Hi all, Livia and I took the morning off to check around Montezuma, hoping to find the reported Little Blue Heron. We were unsuccessful in that regard, but had a lot of nice birds.
Highlights: --At least three ORCHARD ORIOLES at Myers Point, an adult and a young male chasing each other near the entrance and a third unseen bird singing from Salt Point. --GRASSHOPPER SPARROW singing in the fields on the north side of the southern leg of Lake Road in Ledyard. --Two FORSTER'S TERNS on the breakwall/dock extension at the Frontenac Marina in Union Springs on the way up, and four Sterna, at least two of which were COMMON TERNS on the same breakwall on the way back down. --300+ LEAST SANDPIPERS, 15+ SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, DUNLIN, both YELLOWLEGS, SOLITARY SANDPIPERS at the Visitor Center Pond/Main Pool (which is significantly drawn down at the moment). --A male CAPE MAY WARBLER singing and foraging in the spruces right at the start of the Wildlife Drive. --A gorgeous drake EURASIAN WIGEON in the middle of the Main Pool and several singing WILLOW FLYCATCHERS along the Wildlife Drive, as well as MARSH WRENS and two BLACK TERNS. --A single RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in the deadwood swamp on Mays Point Road, foraging and calling constantly, as well as drumming occasionally. --The singing male PROTHONOTARY WARBLER as well as many CERULEAN WARBLERS in the usual spot along the forested part of Armitage Road west of the metal bridge. --A beautiful adult GLOSSY IBIS foraging in the flooded cornfield on the south side of Carncross Road in Savannah, which took flight a few minutes after we arrived and headed south and out of sight into the horizon, perhaps bound for the Main Pool area. Lots of shorebirds at Carncross as well, including 15+ DUNLIN, a stunning BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and seven PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. A slightly transitional-plumaged FORSTER'S TERN was sitting with the dozen Caspian Terns in the same field. And probably a few more things I'm forgetting. Livia and I are planning on attempting a Basin Big Day tomorrow, so wish us luck! -- Jay McGowan Macaulay Library Cornell Lab of Ornithology jw...@cornell.edu -- 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/ --
