Hello all,
It was a very cold and blustery morning, but had good birding. Here are a few
notes about my trip:
-I did not see any cranes at the Sandhill Crane Unit on Van Dyne Spoor Rd. Many
ducks out in the distance! Hard to see with the snow. White-crowned sparrows
were making some noise on the north side of the road (DEC). And lastly, an
American Kestral on the power lines.
-Next, Knox Marsellus Marsh. At first I did not see any cranes on East Rd, and
thought maybe they booked south with this cold and snow. But as I was getting
out of my car, I heard them and about 100 flew in from a cornfield southwest of
the road. Kind of behind those solar panels, if you're familiar with the area.
They flew to Puddler Marsh, and I lost them in the tall vegetation. Also at
this spot, had a Common Loon fly over! Definitely was not expecting that, I
thought it was a Double-crested Cormorant at first.
-The refuge visitor center pool was where the action was at. We pulled in and
counted 52 Sandhill Cranes right there in front. It was so cool! A Northern
Harrier popped up too and gave a show in the wind. Right as we were leaving, a
subadult Bald Eagle flew in pretty low, circled, kicked up some ducks, and went
on it's way. We could hear and see swans deep in the Main Pool, but not well
enough to ID or count.
The Wildlife Drive is now closed for the season. Andrea at the refuge put
together a great FB post about what's open and what's not right now at
Montezuma NWR. Here's the link to that:
https://www.facebook.com/MontezumaNWR/photos/a.108438664332776/168733634969945/
Stay safe, healthy, and warm!
Alyssa
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Alyssa Johnson
Environmental Educator
315.365.3588
Montezuma Audubon Center
PO Box 187
2295 State Route 89
Savannah, NY 13146
Montezuma.audubon.org
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