I started out this morning at Myer's Point. The lake was surprisingly quiet, although a small flock of BRANT finally came down the lake about an hour after I arrived. A BONAPARTE'S GULL circling around the spit and single female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and GREEN-WINGED TEAL were about the only other water birds of interest.
Salt Point was very active, however, especially the fruiting trees and shrubs near the tip. Best bird there (eating berries) was a very late female BALTIMORE ORIOLE, among the many CEDAR WAXWINGS and ROBINS, 15-20 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, and 2 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS. In the shrubs and goldenrods were 2 BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, 4 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, sev. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a mixed flock of CHIPPING and FIELD SPARROWS. As I was leaving, I scanned a flock of 150 or so CANADA GEESE heading south and with them were a group of 4 CACKLING GEESE that stayed together but kept separating from the main flock. Back home in the late morning, I was very surprised to see a RED-EYED VIREO in the locust tree in my backyard -- also a WINTER WREN (not in the locust tree). In the late afternoon, I walked the dog in the fields off Bluegrass Lane, and went right to the spot where Tom had found the NELSON'S SPARROW -- in the wet area (w some cattails) on the south side of the tall switchgrass field. As I approached on the "lane" through the middle of the switchgrass, the NELSON's popped up and did the classic Nelson's 1-minute sit (in the bright afternoon sun) before flying up and diving back into the grass -- showing off it's "sharp" tail feathers in flight. The bright orange face, but blurry, uncrisp streaking on the breast suggested the race alterus, which breeds around James Bay. We also flushed a SNIPE along the "lane" through the switchgrass. In the grassy field and along the goldenroddy edge of the woods to the east, I saw sev. FIELD, and SAVANNAH, 1 WHITE-CROWNED, 1 SWAMP, and many SONG SPARROWS. I was surprised that no pipits were flying. KEN Ken Rosenberg Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2412 607-342-4594 (cell) k...@cornell.edu<mailto:k...@cornell.edu> -- 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/ --
