Save something for the actual count! Does anyone know where the TURKEY VULTUREs are roosting? While out and about this week I saw scattered individuals here and there all over, but they most likely are concentrating at a single roost spot. I would good to get a count there in the evening; vultures range a long ways during the day and are likely to be double-counted as foraging individuals.
Is there any open water left unfrozen besides Cayuga Lake? Up until this week there were lots of CANADA GEESE spending the night away from the lake, but I don't know where they are doing that now. Geese that don't sleep on the lake need to be counted. Ones that are likely coming from the lake will get tallied in the morning or evening. I think most of the gulls are sleeping on Cayuga Lake, so we will probably use the morning/evening tallies for Herring and Ring-billed. It is possible that the Cornell compost tally of Great Black-backed and the rare gulls could surpass a lake tally, so it would be good to count them. There does not seem to be a single large roost of AMERICAN CROWS in the area, but rather a few smaller ones in Cayuga Heights, Ellis Hollow, West Hill, Dryden, etc. Please keep track of the crows you see during the day, and keep roost gathering numbers separate if you can. If in doubt, count it and let me sort the final numbers out. Remember, there is NO $5 charge for doing the count this year. Should be a fun count! I hope to see everyone at the countdown at the Lab tomorrow night. Kevin From: bounce-72550342-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-72550342-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Gary Kohlenberg Sent: Monday, December 31, 2012 8:46 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Ithaca count week I was able to get a Northern Saw-whet Owl to respond to my tooting last night at Six Mile Creek. In a year when we've had so many migrants they seem reluctant to be very vocal in the areas I've been. Gary On Dec 30, 2012, at 8:14 PM, <nutter.d...@me.com<mailto:nutter.d...@me.com>> wrote: This afternoon I returned and added several species for count week: SNOW GOOSE - single white adult alone in the middle of the lake. TUNDRA SWAN - a pair of adults to the northwest GADWALL - pairs and small groups scattered on lake, along shore and with groups of other species AMERICAN WIGEON - 3 males in Aythya flock NORTHERN SHOVELER - an astounding thirty-eight (38), mostly in 2 tight groups to the west near/with Aythyas, the males were in varying states of coming into breeding plumage NORTHERN PINTAIL - 1 male refound along shore with Mallards CANVASBACK - 1 male, completing the sweep of all 5 Aythya species in the flock COMMON GOLDENEYE - 3 males near 1 female north of red lighthouse TURKEY VULTURE - 1 soaring over East Hill LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - adult on lake near ducks I saw a total of 19 species of Anseriformes, plus American Coot, but no loons, grebes, or cormorants today. --Dave Nutter On Dec 29, 2012, at 05:04 PM, nutter.d...@me.com<mailto:nutter.d...@me.com> wrote: In case there are species of birds within the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count which we miss on count day (1 January 2013), we can add them to our total if we find them in the 3 days prior to or the 3 days subsequent to count day. That started today. Please report any unusual birds starting today so that birders can try to find them on count day, and if that doesn't work, they at least can be count week birds. Yesterday - NOT count week - I saw 2 female Black Scoters and a male White-winged Scoter off Stewart Park, in addition to other waterfowl. They were east of the red lighthouse. At dawn this morning I went to the southwest corner of the lake wondering what I could ID before the gunning started. With today's clouds and snowfall, the answer is nothing. The first fusillade was at 7:09am. There were two parties along the lakeshore at Treman and a guy out on the lake lying on a very low flotation device, each with flocks of snow-covered decoys, and a small boat with a couple guys near the docks further north than I was. I also heard shots from the east and northeast. I stayed for an hour. Birding was not easy. Birds I found today for count week included: Canada Goose American Black Duck Mallard Redhead - 1 male, but this individual will not be available on count day Ring-Necked Duck - 2 males Greater Scaup - 1 male Bufflehead - 1 female Hooded Merganser - wounded bird may remain in the area Common Merganser - wounded bird may remain in the area Ruddy Duck - 1 male, several females DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT - 1 swimming and diving to north. Yesterday I saw 4 on & near the red lighthouse breakwater American Coot Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull BELTED KINGFISHER American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Carolina Wren American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow Next I went briefly to Stewart Park. I was glad to see more birds, but I didn't add any species and the falling snow made visibility limited. --Dave Nutter -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- ________________________________ No virus found in this message. 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