[cayugabirds-l] Thousand Island (Grand Lake Reserve) and Montezuma Birding Report

[Sandy Wold]

Thanks to all who responded to my query.  I actually knew the area I wanted
to bird, but I did not know what - if any- public trails were available.
So if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it.  It is the GRAND
LAKE RESERVE in Jefferson County, Redwood, NY ( far away from the St.
Lawrence tourist craziness).  I found a wonderful farm house to stay in,
called "Better Farm,"  listed on Airbnb and is an artist
colony/sustainability education center in Redwood, NY.  I decided to bird
the property from the front and back porches of the main house and the
porch of the art barn, and I mapped everything, which I will post on
Facebook Cayuga Bird Club.  The map will be used by Better Farms to educate
their visitors and maybe inspire some art!  I took a few hours to explore
nearby trails and lakes, but they were insanely buggy.

Here is what I saw/heard on the 65 acre farm:

July 4, 7pm-8:30pm (arrival)
CATBIRD
HOUSE WREN
CEDAR WAXWINGS
WOODTHRUSH (back woods)
WHIPOORWILL (all around the art barn, came on porch, but I missed it!)
AMERICAN ROBIN
VEERY (heard across the road)
CHIPPING SPARROW

JULY 5, 5:15AM
EASTERN PHOEBE CALLING

JULY 5, 8AM-8PM
CHIPPING SPARROW
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
CATBIRD
HOUSE WREN
YELLOW WARBLER
2 BARN SWALLOWS, JUV (MOULTING?  LOOKED ROUGH)
PILEATED WOODPECKER DRUMMING (slows at the end?)
PHEASANT CALLING FROM FAR OFF (RUFFED GROUSE?)
CROWS
IMMATURE AND MATURE TURKEY VULTURES SITTING ON SNAG
6 CEDAR WAXWING FAMILY
FLYCATCHER JUV. (DARK PINK BILL, MATCHING FEET, SOME YELLOW ON BELLY,
STREAKS ON CHEST, GREY HEAD)
INDIGO BUNTING
TREE SPARROW
REDWINGED BLACKBIRD
AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER (MY FIRST!)
TURKEY VULTURES SOARING (a guest showed me a picture of what looked to be
30-50 vultures sitting on the posts at the vineyard down the road two days
before- incredible!)
HAWK (probably Red-tailed)

HIGHLIGHTS for me:
Black and White Warbler and the juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER I saw
perched on a telephone wire at the intersection of Rte 37 and 411 (grass
fields), as I drove home.  I took pictures and video taped its "keek keek"
call. It fell asleep at one point, then it was spooked and flew to another
wire.  I saw a yellow bill, bill about 2x bigger than head, white on belly,
collar had a necklace of spots.  Sounds like short-billed, but the call
matched the long-billed.

MONTEZUMA HIGHLIGHTS, today, July 6, 1pm-4pm

VISITOR CENTER:  PURPLE MARTINS were so busy feeding their young.  I found
the behaviors curious:  the females seemed most aggressive and sometimes
pushed a male off the platform as if to say, "don't stand there, go get
more food."  Then it appeared as if the females would stand in front of the
baby they just fed as if to wait for the male to return and feed the other
one.  When he did not come, she started looking up and around to other
platforms, as if to say , "where the heck is he??? did he go to the wrong
platform?"  and off she'd go to get more insects.  Then he'd show up and
feed the baby that just got fed!!!  there were multiple scuffles int he
half hour I watched.  the scuffles seemed to be a pushing away of a male,
but then after a hostile scuffle, the female would jump to another
platform.  One time, it appeared that a juvenile came out and one of the
adults was trying to shove it back in the hole?  There seem to be two
babies per hole, and they are adorable!!!

WILDLIFE DRIVE:  COMMON YELLOW THROAT (male and female feeding young),
KINGBIRD? fledglings perched on snag in shrub ( saw pure white chest, white
tips on tail, harsh kip sound)  TREE SWALLOW was nearby, but the tail tip
told me the four juveniles were Kingbird.  IMMATURE BALD EAGLES in tree
top, another one soaring calmly and suddenly did a 360 degree turn!  I was
shocked. It was not 180, but 360.  I did not blink during the turn.   I so
enjoyed watching so many bird families out today, including the BARN
SWALLOW family at the edge of road.  1 BANK SWALLOW, 6 BLACK TERNS, 1 COOT

EATON MARSH
MARSH WRENS (saw one, heard many calling); CLAY COLORED SPARROW?  it was
very small,had a dark cheek spot and white patch on its side flank) and was
poking around on the side of the road going in and out of the grasses
there, juv. PIED BILLED GREBE, UFO Hawk...and around the final stretch of
Wildlife Drive, I saw a NORTHERN HARRIER (white rump) flying low from the
water's edge over the grasses.

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[cayugabirds-l] Syracuse RBA

[Joseph Brin]

RBA *  New York*  Syracuse* July 06 2015*  NYSY  07. 06. 15 Hotline: Syracuse 
Rare bird AlertDates(s):June 29, 2015 - July 06, 2015to report by e-mail: 
brinjoseph AT yahoo.comcovering upstate NY counties: Cayuga, Montezuma National 
Wildlife Refugeand Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) (just outside Cayuga 
County),Onondaga, Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida, Herkimer,  Madison & 
Cortlandcompiled: July 06  AT 5:00 p.m. (DST)compiler: Joseph BrinOnondaga 
Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org  #449 Monday July 06, 2015 Greetings. 
This is the Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert for the week of June 26, 2014 
Highlights:---SANDHILL CRANEGREAT EGRETLESSER YELLOWLEGSRED-HEADED 
WOODPECKERACADIAN FLYCATCHERHENSLOW’S SPARROWORCHARD ORIOLEEVENING GROSBEAK


Montezuma National Wildlife Complex (MNWC) and Montezuma Wetlands Complex 
(MWC)
     6/30: A juvenile ORCHARD ORIOLE was seen on VanDyne Spoor Road.     7/1: 
24 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were seen at the Visitor’s Center. (Coming or going?) Two 
adult and one juvenile SANDHILL CRANES were seen in the marsh from VanDyne 
Spoor Road.     7/3: An ORCHARD ORIOLE and only 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were found 
along the Wildlife Drive. Two adult and one juvenlie SANDHILL CRANES were seen 
from Carncross Road.     7/4: 6 GREAT EGRETS were seen in Knox-Marsellus Marsh. 
3 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen at the Mays Point Road site. No mention 
whether one was a juvenile.

Onondaga County
     7/3: An ORCHARD ORIOLE was found at Green Lakes State Park.     7/5: An 
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER continues at Whiskey Hollow west of Baldwinsville.

Oneida County
     7/4: An ORCHARD ORIOLE was seen on Higginsville Road east of Sylvan Beach.

Herkimer County
     6/29: 2 adult male EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen on Rt. 169 in the Town of 
Manheim.     7/2: A GREAT EGRET was spotted on Carlson Road.

Jefferson County
     7/3: A HENSLOW’S SPARROW was seen on Dog Hill Road in the Perch River WMA.
      

    --  end report


Joseph BrinRegion 5Baldwinsville, N.Y.  13027  U.S.A.

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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Water Levels At Montezuma

[Ziemba, Linda]

Hello Everyone,

The canal has finally dropped enough to allow us to let water out of the
Main Pool again.  Hopefully, mud will be exposed soon.  However, it will
depend on rainfall and the water level in the canal.

We began letting water out of Knox-Marsellus Marsh on June 29.  Mud should
be exposed there soon, depending on the weather.



Linda Chorba Ziemba
Wildlife Biologist
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
3395 US Route 20 East
Seneca Falls, NY 13148-9423
Phone:  315-568-5987 ext. 225
Fax:  315-568-8835


On Fri, Jul 3, 2015 at 1:20 PM, Dave Nutter  wrote:

> There's no mud showing at K-M. Nor is there any mud at the main pool
> anymore, whether due solely to rain or perhaps management gave up on
> draining it.
> At Carncross the cornstubble field is fallow and weedy with wet areas on
> the south and east sides, accessible by walking the eastern dike or perhaps
> from the Deep Muck platform or Morgan, but be prepared for mosquitos.
> Yesterday Ann Mitchell & I saw from Carncross Rd as a flock of 10 GREATER
> YELLOWLEGS flew in and settled in the southern part of that "field", and we
> hiked along the dike for a closer look.
>
> --Dave Nutter
>
>
> On Jul 03, 2015, at 08:47 AM, David Nicosia  wrote:
>
>
> Are the water levels very high at Montezuma? I know Cayuga Lake has been
> very high recently
>
> and the spill rate out of Cayuga through Mud Lock has been  up to 6000 CFS
> which is extremely high.
>
> This was to mitigate flooding on Cayuga. Is K-M marsh flooded? I was
> planning on going up today but plans changed.
>
> I am going to get up that way in the next few days I hope.
>
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] OOB: Black Stork nest-cam in Latvia

[Melanie Uhlir]

This Black Stork nest cam is wonderful!

The nestlings are stretching their wings and one of them just 
redecorated the nest. Picked up a stick from the left side and carefully 
brought it over and tucked it into the right side.

Off-topic: I got to have a really close look at a Yellow-shafted Flicker 
today. Boy, was he gorgeous!

Melanie

On 7/5/2015 2:01 PM, Wesley M. Hochachka wrote:
>
> Thanks for posting the link to the Black Stork nest Dave!  Nest 
> locations often seem to be closely guarded secrets in western Europe, 
> and away from nests these birds don’t forage in areas where they can 
> be watched easily.  As best I know, with the exception of migrating 
> birds (southern tip of Spain, western Black Sea coast south through 
> the eastern Mediterranean) and a couple of cliff nests in a national 
> part in western Spain that I can think of, birders basically don’t 
> have a lot of guaranteed opportunities to see Black Storks.  So that 
> webcam is pretty special.
>
> In the background this (Latvian) afternoon I’ve picked out European 
> Robin, Eurasian Wren, Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff briefly, and I 
> think a Garden Warbler.
>
> Wesley Hochachka
>
> *From:*bounce-119427645-3494...@list.cornell.edu 
> [mailto:bounce-119427645-3494...@list.cornell.edu] *On Behalf Of *Dave 
> Nutter
> *Sent:* Sunday, July 05, 2015 6:06 AM
> *To:* CAYUGABIRDS-L
> *Subject:* [cayugabirds-l] OOB: Black Stork nest-cam in Latvia
>
> A few days ago my Stefhan Ohlström sent me this link to a site with 
> several nest-cams in Latvia, which is east across the Baltic Sea from 
> the southern part of his native Sweden.
> https://www.eenet.ee/EENet/kaamerad
> Some of the nests were already empty, which may also be why some 
> cameras were not streaming, but the BLACK STORK nest is still active:
> https://www.eenet.ee/EENet/melnais-starkis
> This species was unfamiliar to me. I haven't traveled to its range. My 
> books tell me it's more uncommon, shy, and solitary than the familiar 
> rooftop-nesting White Stork of open farmland. The Black Stork 
> "frequents lakes, rivers and marshes surrounded by woods."
>
> The broad platform nest is in a huge tree within forest. There are 2 
> nestlings, and they appear full-grown, so I don't know how much longer 
> they'll remain in view.  Despite their new feathers they look scruffy 
> to me. Their necks and backs are mottled with gray instead of pure 
> black; their legs are gray and bills yellowish rather than both being 
> bright red. Mostly they stand, quietly preening, or pacing slowly, 
> sometimes poking at sticks of the nest, or backing slowly toward the 
> edge to defecate. A couple times I have seen a single flap-hop. 
> Stretches of those black wings are impressive, but otherwise it's a 
> subdued scene. The background noise, in addition to wind, big 
> feathers, and a fly or two, seems to include a pigeon, a wren, and 
> some songbirds I don't recognize.
>
> It's worth waiting for a parent to show up, which I've now seen three 
> times. Even if you aren't watching, the sound will alert you. Suddenly 
> the youngters crouch down on their long tibio-tarsi and begin bobbing 
> their heads and calling. This can go on for several minutes while the 
> parent stands on a nearby branch, which may or may not be in view, or 
> may fly to a different branch and even seem to be uninterested. It can 
> take awhile for the adult to actually come to the nest and feed them. 
> I don't think the delay is from reluctance to face the huge and 
> intimidating babies. They actually look obedient, well-disciplined, 
> and patient, yet persistent, while they beg. Perhaps the adult needs a 
> lot of stimulation. Maybe the internal rearranging of food and 
> regurgitation-muscles takes awhile.
>
> Finally, wings spread above its children, the parent steps onto the 
> nest, extends its long neck forward and down between them, and opens 
> its bill. The excited youngsters are squealing, flapping their wings, 
> and poking and grabbing from either side when the parent coughs up 
> food. The first time I saw this the meal was a few anonymous bits 
> which were quickly gobbled up by both, then the parent departed.
>
> The second feeding I saw, the begging seemed interminable, during 
> which the sun rose through the leaves in the background. The meal was 
> a single fish almost the size of the bird's neck. It came out 
> suddenly. There was a very brief scuffle until one youngster got a 
> better grip and turned aside. I feared the fish would be lost 
> overboard, but the winner expertly swallowed it almost as rapidly as 
> it had been ejected from the parent. The sibling got nothing! I was 
> stunned. Then the parent bent over and produced a second, equally 
> large fish! Fortunately the hungry kid won that round and scarfed it 
> down. The parent flew off, leaving the youngsters to stand, rearrange 
> their swollen necks, and clatter their bills.
>
> As I was finishing writing, I was interrupted by a

[cayugabirds-l] Christopher Lane Merlin nest failure

[John Confer]

Maddie and I visited the nest at the corner of Christopher Land and 
Christopher Circle on 20 June and saw the female move on the nest. 
Numerous subsequent visits have detected nothing. It is almost 
impossible for nestlings to have fledged and dispersed without being 
detected on the visits after 20 June. But before counting this as a 
failed nest,

Did anyone see or hear fledglings are activity at the nest after 20 
June?? Maybe reply off line at con...@ithaca.edu, thanks.

As the male would say, ka, ka, ka, ka

John Confer

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[cayugabirds-l] Merlin update

[John Confer]

N. Titus Street nest: Fledged 5
 29 June, Monday: At least two probably three flying and two 
nestlings climbing around branches successfully became free-flying. I 
was fairly certain that I heard begging calls from two different 
directions while watching a third out of the nest on the day when two, 
ready-to-fledge nestlings were climbing around branches and flapping.

Dryden School Yard: Likely to fledge five.
  5 July, Sunday: Two climbing around branches. Two free-lying 
fledglings, with the possibility of one remaining quite during visit.

Cascadilla Avenue: Four nestlings
 4 July, Saturday: Female fed four nestlings. Look at the link below 
for great pictures of Merlin nestlings as they age. Based on those 
pictures, the nestlings were probably 16 days old on the fourth and 
likely to fledge at ~28 days, at around ~15 July. Nestlings don't all 
leave at the same day.

Nestling images at 


Counting your chickens before the fledge, 3 of 5 local nests may fledge 
or have already fledged 13-14 Merlins for 2.6 to 2.8 young per nest.

John Confer

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