Apologies for the late report.
I think the first official birders' foray beyond the signs at Montezuma NWR was an unqualified success. I counted 30 (thirty!) participants, several of whom registered that afternoon. I think Mark & Tilden Chao get the prize for cool logistics, calling at 4pm from the Thruway en route back from Buffalo. The absolute last minute award goes to Rick Lightbody, who called at 4:31pm from Ithaca, having just gotten around to reading old email, yet joined us just as I was leaving the Visitor Center! Anyway, I think the interest in such trips is now established.
The group included two leaders of future trips (Kevin McGowan and Steve Benedict) as well as many other birders with scopes, knowledge, and a willingness to share both with those among us who had less powerful optics or less familiarity with the birds. This tremendous cooperation made the large group work well, I think. Thank-you, everyone. Also, the site is ideal for a group to spread out a bit and still have a good view, at least on the northern 2/3 of the west dike.
We had beautiful, calm, nearly cloudless weather, pleasant temperatures, and perfect lighting from behind us, with no heat shimmer. We were still distant enough from most birds such that scope views were really appreciated, but the silver lining of that cloud is that most birds also ignored us. Actually, I think many shorebirds would have tolerated us even if they had been much, much closer. A couple of the nearest GREAT BLUE HERONS flew to other parts of the impoundment, and the CANADA GOOSE flock on the mud decided to fly rather than walk and stare at us as they did when Kevin and I were scouting. The closer of 2 pairs of SANDHILL CRANES flew east out of the southwest quarter of the impoundment, but it wasn't clear whether that was due to our progess along the dike, because they were fairly distant and hidden until they flew. The cranes had been conversing with a more distant but visible pair earlier, and maybe they would have moved at that point in the twilight anyway. I think our big group actually flushed fewer ducks (only a couple) than on the scouting trip, possibly because our group moved pretty slowly and it was late by the time we got to the flooded part of the ditch alongside our dike. I think our field trip should be well within acceptable levels of disturbance.
The group had 16 species of shorebirds and plenty of good discussion about how to ID them. Highlights included excellent scope views of a juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE whidh Jay McGowan found (first of the year in the Cayuga Lake basin), two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS still nearly in breeding plumage, and a WILSON'S SNIPE in the open. At one point I was watching a snipe when all the other nearby shorebirds flushed and flew north, but the snipe ran south instead to hide in nearby vegetation. There were also good views KILLDEER and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS to compare and of LEAST and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. A juvenile SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER was convincing, there were SPOTTED SANDPIPERS in breeding and non-breeding plumage, we had plenty of PECTORAL SANDPIPERS to become familiar with, and as many LESSER YELLOWLEGS as you could want for comparison to everything else. The recent Marbled Godwit, unfortunately, was not to be found, perhaps having departed on the north winds.
Among non-shorebirds, the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN sat in the distant water preening and looking goofy. Both BLUE-WINGED and GREAN-WINGED TEAL were present for those us to practice eclipse and female duck ID. CASPIAN TERNS were plentiful and there were several active BLACK TERNS. In addition to the usual GREAT BLUE HERONS, there were plenty of GREAT EGRETS, a couple flyby GREEN HERONS, and an all-too-typical AMERICAN BITTERN who flew low over part of the marsh then dropped down into grass and became devilishly hard to discern even in the middle of a scope view. Songbirds included a male BALTIMORE ORIOLE atop a nearby Willow, EASTERN KINGBIRDS along the dike, and a female/winter plumage BOBOLINK who 'binked' repeatedly as it flew up and away, looking very yellow in the late sunlight. Singers included SWAMP SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, and (although I missed it) MARSH WREN.
The finale, after the sun had set and mosquitos began to notice us, was the emergence of numerous BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS in the southwest corner of the impoundment, including juveniles, yearlings, and adults peering from the cattails, flying over the marsh, and standing or walking in the open in the water and on the mud. At one point I had 8 in one scope view. As we approached the end of the dike by Towpath road, Jay McGowan, who was a step ahead of me, called out "COMMON NIGHTHAWK," but I think I was the only other person who saw the bent-winged, long-tailed shadow well enough to ID it (barely) before it darted behind the trees. After that we all had a quiet walk along East Road in the gloaming to the cars at the overlook. I heard several remarks about participants seeing life birds, but also just having a good time birding. Here's Jay's eBird list of 68 species:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14908112
The only addition I have is a low-flying Accipiter which I thought was a COOPER'S HAWK but may be the bird Lee Ann Van Leer included on her list as a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. My personal species total was 3/4 Jay's and my numbers were far lower, my excuses being that I was concentrating on closer, better-viewed birds and making sure people were getting to see things, but probably Jay was doing all that, too.
This coming Sunday 18 August there will be another similar field trip, this time in the morning, so I assume it will go onto the dike extending north from Towpath Road between Knox-Marsellus and Puddler in order to have light from behind. It will be led by Steve Benedict
<[email protected]>
and I believe the meeting time will be 8am at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center off NYS-5/US-20. I also believe you can register or give thanks and other feedback on this program with Andrea Van Beusichem, Visitor Services Manager for the refuge:
<[email protected]>
I think the first official birders' foray beyond the signs at Montezuma NWR was an unqualified success. I counted 30 (thirty!) participants, several of whom registered that afternoon. I think Mark & Tilden Chao get the prize for cool logistics, calling at 4pm from the Thruway en route back from Buffalo. The absolute last minute award goes to Rick Lightbody, who called at 4:31pm from Ithaca, having just gotten around to reading old email, yet joined us just as I was leaving the Visitor Center! Anyway, I think the interest in such trips is now established.
The group included two leaders of future trips (Kevin McGowan and Steve Benedict) as well as many other birders with scopes, knowledge, and a willingness to share both with those among us who had less powerful optics or less familiarity with the birds. This tremendous cooperation made the large group work well, I think. Thank-you, everyone. Also, the site is ideal for a group to spread out a bit and still have a good view, at least on the northern 2/3 of the west dike.
We had beautiful, calm, nearly cloudless weather, pleasant temperatures, and perfect lighting from behind us, with no heat shimmer. We were still distant enough from most birds such that scope views were really appreciated, but the silver lining of that cloud is that most birds also ignored us. Actually, I think many shorebirds would have tolerated us even if they had been much, much closer. A couple of the nearest GREAT BLUE HERONS flew to other parts of the impoundment, and the CANADA GOOSE flock on the mud decided to fly rather than walk and stare at us as they did when Kevin and I were scouting. The closer of 2 pairs of SANDHILL CRANES flew east out of the southwest quarter of the impoundment, but it wasn't clear whether that was due to our progess along the dike, because they were fairly distant and hidden until they flew. The cranes had been conversing with a more distant but visible pair earlier, and maybe they would have moved at that point in the twilight anyway. I think our big group actually flushed fewer ducks (only a couple) than on the scouting trip, possibly because our group moved pretty slowly and it was late by the time we got to the flooded part of the ditch alongside our dike. I think our field trip should be well within acceptable levels of disturbance.
The group had 16 species of shorebirds and plenty of good discussion about how to ID them. Highlights included excellent scope views of a juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE whidh Jay McGowan found (first of the year in the Cayuga Lake basin), two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS still nearly in breeding plumage, and a WILSON'S SNIPE in the open. At one point I was watching a snipe when all the other nearby shorebirds flushed and flew north, but the snipe ran south instead to hide in nearby vegetation. There were also good views KILLDEER and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS to compare and of LEAST and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. A juvenile SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER was convincing, there were SPOTTED SANDPIPERS in breeding and non-breeding plumage, we had plenty of PECTORAL SANDPIPERS to become familiar with, and as many LESSER YELLOWLEGS as you could want for comparison to everything else. The recent Marbled Godwit, unfortunately, was not to be found, perhaps having departed on the north winds.
Among non-shorebirds, the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN sat in the distant water preening and looking goofy. Both BLUE-WINGED and GREAN-WINGED TEAL were present for those us to practice eclipse and female duck ID. CASPIAN TERNS were plentiful and there were several active BLACK TERNS. In addition to the usual GREAT BLUE HERONS, there were plenty of GREAT EGRETS, a couple flyby GREEN HERONS, and an all-too-typical AMERICAN BITTERN who flew low over part of the marsh then dropped down into grass and became devilishly hard to discern even in the middle of a scope view. Songbirds included a male BALTIMORE ORIOLE atop a nearby Willow, EASTERN KINGBIRDS along the dike, and a female/winter plumage BOBOLINK who 'binked' repeatedly as it flew up and away, looking very yellow in the late sunlight. Singers included SWAMP SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, and (although I missed it) MARSH WREN.
The finale, after the sun had set and mosquitos began to notice us, was the emergence of numerous BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS in the southwest corner of the impoundment, including juveniles, yearlings, and adults peering from the cattails, flying over the marsh, and standing or walking in the open in the water and on the mud. At one point I had 8 in one scope view. As we approached the end of the dike by Towpath road, Jay McGowan, who was a step ahead of me, called out "COMMON NIGHTHAWK," but I think I was the only other person who saw the bent-winged, long-tailed shadow well enough to ID it (barely) before it darted behind the trees. After that we all had a quiet walk along East Road in the gloaming to the cars at the overlook. I heard several remarks about participants seeing life birds, but also just having a good time birding. Here's Jay's eBird list of 68 species:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14908112
The only addition I have is a low-flying Accipiter which I thought was a COOPER'S HAWK but may be the bird Lee Ann Van Leer included on her list as a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. My personal species total was 3/4 Jay's and my numbers were far lower, my excuses being that I was concentrating on closer, better-viewed birds and making sure people were getting to see things, but probably Jay was doing all that, too.
This coming Sunday 18 August there will be another similar field trip, this time in the morning, so I assume it will go onto the dike extending north from Towpath Road between Knox-Marsellus and Puddler in order to have light from behind. It will be led by Steve Benedict
<[email protected]>
and I believe the meeting time will be 8am at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center off NYS-5/US-20. I also believe you can register or give thanks and other feedback on this program with Andrea Van Beusichem, Visitor Services Manager for the refuge:
<[email protected]>
--Dave Nutter
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