>From Genesee birds. Please post if this bird is refound. Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:13:01 -0400 From: Steve Taylor < [email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: [GeneseeBirds-L] Montezuma NWR -Wednesday September 12th Message-ID: <20120912201301.U8PE7.142151. root@hrndva-web10-z02> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
I was able to spend over four hours at Montezuma today, and it was a very pleasant day with some satisfying birding. I was at Knox Marcellus Marsh along Towpath Road from 9:00 - 11:15 am. The species count is down and the numbers of birds are down significantly from August, but the quality was good. I am listing the shorebirds in the order I identified them, along with actual counts (the low numbers) or estimates (the high rounded numbers with + signs): Lesser yellowlegs Pectoral sandpiper 100+ HUDSONIAN GODWIT 4 Semipalmated plover 25+ Least sandpiper 25+ Semipalmated sandpiper 10 Black bellied plover 2 American golden plover 14 Killdeer 8 Red necked phalarope 2 Greater yellowlegs 4 Buff breasted sandpiper 1 Spotted sandpiper 1 Also: 9 Sandhill cranes 15 Great Egrets 240+ Great Blue herons (I did try for an accurate count of these and did two full scans of the marsh. Each time I was close to the 240 number, and I am sure that there were many hidden in the vegetation.) 8 Bald eagles Over at Puddlers Marsh, there were 28 Great blue herons 12 Greater yellowlegs (no Lessers!) Over 100 ducks including Mallard, Black, Green-winged teal, Shoveller, and Pintail. At the Visitors' Center: 40+ Lesser yellowlegs 1 Greater yellowlegs At the stagnant pool before Larue's Lagoon 1 Solitary sandpiper 1 Lesser yellowlegs 1 Killdeer At Larue's Lagoon: Killdeer 25+ American golden plover 8 Lesser yellowlegs Greater yellowlegs 2 White rumped sandpiper 2 Least sandpiper 4 Semipalmated sandpiper 2 Hard to believe but I failed to find any dowitchers, snipe, stilt and Baird's sandpipers anywhere on Montezuma today. Finally Benning Marsh was flooded and held only a few Killdeer. In the deeper vegetation on the west end of the marsh was a CATTLE EGRET (fall plumaged adult) which was often out of sight as it dipped down into the deep grass and the scooped mud holes. If I had not stopped to scan for snipe, I would have driven right by this bird!!! A great way to end my visit to Montezuma!!! Good birding to all, Steve Taylor Pittsford, NY -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
