Highlights from a trip up the East side of Cayuga Lake and Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge today with Lynn Leopold were a small group of Ruddy Ducks at Mudlock, the Eurasian Teal at the MNWR Visitor's Center (foraging with Green-winged Teal), 2 Sandhill Cranes and thousands of gorgeous Northern Pintail at Carncross Road, and a Peregrine Falcon that buzzed the ducks and Tundra Swans at Carncross in the early evening. What a joy to see so many waterfowl in one day!
We failed to find Eurasian Wigeon or Cackling Goose, but not for lack of trying. There are just tons of birds to look through. We did not see as many Snow Geese as others have reported--perhaps many left--but there were several white "puddles" in the middle of the lake at the north end, and one huge string of Snow Geese on the west side of Cayuga Lake, south of Cayuga Lake State Park. They appeared to be taking off in medium-sized groups and heading west in the early evening. Sandy Podulka -- 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/ --