I spent last night at Marten’s Tract in order to record the various ducks feeding/courting there. A major bonus of being there in the evening, then at first light this morning, was the encounter with several recently-returned birds.
An AMERICAN BITTERN called several times from the reeds along the south dike at Marten’s. I flushed a WILSON’S SNIPE from the marsh straight east from the parking area. There was a SWAMP SPARROW singing along Carncross Road, and four GREATER YELLOWLEGS feeding at the edge of the flooded cornfield there. The most amazing sight was a massive flock of blackbirds that flew over the marsh at dusk to roost in the trees along the river next to Howland Island. I tried to count as they flew over - and got lost. My best guestimate was 10,000 birds (which prompted eBird to remark that that was the “high count” for that location!) On the way home this morning I stopped to scan the lake from the Aurora Boathouse. Along with some 35 Common Loons, there was a single RED-NECKED GREBE fairly far out. 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/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/ --
