Thanks Mark for your inspiring and very enjoyable guidance on these walks. Looking forward to next year already.
Tom Sent from my iPhone > On May 29, 2017, at 1:13 PM, Mark Chao <markc...@imt.org> wrote: > > With only moderate rain and no lightning at all, the conditions on Monday > morning allowed us to complete our scheduled Finger Lakes Land Trust Spring > Bird Quest (SBQ) walks after all. It got pretty cold and wet, I admit, but > maybe an optimist could consider it half-warm and half-dry. We did get our > share of rewarding moments too. > > Four optimistic and hardy participants joined me at the Goetchius Wetland > Preserve at 6:30 AM. We had several distant views of male BOBOLINKS in the > field by the parking lot, with one close look that left me wanting more but > also somehow feeling satisfied at the same time. We also had an excellent > close look at a pair of SAVANNAH SPARROWS. Feathers matted by the rain, > these birds issued sharp chips, evidently out of alarm at our proximity to > their nest. > > Down the road by the main wetland, Tom Hoebbel found the weekend’s only > PURPLE FINCH, an intensely dark-red male, in a bare shrub at the edge of the > pond. To my equal surprise, we heard a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH singing far out > in the wetland, maybe all the way out in the trees on the opposite end. And > as expected, we saw and heard both WILLOW FLYCATCHER and ALDER FLYCATCHER > from essentially the same vantage point along the road. > > At the Baldwin Tract of the Roy H. Park Preserve, our group size now up to > 10, our good luck with bird sightings seemed to run out. But we did hear > many expected birds, most notably several MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, plus the > weekend’s only WINTER WREN and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, both singing > virtuosically and tirelessly at the confluence of streams below the lean-to > shelter. We heard a few forced high notes in some spruces – a partial > BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER song, I think. I also heard one PRAIRIE WARBLER singing > once, but I think that maybe the others in the group missed it. > > It was also a fine day for newts. We saw two adult Red-spotted Newts > crossing Flatiron Road near Goetchius, and one bright Red Eft at Park. > > In the end, my SBQ bird species count reached 86 – not bad given today’s > suboptimal conditions – and just as gratifying, the participant tally nearly > touched 100 if you count repeat visitors each time. The species tally will > probably yield at least a couple thousand dollars in support of the Land > Trust’s work on protecting habitats for birds, for all wildlife, and for us. > > Thanks to all participants for your great company and support this weekend. > What a privilege and pleasure it is to spend time in such great places, amid > so many wonderful birds, with all of you! > > Mark Chao > > > > > > > > -- > 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/ --
