Jay, thanks for posting this summary. After a long day of waterfowl counting and then other obligations, I did not have a chance to post this.
Finding this TUFTED DUCK at Twin Oaks was a great stroke of luck — after sifting through these huge Aythya flocks for 20+ years looking specifically for this species, this is the first one I’ve been able to pick out (that wasn’t previously found by others). Although Alex Lees was able to confirm this bird, it quickly disappeared as an eagle scattered the flock before Tom and Nargila could get on it. It’s even more amazing that Tom Auer relocated the bird within 30 seconds of us stopping at Kozy Kove, giving us much better and closer looks. I’m glad that Jay and Livia, and a large group of other Cayuga birders were able to join us quickly and see this great bird too. Most of Cayuga Lake was strangely devoid of waterfowl today, but when we finally got to the ice edge at Twin Oaks Campground the spectacle of thousands and thousands of ducks and geese was a welcome sight. We finished our count with 1600 TUNDRA SWANS, and 7 calling TRUMPETER SWANS for comparison, along with several thousand more geese and ducks at Mud Lock. Jay already mentioned the 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at Hibiscus Harbor — other highlights for us were a single LONG-TAILED DUCK and 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS on Aurora Bay, 2 BONAPARTE’S GULLS seen far across the lake from Union Springs, a female NORTHERN SHOVELER on Mill Pond in Union Springs, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at Long Point Sate Park (out on the point rather than in the cedars), and perhaps the oddest birds, 2 FISH CROWS flying around and calling at Farley’s Point. Although Fish Crows have been in Ithaca for 40 years, oddly I’ve never seen one at any other point along the lake shore. KEN Kenneth V. Rosenberg Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology Office: 607-254-2412 cell: 607-342-4594 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> On Jan 16, 2016, at 9:51 PM, Jay McGowan <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Early this afternoon, Ken Rosenberg, Alex Lees, Nárgila Moura, and Tom Auer found a male TUFTED DUCK in a large, Redhead-based Aythya flock off of Twin Oaks Campground on northern Cayuga Lake just north of Union Springs. The flock shifted when an eagle came over and some birds moved south to off of Kozy Kove Road, where Ken's group obligingly refound the bird shortly thereafter. The flocks continued to shift, and we lost the bird around 1:30 when most of the flock flew back north, perhaps to the Twin Oaks area again. List with photos here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26937243 Ken's group also found two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE in the bay south of Hibiscus Harbor just north of Union Springs, as well as a SNOW x CANADA GOOSE hybrid. Photos here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26933763 Before this excitement, Livia and I were birding in Lansing. In addition to continuing AMERICAN PIPITS and KILLDEER on the shores of Salt Point, we found a GRAY CATBIRD along Portland Point Road, along with some impressive numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS and CEDAR WAXWINGS. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26925025 -- Jay McGowan Ithaca, NY [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- 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/ --
