Here are the highlights of birds Dave Nutter and I saw today on the west side of Cayuga Lake. This list is not all-inclusive of what we saw. Dave will be posting a detailed list on eBird. Six of these birds were my first ever and marked with an asterisk.
Taughannok Marina Canvas Backs, Lesser Scaup, Ringed-billed Gulls Taughannok Swimming Beach with Diving Board, 8:54-9:15am 2 Wood Ducks*, Canvasback, Redhead, Ringed-necked, Lesser and Greater Scaup, 2 Buffleheads, Common Merganser Upper Taughannok Falls Overlook Parking Lot, 9:23-9:35am 6 Wood Ducks in flight, Red-tailed Hawk, Crow chasing Raven (also seen by me on Monday*), Congress Street Extension north of Trumansburg in Covert, 10:09am 2 American Pipits (up close!) were foraging among the corn stubble but then came very close to the car and spent a long time in between the field and snow mound in the wet ditch. Sheldrake Point (along entire road) 1 Ruddy Duck (male), 2 American Wigeons, 2 American Black Ducks, 3 Ringed-necked Ducks (2 male, 1 female), Common Goldeneyes courting display was very entertaining, 2 Wood Ducks, 5 Mute Swans, 1 Tundra Swan Yale Farm Road, 2pm-3? Rough-legged Hawk* (gave us a very long viewing while it hunted and ate a vole and then hunted again while hovering like a kite), approx. 40 Snow Bunting, 5 Tundra Swans, gulls, starlings, approximately 180 Snow Geese* (and then hundreds and hundreds more all flying westerly!), and the Snowy Owl* (with very little brown coloration, male?), and then as we were about to leave, a Northern Harrier came out of a tree and swapped places in the same tree with the Rough-legged Hawk! So we watch Northern Harrier for about 20 minutes. As we were trying to leave yet another time, a Killdeer flew in. Rock River Road, Interlaken, 3:20pm Flock or suite of birds flew into and through Sumac, one Bluebird* landed on the telephone wire for excellent viewing of my first ever! Beautiful blue back and cinnamon belly underside. Munson Road, Interlaken, about 4pm American Kestrel seen on telephone wire and then hunting in fields. * * * * * * * * * *"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come ALIVE, for what the world needs is people who have come ALIVE." - Dr. Howard Thurman, American Theologian, Clergyman and Activist (1900-1981) * Sandra (Sandy) Wold NYS Certified Math/Science Teacher and Tutor *www.sites.google.com/site/fallcreektutoringservices/home <http://www.sites.google.com/site/fallcreektutoringservices/home>* Interdisciplinary Visionary Artist https://www.linkedin.com/pub/sandra-sandy-wold/a7/114/877 Cayuga Basin Bioregion Map, Author, Originator, and Publisher www.sites.google.com/site/cayugabioregionmap/ <https://sites.google.com/site/cayugabioregionmap/> -- 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/ --
