RE: Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Knox-Marsellus. I would like to offer Dave full half-credit for the Buff-breasted. Not only was it his suggestion that we try east road one more time at the end of a long day, but it was also he who kept whispering in my ear "No Bob, that's not a Mourning Dove." Apparently I had confused the two birds some time in the past. I had forgotten. Unfortunately, he had not.
The Buff-breasted was actually an easy find. It was foraging exactly where it would be expected: along the grassy edge of receding mudflats. Since the water had recently receded, the grass was short, and the bird stood out clearly. Plus, it was the only bird of that color: decidedly buffy on head and breast. With a dark-and-golden patterning on the back. Unfortunately, it's a long way from the road down to the flats, and a scope is necessary to get one on it. Best of luck to those who try for it today. Bob McGuire On Aug 18, 2012, at 10:16 PM, <nutter.d...@me.com> <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote: > Bob McGuire, Ann Mitchell & I spent today birding from Stewart Park > to Montezuma. Stewart Park had the usual suspects for this time of > year, including BARN SWALLOWS, BANK SWALLOWS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, > CASPIAN TERNS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, BELTED KINGFISHERS, ten > COMMON MERGANSERS on a log (the other 4 wouldn't fit), and 3 species > of gulls. I had heard a PILEATED WOODPECKER as I biked from home, > and we all heard a CAROLINA WREN. We walked around the Swan Pond and > found a few passerines, including a quiet WARBLING VIREO, a singing > RED-EYED VIREO, a YELLOW WARBLER, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, a WHITE- > BREASTED NUTHATCH, HOUSE FINCHES and (non-passerine) DOWNY > WOODPECKER. I also glimpsed a possible GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. > > We met Stuart Krasnoff at Salt Point, he having told us he'd found > the spit at Myers to be empty. We saw the 2 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS > hee'd found in Salmon Creek, 2 WARBLING VIREOS, an EASTERN WOOD- > PEWEE, an EASTERN KINGBIRD, several CEDAR WAXWINGS, a BLACK-CAPPED > CHICKADEE, HAIRY and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, NORTHERN FLICKER, and > other stuff. Additional entertainment was provided by guys across > the creek at Myers using a home-made shoulder-fired device to fire a > tethered tennis ball into the canopy of a large shade tree. This may > have had something to do with a sign advertising an amateur radio > club. Other people's hobbies sure are weird! > > On our way north we saw a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, an AMERICAN KESTREL, > an EASTERN BLUEBIRD, and an AMERICAN COOT (inside the breakwater of > the former Castelli's Marina in Union Springs). At Mud Lock we saw > juvenile BALD EAGLES, both adult and juvenile OSPREYS, 2 GREEN > HERONS, 5 PIED-BILLED GREBES, and the famous GREATER SCAUP (resting > on the other side of the river and facing us so we could see the > minimum detail and add nothing to the debate). We also had a singing > EASTERN PHOEBE fly to a dead branch atop a nearby tree. > > At Montezuma NWR, the Visitor Center pond has water and a some > shorebirds, including plenty of KILLDEER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, a > PECTORAL SANDPIPER, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, a few LEAST SANDPIPERS, > and four adult DOWITCHERS resting close together. Three of them were > molting their back feathers, but the fourth seemed to be pretty much > in breeding plumage still. As with most Dowitchers, I found them > (and the field guide) confusing. The Wildlife Drive was pretty > quiet: Larue's is plowed but dry, there is lots of empty water in > the main pool just waiting for ducks to join the single WOOD DUCK, > the shorebird area has lots of tall vegetation but a few LESSER > YELLOWLEGS and KILLDEER in the more open areas, plus one lovely > WILSON'S SNIPE which made Bob very happy as he and the snipe had > been avoiding each other all year until now. > > Benning's Marsh had BLUE-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN SHOVELER, as well > as all the other shorebirds listed above, plus SEMIPALMATED > SANDPIPER and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. Tschache Pool had GREAT EGRETS, > GREAT BLUE HERONS, > > The bonanza was at Knox-Marsellus Marsh, but as is often the case, > viewing was challenging due to distance and heat shimmer. Dave > Nicosia who was there with a club from Binghamton, pointed out 3 > AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS in various states of molt. We had 4 in view > by the time I sent out a text, but eventually we saw a total of 6. > There was also an immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON intermittently > in view along witha some immature COMMON GALLINULES. A pair of > SANDHILL CRANE strolled regally about and bugles occasionally. Ducks > included GREEN-WINGED TEAL and doubtless others I wasn't paying > attention to. Through intense study, Bob, Ann & I concluded that one > juvenile DOWITCHER was a SHORT-BILLED and another was a LONG- > BILLED. Although it was Bob who actually found a BUFF-BREASTED > SANDPIPER walking around in the short, vivid green, new growth out > on the mud, I would like to take some credit for suggesting that we > look for them and for lending moral support by standing next to him > and staring through my own scope the entire time he searched. Bob > and Ann also saw 2 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS when a NORTHERN HARRIER > flushed many of the shorebirds, and a fellow I don't know with a > possibly German accent, whom we helped see the Buff-breasted > Sandpiper, returned the favor by finding us a WILSON'S PHALAROPE. > > Between bouts of watching at Knox-Marsellus from various > perspectives and hoping for the heat shimmer to calm down, we > stopped by Muckrace Flats on Savannah-Spring Lake Road (KILLDEER, > PECTORAL & LEAST SANDPIPER, GREATER & LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and we went > to Carncross Road to monitor progress on changes to that access > point to Howland Island. The gate by the Seneca River has been > removed, and machines and materials are arrayed to replace the > causeway with a bridge. The new end of the public road is in a > parking area at the top of the hill on the island. While checking > this out we also found an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER which favored the > top of a dead tree on the island just east of the trees along the > river on the south side of the road. > With 16 species of shorebirds and 4 new species for the year for me > and Ann - 5 for Bob, who was goofing off out west all spring - it > was a great day of birding. > --Dave Nutter > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- 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/ --
