On Saturday and Sunday, I’ll lead Cayuga Bird Club field trips in search of sparrows and other field birds. We’ll start at 8 AM on both days at the Cornell Community Gardens along Freese Road, and then head over to the Bluegrass Lane fields if we have time. Come prepared to walk through mud and tall, wet grasses and weeds.
Although the weather forecast appears a little less than ideal, I expect a lot of fine birding. Today, Diane Morton, Ken Kemphues, and I found a very good variety of sparrows at the community gardens, including two LINCOLN’S SPARROWS, at least five WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (2+ juvenile, 3+ adult), one or more WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, a couple of SWAMP SPARROWS, a FIELD SPARROW, and very many SONG SPARROWS. Later Bob McGuire and I found several SAVANNAH SPARROWS here too, plus what I think was probably a third Lincoln’s Sparrow. Earlier, Diane, Ken, and I went looking for birds, especially Nelson’s Sparrow, in the patches of cattails and goldenrod amid the sea of grass west of Bluegrass Lane just south of Hanshaw Road. We didn’t find Nelson’s, but did get a nice long sunlit view of a Lincoln’s Sparrow, plus another of a beautiful female NORTHERN HARRIER. We also heard an AMERICAN PIPIT or two flying overhead. I hope to see many of you this weekend! Mark Chao PS. Another highlight of the day: two COMMON RAVENS soaring in circles together for 5+ minutes, very high above our home on Simsbury Drive in northeast Ithaca. This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen multiple ravens here at 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/ --
