About a month ago the instructor for the IC course in Conservation
Biology asked me if I would lead a Sat. extra activity trip to look for
SNOW for students in the class . I said yes and we talked about the
biggest invasion in 20-40 years. I may have given the impression that
SNOW were everywhere and that we could see several, or at least that was
how the conversation was received. Then the announcement to the students
raised the expectation that SNOW were dripping from the trees, or at
least that the students should expect to see some.
So, yesterday I went north up Indian Field Rd. to Poplar Ridge and west
on Poplar Ridge to Corey Rd., the next road parallel to Indian Field,
and south on Corey Rd. south on it to Rt. 90 and back to Indian Field
Rd. and up it again, and then east on Poplar Ridge to Rt. 34 and then
west on Poplar Ridge to Aurura and up to Farley's Point to look for SNOW
on the ice edge in 20 degree temp with 25 mph winds, which I tired but
without real conviction.
And then back to Long Point Winery where I found two birders in a car at
4:50 who said they had seen 3 Short-eared Owls. However, the owls did
not reappear from then to 6:00 when I left.
All in all, the only raptor I saw was one Red-tailed Hawk and the
Screech Owl at Dandy's in Slaterville in the morning.
I don't look forward to being apologetic to students, but most
importantly the students are going to miss an exciting opportunity if I
can't show them a SNOW and SEOW on this coming Sat afternoon leaving at
2:00 in the afternoon. People have reorted SNOW moving around, but I
would really like to know about a potentially sedentary SNOW.
HELP: If you find a potentially, sedentary SNOW this week, could you
email me at con...@ithaca.edu or the listserve if you prefer. If you see
a SNOW on Sat morning, would you be kind enough to call my cell hone at
607-229-5952 before we leave at 2:00 or even later for birds that are
near the east side of the lake where we will be driving. I'd really like
to show the students a SNOW and maybe even a SEOW. I think it could be a
significant experience for students in the class.
Cheers,
John Confer
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