Today for the first time in many months I saw the female GREEN-WINGED TEAL dozing on the lawn behind Titus Towers Apartments on the south side of the City of Ithaca. I believe this is the same bird which was featured on a couple of Ithaca Christmas Bird Counts. She has no partner, but hangs out with the MALLARDS there and in the relief channel behind Tops and Wegmans on the other side of NYS 13. When I didn't see her at all last fall I thought she'd died. No sign of her all winter. I suppose it's possible that the later daylight has made her nap time coincide with my evening walking commute, and she's been here all along, but I've kept my eyes open. It's mind-bending to think that after sticking around Ithaca through several winters she would have migrated away and back, yet not have connected with any male of her species. Maybe she was just hiding (she's good at that) along the various channels and creeks locally. I wonder if she's one of the Green-winged Teal which I first found where a stream goes under part of the then-new Mal*Wart parking lot. I'm going on circumstances alone in pinning this story on the bird I saw today. I know of no individually identifying marks. But she's little and cute. There are others of her species behaving normally today in water in Jetty Woods across Fall Creek and visible from Stewart Park, and also on the George Road pond in Dryden.
This afternoon I also saw my first 2010 Lansing AMERICAN KESTREL, a male on a tree on the north side toward the west end of Snyder Road behind the Airport. I thought of Ryan Douglas and the many great birds he's found while biking around the area, and how the Airport Kestrels eluded him for awhile. We're gonna miss you, Ryan, as well as your reports. I hope you find this bird as well as a mess of others up to and including the Black-throated Blue Warbler (rare in MO) before you go. I guess that'll be awhile. Sorry to get mushy so soon. --Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
