This Ridge Rd. is 3 mi. east of Union Springs, folks. Found the whimbrel about 30 ft. off the road in a mowed field between Large & Skillet Rds.. Only had an old Petersen's Field Guide in the car which didn't show the bird so called daughter, Becky, who lives about a mile south. She came with her Kaufman's & easily found a lifer for both of us. That long down-curving bill & the blue-green legs are very definitive. The feather & bill coloration indicated this is a bird in degrading summer plumage.
Temp was over 80 & the bird's bill was hanging open as it occasionally strolled around & pecked at something in the grass, seemingly not concerned that we were so close. Hey, I know other whimbrels have been reported from MNWR, etc. but that's there & I wasn't. Today I was in the right spot at the right time ... or the bird was. Great thing to bring happiness to an old lady & her happy-to-be-back in NY 56 yr. old "kid." Really, NO place like NY, esp. Finger Lakes. Also, yesterday as I was tootling thru Aurora, an adult bald eagle was cruising southward right above the shore line. Each evening larger flocks of Canadas are heading out to the corn fields which are being harvested. The chimney swifts disappeared early last wk.. No large flocks of "black birds". Fritzie -- 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/ --
