[cayugabirds-l] Summerhill-Bear Swamp
Hello all, Yesterday Dave McCart and I did some birding of Summerhill (I also covered Bear Swamp and Scott as well). Early morning there were many Cedar Waxwings, Robins, Blackbirds and Bluebirds moving. I did have PINE SISKINS at 5 different locations including ~40 at Bear Swamp, 12 on Lake Como Rd and later in the day another 15 at the Hovel Chalet Summerhill. There were lots of goldfinches around and 6-7 PURPLE FINCHES scattered about --I did not have any Evening Grosbeaks, but it should be just a matter of days before they start showing up in the Summerhill-Bear Swamp areas --big numbers are starting to show up at migration points to the north and birds have already been seen in NJ, Penn, Conn, and RI. Most Red- breasted Nuthatches were at feeders and the woods were generally quite quiet. Other sightings including 2 RAVENS at Bear Swamp, a few HORNED LARKS in Sempronius and 6 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS just north of Lake Como. The best sighting of the day was perhaps the single RUDDY DUCK that Dave scoped on Lake Como. In all the years of birding Sumerhill (13 years, whew, where did the time go), I don't think I've ever had Ruddy Duck at Lake Como --if I have it might have been once before. cheers, Matt Young mail2web.com What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you? http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Saturday around the lake
Hi all, Ton and I went around the lake yesterday, Saturday, for some birding. The wind was strong from the southwest all day. We started out on Stevenson Rd., in the area around the Pheasant Farm in Ithaca where there was a huge flock (200+) of mostly female REDWING BLACKBIRDS, with a few GRACKLES mixed in. In addition, the area held 8 TURKEY VULTURES, one BLUEBIRD and only 2 REDTAILED HAWKS in addition to the hundreds of AMERICAN CROWS. We then stopped at Myers Point (skipped Stewart Park, so missed Tim's scoter), which was empty except for MALLARDS. On up the east side of the lake - where we spotted one KESTREL along the way before we stopped at Long Point Park. One (and the only one of the day) COMMON LOON and several BLACK DUCKS. Aurora Bay had more BLACK DUCKS and a fly-by CORMORANT and one CANADA GOOSE. In Union Springs, the Factory Rd. pond had 6 GADWALL (3 pairs) while the larger pond along the main road contained MALLARDS and 2 female BUFFLEHEAD. The lake was pretty empty! Only a couple of Mallards at the town hall park in Cayuga. Around 2 pm we arrived at the Visitors Center at Montezuma. The following lists were entered into eBIRD. X means too many (or too difficult) to count. Location: Montezuma NWR--Visitor Center Number of species: 7 Canada Goose 4 American Wigeon 10 Mallard 20 Green-winged Teal 25 Black-bellied Plover 5 Greater Yellowlegs 1 Dunlin 70+ Location: Montezuma NWR--Main Pool (wildlife drive) The Main Pool, of course, is covered in vegetation, but also in water, which makes a great hiding place for the ducks! It's hard to see them, but a cooperative adult BALD EAGLE flew over, toward the wildlife drive, putting up hundreds and hundreds of PINTAILS, RING-NECKED and other ducks. The Pintails dominated, however. Number of species: 21 Greater White-fronted Goose 1 Canada Goose - many flying American Black Duck X Mallard X Northern Shoveler X Northern Pintail X Green-winged Teal25 in wetland to right of first part of drive Ring-necked Duck X Greater/Lesser Scaup X Double-crested Cormorant a few Great Blue Heron X Bald Eagle 2 Northern Harrier 2 Red-tailed Hawk 4 American Coot X Black-bellied Plover 3 - in new mudflat just past the main pool Killdeer 2 Dunlin X - in new mudflat just past the main pool Ring-billed Gull X Herring Gull X Great Black-backed Gull X American Crow X Red-winged Blackbird X Location: Montezuma NWR--Knox-Marcellus Marsh Observation date: 10/30/10 Number of species: 11 Snow Goose 400 Canada Goose X Tundra Swan 30 Not certain these were all Tundra or Trumpeter or both - in distance. Most likely Tundra. Mallard X Common Merganser 5 Ruddy Duck 4 Great Blue Heron 8 Sandhill Crane 16 - our first EVER seen at Montezuma! I always thought it was a myth.. Dunlin X Ring-billed Gull X Herring Gull X Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Pine Siskins
Hello all, At least a handful of PINE SISKINS, and 3 male PURPLE FINCHES along with 40+ Goldfinches here at yard in Scott today. cheers, Matt mail2web LIVE Free email based on Microsoft® Exchange technology - http://link.mail2web.com/LIVE -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Stewart Park, Saturday afternoon
Inspired by Tim Lenz' report of 2 separate Black Scoters from East Shore Park, I biked over to Stewart Park. Indeed the southern BLACK SCOTER with the Aythya flock was visible. I hope it is still there, because it's a neat bird, neither the adult male with a yellow knob, nor the juvenile or female with the light cheek contrasting with dark cap. It's a first winter male, very dark all over. It's bulkier than the Aythya, but doesn't swim with its head any higher. The neck is thick. It has a forehead at a distinct angle to the flat crown (like a Common Loon), and the stubby black bill looks like it was carved separately from the head and jammed on, not smoothly tapered. In flight it is all dark above and below, body and wings. Other birds in the flock of about 20 included mainly LESSER SCAUP, 1 or 2 GREATER SCAUP, a couple RING-NECKED DUCKS, and at least 1 REDHEAD. Some of these birds are also pretty dusky in coloration so look closely for head shape and the light markings on the faces of female Aythya. Also present were a continuing flock of about 20 RUDDY DUCKS, a continuing flock of about 60 AMERICAN COOTS, several AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS among many MALLARDS, a continuing single dull-plumaged NORTHERN PINTAIL, and a continuing flock of about 8 BUFFLEHEADS (I counted them all on previous visits.). There was also at least 1 COMMON MERGANSER, and at least 1 COMMON LOON. Kevin McGowan was there videoing RING-BILLED GULLS playing with small objects they grabbed from the water. He and Stuart Krasnoff mentioned a flyby flock of DUNLIN, but I missed them. However I did see several each of HERRING GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, and plenty of CANADA GEESE. As I left by way of Pier Road (between the suspension bridges, the the golf course, and the firefighters' practice area) I encountered a small mixed flock of 1 DOWNY WOODPECKER, 2 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a BROWN CREEPER. --Dave Nutter
[cayugabirds-l] pine siskins
After having been gone on vacation for a period of time, and reading that Pine Siskins had returned to Ithaca, we are glad that we had our neighbor fill up our bird feeders while we were gone. The Siskins (3) were here in their glory this morning as we looked out the window at our feeder (off Mitchell St). There was also a pair of Purple Finches. -- Sara Jane and Larry Hymes -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[cayugabirds-l] loon watch, Sunday morning
This is a re-send; it apparently did not go through. Meanwhile I've just (2:30pm) gotten a rare bird alert from Tim Lenz of a PACIFIC LOON flying north toward Sheldrake Point.--Dave NutterThis morning (Sunday 31 October 2010) Bob McGuire, Stuart Krasnoff, I went to Taughannock point at dawn to watch the loon migration. Indeed there was a stiff chilly northwest wind but it took awhile for us to find loons in the skies. Eventually we saw southbound individuals and spread out groups of up to about ten, with a total somewhere near a hundred. As is typical a few individuals were seen turning back north, and when the light got good enough we could see 14 COMMON LOONS swimming offshore with an attendant flock of gulls. We also saw a pair of local RED-TAILED HAWKS inland over the park, a NORTHERN HARRIER flying west over the lake directly overhead, a BELTED KINGFISHER flying north low over the water, several small flocks of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and CANADA GEESE, a southbound flock of possible WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, a southbound flock of ~200 ICTERIDS over the eastern ridge, and hundreds of GULLS rising off of northern Lansing. Other than MALLARDS, the waterfowl in flight were hard to ID due to low light, backlighting, distance, etc. I welcome news from any observers at Myers Point or elsewhere early this morning. We also went to Sheldrake, where we found more COMMON LOONS on the water: 64 from the cliff top at the corner of 141 153, 98 from #7732 somewhere north of O'Malley's, and fewer or more obscurely seen individuals at other locations. Also from the Sheldrake area Bob found us a male CANVASBACK among a group of 5 COMMON MERGANSERS and at least 3 BUFFLEHEAD, and we saw several AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 2 female and 1 male HOODED MERGANSER, and a flyby trio of SCAUP. Looking north from the cliffs north of Sheldrake point we saw an intriguiing bird not far from shore. Closer views of the area produced a COMMON LOON and a PIED BILLED GREBE. We saw no other grebes this morning, not even when Bob I continued to Dean's Cove, but there we saw a/the adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on a dock to the south and individual COMMON LOONS, HERRING, RING-BILLED and (1) GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. We saw no swallows, Cave nor otherwise, but land birds did include:MOURNING DOVE, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, BLUE JAY AMERICAN CROW, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, TUFTED TITMOUSE, AMERICAN ROBIN, EUROPEAN STARLING, DARK-EYED JUNCO, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, HOUSE SPARROW, It was a good taste of winter birding. Even though the intermittent precipitation was only spitting rain and mainly while we were driving between stops, we all got chilled. --Dave Nutter
[cayugabirds-l] Black-crowned Night Heron in inlet behind Barnes and Noble
Inspired by the report from yesterday, I went looking and at 2:30 found a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron perched in a tree on the far side of the inlet directly behind Barnes and Noble. Nearby, by the entrance to Nate's Floral Estates was what I think was a Muscovy Duck. Happy Halloween! -Paul -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
