This morning I decided to go to the Lab of O seeking a RUSTY BLACKBIRD, but as 
I was about to pass Kip's Barn 
by the north end of Sapsucker Woods Road I saw 4 of them, all males, foraging 
on the lawn with some EUROPEAN 
STARLINGS.  Although the birds (and the driver behind me) tolerated me pulling 
over and staring at them through 
binoculars, they did not stay while I tried to maneuver my car and equipment to 
photograph them.  They flew north. 
With such luck so early I decided to check out the Tunison Aquatic Science Lab 
environs by Lime Hollow in Cortlandville 
in case the reported Winter Wrens were evident.  I found a stream through 
lovely Hemlock Forest but no wrens. 
However, my first 2010 RUFFED GROUSE ran across Gracie Road as I left.  By now 
the rain had started, so I knew 
gardening was off my schedule, so I decided to seek the BLUE-WINGED TEAL at the 
Montezuma Visitor's Center (1 male 
present) and the EURASIAN WIGEON at Tschache Pool (1 male present).  Still 
feeling lucky I returned to Chimney Bluffs 
State Park in the Wayne County Town of Huron, and this time Lake Ontario was 
not quite so rough, and the precipitation 
relented a bit, and I got good looks at several RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and 
RED-NECKED GREBES along 
with the WESTERN GREBE which was placidly swimming east just beyond the 
brownish water, somewhat closer than 
the Red-necked Grebes.  The Western Grebe briefly held a foot out in the air 
behind it, and it did a short swan imitation 
with its neck while preening, and of course it regularly was hidden by waves, 
but compared to my previous visit (when during 
the better part of an hour only about half of the 8 or so people with scopes 
saw the bird) it was surprisingly easy to find as I 
scoped from the lawn by the end of the paved trail from the Garner Road 
entrance to the park.  

Montezuma has a fine variety of waterfowl, especially Anas and Aythya, on the 
various ponds.  A family of TRUMPETER 
SWANS was beyond the end of Morgan Road and a pair of TUNDRA SWANS was near the 
southwest corner of the Main Pool. 
A flock of about 80 SNOW GEESE was north of the Potatoes building on NYS 31.  
Cayuga Lake was pretty empty - at least 
I didn't spend enough time to see much from Myers up the east side.  

My friend Stefhan Ohlström found what appears to be the basin's first 2010 
EASTERN TOWHEE near EcoVillage on Ithaca's 
West Hill today.  

Yesterday I saw 5 TREE SWALLOWS over Cayuga Inlet from the Ithaca Farmer's 
Market and later a couple of them/others 
flying north over Cayuga Lake from Stewart Park.  In Renwick Sanctuary an 
EASTERN PHOEBE gave a few call notes, but 
never sang.  It mostly stayed in the canopy, not far from Fall Creek.  

Someone asked about first Tree Swallows.  I've been trying to refrain from 
barraging the listserv about every first 2010 record, 
but here's what I have since January:

21 Feb TURKEY VULTURE by Chris Wood at Monkey Run south, Dryden
27 Feb SNOWY OWL by Sue March from I-90 east of Montezuma, (Town of Montezuma?)
6 Mar WILSON'S SNIPE     by Tom Johnson, Shawn Billerman, Carolyn Sedgwick, and 
Chris Wiley at Tompkins County Airport, Lansing
6 Mar LONG-EARED OWL by Tom Johnson, Shawn Billerman, Carolyn Sedgwick, and 
Chris Wiley sw of Mohawk & Etna Rds, Lansing
7 Mar GOLDEN EAGLE by Tom Johnson, Shawn Billerman and Nathan Senner from Mount 
Pleasant, Dryden
7 Mar KILLDEER by Steve Fast on Valley Rd e/ Brooktondale, Caroline
7 Mar RED-WinGED BLACKBIRD by John & Sue Gregoire on Fitzgerald Rd, Hector
8 Mar WOOD DUCK by Anne Marie Johnson at Myers Point, Lansing
10 Mar AMERICAN WOODCOCK by Nancy Dickinson in Mecklenburg, Hector
10 Mar SANDHILL CRANE by Bob Davis flying east over Tschache tower, NYS 89, 
Montezuma NWR, Tyre 
11 Mar TREE SWALLOW by Ryan Douglas at Beebe Lake, Cornell Univ, Ithaca
13 Mar EURASIAN WIGEON by Gary Chapin from Van Dyne Spoor Rd, Savannah
16 Mar CHIPPING SPARROW by Mary Winston at south feeders, Lab of O, Lansing
17 Mar DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT by Dave Nutter on red lighthouse breakwater, 
south end Cayuga Lake, Ithaca
17 Mar WINTER WREN by Jack Ruggirello behind Tunison Fish Lab, Gracie Rd, 
Cortlandville
19 Mar EASTERN PHOEBE by Bill Evans on Bald Hill Rd, Danby
20 Mar BLUE-WINGED TEAL by Liz Craig on the pond at the visitors’ center, 
Montezuma NWR, Tyre
20 Mar FOX SPARROW by Steve & Susie Fast on Mount Pleasant, Dryden
22 Mar EASTERN TOWHEE by Stefhan Ohlström        on EcoVillage lane west of 
West Haven Rd, Ithaca  

This info is also in checklist order at:
http://cayugabirds.pbworks.com/Taxonomic-2010-First-Records
and in chronological order at:
http://cayugabirds.pbworks.com/Chronological-2010-Basin-First-Records

Corrections, earlier records in the basin, and addition species are all 
welcome.  
--Dave Nutter

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