I'll add to Dave's highlight...I showed up late as the fog was lifting, about 9:30am. I arrived as three SAND HILL CRANES flew from behind me, calling loudly, and over me, exhilarating but too fast for me to get my camera in position! I then saw 10 LESSER DOWITCHERS and yellowlegs. I watched swallows and saw a flock fly under a bank out of view and then heard what sounded like sandpipers peeping from under the bank. Then I asked the swallows to cooperate and let me get a good picture of one of them. Shortly thereafter, a swallow started circling me about five feet away. It was so close I could barely shoot it, but by the fifth time it circled me I did get two shots that confirmed a Bank Swallow by the neck marks and non-pointy tail.
I finally caught up to Dave Nutter's group, about nine of us, including three visitors from NYC (a dad and two sons, Asher and Isaiah, who made a special trip to Montezuma at Isaiah's request). Isaiah, age 15, is a serious long-time birder who told me (I asked) it was a photo of the Scarlet Tananger that got him into birding at age 9. I hope to meet up with him to bird Central Park in September. Anyway, the highlights for me were seeing the feeding behaviors of the RED-NECKED and WILSON'S PTHALAROPE (skimming for insects) vs. the yellow legs and dowitcher and seeing the STILT SANDPIPER with its head in the water more of the time than out of the water. Lastly, we saw about eight GREEN-WINGED TEAL fly in. It was a great day!!! Thanks again, Dave! * * * * * * * * * *"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come ALIVE, for what the world needs is people who have come ALIVE." - Dr. Howard Thurman, American Theologian, Clergyman and Activist (1900-1981) * Sandra (Sandy) Wold Cayuga Basin Bioregion Map, Author/Originator/Designer/Publisher, www.sites.google.com/site/cayugabioregionmap/ <https://sites.google.com/site/cayugabioregionmap/> Sustainability Educator/Artist, www.linkedin.com/pub/sandra-sandy-wold/a7/114/877 International Host/Landlord, www.airbnb.com/rooms/446114 Math/Science Tutor, www.sites.google.com/site/fallcreektutoringservices/home -- 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/ --
