[cayugabirds-l] Prothonotary Warbler fledglings
As Jay already reported, Jeff Gerbracht and I found FOUR very recently fledged baby Prothonotary Warblers on the north side of Armitage Road yesterday morning. They were very cute. So cute, in fact, that I had to upload some photos of them as well as some other highlights from yesterday. See link below. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinicola/ I think Jay posted most of our highlights already, but we also saw a single male Greater Scaup on the west side of Cayuga Lake just north of the Lakeshore Winery. As others have mentioned, the shorebird habitat at East Road / Towpath is excellent. If I were to adopt Matt Young's crossbill cone crop ratings to shorebird habitat, I would give it a 4.5. It looses half a point, because birds are very distant and best viewed early in the morning before the heat shimmer begins. There were over 500 peeps including a very early Baird's Sandpiper, as well as Wilson's Phalarope and Stilt Sandpiper. Cheers, Chris Wood eBird Neotropical Birds Project Leader Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York http://ebird.org http://neotropical.birds.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/ --
[cayugabirds-l] Sandhill Cranes
Out birding with the girls and watching 2 Sand Hill Cranes from east rd at Knox Marcellus marsh MNWR now Sent from my iPhone -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Prothonotary Warbler fledglings
Great photos!! Glad to see they are raising young there. On another note, why is it that we can't walk out on the trail that goes from Towpath road to east road between both marshes. This is obviously a GREAT fall staging area for shorebirds and we birders have to struggle to get views. Those of us with expensive high-end scopes can do it to some extent but what about all the others? Why does Montezuma NWR not allow people to walk out on this trail that connects East road to Towpath? I understand the idea of refuges for wildlife and disturbances but I have been to other places(Forsythe, Heislerville, NJ as examples) where the shorebirds literally walk around your feet totally unafraid. Also I would think that the more people that become interested in shorebirds and birds in general the more conservation dollars that are contributed. Right now, the way it is, you have to high end scopes to enjoy this shorebird spectacle. Those of us who do, I presume, already contribute a lot to conservation. I know I do. Anyway, this place should be a 5 and not a 4.5 only if they would allow birders access to that trail. Sorry for the rant. Dave Nicosia From: Christopher Wood chris.w...@cornell.edu To: Upstate NY Birding CAYUGABIRDS-L@cornell.edu Sent: Sun, July 10, 2011 5:24:36 PM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Prothonotary Warbler fledglings As Jay already reported, Jeff Gerbracht and I found FOUR very recently fledged baby Prothonotary Warblers on the north side of Armitage Road yesterday morning. They were very cute. So cute, in fact, that I had to upload some photos of them as well as some other highlights from yesterday. See link below. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinicola/ I think Jay posted most of our highlights already, but we also saw a single male Greater Scaup on the west side of Cayuga Lake just north of the Lakeshore Winery. As others have mentioned, the shorebird habitat at East Road / Towpath is excellent. If I were to adopt Matt Young's crossbill cone crop ratings to shorebird habitat, I would give it a 4.5. It looses half a point, because birds are very distant and best viewed early in the morning before the heat shimmer begins. There were over 500 peeps including a very early Baird's Sandpiper, as well as Wilson's Phalarope and Stilt Sandpiper. Cheers, Chris Wood eBird Neotropical Birds Project Leader Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York http://ebird.org http://neotropical.birds.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/ -- -- 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/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Seneca Meadows, Clay-colored, 60X shorebirds
To response to Ken's warning about viewing the Clay-colored Sparrow: I arrived there shortly after 6 AM this morning and began recording immediately, from the road. At around 6:30 a gentleman came out of house 2340 and walked out to get his paper. I told him what I was doing - and offered him one of the recordings to listen to (he was not hearing the bird initially). I explained that it was an unusual occurrence and obtained his permission to walk onto the property (around the four blue spruces). So he, at least, does not seem to be a problem. Yesterday the woman who lives across the road and slightly east came out to ask what we were doing. She seemed pleased to hear - and, jokingly, said she would have to go back inside and comb her hair for the visitors. The bottom line is that the bird can be heard clearly (and viewed) from the road. Bob McGuire On Jul 10, 2011, at 6:11 PM, Kenneth Victor Rosenberg wrote: I woke up ridiculously early so decided to drive up to Seneca Meadows and Montezuma, arriving at the parking lot of Seneca Meadows just as a gentleman in a pick-up showed up to open the gate at 4:30 AM. I walked the entire trail system of grassland and marsh impoundments in the cool pre-dawn, and was fairly disappointed to hear no calling bitterns or rails, despite my prodding and clapping. Quite a few COMMON MOORHENs and MARSH WRENS calling, and a family of PIED-BILLED GREBES on the south-most impoundment. Lots of SAVANNAH SPARROWS, but mostly this place is SONG SPARROW heaven, and the numbers of sparrows that might be there in early October could be very impressive. As I was arriving all the way back at my car just after sunrise, a lone AMERICAN BITTERN flew over -- so I know they're in there! Next I had the drive-by CLAY-COLORED SPARROW on King Rd. -- I barely stopped because just west of the sparrow house, another not-so-nice gentleman in a pick-up angrily accused me of looking at his yard: there are no birds over there! Be careful out there. I did not have luck with Prothonotary or Cerulean warblers during a brief stop on Armitage Rd. but may not have been at the exact right spot. As others have reported today, the shorebirds were excellent but very distant at Knox Marcellus Marsh. I counted first from East Rd. while it was still fairly cool, but shortly after I arrived at the viewing spot on Towpath, the heat shimmer began to increase. Scanning repeatedly at 60 power, we managed to pick out the aforementioned BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, SANDERLING, STILT SANDPIPER, DUNLIN (1 possibly 2), and 4-5 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. The phalarope seems to have moved on. Overall numbers may have been down from yesterday, as my usually-liberal counting produced only about 700 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and 300 LEAST SANDPIPERS (very difficult to count), plus 70 KILLDEER, 30 SPOTTED SANDPIPER, and only about 4-5 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS than I could see. Lots of ugly ducks, molting into eclipse plumage -- mostly GREEN-WINGED TEAL and MALLARDS, with smaller numbers of BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, at least one NORTHERN PINTAIL, and a single male REDHEAD. Also, the nice BLACK TERNS in assorted plumage, and 14 CASPIAN TERNS. For punishment, I stopped at North Spring Pool, where I could see that there were many KILLDEER and a few more LESSER YELLOWLEGS, among the stumps -- but viewing was impossible. For more punishment, I then drove the Wildlife Loop. The new shorebird area (Whimbrel Flats?) had some habitat, with 40 KILLDEER and a single LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPER -- so worth checking. All and all, some good July birding. KEN Ken Rosenberg Director of Conservation Science Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2412 607-342-4594 (cell) k...@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/ -- -- 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/ --
