no camera with me, so no photograph. My wife and I hadn't been to Montezuma in a year or more. We had stopped at the visitor's center and learned that the best birding was May's

[cayugabirds-l] Connecticut Warbler Report from this morning

Hi All, I thought I'd pass along this report that appeared on the eBird/Google Notable eBird Sightings gadget: 1 Connecticut Warbler was observed at Ithaca--Freese Road on 26 Sep, 2010 by Nathan Senner. This sighting has not yet been reviewed by an eBird reviewer. I don't know anything

[cayugabirds-l] Muckrace Results?

Does anybody have results from this year's Muckrace? It would be great to read details... -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1)

[cayugabirds-l] Red Knot and Ruff Sighting Info

For those still interested in trying to see the Red Knot and Ruff at Montezuma, I thought I'd share a few details of the sightings that Shawn Billerman, Andy Johnson, Jay McGowan and I had yesterday (11 September 2010). We spent from roughly 3 pm to 6 pm scanning the shorebirds from Towpath

[cayugabirds-l] East Hill Nighthawks

There were two COMMON NIGHTHAWKS flying around over East Hill about 15 minutes ago (7:35 pm, 29 August 2010). I observed them from near the Cornell Vet School parking lots, and while I was watching them, they seemed to be foraging in the area above the Maple Ave. power substation (or whatever

[cayugabirds-l] Montezuma Phalaropes

Matt Williams, Matt Young, and I spent several hours birding the Knox-Marcellus Marsh at Montezuma yesterday (26 August 2010). We spent most of our time viewing from along Towpath Road, where we bumped into a migrant Alan Belford. I don't have time to post complete details now, but did want

[cayugabirds-l] Shorebirds still moving

Hi All, I just wanted to mention that although it is now early June, there are still northbound shorebirds migrating through our area. A group of birders had several species fly past Myers this morning, and there is also a report from Oneidabirds and the Google eBird Gadget of three

[cayugabirds-l] Sedge Wren report from Van Dyne Spoor Rd.

For those who don't use the Google eBird Gadget for notable New York sightings, I thought I'd pass this alone: 1 Sedge Wren was observed at Van Dyne Spoor Rd.--open area on 19 May, 2010 by IBA Monitoring. This sighting has not yet been reviewed by an eBird reviewer. I don't know anything

[cayugabirds-l] Shindagin Hollow area Clay-colored Sparrow

Hi All, I had a great morning of sound recording and birding in the Shindagin Hollow area this morning (16 May 2010). After the wind started to pick up around 9:30, I decided to explore a bit, and eventually stopped at a fairly large shrubland area along Braley Hill Road. As soon as I got

[cayugabirds-l] Sapsucker Woods, 8 May 2010

I spent a bit of time late this morning (8 May 2010) walking around the pond at Sapsucker Woods. Things generally seemed quite birdy, but in looking at my notes, I guess I didn't really see that many birds that would be deemed migrants. I saw/heard a total of ten species of warblers, with

[cayugabirds-l] Spring Arrival Date List

Hi All, I've finally put together a new list of average spring arrivals dates for the Cayuga Lake Basin, based on spring arrivals from 2000-2009. The list can be found directly at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/cayugabirdclub/aughtsarrivals.htm or via the Cayuga Bird Club First Records and

[cayugabirds-l] Listening to (and looking at) bird sounds

Hi All, Bob McGuire and Mark Chao shared some interesting comments last week about individual variation in the songs of the two species of waterthrushes. For those who are interested in this sort of thing, I wanted to share some resources at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library

Re: [cayugabirds-l] West side of Cayuga Lake, plus Montezuma area

I knew I'd forget something: a singing House Wren heard several times in the Sheldrake area. Matthew Medler wrote: I spent the day today (17 April 2010) birding with Tim Lenz, Alberto López, and Chris Wiley. We started at Stewart Park, then headed up the west side of Cayuga Lake, and hit

[cayugabirds-l] Bonaparte's Gull leg color

Hi All, I've spent many hours looking at hundreds to thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls on Lake Champlain in summer and early fall. When these birds first appear on the lake in late July and early August, most of them are still in full breeding plumage, and the *typical* leg color on these

[cayugabirds-l] Two warbler day!

Shawn Billerman and I did a bit of birding this morning (3 April 2010) to enjoy the warm weather. We started at Myers, where the highlight was seeing Tom Johnson and his Spring Field Ornithology group. We then hit Stewart Park, where highlights were a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER by the Swan Pen, a

[cayugabirds-l] Aurora Raven

Shawn Billerman, Chris Wiley, and I spent the day out birding yesterday (20 March 2010), and saw most of the same birds that others have reported (as we spent at least some time with many of the others who have reported). As crazy as it is to say this on a day when we saw Western Grebe,

[cayugabirds-l] Rusty Blackbird at the Lab

There was a single singing RUSTY BLACKBIRD at Sapsucker Woods this morning (18 March 2010) as I came into work. For the person who asked on the listserve some time recently about good places to see this species, I'd say that Sapsucker Woods is probably one of the better places in the area.

[cayugabirds-l] Western Grebe at Chimney Bluffs State Park, Lake Ontario

Hi All, I just received a message from Chris Wiley to say that he and some other Ithaca birders are currently (10:30 am, 14 March 2010) watching a WESTERN GREBE at Chimney Bluffs State Park, located on Lake Ontario in Wayne County. The bird is just off-shore from the parking lot area. There are

[cayugabirds-l] Monday Night Seminar--Bret Whitney

Hi All, I wanted to let people know that the next Monday Night Seminar at the Lab of Ornithology, on Monday, March 1st, should be a great one. Renowned Neotropical ornithologist and tour leader Bret Whitney will be presenting the following talk: Brazil: New birds in old places The vast