Bob McGuire, Susan Danskin, Ann Mitchell & I spent the day (Sun 18 Oct) birding. The other 3 started out at Stewart Park waiting for me then we left as soon as I arrived, so I know little of what was there, except that there was one distant COMMON LOON and, as reported, many PIED-BILLED GREBES, though not nearly as many as Saturday and Friday.
We went to Myers Point where we did not refind yesterday's Sanderling or Cackling Goose, but did find 10 DUNLIN, 2 KILLDEER, several GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and a hybrid MALLARD x AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, plus the usual gulls, geese, ducks & cormorants. We then went to Freese Road where we birded with Bill Baker & Stuart Krasnoff. We did not refind yesterday's Orange-crowned Warbler or Vesper Sparrow, but did see numerous WHITE-CROWNED, SONG, and (some confusing) CHIPPING SPARROWS plus a few WHITE-THROATED, SWAMP, and one possible LINCOLN'S which Ann saw. There were also a flock each of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, HOUSE FINCHES, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. On our way we stopped on Benson Road where we found a flock of ~30 DARK-EYED JUNCOS in a roadside hedgerow and a flock of ~20 KILLDEER in a distant harvested field. We four then went north toward Montezuma, on the way encountering Tim Lenz, Mike Harvey, and Shawn Billerman, and we crossed paths several times into the afternoon. Long Point had very few birds on the lake for us: 4 COMMON LOONS, 4 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 2 MALLARDS, 2 RING-BILLED GULLS, and a few very distant CANADA GEESE. There were gulls and geese at the mouth of Paine's Creek at the south edge of Aurora, but we did not stop because we heard they had been scanned and were the usuals with a few SNOW GEESE. The breakwater at Castelli's Marina in Union Springs appeared to have only RING-BILLED GULLS. The pond at the Montezuma NWR Visitors' Center had many CANADA GEESE (no Bar-headed, etc.), NORTHERN SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAIL, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. There were also 30+ DUNLIN, 1 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 2 sleeping LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS (Thanks, Shawn!) and 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. We first heard and then saw a distant calling flying group of 5 SANDHILL CRANES which landed and disappeared in the marsh near the caretaker's house on NYS 89. We missed a reported Western Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. Larue's is still overgrown and appears to lack water. The Main Pool has water, but the smartweed is still so tall and dense as to make viewing difficult except in the distance where there were many CANADA GEESE and one sleeping probably SWAN, and along the channel by the drive, which had several GADWALL, AMERICAN COOT, and a RUDDY DUCK. Beyond the Main Pool we saw ~6 TREE SWALLOWS overhead and a GREAT BLUE HERON beside a channel. Bennings had CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, and NORTHERN PINTAIL in some distant unobscured water. Tschache had many distant AMERICAN WIGEON and one male EURASIAN WIGEON, several GADWALL, PIED-BILLED GREBES, RING-BILLED GULLS, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. May's Point Pool had CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS and GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and possibly other distant ducks. The Knox-Marcellus overlook on East Road had hundreds of SNOW GEESE and CANADA GEESE, 7 DUNLIN, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, several NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS high overhead, 1 distant light ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK being harassed by 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, and probably other stuff which I overlooked or forgot, but Lenz, Harvey & Billerman have probably entered in eBird. Our next stop was Martens Tract, where the pond held 1 immature COMMON MOORHEN and several PIED-BILLED GREBES. Joined by Judy Thoroughman we waded through the vegetation in the vicinity of the several east-west ditches which are south and east of the parking area. Bob waded more seriously than the rest of us and found at least one NELSON'S SPARROW which eventually gave us all an excellent look. There were also SONG SPARROWS, a SWAMP SPARROW, and a MARSH WREN, but many glimpses of birds were unidentifiable by us. Muckrace Flats on Savannah-Spring Lake Road near Bixby Woods Road had 1 basking turtle, but zero birds that we noticed in a quick binocular scan despite a very attractive expanse of mud and shallow water. The end of Van Dyne Spoor Road had 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, 6 DUNLIN, and the only BALD EAGLE we saw today, an immature which flew up from the hidden near side of the pool. The area also had 2 SANDHILL CRANES, 2 GREAT BLUE HERONS, several overhead NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, and least 4 distant NORTHERN HARRIERS. Other birds seen while we traveled included AMERICAN ROBINS, RED-TAILED HAWKS, TURKEY VULTURES (small numbers) and AMERICAN KESTREL. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
