[cayugabirds-l] SFO Local Trip Sunday
Bill Ostrander and I led a small group (9) of SFO students on today’s “local” trip. After exhausting all of the possibilities on the pond from inside the Lab, including great looks at a pair of bobbing Spotted Sandpipers right before our eyes, we headed down south to the Lindsay-Parson’s Preserve. Since part of the reason for the field trips is to showcase local birding hot spots, we started out on the west section, by the pond and then up the hill from the fire station. Five Great Blue Herons appear to be nesting in the rookery (all with only tops of heads showing - must be on eggs), and there were the expected birds: Tree Swallows, Red-wings, and Grackles. No Green Heron until a couple of folks spotted it on the way out. Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats along the road. Even though the steep climb up the hillside to the water tower has been eased by a new gravel road, it took us over an hour to reach the top. We spent time observing American Redstarts, Ovenbirds, a really close Hooded Warbler, as well as a Veery, multiple Wood Thrushes (heard but not seen), and then close-in Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos. The most spectacular sighting was a trio of Tanagers - two males chasing a female. The contrast of the bright scarlet on the males against the yellow-green of the unfolding leaves was breathtaking. On the way up we watched a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, one of which flew back and forth across the road until a second emerged from a dead tree (nest cavity?) and they both flew off. From there we took the short hop down to the main preserve parking lot. As we got out of our cars we were greeted by singing Prairie Warblers and a House Wren. Then, before we could even get across the small bridge at the bottom of the ravine, we ran across a singing Blue-winged Warbler, joined shortly thereafter by a Chestnut-sided Warbler. I know this all sounds rather prosaic to folks who are out birding a lot. But these “common” birds brought smiles to the faces of everyone I watched. We didn’t get any farther along the trail than the first open meadow. There were a couple of bouncing ball” sparrows, a distant Bobolink, and then great looks at a couple of Indigo Buntings. I’ve left out a whole bunch of birds, like the tree-top Blackburnian Warbler, the fly-over Sharp-shinned Hawk, and all the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, but it’s time to close. Altogether we saw/heard a total of 63 species. I think we had a good morning. Bob McGuire -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Local Trip Saturday
I spent yesterday morning scouting for today’s local trip, looking for new arrivals and for particularly birdy locations. Unfortunately, I did not come up with much and was left wondering, this morning, what to do. The answer came via text message from Ann Mitchell. Just as we were leaving the Lab of O to walk around Sapsucker Woods, Ann writes of an AMERICAN BITTERN hanging out at the Swan Pen (actually, the “Louis Agassiz Fuertes Memorial Bird Sanctuary” - Thanks Geo), Stewart Park. We jumped in the cars and headed down. We would have had a very difficult time locating the statuesque Bittern, hidden as it was in a small stand of cattails. We would have walked right past it had Susan not pointed us directly to it. We enjoyed great scope views, even better when the bird was flushed up onto an exposed tree truck by a local photographer. Our attention was then drawn to the few remaining ducks offshore: Ruddy Duck, both Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, the lone remaining Canvasback, and a pair of Spotted Sandpipers. From there we headed out to Monkey Run South and walked the eastern loop of the Cayuga Trails Club trail. At the start the woods were filled with …..quiet. But it picked up as we moved along. We were able to call in both Nuthatches, Downy, Hairy Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (in fact, a group of three, nicely interacting and calling all the while), a very cooperative Brown Creeper, a more cooperative Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and an even more cooperative (or at least, very obliging) pair of PINE WARBLERS. Just short of the parking lot we picked up a Hermit Thrush - no way on knowing if he is a newly-arrived migrant or the guy that has wintered there this year. With a bit of time left, we drove down to the Mulholland Preserve on Six Mile Creek, hoping for the recently-reported Louisiana Waterthrushes. We listened. We tried to call them in. But to no avail. That was it for the day. All in all, I think we did all right! It was a great group, with lots of knowledge and a willingness to pass it around. And I heard that a couple of folks saw life birds today. Bob McGuire -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO local trip, Sat 4/11
About a dozen participants joined me for this morning's local walk for Cornell's Spring Field Ornithology course. We found a lot of birds (50 species). A few times, it was almost too much fun to process at once. Here are some highlights. Sapsucker Woods (7 AM-10 AM) * Lingering AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS in the feeder garden, plus at least two singing their high, clear songs across Sapsucker Woods Road. We tried to enjoy these birds as if we wouldn't get many more chances to see them for a while. * An AMERICAN KESTREL attacking a RED-TAILED HAWK by Kip's Barn * One RUSTY BLACKBIRD seen singing in the low wet brush north of the Lab building, plus another heard singing near the Sherwood Platform * Two continuing GREAT EGRETS sporting long nuptial plumes, seen several times along the western and southern edges of the pond * A pair of WOOD DUCKS taking flight from high in the trees along the Wilson Trail South * About a dozen RING-NECKED DUCKS, plus BUFFLEHEADS, HOODED MERGANSERS, and a pair of Wood Ducks on the pond * One pair of CANADA GEESE and one pair of MALLARDS copulating on the water (or maybe I should say in -- the females were pushed completely under the surface) * Two singing PURPLE FINCHES along the Wilson Trail North, with one perching for long, illustrative scope views * At least four GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS at the Wilson/West intersection * One SHARP-SHINNED HAWK migrating north over the woods west of the pond * A few BROWN CREEPERS, including one very close by along the Podell Boardwalk Newman Golf Course (10:15-11 AM) * One adult and two bulky, down-clad GREAT HORNED OWLS on their nest * A second-year BALD EAGLE lowering its legs like landing gear while circling above an OSPREY, then descending to the water and pulling out a huge fish Mark Chao --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO Local Trip to Park Station
Our group of four investigated Park Station, a Chemung County park about 3.5 miles southwest of Arnot Forest. We first stopped at the fishing access on Laurel Hill Road where two adult Ring-billed Gulls were hanging out in the parking area. A transitional Common Loon was very actively diving, so we decided to track down the singing Bobolinks in the flood control dam's spillway and had fine looks at them, one landing just 10 yards away in the mowed trail. He joined two others to chase a female. We watched the flap-glide flight of Eastern Meadowlarks and listened to the buzzy songs of Savannah Sparrows. When we returned to the scope, the loon had finally settled down and we were able to enjoy leisurely looks at it. The six White-winged Scoters that had been on the lake, Saturday, had already departed, so Mallards and a passing female Common Merganser were the only other waterfowl. Next, we parked near the main entrance and headed for the woods. Two members of our group were beginners, so we took our time lookikng at birds that afforded good veiws: Chipping Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, and Blackburnian Warblers, Eastern Kingbird, and Tree Swallow. Only I got to see the Bay-breasted Warbler foraging in a Red Oak. We also spent time learning how to distinguish vireo, robin, and Scarlet Tanager songs. Early in our walk, we listened to the quiet song of the Philadelphia Vireo, but only a couple of us got fleeting glimpses. Other songs that we spent time on included Black-throated Green Warbler, Ovenbird, and a couple of the many calls in the Red-winged Blackbird repertoire. A Red-shouldered Hawk screamed from the forest as we were walking away from it. Everyone commented on the beauty of the place. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to explore it more. -- Bill Ostrander -- 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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] SFO local trip
Some highlights from a fine morning with the SFO local trip. From Monkey run south, where we found no new migrants but listened to songs of residents and watched the sun come out, we proceeded to Mount Pleasant, where we found cold WSW wind and no raptor movement at ~ 8:30 am. The only passing traveler was a single DC CORMORANT flying high; there was a group of N FLICKERS that may have been migrants foraging for the morning, and we heard and saw a presumably local C RAVEN. We stopped off at the game farm where a patch of sunshine beautifully lit a great demonstration of multiple RED-TAILED HAWKs' aerobatics in the strong wind. A single distant BROAD-WINGED hawk went by heading north, but was seen only by the leader and not counted on our list. We next went down to Stewart Park where there were some SCAUP (L) on the water along with BUFFLEHEADS, and (probably more than one, though not seen/heard simultaneously) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS around the swan pen. Also great looks at many ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs, flying and perched, along with the TREE and BARN SWs for comparison. Also had great looks at a presumably newly-arrived migrant BROWN THRASHER foraging on the ground in front of the boathouse, along with HOODED MERGANSERS in the channel. An OSPREY did a very dramatic low-altitude flyover, ending in a spectacular folded-wing acceleration down and out of view behind the boathouse. We later watched it deconstruct a fish while perched in a tree across the channel. Next stop was Burdick Hill Rd, where we heard but did not see an E MEADOWLARK, also E BLUEBIRD, KESTREL and a single (!) TURKEY. Finally we stopped at Comstock knoll and heard a couple of songs from a PINE WARBLER and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. Back at the lab we picked up a FIELD SPARROW and FOX SPARROW, and a PIED-BILLED GREBE. A 57 sp. morning, thanks to all good observers! --John Greenly -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
