I went around the lake today and saw many of the same birds Dave Nutter just posted. I have a few observations to add.
I had nothing at Myers Point, but had a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW on Long Point Rd, and one RED-HEADED WOODPECKER just south of Aurora. At East Road/Towpath I had 75 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 peeps. One larger peep was a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, and I think the other two were Semipalmated Sandpipers. At one point one to two hundred ducks took to the air and circled around before landing. Most were Mallards and Green-winged Teal, but I was a little surprised to see a pair of Gadwall, a pair of American Wigeon, and two pairs of Northern Shovelers in the flock. At Armitage Road I had a singing CERULEAN WARBLER (one also around the buildings at Montezuma). One PROTHONOTARY WARBLER sang on and off north of the road. I finally got a look and saw a drab Prothonotary with food in its bill just as another sang to my right and very close by. Both male and female in view at once! Both birds went at separate times to the same spot near the ground and behind a tree trunk, and I conclude they were feeding a fledgling. I managed only poor photos of the Prothonotaries, but did get both male and female carrying food. (See http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinJ.McGowan/Birds2011# for the photos, along with a number of other birds from today.) A trip through the Empire Farm Days did not turn up the hoped-for Upland Sandpiper, but did provide numbers of Horned Larks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, and lots and lots of European Starlings. I had been warned when I phoned for permission that they were cutting hay and I was likely to be disappointed. But, my first VESPER SPARROW of the year at the corner of Cosad/Seybolt roads helped me over the disappointment. Kevin -- 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/ --
