The warbler team had a moderately good day. We did not find many migrants:
one White-throated Sparrow as we were leaving the Lab and then a Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker calling as we got into the cars. The swan pen at Stewart Park had few
birds and the waterfront produced the more common waterfowl. An ornithology
class from Binghamton did find a Ruddy Duck, which we missed. We heard and saw
Fish Crow, at least 5 around the picnic tables near the band shelter. We did
hear the wheesey call and see glimpses of two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers along the
west band of Fall Creek.
We drove over to the golf course and first stopped to see the Great Horned
Owl nest. To our total surprise, , although there was no owl in sight, there
was a Red-tailed Hawk flat on the nest as if incubating. I know some species
reuse the nest of other species, but two raptor species in the same season? If
the red-tail is incubating, it must have started laying almost immediately
after the GHOW left, because it was there just two weeks ago.
Jetty Woods had ~30 cormorants distributed among two trees with a lot of
guano beneath them, suggesting several days stay. We had a fine view of a
flicker singing, if you call it that, and then later the same bird on the
ground, apparently eating ants.
Perhaps most enjoyably, we found a White-breasted Nuthatch pair carrying
material into a cavity in the end of a large, broken branch along the south end
of Jetty Woods. One bird actually removed some material from the nest, which
reminded me of trying to move furniture to please my wife.
A nice morning of birding.
John Confer
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