I just read Ken Rosenberg's post with interest. Yesterday, at the south end of the lake I counted six hunting parties and just about that many birds. Today, at least, there were fewer hunters and a remnant aythya flock just off the sailing club docks.
Anyway, eleven experienced birders joined me for what turned out to be a trip around the lake today (at least for some of us). At Stewart Park early, though well after the first shots rang out, we noted two slumbering Tundra Swans, the Redhead flock with a couple of Lesser Scaup and Ring-neck Ducks mixed in, the small Ruddy Duck flock, and assorted Mallards, Black Ducks, Common and Hooded Mergansers. One surprise was a Great Black-backed Gull with pink legs, nearly uniform dark mantle (both pointing to at least third winter adult) but with an all-black bill. Fun the talk about. Drake Road was devoid of birds except for a very cooperative Merlin that was observed and photographed by the last car only! >From the spit at Myers we spent a long time watching the antics of a close-in >group of LONG-TAILED DUCKS while scoping for, and finally finding, a lone >Horned Grebe. There were no buntings/larks/longspurs on Center Road but a cooperative Harrier along Lake Road. We skipped Long Point (hunters in a blind on shore) and stopped next at the Aurora boathouse. Steve Fast earned a muffin from Dories by picking a non-breeding plumaged EARED GREBE out of a group of 6 Horned Grebes. The only bird on Factory Street pond in Union Springs led to a spirited discussion as to ID (female Mallard - Wigeon - Gadwall?) which was finally resolved, tentatively, as Gadwall. But not until a half hour later by which time we couldn't go back to confirm our impressions. (ID based on the white flank patches and amount & position of yellow and black on the bill). Mill Pond was filled with ducks, giving us an opportunity to study Redheads/Wigeon/Gadwall up close. At that point, the rain had begun to catch up with us, and we made a decision to take a quick run to the Mucklands for a glimpse of SNOWY OWL. We quickly found one bird, perched on corn stubble SE of the Potato Building. Amazingly, it remained rooted to the spot as a group of hunters with dog motored past some 100 feet away. Before leaving we got wind of a second Snowy on Rt 89 just south of Goose Haven. Again it was cooperative, posing for photos and a couple of videos. The last stop was a vain attempt to pull Lesser Black-backed Gull out of the rain drops at Dean's Cove. We made it back to the Lab before 3 pm, only an hour past the intended return time. From what I heard, though, no one minded. And several, I also heard, saw life birds for the trip. Bob McGuire -- 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/ --
