[cayugabirds-l] grebes and distortion
When I started my search for grebes at Well College boathouse late yesterday morning I scanned from the dock and saw zero of them. The water was calm but the air temperature was below freezing, so there was heat shimmer as I looked through the layer of warmer air at the water surface, and mid-distance Canada Geese looked all garbled. I figured a bit of elevation would help me see farther and also let me look down through the air layers so the distortion effect would not occur nearly as close. It worked, I could see farther clearly, and I immediately found a couple groups of HORNED GREBES plus a very distant pair of birds, one of which was a Horned Grebe and the other of which was similar in size and behavior but darker. During the next half hour I watched as they swam obliquely closer, and eventually was able to make out the dark bird's taller neck leaning more forward, the smaller head with higher crown, and briefly the light mark curving up behind the ear patch: EARED GREBE. Then, before Jay and Tim and Brad and another person whose name I don't know (sorry) arrived, the viewing conditions began deteriorating with a very slight breeze, and more distortion. Nonetheless, they agreed on the ID. As they headed north, I texted a report, but when I looked up I saw a boat traveling through the place the birds had been and one bird flying north, a Horned Grebe by its angled body and neck, which flew far north and alit again. I didn't see the Eared Grebe again, but learning Bob and Susan were on their way I gave them what info I had. When I heard from Bob a long time later that it was only from the dock that they could ID it, I felt bad that maybe my advice to view from the hill was bad. Then I realized that in the interim the temperature had risen to the high 30s, likely about water temperature, and probably whatever distortion effects I had dealt with had changed. In fact if the wind calmed at that temperature, the viewing was probably nearly ideal. Anyway I'm glad they finally found the bird.--Dave NutterOn Feb 05, 2012, at 08:42 PM, bob mcguire bmcgu...@clarityconnect.com wrote:I had just finished up a recording session along Hoag Avenue this morning (100 Pine Siskins - no crossbills) when I got Dave's call about the Eared Grebe at Aurora. I headed over to the boathouse, met up with Susan Danskin, and spent a good hour scanning back and forth among scattered groups of grebes. A light breeze had picked up, ruffling the water and bouncing the distant dots around a bit. We eventually confirmed ten of the dots as Horned Grebes (the same number reported earlier by Dave) and focused on the eleventh, most distant of all. After awhile the breeze subsided and the water smoothed out. We had been scanning from the parking lot, thinking that a bit of elevation would help with the shimmer. Susan suggested that we get closer to the bird by walking out on the dock. So, instead of 7,000 ft, we narrowed the distance to 6,900! But that was all it took. The shape we had been looking at was now clearly an Eared Grebe: darker overall than Horned Grebe, higher, fluffier "bustle", much less white on the neck and face, thin bill, and the head had a definite "crown" above the eye. Bob McGuire -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html'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: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! --
[cayugabirds-l] Stewart Park Eagle and Peregrine
Hi all, This morning Tim Lenz and I visited Stewart Park between 8:30 and 9. We couldn't see the Western Grebe, but we did get nice looks at a distant RED-THROATED LOON swimming with the DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. Other highlights were an adult BALD EAGLE that flew by and landed above Jetty Woods, a beautiful adult PEREGRINE FALCON perched on the lake side of the Swan Pen on a snag and a singing EASTERN BLUEBIRD that could be heard from Jetty Woods. -Brad -- 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] Syracuse RBA
RBA * New York * Syracuse * February 06, 2012 * NYSY 02.06.12 Hotline: Syracuse Rare bird Alert Dates(s): January 30, 2012 - February 06, 2012 to report by e-mail: brinjoseph AT yahoo.com covering upstate NY counties: Cayuga, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) (just outside Cayuga County), Onondaga, Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison Cortland compiled:February 06 AT 7:30 p.m. (EST) compiler: Joseph Brin Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org #291 -Monday February 06, 2012 Greetings! This is the Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert for the week of January 30 , 2012 Highlights: --- RED -THROATED LOON WESTERN GREBE (Extralimital) TUNDRA SWAN NORTHERN HARRIER TURKEY VULTURE ICELAND GULL GLAUCOUS GULL SNOWY OWL NORTHERN SHRIKE FISH CROW BOHEMIAN WAXWING YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL COMMON REDPOLL PINE SISKIN Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) 2/6: NORTHERN HARRIERS were seen at the Visitor’s Center and May’s Point. Onondaga County SNOWY OWLS were reported at Syracuse’s Hancock Airport again this week, mostly from the Corregidor Road area but also from Malden Road south of the airport. Also being seen was a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 1/31: CANVASBACK and RED HEAD ducks were seen in Skaneateles Lake from the village. 2/1: 9 species of waterfowl including GREEN-WINGED TEAL and CANVASBACK were seen at the mouth of Nine Mile Creek on Onondaga Lake. 10 FISH CROWS were found at the Marina in Liverpool. 2/2: A NORTHERN HARRIER was seen on Maple Road in the Town of Clay. A TURKEY VULTURE and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were found in the fields east of 60 Road at Three Rivers WMA north of Baldwinsville. 2/4: PINE SISKINS were seen on Shakham Road near the Cortland County line. 2/6: A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and a NORTHERN SHRIKE were seen in the fields east of 60 Road in the Three Rivers WMA. Madison County 2/1: 7 ICELAND GULLS and 1 GLAUCOUS GULL were seen at the Madison County Landfill. 2/6: A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and a NORTHERN SHRIKE were spotted at the Chickadee Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Erieville. Oswego County 2/3: 5 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were found on North Church Road in Boylston. 2/5: WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were again seen on North Church Road along with PINE SISKINS. On Wart Road a NORTHERN SHRIKE wass found. 20 COMMON REDPOLLS were found at Selkirk Shores State Park. 2/6: At Derby Hill a RED-THROATED LOON was seen from the overlook and a NORTHERN SHRIKE was spotted south of Rt.104-B near Sage Creek Road. Extralimital A WESTERN GREBE has been seen through the week from Stewart Park at the south end of Cayuga Lake near Ithaca. End Transcript -- Joseph Brin Region 5 Baldwinsville, N.Y. 13027 U.S.A. -- 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] Summer Hill - Aurora - Ithaca
Summer Hill Forest – (mostly on Hoag Avenue near Salt Road) White-wing Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Raven, White-throated Sparrow Aurora – Horned Grebes, Snow Geese Hog’s Hole – around 1:45 PM NO grebe or loon - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir -- 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] Redpoll
We had a single COMMON REDPOLL briefly at our feeders in Brooktondale this morning. S. S. Fast -- 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] Eastern Towhee in Interlaken
On a Sunday walk along the old Black Diamond RR bed between Powell Rd and the village of Interlaken, Mary Jean and I found an EASTERN TOWHEE. Also sighted were downy, red belly, chickadee, white breasted nuthatch, titmouse, cardinal, blue bird, blue jay and red tail. Often seen, but not yesterday, were mockingbird, robin and an array of sparrows. Marty == Marty Schlabach m...@cornell.edu 8407 Powell Rd. home 607-532-3467 Interlaken, NY 14847 cell315-521-4315 == -- 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/ --
