It was worth bundling up for a cold walk by Cayuga Lake today (having just spent 6 days in balmy Florida).
I found at least 3, maybe more, pairs of beautiful Eastern Bluebirds around #s 644 -655 on Lansing Station Rd. The males were brilliant blue! They were with a bunch of DE Juncos and ranged from a hedgerow by a long driveway up the hill, to cedar trees and other trees, to the space under a house porch roof (over the lower roof of the house at 655); I wondered if they go there for shelter at night (faces east). Then I saw a Mallard pair fly into the parking lot at one of our apartment houses, no doubt spooked by hunters down the lake. Also seen here at # 535: 3 pairs No. Cardinals, 2-3 BC Chickadees, 1 pair of Carolina Wrens that sleep in a little nest basket at night, under my front porch roof (faces east), 2-3 White Breasted Nuthatches, Woodpeckers _ Red Belly, Hairy, Downy, 3 dozen A. Goldfinches, a few Mo Do-s, 12 House Sparrows, 4 A. Crows, several Blue Jays and DE Juncos. Yesterday, when I got out of the car in my garage (door opens electronically), I heard what I thought was an empty milk jug blowing around, only to see that it was actually a small hawk banging against the glass on the side window of the garage. I went right over to help it get out through the big open garage door and saw that it was a beautiful little Sharp Shinned Hawk with a slate blue back! It seemed unharmed as it flew out into the front yard and landed in a tree. I don't know if it had flown in the garage before my errands or a few moments before I found it when I arrived home. I hope Steve's Towhee shows up on count day! I am recording feeder counts at the Lab of O from 4-6 PM on Christmas Bird Count day, Jan. 1. If you live in the Count Circle, phone 254-2473 with your feeder counts, if you stay home that cold day. I will try owling in Region 9 in the wee hours. Have had a report of a Great Horned Owl in the vicinity of Buck and VanOstrand Rds. Good birding, Donna Scott Donna L. Scott 535 Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY 14882 d...@cornell.edu<mailto:d...@cornell.edu> -- 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/ --
