---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tom Johnson <t...@cornell.edu> Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 11:52 PM Subject: Montezuma 16 July - Prothonotary Warbler, YH Blackbird, +++ shorebirds To: cayugabirds <cayugabird...@cornell.edu>
All, Chris Wood, Jessie Barry, Matt Medler, and I birded around the Montezuma area (Seneca/ Wayne Co.) this evening (Friday 16 July). We had some excellent birds thanks to some nice picks by Chris. The continuing adult Tundra Swan was standing on a log next to the observation tower at Tschache Pool MNWR. The first major highlight of the evening was a female Prothonotary Warbler at Mays Point Pool at Montezuma NWR. The bird was along the road at the interface of the leafy forest and the dead timber with a flock of chickadees, etc. The western impoundment at Knox-Marcellus/ MNWR as viewed from East Rd. and Towpath Rd. was spectacular (best shorebirding potential in the refuge area since 2006). Shorebirds are decidedly IN with over 1000 individuals tonight, and included the following counts or careful estimates: 40 Killdeer 415 Lesser Yellowlegs 28 Greater Yellowlegs 595 Least Sandpiper 55 Semipalmated Sandpiper 6 Stilt Sandpiper 5 Pectoral Sandpiper 22 Spotted Sandpiper 5 Solitary Sandpiper At the end of Van Dyne Spoor Rd. near Savannah, a few Least Bitterns made their presence known immediately upon our arrival. As we settled in to enjoy a prodigious swallow roost flight that ended up totalling well over 10,000 individuals of all local species (including 7500 Bank, 4000 Tree, 1800 Barn, 75 Northern Rough-winged, 5 Cliff Swallows and 115 Purple Martins!!), Chris shockingly picked out a female Yellow-headed Blackbird flying in to the cattails to roost with Red-winged Blackbirds. We failed to relocate that bird, but did enjoy a second year male Orchard Oriole that perched up briefly and sang. Two American Woodcock in the middle of the road on the way out at dusk made a sweet end to the evening. I'll upload a photo of the Prothonotary Warbler here shortly: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonxie88 Cheers, Tom -- Thomas Brodie Johnson Ithaca, NY t...@cornell.edu mobile: 717.991.5727 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
