[cayugabirds-l] Ithaca Osprey(s)
On the morning of March 18, Josh Snodgrass & Mark Syvertson saw an Osprey by the marina at Allan H Treman State Marine Park at the southwest corner of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca. Mark took a fantastic photo, which you can see using the links below, of the Osprey carrying a large fish. They said an immature Bald Eagle harassed the Osprey but did not mention the outcome. I walked around the park that afternoon, and did not see any Osprey. Maybe it moved on, or maybe it was still somewhere around the south end of the lake out of my view. On the 22nd I walked around Allan Treman Park and only as I was leaving did I notice an Osprey. It was perched in a favored snag near NYS-89, to the west of the platform in the SW part of the park north of the maintenance building. I took an identifiable but otherwise unremarkable photo, which I added to my eBird report. I didn’t see the Osprey move or associate otherwise with that or any other nest. Yesterday (the 23rd) I walked around Allan Treman Park again, and did not see any Osprey. The nests had snow on them. This morning (the 24th), a few minutes ago, I glanced out the window and saw a familiar large bird with long, narrow, angled, round-tipped wings. Raising binoculars, I saw the chocolate brown top of wings, back and tail, the white head with well-defined dark mask, and the white breast, belly, and wing linings. Aside from its different shape, it was also a far cleaner-colored bird than the unkempt, motley immature Bald Eagles. My first-of-year yard-bird Osprey was flying slowly north against the light wind and looking down, hunting for fish in the Flood Control Channel. I don’t know whether this is a new arrival or if these 3 observations are all of the same bird, but to me this is a more encouraging behavior than the bird I saw merely perching out of the weather within sight of a nest. Maybe I witnessed a homecoming for this bird. Or maybe I just overlooked it hunting for almost a week, and this river/canal is an obvious place to hunt. Regardless, I’m happy, and I’m going out for a walk now to see if there’s an Osprey around, and if so, whether it’s associated with any of the 4 nests I’ll see. - - Dave Nutter Begin forwarded message: > > Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (1) > - Reported Mar 18, 2024 08:31 by Mark Syvertson > - Hog Hole (Allan H. Treman State Marine Park), Tompkins, New York > - Map: > http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8=p=13=42.4618954,-76.5190244=42.4618954,-76.5190244 > - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S165292688 > - Comments: "Foy for me, perched in tree over marina" > > Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (1) > - Reported Mar 18, 2024 08:31 by Joshua Snodgrass > - Hog Hole (Allan H. Treman State Marine Park), Tompkins, New York > - Map: > http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8=p=13=42.4618954,-76.5190244=42.4618954,-76.5190244 > - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S165292685 > - Comments: "Foy for me, perched in tree over marina" > -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Ithaca Osprey
There is another Osprey at the nest off Game Farm Road, Ann Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 27, 2021, at 5:53 PM, Dave Nutter wrote: > > > 14:47pm: I had a second sighting of a northbound Osprey over the Flood > Control Channel past my place. The first bird went straight and steady about > treetop level, but this time the bird was lower and more erratic, and it gave > 4 loud chirps just before it came into view. Behaviorally it seemed > different, but I suppose it could be the same bird passing by again but for > some reason more excited. I was, too. > > - - Dave Nutter > >> On Mar 27, 2021, at 1:26 PM, Dave Nutter wrote: >> >> 12:05pm: I just saw my First-Of-Year Osprey flying slowly north past my >> house while it stared down at the Flood Control Channel, clearly ready to >> take a meal while traveling, whether the trip was local or long-distance. >> > > -- > 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 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] Ithaca Osprey
14:47pm: I had a second sighting of a northbound Osprey over the Flood Control Channel past my place. The first bird went straight and steady about treetop level, but this time the bird was lower and more erratic, and it gave 4 loud chirps just before it came into view. Behaviorally it seemed different, but I suppose it could be the same bird passing by again but for some reason more excited. I was, too. - - Dave Nutter > On Mar 27, 2021, at 1:26 PM, Dave Nutter wrote: > > 12:05pm: I just saw my First-Of-Year Osprey flying slowly north past my house > while it stared down at the Flood Control Channel, clearly ready to take a > meal while traveling, whether the trip was local or long-distance. > -- 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] Ithaca Osprey
At around 11am there was an Osprey, possibly the same, sitting on a tree at jetty woods along the inlet, across from the Treman marina mouth. I was alerted to its presence by its call, which was clearly prompted by my approach along the trail right below it, as I looked up to see it staring down at me swinging its head side to side in mild annoyance. It didn't take off. Earlier I met Sandy at Renwick woods who said she'd seen one also. Also earlier at Renwick woods I heard a winter wren's song, not far south of the northeast entrance to the woods. The first few bouts of the song were unusual in that they were short, lasting only about a second, in contrast to their normal strung out phrases lasting up to five seconds or more. I wondered whether it could've been a starling mimic. Interestingly, those songs seem to have prompted a response from a nearby Carolina wren who started belting out its song rather insistently, it seemed to me, as if to remind the winter wren of its place in the pecking order. Later when I was along fall creek I heard a/the winter wren song again, more distantly and from approximately the same direction, and I want to say longer this time. Suan _ Composed by thumb and autocorrect. > On Mar 27, 2021, at 1:26 PM, Dave Nutter wrote: > > 12:05pm: I just saw my First-Of-Year Osprey flying slowly north past my > house while it stared down at the Flood Control Channel, clearly ready to > take a meal while traveling, whether the trip was local or long-distance. > > ... -- 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] Ithaca Osprey
12:05pm: I just saw my First-Of-Year Osprey flying slowly north past my house while it stared down at the Flood Control Channel, clearly ready to take a meal while traveling, whether the trip was local or long-distance. This is not the first 2021 record for the Basin, just my personal thrill. But I’d like to take the occasion to explain some stuff. I also see Bald Eagles regularly, and I know their immatures can have some confusing plumages. I could tell this was an Osprey by plumage because it had a clean white underside of the body (Bald Eagles with white bellies generally also have murky gray markings below, especially on the breast). This bird had a dark brown mask which was well-defined & distinct from the clean white lower part of the head (Bald Eagles with a dark mask have murky edges to the mask, with the mask not as pure dark brown and the rest of the head not as pure white, something which may not be easy to tell at a glance or at a great distance). I could also distinguish this Osprey by shape: This bird had longer narrower wings than a Bald Eagle, which also made the few “fingers” of the outer primaries more prominent. This bird when seen from behind showed the distinct angled wing shape of the wrists being the high points of a long shallow M. Other distinguishing features of Osprey v immature Bald Eagle which I did not observe today would include: the evenly barred tail of the Osprey; the large-scale checkerboard pattern of lighter and darker areas below each of the Osprey’s wings with dark secondaries, wrists, and wingtips contrasting with pale base of primaries and white inner wing linings (Bald Eagle immatures tend to have most white throughout the wing linings and more scattered on the flight feathers); the M shape of the wings seen from below with the wrists held forward; a very slim shape when perched (Bald Eagles are hulks); and a very small hooked bill (Bald Eagles have a huge bill). Bald Eagles in winter regularly get mistaken for Ospreys, so when I asked for distinguishing features for out-of-season or early reports, the above field marks would be examples. They are not hard to see or describe, but they do require a bit of knowledge and discipline in observation and communication. I think it’s okay to point to a picture in a field guide if you can point to the particular features in the picture which you noticed. Like any rare bird report, a description of the observed features of the bird which support the ID should be included. I think that knowing what you have seen does a much better job of letting other people know what you have seen if you can say what it is that you saw that enabled you to know what it was. By the same token, a description (even a partial description) or a photo (even an unappealing photo) can help ID a bird whether or not the photographer knew the ID. So I encourage everyone to savor views of birds, and take in details of plumage, shape, and behavior. For me, this helps every observation to enrich my knowledge of each species as well as helping with IDs. Thanks for bearing with me. Happy Spring! Another Osprey is back! - - Dave Nutter -- 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] Ithaca Osprey
At 2:37pm today I was driving north on NYS-13 between the Renwick Wildwood and the athletic field of Boynton Middle and Ithaca High Schools when I saw an OSPREY carrying a large fish fly east over the road. I couldn't keep watching to see where it alit. Since ice still mostly covers the southernmost mile and a half of Cayuga Lake, I assume the fish was caught in Fall Creek or Cayuga Inlet. This was my first Osprey for the year in Ithaca. For those keeping track of Ospreys, I also saw one briefly hover above the Myers Point Park marina on Sunday 29 March at 6:29pm. --Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
