While my compatriots watched the Germany vs. Argentina match in Seneca Falls, I checked a few other spots around the area. The best bird was a singing 1st year male ORCHARD ORIOLE right at the end of Van Dyne Spoor Road in Wayne County. Although they are almost always present and occasionally common along the east shore of Cayuga Lake (and perhaps parts of the west side too), this may be the first time I have seen this species in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.
Other birds in the morning included the family of Sandhill Cranes at East Venice Road and Rt. 90 in Genoa (2 adults and 2 well-grown chicks.) The Knox-Marsellus Marsh as viewed from both East Road and Towpath Road had a decent variety of shorebirds, including 10+ Lesser Yellowlegs, 2+ Greater Yellowlegs, 6+ Least Sandpipers, several Killdeer, and at least one Solitary Sandpiper. Three Sandhill Cranes were also out in marsh. Duck were also in (comparatively) good numbers here, with Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, and Wood Duck present. Jay McGowan Dryden, NY On Jul 3, 2010 3:33 PM, "Tom Johnson" <t...@cornell.edu> wrote: Cayugabirders, Punctuated by a break to watch the heartbreaking World Cup quarterfinal match, Chris Wiley, Tim Lenz, Jay McGowan, and I birded around Seneca Falls and Montezuma this morning. The clear highlight was an adult Tundra Swan loafing close to the tower at Tschache Pool, Montezuma NWR. We photographed the bird, which showed a typical scooped Tundra Swan bill/ face shape, yellow loral spots, and a u-shaped forehead border to the facial skin; also interesting at Tschache were the two adult Trumpeter Swans trailing 7 chicks behind them at Tschache (and another pair with 5 chicks at East Rd.). We also stopped by the Empire Farm Days fields in Seneca Falls to see the Upland Sandpipers, and were very pleased at a whole mess of juveniles. We saw 13 Uppies, and only 1 that I looked at closely appeared to be an adult (!); most were fresh and cinnamon-tinged, with bits of down wisping around the head. It looks like they hatched out in plenty of time to avoid the recent mowing of the hayfields. Cheers, Tom -- Thomas Brodie Johnson Ithaca, NY t...@cornell.edu mobile: 717.991.5727 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
