Stopped by Goetchius wetland preserve this morning and was treated to a wonderful air show by a winnowing Wilson's Snipe. The unmistakable winnowing sound could be easily heard coming in waves one after the next, but spotting the bird in the sky was trickier until I figured out how high to look, sometimes almost directly overhead. The plentiful tree swallows flying didn't make the task any easier. The winnowing went on for up to five minutes at a time followed by a rest period where the snipe would call a repetitive call somewhat reminiscent of flicker or merlin. The sky dances lasted til around 9am, but after a lull there was another dance while a second snipe flew around I think also winnowing but couldn't tell for sure. Not long after, three snipes were seen flying in a semi-coordinated manner as if for courtship, one flying high, the other two trailing a bit and somewhat lower.
The preserve itself is quite wet and a bit rough going, and you don't need to walk out to see the show. I think the view is just as good if not better from the road, in the open stretch just south of the trees with the FLLT parking area on Flat Iron road. In the warm afternoon I paddled Jennings pond to the cattails at the south end where after flushing two pairs of Lesser Scaups I heard the grunts of a Virginia Rail. Amid the plentiful songs of Swamp Sparrows, a gentler trill from the nearby pines and junipers was identified as a Pine Warbler by Merlin Sound ID. I never saw the bird and can't rule out junco, but pine warbler seems like a strong possibility there. Also hanging around that end were a pair of Spotted Sandpipers. Later three Broad-Winged Hawks circled fairly low while squealing, with one seemingly chasing away another. These seem to be on territory rather than on the move. Suan _____________________ Composed by thumb and autocorrect. -- 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/ --
