It was a warm morning on the eastern slope of Rock Cabin Rd as we canvassed the marsh. The Sandhill Crane pair is back and a third crane was sighted yesterday. Anyone sighting the cranes please relay reports to us as we will be attempting to document a nesting at QCM this year.
Best viewing is from along Rock Cabin Road and there is an observation platform very close to the point where a gas pipeline crosses the marsh. It's a roomy but odd mesh sized platform so bring along some small pieces of lumber to hold your tripod's legs steady. The highlight was hundreds of Wood Duck spread throughout the marsh; we stopped counting at 150 and saw many more. Also present in good numbers were Canada Geese, gadwall,wigeon, blacks, mallards, shovelers, pintails, green-winged teal, ring-neckeds and common mergs. As the season progresses listen and look for rails and both bitterns. A Bald Eagle pair has been showing interest the last couple of years and will hopefully nest nearby, if they haven't done so already. An unoccupied as yet Osprey platform is directly across the marsh from the observation platform. Rock Cabin is a dirt track running along the marsh from the bottom of the Burdett hill and just off Rte 79 before it swings around the lake and into Watkins Glen. Access is also available off Skyline Drive in Montour Falls. It's wise to park well to the side of the road. A parking area is available at the Montour Falls end of RCR; look to the left just prior to leaving pavement. Walking the area is probably the most effective way of birding here. A trail of sorts circumnavigates the marsh. J&S -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ "Conserve and Create Habitat" -- 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/ --
