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06 Jan Re: Van Dyne Spoor Rd. (Bald Eagle pair) [Dave Nutter ] 6 Jan Re: OOB: Northern Hawk Owl (pics) ["Mark Walls" ] 6 Jan Van Dyne Spoor Rd. ["Susan Fast" ] 6 Jan S-E owls ["B Mcaneny" ] 06 Jan White-w Scoter, Iceland Gull Stewart Park [Kevin McGowan ] 06 Jan winter American Robin, civilized Wild Turkeys [Dave Nutter ] 6 Jan Cayuga Bird Club speaker dinner [] 6 Jan OOB: Northern Hawk Owl (pics) [Raghuram Ramanujan ] 05 Jan Re: waterfowl raft [Dave Nutter ] 5 Jan Syracuse RBA [Joseph Brin ] 5 Jan Re: Short-eared Owls ["Sally Eller" ] 5 Jan Campus Redpoll ["Ryan Douglas" ] 5 Jan waterfowl raft [Elaina McCartney ] 04 Jan count week Hermit Thrush re-found [Dave Nutter ] 04 Jan Re: EASTERN TOWHEE in Cayuga Lake Basin [Dave Nutter ] 04 Jan Re: SE Owl and two Meadowlarks on Schofield Road [Dave Nutter ] 04 Jan Short-eared Owls [Julie Horton ] 04 Jan Malloryville Rd. Lapland Longspur, Snow Buntings [Gary Kohlenberg ] 04 Jan SE Owl and two Meadowlarks on Schofield Road [Paul Anderson ] 4 Jan EASTERN TOWHEE in Cayuga Lake Basin ["John and Sue Gregoire" ] 4 Jan raft north of Hog Hole [Elaina McCartney ] 4 Jan Summerhill, 1/04/09 ["Susan Fast" ] 4 Jan Simsbury Drive, Sun 1/4 ["Mark Chao" ] 4 Jan W-w Crossbills - West Danby [Geo Kloppel ] 4 Jan City Cemetary WW Cossbills and Pine Siskins [] 4 Jan Crossbills ["Ryan Douglas" ] 4 Jan Brown Creeper and Sharpshinnied Hawk [Ellen Sears ] 04 Jan Re: Northern Hawk Owl? ["Mickey Scilingo" ] 03 Jan various minor adventures: GNWTEA, PINSIS, TUNSWA, SHEOWL [Dave Nutter ] 04 Jan Re: Northern Hawk Owl? ["Mickey Scilingo" ] 3 Jan Re: More Ithaca area birds [Ken Rosenberg ] 3 Jan Summerhill, Sempronius and Cortland County ["grosbeak AT clarityconnect.com" ] 3 Jan Scofield Road, Sat 1/3 ["Mark Chao" ] 3 Jan Re: Northern Hawk Owl? ["Marie P Read" ] 3 Jan Roughlegged Hawk Dark Morph [Ellen Sears ] 3 Jan More Ithaca area birds [Paul Hurtado ] 03 Jan YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER AT CLO ["Mary E. Winston" ] 03 Jan Ithaca Cemetery W.W.Crossbills today [Gary Kohlenberg ] 3 Jan Pine Siskins - West Danby [Geo Kloppel ] 03 Jan Re: CBC addition, Cayuga Lake Basin [Dave Nutter ] 3 Jan CBC addition, Cayuga Lake Basin [Ellen Sears ] 3 Jan Snow buntings ["John and Sue Gregoire" ] 3 Jan Lansing ["Ryan Douglas" ] 02 Jan report of count week Hermit Thrush [Dave Nutter ] 2 Jan Stewart Park Friday p.m. [Paul Hurtado ] 2 Jan Re: 2009 birds (partly OT) ["Meena Madhav Haribal" ] 2 Jan Snowy Owl report (Salmon Creek Rd., Lansing), Th 1/1 ["Mark Chao" ] 02 Jan 2008 bird photos [Kevin McGowan ] 2 Jan Savannah Sparrow in Lansing, Jan 1-2 ["Mark Chao" ] 2 Jan Crows [] 02 Jan Re: still seeking these Ithaca CBC or Cayuga Lake Basin species [Chris Tessaglia-Hymes ] 2 Jan SE Owls and Siskins ["Ken Smith" ] Subject: Re: Van Dyne Spoor Rd. (Bald Eagle pair) From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:44:09 -0800 On Tuesday, January 06, 2009, at 04:39PM, "Susan Fast"Subject: Re: OOB: Northern Hawk Owl (pics) From: "Mark Walls" <markwalls100 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 19:45:20 -0500 I also saw one Northern Hawk Owl along Rt. 17 just west of Appalachin Tues, Jan. 6 about 10 AM -- Mark WallsSubject: Van Dyne Spoor Rd. From: "Susan Fast" <sustfast AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 19:39:58 -0500 I had the afternoon off, so decided to see if the Sandhill family was still around in the Northern Montezuma area. I didn't see them. But I ended up around mid-afternoon along the east end of Van Dyne Spoor Rd. Lots of hawks. On one scan with the scope I counted 7 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 2 RED-TAILS, 2 N. HARRIERS (M & F), and a pair of adult BALD EAGLES perched side by side in a tree. I also found another ROUGH-LEGGED on Wright Rd., and 3 more at the end of Railroad Rd. Since this looked like good vole country, I hung around and eventually saw 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS at 1650, just before a snow squall hit. The owls flew in from the NE and announced their arrival with a series of barks-to me they sound just like snow geese. Lots of TREE SPARROWS along Van Dyne Spoor too, but no shrike seen. Steve Fast BrooktondaleSubject: S-E owls From: "B Mcaneny" <bmcaneny1 AT fltg.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 19:07:26 -0500 Shirley and I spent a half-hour or so at the intersection of C.R.129 and Center Rd. this afternoon. from perhaps 3:30 until visibility declined. Before we saw any owls, there were 2 HARRIERS and ! RED-TAILED HAWK. We soon saw 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS flying over the northwest field. As we drove around near the intersection , we spotted an owl perched on a haybale, but there was no evidence to suggest it was different from the first two. Shortly after we arrived, a couple from Homer arrived and they got to see at least one owl, maybe two. We also had an opportunity to speak with the owner of the house and barns on the NW corner. He seemed to think it was a real honor for him to host the owls. He said they are around "all the time", meaning (I think) every day. He said lots of cars had been slowly cruising by. I think he felt it was his 15 minutes of fame. Bill McAneny , TBurgSubject: White-w Scoter, Iceland Gull Stewart Park From: Kevin McGowan <kjm2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:15:40 -0500 Apologies for the tardy post, but today around noon Perri and I saw a few good birds at Stewart Park. Perhaps best were a male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER amongst the hundreds and hundreds of ducks offshore (an adult male, it was to general left (west) of the main flocks, roughly between the tennis court and the red lighthouse) and a first cycle ICELAND GULL on the ice. Also present was a huge mass of milling ducks, mostly REDHEADS. In the flock were more NORTHERN PINTAILS than I am used to seeing in January, as well as the usual suspects. Also noteworthy were two adult TUNDRA SWANS on the ice with the geese. KevinSubject: winter American Robin, civilized Wild Turkeys From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:50:09 -0800 A gray and dreary day (spent indoors dealing with unpleasant things on little sleep) was brightened by a late-afternoon errand to the Post Office on Warren Road. As I crossed the parking lot my first AMERICAN ROBIN of the year flew overhead and landed in some nearby pines. On my return drive on Warren Road, when the light at Brown Road turned red, a group of 5 WILD TURKEYS politely used the crosswalk to get from the research park to the woods. I didn't see whether they had pushed the "walk" button to trigger the signal. --Dave NutterSubject: Cayuga Bird Club speaker dinner From: clr82 AT juno.com Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:09:54 -0500 The Cayuga Bird Club is pleased to welcome Kevin McGowan as the coordinator for our monthly program meeting on Monday, January 12 at 7:30 pm at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We hope you will join us for our annual "Share your Photos Night". Please remember to send any photos you would like to share with the group to Kevin by January 10 (5 max./person). The Club will be hosting Kevin for dinner at the Ithaca Ale House at 111 N. Aurora Street at 5:30 pm prior to the meeting. This is a good opportunity for members to meet with Kevin in a casual setting and socialize with other members while enjoying some great food. If you would like to join us for dinner, please rsvp to clr82 AT juno.com by Jan. 10 Saturday morning (before 11 a.m.) so that reservations can be made. Hope to see you next Monday night, Colleen Richards ____________________________________________________________ Fashion Design Education - Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw3fAU6Rbh2dv640Lr1NCupiztXwB79MXFo4zBqcauG2or2ZA/Subject: OOB: Northern Hawk Owl (pics) From: Raghuram Ramanujan <raghu AT cs.cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 11:59:57 -0500 I made the (long!) drive up to Peru yesterday to check out the Northern Hawk Owl that has been hanging out there for the past three weeks or so and was not disappointed. During the ~8 hours or so I spent with the bird, it hardly left my sight (or for that matter, the side of the road). It spent the majority of its time surveying the surroundings from the tops of telephone poles, completely unperturbed by the traffic barreling by on the fairly busy road below. Some pictures: The stare -- I wouldn't want to be a mouse/vole looking up to see this staring back at me (one rodent did find this out the hard way -- unfortunately the action was over before I could react, so no pictures of the hunt or the meal I'm afraid) http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YYVrPhYy5Ft1yUCATzuo8Q?authkey=x8tCkX05N7w&feat=directlink It was a miserable, snowy, blustery day for the most part, but for a fleeting moment in the afternoon, the sun peeked through the clouds and soon after I snapped this picture, it vanished. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ntdlQFE7Ew7eM2Fu8yamrw?authkey=x8tCkX05N7w&feat=directlink In the fading light of the late afternoon, the bird finally decided to abandon its high perch and come down to some low brush allowing me to get my first and only shot of the day where the owl wasn't silhouetted against the grey, overcast sky. It was also flurrying a fair bit by now, so the setting for the final image turned out to be pretty apt for a bird of the boreal forests. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BX1E-zQzCsAGB2Mz2h5m-A?authkey=x8tCkX05N7w&feat=directlink A nice bonus was a flock of Bohemian waxwings (a first for me!) that briefly foraged in some trees across the road from the owl. If anyone has questions about directions to see the owl, feel free to contact me off the list. RaghuSubject: Re: waterfowl raft From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:05:10 -0800 On Monday, January 05, 2009, at 04:29AM, "Elaina McCartney"Subject: Syracuse RBA From: Joseph Brin <brinjoseph AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 15:04:33 -0800 (PST)
RBA
* New York
* Syracuse
* January 05, 2009
* NYSY 01.05.09
Hotline: Syracuse Rare bird Alert
Dates(s): December 29, 2008 - January 05, 2009
to report by e-mail: brinjoseph AT yahoo.com
covering upstate NY counties: Cayuga, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) (just outside Cayuga County),
Onondaga, Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison & Cortland
compiled:January 05, 5:30 p.m.. (EST)
compiler: Joseph Brin
Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org
#136 -Monday January 05, 2009
Greetings! This is the Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert for the week of December
29, 2008
Highlights:
------------
SNOWY OWL
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
MERLIN
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
NORTHERN SHRIKE
NORTHERN GOSHAWK
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
RED CROSSBILL
EVENING GROSBEAK
COMMON SNIPE
HARLEQUIN DUCK
KING EIDER
PINE GROSBEAK
SHORT-EARED OWL
NORTHERN HAWK OWL (Extralimital)
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) and Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC)
------------
12/30: 7 ICELAND GULLS were seen in the mucklands along Rt.31.
New Wodstock - Southern Highlands CBC
------------
1/05: Highlights of the New Woodstock - Southern Highlands CBC include
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, GOSHAWK, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, WHITE-WINGED
CROSSBILL, COMMON REDPOLL, EVENING GROSBEAK, AND COMMON SNIPE. The count took
place in parts of Onondaga and Madison Counties.
Oswego County
------------
1/02: A male HARLEQUIN DUCK and 2 KING EIDERS were found in Lake Ontario at
Sunset Beach Road. The HARLEQUIN DUCK was not relocated but on 1/04 at least 1
KING EIDER and all three SCOTER species were seen at the same location.
1/04: GLAUCOUS, ICELAND, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS are still being found
along the Oswego River from Oswego to Fulton and Phoenix.
Onondaga County
------------
12/31: A MERLIN was seen by 2 individuals in downtown Syracuse on James Street
close to Salina Street.
Oneida - Sylvan Beach CBC
------------
1/01: Highlights of the Sylvan Beach - Oneida CBC include PINE GROSBEAK,
NORTHERN SHRIKE, and SHORT-EARED OWL.
Madison County
-------------
1/03: A SNOWY OWL was seen on Peterboro Road near Fenner.
Cayuga County
------------
1/02: A SNOWY OWL was spotted at Fair Haven State Park
Extralimital
------------
The 2 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS were again seen this week, one in Potsdam and one in
Peru in the extreme northern part of the state.
--end transcript
--
Joseph Brin
Region 5
Baldwinsville, N.Y., U.S.A.
Subject: Re: Short-eared OwlsFrom: "Sally Eller" <sallyeeller AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:27:46 -0500 Thanks, Julie... we went there this afternoon and saw 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS (probably a pair), a NORTHERN HARRIER, and a RED TAILED HAWK. It was a beautiful scene with a partial rainbow high in the icy clouds. Sally and Tim Eller Ovid, west shore of Cayuga Lake On Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 6:23 PM, Julie HortonSubject: Campus Redpoll From: "Ryan Douglas" <commonloon AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 08:42:40 -0500 While walking into lab this morning a single COMMON REDPOLL flew overhead calling near the large parking lot east of Mann Library on Cornell's campus. Good birding, Ryan -- Ryan Douglas Ithaca, NY rnd4 AT cornell.edu commonloon AT gmail.com http://www.pbase.com/rnd4Subject: waterfowl raft From: Elaina McCartney <Elaina.McCartney AT cornell.edu> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 07:29:11 -0500 For those wanting to see the raft, I see a large group of waterfowl out near the cluster buoy, smaller than yesterday's big raft, too dark to define. There's also boat of hunters noisily laying out out a line of decoys off the 800 block of Taughannock north of Hog Hole. The boat is metal and the fake ducks are banging against it as they pay them out. I'm off to the dentist, which will be more fun than watching the hunters.Subject: count week Hermit Thrush re-found From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:14:44 -0800 This morning (4 Jan) Bob McGuire, Susan Danskin, and I re-found the HERMIT THRUSH which Stefhan Ohlström reported on 2 Jan on a trail off Helen's Way parallel to West Haven Road, which is west of the City of Ithaca. We were unable to re-find an immature White-crowned Sparrow or a Northern Shrike which I saw on New Year's Day north of the Linderman Creek development. --Dave Nutter On Friday, January 02, 2009, at 09:22PM, "Dave Nutter"Subject: Re: EASTERN TOWHEE in Cayuga Lake Basin From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:09:13 -0800 Harley and Annie Campbell, whose feeders have been hosting the Eastern Towhee, and who reported it to the Lab of Ornithology, say it was there on New Year's Day, so they get credit for observing it on that date as a first basin record of 2009. Also present on the north-south stretch of Fitzgerald Road were a dark ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, an immature COOPER'S HAWK, and at least 2 SONG SPARROWS. Bob McGuire, Susan Danskin, and I also saw 5 HORNED LARK on the road, but we missed the Towhee despite twice watching the feeders for awhile and looking around the yard. It showed up for the Campbells after we left the first time. We trust there will be other Eastern Towhees come spring. --Dave Nutter On Sunday, January 04, 2009, at 11:14AM, "John and Sue Gregoire"Subject: Re: SE Owl and two Meadowlarks on Schofield Road From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:27:07 -0800 Thanks for the report Paul, and nice work, Ellen! Eastern Meadowlark is not only new for the basin for 2009, it is just in time and barely within the Ithaca CBC circle to be a count week bird. --Dave Nutter On Sunday, January 04, 2009, at 02:53PM, "Paul Anderson"Subject: Short-eared Owls From: Julie Horton <jhorton8 AT rochester.rr.com> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:23:37 -0500 Hi Everyone, On the way back from Ithaca this afternoon we found at least 10 SHORT-EARED OWLS near the corner of Center Road and County Road 129 ( SE of Ovid ). We stayed for about 30 minutes and it looked as if the owls were having no trouble catching big voles. The Owls were out around 3:30-4PM. Fred & Julie Bertram, GenevaSubject: Malloryville Rd. Lapland Longspur, Snow Buntings From: Gary Kohlenberg <jgk25 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:59:08 -0500 Hi all,
I birded around the open country looking for possible Shrike, but no
luck. In the fields south of the Malloryville Rd. and Morris Rd.
intersection I had a flock of 200+ SNOW BUNTINGS with 1 LAPLAND LONGSPUR
and 12 HORNED LARKS mixed in. I also found a SONG SPARROW with 5
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and 4 JUNCOS eating grit farther down
Malloryville Rd.
Gary
Subject: SE Owl and two Meadowlarks on Schofield RoadFrom: Paul Anderson <paul AT grammatech.com> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:53:55 -0500 Just before sunset today I showed up along with about a dozen other birders at Schofield Road, just south of the junction with Buck Road. Ellen Sears first spotted two Eastern Meadowlarks in the field to the west, which we were able to get good scope views of. A flock of Snow Buntings was present in the same field. As the sun was setting, a single Short-eared Owl showed up as if on cue. It came in from the west, occasionally swooping down presumably for prey, and worked its way across to the field to the east. I had to leave about ten minutes after it showed up, but others continued to watch. Happy New Year! PaulSubject: EASTERN TOWHEE in Cayuga Lake Basin From: "John and Sue Gregoire" <khmo AT empacc.net> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:14:56 -0500 (EST) Thanks to a phone alert from Bob McGuire, we walked up to our neighbor's farm on Fitzgerald Rd (2 miles from Mecklenburg off Rte 79 West), we spotted a Northern Mockingbird and a few moments later, an adult, male Eastern Towhee in the brushy hedgerows on either side of the residence. This is the first farm on the road with house on left (East) and red barn on right. There's plenty of wild and domestic food in the area to keep these birds going as long as it doesn't get too very cold (2 degree F this AM). This is the second towhee in the larger area within the last few weeks. The other bord was at a residence off Logan Road in the Seneca Lake Basin. This is also one of the areas where we have been seeing large Snow Bunting flocks and smaller Horned Lark flocks. The former were absent today. We took a close look at the spot where Sue had watched some 250 buntings and larks eating a few days ago. The birds have been dining on corn spilled during transport after conventional harvesting and "cracked" through the courtesy of passing vehicles. Buntings have also been taking advantage of conventional manure spreads. The slurry manure spread by large dairy operations does not attract much other than crows, starlings and Ring-billed Gulls. We're fortunate to have one nearby farm still harvesting the "old" way as it leaves much for wildlife to glean. The conventional spreads are largely the result of mucking out calf shed/barns. Unfortunately, none of these sightings has produced a longspur. Sue's post on perching Snow Buntings was answered by a fellow who remembered making a similar observation several years ago in the Canton, NY area. John -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ "Conserve and Create Habitat"Subject: raft north of Hog Hole From: Elaina McCartney <Elaina.McCartney AT cornell.edu> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 13:33:16 -0500 There's a nice big raft of waterfowl in the 800-900 block of Taughannock Blvd. just north of Hog Hole. I opted for watching individuals rather than getting an accurate count, but I estimate well over 4000. Mostly Redheads, Canadas, Canvasback, Scaup, a Northern Shoveler, lots of others, I'm just getting started. The light is good.Subject: Summerhill, 1/04/09 From: "Susan Fast" <sustfast AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 13:29:43 -0500 I spent 2 hours walking along Salt and Dresser Rds.in Summerhill this morning. It was incredibly silent at first. About 5 minutes into the walk, I noticed an owl perched near the top of a tree, facing away from me. As I fumbled with my binoculars, it noiselessy swooped down and away through the thick spruce. I'm quite sure this was a LONG-EARED OWL. I tried hooting, but it didn't respond. I then switched to whistling for saw-whets and immediately got a PILEATED WOODPECKER to come in and call. Much farther on, I tried whistling again and got a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE roughly 6" from my nose. I think I will confine my whistling to the nighttime. I had 1 RED CROSSBILL with a calling flyover, and counted at least 30 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, some flyovers with one group of about 12 feeding on Norway spruce cones. I tallied 7 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, and they too got excited when I did my saw-whet imitation. I found 2 RAVENS. They were gronking back and forth, out of sight, when one started a continuous series of "clucking" sounds, sounding exactly like a chicken with a deep voice. It "clucked" for about 15 seconds as it was flying away. This was a new vocalization for me. Steve Fast BrooktondaleSubject: Simsbury Drive, Sun 1/4 From: "Mark Chao" <markchao AT imt.org> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 13:02:02 -0500 Fifteen WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were still roaming Simsbury Drive in northeast
Ithaca on Sunday morning. A few stopped in our yard for maybe the first time.
The birds fed in both blue and Norway spruce.
Matt Young has prepared a helpful overview of crossbill vocalizations, posted
here on eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations
From today's flock, I heard all the White-winged Crossbill vocalizations that
Matt presents -- the usual dry tchk-tchk call ("Example 2") from birds in
flight, and both the lazy rising chord and the sharp clear chipping notes
("Example 1") in succession from one female at rest.
Mark Chao
Subject: W-w Crossbills - West DanbyFrom: Geo Kloppel <geokloppel AT clarityconnect.com> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:50:02 -0500 This morning I spotted a flight of about twelve White-winged Crossbills checking out the cone-laden Norway spruces here on Tupper Road, but they passed these up in favor of a pair of blue spruces, into which they settled for an extended feeding session. -Geo Geo Kloppel Bowmaker & Restorer 227 Tupper Road Spencer NY 14883 607 564 7026 gek2 AT cornell.edu geokloppel AT clarityconnect.comSubject: City Cemetary WW Cossbills and Pine Siskins From: bilbaker AT lightlink.com (Bill Baker) Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:57:23 -0500 Shannon Haskins and I stopped at city cemetary this morning around 10. We ran into Tony Henderson, who found a flock of White-winged Crossbills a few minutes after we arrived. There were about 15 Crossbills and probably more Pine Siskins than Crossbills in the flock. We also enjoyed watching the antics of a pair of Red-Breasted Nuthatches feeding on the cones as well. The Crossbills and Siskins both seemed to be favoring the Hemlocks. Bill Baker Plum Creek Designs Custom Furniture and Woodworking 68 N. Van Dorn Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 607-275-0540Subject: Crossbills From: "Ryan Douglas" <commonloon AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:00:37 -0500 I arrived at the intersection of Beam Hill and Irish Settlement Road around 10:45am this morning, and within a few moments I was joined by Jane Graves and another couple of birders. Just before their arrival I had seen two male WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS near the road, but couldn't refind them after grabbing my camera out of the car. Luckily, after just a few minutes of waiting, we were treated to clear views of 5 males and 3 females. When all of the birds took flight an additional 7 crossbills joined the flock and headed northeast. Having just seen my first crossbills in well over a year, it was a little frustrating to see/hear a group of 5 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS fly east over North Wood Apartments in Lansing while I was filling my feeders. Good birding, Ryan -- Ryan Douglas Ithaca, NY rnd4 AT cornell.edu commonloon AT gmail.com http://www.pbase.com/rnd4Subject: Brown Creeper and Sharpshinnied Hawk From: Ellen Sears <eagleowl16 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 06:58:22 -0800 (PST) I was watching my bird feeders this morning when I spotted a Brown Creeper
inspecting his way up one of the long needle pines outback gleaning food.
Later I saw a shadow go over the backyard. When I located where it had landed
in a pine tree in back of the feeders it was a juvenile Sharpshinnied Hawk.
The hawk perched there for about 15 minutes while a male Hairy Woodpecker
perched frozen on the suet feeder. The hawk finally decided to fly back to the
large Willow tree and the Hairy Woodpecker immediately shot away.
Ellen Sears
Subject: Re: Northern Hawk Owl?From: "Mickey Scilingo" <mickey.scilingo AT gte.net> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:25:50 -0500 I failed to mention that there is enough room along Rt 11 to park on the side of the road if one wants to, but since Rt 11 is fairly busy, some may not feel safe doing this. That would make the TSC parking area a better place to look for the Owl. Mickey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mickey Scilingo"Subject: various minor adventures: GNWTEA, PINSIS, TUNSWA, SHEOWL From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:34:06 -0800 This morning (Sat 3 Jan 2009) I also decided to follow up on Nick Sly's reminder that he had seen the downtown Green-winged Teal a couple weeks ago in the stream east of South Meadow Street opposite Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway (the huge road to Lowe's, Mal*Wart, etc). I biked there first and found 1 female Mallard and a guy standing beside a sign announcing a big sale at Office Depot. I'd seen him Friday from the taxi, and he was tossing bread into the creek for the ducks. I asked him if he'd seen a female duck with a green wing patch. Indeed he had, yesterday, although he thought it was an odd female Mallard, and didn't notice the size difference. Too bad he wasn't there on New Year's Day! Anyway, I think credit for first observation goes to Larry Walrad. I poked around that creek, sifted through a couple hundred Mallards on the lawn behind Titus Towers, and wandered down Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway to the bridge over the Relief Channel. There, below a male BELTED KINGFISHER on a wire, swam the female GREEN-WINGED TEAL, properly small beside a male MALLARD. Before driving out to East Shore Drive for my son's indoor soccer games, I went into our backyard to dump the compost. In the direction of Cass Park I heard what sounded like a crowd whooping, but there wouldn't be any games on the snowy playing fields nor races on the frozen Flood Control Channel. At 2:58pm a flock of 58 TUNDRA SWANS flew directly overhead going south-southwest. Another treat was the discovery of at least 4 and probably 5 PINE SISKINS at my neighbor's feeders. Laurie keeps asking me to dump the compost. Maybe I should do it more often. Brendan had a break between soccer games from 5 to 6pm, so I decided to see what was happening around Buck & Scofield Roads. I arrived around 5:15pm and saw no birds as I cruised the area. So I stopped by the southeast corner of the overgrown Christmas tree plot and I waited and I scanned all around. I thought I might see an owl sitting on the ground or on pole or in a tree or cruising over the fields. At 5:30 I was surprised by a single SHORT-EARED OWL that appeared from behind me, flew north across Buck Road, then wove out of sight among the pine trees. --Dave NutterSubject: Re: Northern Hawk Owl? From: "Mickey Scilingo" <mickey.scilingo AT gte.net> Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:13:52 -0500 The Potsdam Northern Hawk Owl is fairly easy to find. Well, at least the location is. Traveling north on US Rt 11, about 5 miles or so out of Canton, look for Steve's RV Center on the right hand side (south) of the road. Just past the RV Center, Rt 11 is kind of elevated from a swampy (actually more like a low wet area area than a real swamp) on both sides of the road. The Hawk Owl has been favoring the section of the swamp on the left side of the road, near the "Everything Electric" store and the Tractor Supply Co store. If you pass the stores, you will come to a traffic light, which controls flow into the Wal-Mart on the right and the TSC on the left. Pull into the TSC lot and drive around the back of the store and park near a big water tank. The owl sometimes sits in the treeline that borders the store property and the swampy area. This is also a good vantage point to scope out the swamp. If you pass through the light, you will come to Morley Potsdam Rd on your left, a rather sharp left turn. This road passes by the back area of the swamp and the bird has been seen over there occasionally. If you make it over the river and into the village of Potsdam itself, you have gone too far. In the Delorme Gazeteer, this area is found in grid C-7 on page 99 in St Lawrence County. Mickey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marie P Read"Subject: Re: More Ithaca area birds From: Ken Rosenberg <kvr2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 22:15:45 -0500 Paul - Nice find on the Green-winged Teal -- that bird was at the same location last year, and I searched pretty carefully along that canal (as I think did Bill Evans) on count day without success. KEN At 6:09 PM -0500 1/3/09, Paul Hurtado wrote: >Hi folks, > >I took the afternoon and went up to the Salmon Creek area to look >for the reported Snow Owl. I checked Lansingville Rd. (saw a flock >of SNOW BUNTINGS), Salmon Creek Rd., and lots of the roads south of >Salmon Creek, but found no owls. > >I then worked my way over to Irish Settlement Rd. where I found a >large flock of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS just north of Beam Hill Rd. >in the short pines (White Pines??). I managed to snap some photos >from my van, which I'll post to my picasa website later this >evening. Very cool to see and hear so many of them so well! > >Lastly, a trip by Stewart Park and to Wegmans turned up 1 juv TUNDRA >SWAN off the ice in the park, and a single GREEN-WINGED TEAL at the >"Yellow Warbler" spot behind the Barnes & Noble and Tops (right on >cue after Dave's request!). I also had flocks of 62+ TUNDRA SWANS >and a couple thousand or so American Crows flying over the parking >lots just after sundown. > >Photos will be at > > http://picasaweb.google.com/Paul.J.Hurtado/2009BasinBirds > >Good birding, >-Paul -- **************************************** Ken Rosenberg Director, Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-2412 kvr2 AT cornell.edu ****************************************Subject: Summerhill, Sempronius and Cortland County From: "grosbeak AT clarityconnect.com" <grosbeak@clarityconnect.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:49:57 -0500 Hello all, Good birds over the past 5 days: WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS today in distance along Salt Rd about 1/2 mile south of Hoag and then again just past Hoag. PINE SISKINS at Hovel Chalet, Lake Como and on Lacy Rd. 2 COMMON RAVENS on Lacy as well. 1 PURPLE FINCH on Iowa Rd Bear Swamp, Cayuga Co. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK near Sayles Corners Sempronius. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS on Bond, Kinney Gulf and Sweeney Rds in Cortland County. At this location NORTHERN SHRIKE and COOPER'S HAWK continues. Peter Harity reports 60-70 WW CROSSBILLS at intersection of Merrill and Glen Haven Rds near Skan Lake afew days ago --birds were heard in distance today as well by me. ~15 PINE SISKINS at same location. At south end of Skan Lake are 30 REDHEADS, a few LESSER SCAUPS, 35 C. GOLDENEYES, a few Bufflhead, and C. Mergs. AMERICAN KESTREL on Blue Creek rd. 100 SNOW BUNTINGS along Rte 281 near Little York --same general area a NORTHERN HARRIER. 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and 2 COMMON RAVENS on Long Rd Scott. cheers, Matt Young -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://link.mail2web.com/mail2webSubject: Scofield Road, Sat 1/3 From: "Mark Chao" <markchao AT imt.org> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:44:35 -0500 Late on Saturday afternoon (4:50-5:10 PM), Ryan Douglas and I watched one SHORT-EARED OWL foraging over the fields at the north end of Scofield Road in Groton, near the towns of Lansing and Dryden. Several times we saw the owl drop to the snow. Twice it bent briefly with half-spread wings over a kill (Ryan saw that one victim was a small rodent), and apparently consumed it in maybe 10 seconds before taking to the air again. On one pass over the western field, the owl prompted a flock of 32 SNOW BUNTINGS to lift off and flee to the south. After the sun disappeared but just before total nightfall, we saw the owl backlit against the darkening woods. The bird was almost just a floating shadow, but it was thinly, exquisitely outlined in orange and still showed some fine details in the diffuse reflection off the snow. It was a thing of incomparable beauty, a rare pleasure even for someone spoiled by more than his share of fine moments with birds. Thanks to Ken Smith for finding and reporting this species here yesterday! Mark Chao PS. At least fifteen WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (seen by Miyoko and our kids, not me) and two PINE SISKINS have been in our neighborhood in northeast Ithaca for the past couple of days.Subject: Re: Northern Hawk Owl? From: "Marie P Read" <mpr5 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:02:58 -0500 (EST) Ellen wrote: > Andrea and I went up to Potsdam, NY on December 30, 2008 and saw our Lifer > Northern Hawk Owl. Thanks to Sue Fast for the great directions. Would either of you be willing to share the location/directions for this bird? I am heading up to Amherst Island tomorrow and would be interested in checking out this owl on the way back next week. Thanks Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail mpr5 AT cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com http://www.agpix.com/mariSubject: Roughlegged Hawk Dark Morph From: Ellen Sears <eagleowl16 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:55:51 -0800 (PST) Andrea and I went up to Potsdam, NY on December 30, 2008 and saw our Lifer
Northern Hawk Owl. Thanks to Sue Fast for the great directions.
Due to the road trips we went to Cortland today and had my car oil changed.
After several other errands and lunch in Cortland we talked my hubby into going
the long way home and checking out Scofield Road near Lansing, NY.
We did not see any Shorteared Owls . We were there from about 4:00 to 4:30
p.m.
However a gorgeous Dark Morph Roughlegged Hawk was hover hunting over the field
on the corner of Scofield Road and Buck Road. This was our first of the year
Roughlegged Hawk.
Ellen Sears
Dryden, NY
Subject: More Ithaca area birdsFrom: Paul Hurtado <pauljh AT cam.cornell.edu> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 18:09:12 -0500 (EST) Hi folks,
I took the afternoon and went up to the Salmon Creek area to look for the
reported Snow Owl. I checked Lansingville Rd. (saw a flock of SNOW
BUNTINGS), Salmon Creek Rd., and lots of the roads south of Salmon Creek,
but found no owls.
I then worked my way over to Irish Settlement Rd. where I found a large
flock of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS just north of Beam Hill Rd. in the short
pines (White Pines??). I managed to snap some photos from my van, which
I'll post to my picasa website later this evening. Very cool to see and
hear so many of them so well!
Lastly, a trip by Stewart Park and to Wegmans turned up 1 juv TUNDRA SWAN
off the ice in the park, and a single GREEN-WINGED TEAL at the "Yellow
Warbler" spot behind the Barnes & Noble and Tops (right on cue after
Dave's request!). I also had flocks of 62+ TUNDRA SWANS and a couple
thousand or so American Crows flying over the parking lots just after
sundown.
Photos will be at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Paul.J.Hurtado/2009BasinBirds
Good birding,
-Paul
Subject: YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER AT CLOFrom: "Mary E. Winston" <mew73 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:19:27 -0500 This afternoon there has been - off and on- a YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER coming to the suet feeders in the Treman Bird Garden here at the Lab. Happy New Year!! MarySubject: Ithaca Cemetery W.W.Crossbills today From: Gary Kohlenberg <jgk25 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:36:58 -0500 Hi all,
The Ithaca city cemetery was jumping with White-winged Crossbills
today. I was able to see 30, but I think there were a few more than that
present. They were mostly biased toward the north-east side past the
cannons, but would move around quite a bit. I was able to get my first
good scope views with 4 males in view at once. Very nice !
I just returned home at 2:15 and had a flock of about 40 TUNDRA
SWANS flying over heading south.
Gary
Subject: Pine Siskins - West DanbyFrom: Geo Kloppel <geokloppel AT clarityconnect.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:31:48 -0500 I came down the hill for lunch just now to find 6 PINE SISKINS at my niger feeder, and several PURPLE FINCHES eating sunflower seeds. No Crossbills in my (Norway) spruce plantation yet... -Geo Geo Kloppel Bowmaker & Restorer 227 Tupper Road Spencer NY 14883 607 564 7026 gek2 AT cornell.edu geokloppel AT clarityconnect.comSubject: Re: CBC addition, Cayuga Lake Basin From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:31:00 -0800 Ellen (& everybody), Your 2 January 2009 report of MUTE SWAN and HORNED LARK are first of year Cayuga Basin birds, unless someone else claims them on New Year's Day. Where did you first encounter Mute Swan? Does "we" include Andrea? I was driving taxi on 2 January and was terribly disappointed not to be able to scan Stewart Park early in the morning because I got sent to Rochester. However I did manage to work Cemetery Road and Martin Road into the trip. Like Ellen, I saw no Snowy Owl. Also like Ellen, I saw 4 all-brown field birds fly up from the shoulder of Cemetery Road, but I didn't see them well enough to be certain they were Horned Larks, and I was too self-conscious of my passenger, who was on her way to a medical appointment and probably not interested so much in birding, to stop the car entirely, open the window, or jump out, or back up. I'm glad to have my hunch confirmed, but I'll have to get a better look before I can count them on my personal lists. I'm still looking for reports of Trumpeter Swan, Hooded Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Wood Duck, any odd geese.. --Dave Nutter On Saturday, January 03, 2009, at 07:59AM, "Ellen Sears"Subject: CBC addition, Cayuga Lake Basin From: Ellen Sears <eagleowl16 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 07:59:11 -0800 (PST) Don't know if this helps with your count but I don't think I saw it on the
list.
Yesterday, January 2, 2009 Andrea and I drove around Cayuga Lake.
When we got to Sheldrake we watched a winter plumage Horned Grebe diving and up
for periods of time. It's distintive black and white plumage was so pristine
and beautiful.
We saw quite a lot of other birds but I believe you had them on the list.
Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Redhead Ducks, Canvasback, Tundra Swan, Mute
Swan, Red Breasted Mergansers.
We looked around for the Snowy Owl on Martin Road but could not relocate her.
Since we saw her on Dec. 28 and we had better weather on Dec. 29 and got great
pictures of her we weren't too disappointed. We saw 4 Horned Larks on
Cemetary/Airport Road when we were driving toward Martin Road.
On January 1, 2009 I had
1 Carolina Wren
2 males and 1 female Red Bellied Woodpeckers
8 gray striped crowned White Throated Sparrows
2 white striped crowned White Throated Sparrows
10 Black Capped Chickadees
6 Tufted Titmice
1 male and 1 female Hairy Woodpeckers
2 male and 1 female Downey Woodpeckers
8 Dark eyed Slate Juncos
4 American Goldfinches
3 male 4 female N. Cardinals
1 Song Sparrow
2 American Tree Sparrows
1 E. Starling
10 Mourning Doves
3 American Crows
at my feeders and in my back yard.
Ellen Sears
Subject: Snow buntingsFrom: "John and Sue Gregoire" <khmo AT empacc.net> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 09:44:02 -0500 (EST) Yesterday while skiing across some open fields near our home, the suffering of brutal icy wind proved worth the pain when I came to a plowed dirt road and a large flock of Snow Buntings gritting in the spreadings of the plow. I parked myself in a nearby hedgerow and watched them rise and fall again and again for about half an hour. There were some 250 of them and, because I was not in a vehicle and was protected from the wind by a tree, I was able to hear them twitter as they resituated themselves. It was comforting to watch the reaction of drivers as two cars came by. Each braked and allowed the flock to part as they slowly crept through. I was surprised to see the flock occasionaly rise and perch in a tall tree. Not something I would expect from a tundra bird. These, and the 20 White-winged crossbills we saw at home earlier in the day, made for a very good start of a new year. Hard to top. Sue G. -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ "Conserve and Create Habitat"Subject: Lansing From: "Ryan Douglas" <commonloon AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 08:51:46 -0500 I tried to find the Salmon Creek Snowy Owl from 7:20-7:50am this morning with no luck. Myers Point and the private marina were overrun by hunters. Only a few MALLARDS and a single AMERICAN BLACK DUCK way out in the middle of the lake. No Short-eared Owls around Scofield/Buck Roads at 8:15am, but two COMMON RAVENS were playing in the wind. Nothing at all inside the Ithaca Airport fence. Mohawk Rd. had not yet been plowed and so was not navigable in my car. Good birding, Ryan -- Ryan Douglas Ithaca, NY rnd4 AT cornell.edu commonloon AT gmail.com http://www.pbase.com/rnd4Subject: report of count week Hermit Thrush From: Dave Nutter <nutter.dave AT mac.com> Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:22:40 -0800 My CBC birding partner, Stefhan Ohlström, who is an experienced and observant Swedish birder who is learning American birds well, found a HERMIT THRUSH on 2 January on EcoVillage land just above West Haven Road. --Dave NutterSubject: Stewart Park Friday p.m. From: Paul Hurtado <pauljh AT cam.cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 20:51:24 -0500 (EST) Hi Folks, Hoping to refind Iceland Gulls, I stopped by Stewart Park and the Compost Piles this afternoon. Gull numbers way down from yesterday, no Iceland or Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Waterfowl numbers were ok, with 2 NORTHERN PINTAIL and 1+ GADWALL among the birds off Stewart Park. I also had a flyover KILLDEER in Stewart park (seen and heard - a "count week" bird for the CBC?). Good birding, -PaulSubject: Re: 2009 birds (partly OT) From: "Meena Madhav Haribal" <mmh3 AT cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:24:58 -0500 (EST) >> > Just to show that I am truly a bird geek, I have started my 2009 Basin > Birds album at Hi all, You can see I too am bird geek. So I have started chasing them right from their wintering ground. I saw Hooded Warblers, Black and white and Magnolias in hundreds. Kentucky Wablers sitting on picnic benches and the worm eating warblers in good numbers, one scaring me by showing off his heas stripess just 5 fee away frome. Ok I am typing from a spanish key board with no letters visible on it, so I am taking guesses so you might find tons of mistakes. Yeah, Wood Thrushes were every hundred yards. Ovenbirds with their tails ip strutted along the Mayna Ruins of Yaxha and Tikal like turkeys! Actually, I have found more of our backyard birds of summer than the local birds. I realized how important it is to save these parts if you want to see birds in summer! Happy New Year amd cheers MeenaSubject: Snowy Owl report (Salmon Creek Rd., Lansing), Th 1/1 From: "Mark Chao" <markchao AT imt.org> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:45:16 -0500 Today I saw an eBird report from yesterday of a SNOWY OWL along Salmon Creek Road in Lansing, and thought I ought to follow up. I just managed to connect with the finder, Ray Axtell. Ray says that he saw the bird on the west side of the road just south of Lockerby Hill Road. There is a cornfield here between the road and the slopes rising to the west, with trees along the road. Ray says that the bird seemed to take flight from the trees, yielding a 5-second view as Ray drove past. Ray says that the bird was very white, but seemed to show some barring toward the tips of the wings and/or tail. He has looked at a field guide and ruled out Northern Harrier because this bird was much whiter. He also saw dark vermiculation on the underparts. Ray acknowledges that he's not a very active birder, but he has some experience, including a special interest in raptors. He notes that this bird had the distinctive blunt-winged, broad-tailed profile of an owl. I encourage searchers to report positive or negative results. Good luck! Mark ChaoSubject: 2008 bird photos From: Kevin McGowan <kjm2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:29:34 -0500 I was finishing up year-end things today and put the final touches on my photo album of the birds I photographed in 2008 in the Cayuga Lake Basin, central New York. I ended up with 223 species, one hybrid, two domestic forms, and a presumed exotic release (bobwhite). The album can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinJ.McGowan/2008CayugaLakeBasinSpecies. This is not a display of beautiful photos (although I hope there are some in there), but represents all species I was able to get a "recognizable" photo of. I am very happy with some, but others are just miserable. I also have only one photo per species. I have been pretty rigorous with that rule and as a consequence have bumped a number of decent photos. I have a few other odds and ends from 2008 at http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinJ.McGowan/2008MiscellaneousBirds. I just realized I should put up some of the meager photos I took of the December Ithaca Slaty-backed Gull. Perhaps later this afternoon. Just to show that I am truly a bird geek, I have started my 2009 Basin Birds album at http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinJ.McGowan/BasinSpecies2009. This album includes an odd, white-headed Black-capped Chickadee that I think is pretty interesting to look at. I expect to be swapping out photos for some of these species as I get better ones. Enjoy, Kevin Kevin J. McGowan Ithaca, NY kjm2 AT cornell.eduSubject: Savannah Sparrow in Lansing, Jan 1-2 From: "Mark Chao" <markchao AT imt.org> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 11:41:41 -0500 Late yesterday, Rose Broome informed me that a SAVANNAH SPARROW came to her feeders at 311 Buck Road in Lansing. She sent me some nice pictures that definitively confirm the bird's identity. (Jay McGowan has looked at the photos too.) The bird is present again today. This location is in the Basin but, alas, just outside the Ithaca CBC circle, between Route 34 and Conlon Road. Rose welcomes visitors. Please call before going (607/533-7014), but if you don't connect with Rose, you can still visit and look. The bird has been eating millet in the feeding area behind Rose's house. Mark ChaoSubject: Crows From: bilbaker AT lightlink.com (Bill Baker) Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 11:12:22 -0500 I've had larger than usual numbers of Crows near the house the last few weeks, with New Years morning and this morning being the largest numberes so far. Yesterday AM there were roughly 400 in the fields and trees viewable from the yard. This AM there were at least 500 and perhaps closer to 600, including 41 that were in the yard on and around my feeders feeding on the Sunflower seeds. Bill Baker Plum Creek Designs Custom Furniture and Woodworking 68 N. Van Dorn Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 607-275-0540Subject: Re: still seeking these Ithaca CBC or Cayuga Lake Basin species From: Chris Tessaglia-Hymes <cth4 AT cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:40:07 -0500 Dave, et. al., There was a single female HOODED MERGANSER and a single female Common Merganser, which I observed around 10am on 31 December 2008 at the bend in Fall Creek as the creek flows nearest to Route 366, a few hundred yards before you hit the Route 366 and Etna Lane crossroads if you are driving away from Route 13 toward Etna. I did not get a chance to check the location on the morning of the 1st. These two may be anywhere along the creek at this point. Good birding! Sincerely, Chris T-H Dave Nutter wrote: > The Ithaca Christmas Bird Count will end at midnight tonight (1 January 2009). There are several species which were missed. > Please speak up if > > * you observed any of them within the count circle any time on 1 January 2009. Maybe your observation can be included. > or > * you observed any of them elsewhere in the Cayuga Lake Basin starting 1 January. You may go on record for the first 2009 basin record. > or > * you observe(d) any of them in the count circle in the 3 days before or after 1 January, i.e. 29,30, or 31 Dec or 2,3, or 4 Jan. It can add to the Ithaca CBC count week total. > > These species are often around in winter, but were missed on the Ithaca CBC: > > Greater White-fronted Goose > Ross's Goose > Cackling Goose > Mute Swan > Trumpeter Swan > Wood Duck > Green-winged Teal > Surf Scoter > White-winged Scoter > Black Scoter > Hooded Merganser > Red-throated Loon > Double-crested Cormorant > Red-shouldered Hawk > Merlin > Peregrine Falcon > any shorebird species > Glaucous Gull > Bonaparte's Gull > Long-eared Owl > Short-eared Owl > Northern Saw-whet Owl > Red-headed Woodpecker > Eastern Phoebe > Horned Lark > Winter Wren > Ruby-crowned Kinglet > Hermit Thrush > American Pipit > any warbler species > Eastern Towhee > Savannah Sparrow > Chipping Sparrow > Field Sparrow > Fox Sparrow > Lapland Longspur > Eastern Meadowlark > Rusty Blackbird > Pine Grosbeak > Red Crossbill > Evening Grosbeak > > or anything else not on the list below of what was found on the Ithaca CBC > > The following is an unofficial list of the 88 species which were reported for the 2009 Christmas Bird Count: > > Snow Goose > Canada Goose > Tundra Swan > Gadwall > American Wigeon > American Black Duck > Mallard > Northern Pintail > Canvasback > Redhead > Ring-necked Duck > Greater Scaup > Lesser Scaup > Long-tailed Duck > Bufflehead > Common Goldeneye > Common Merganser > Red-breasted Merganser > Ruddy Duck > Ring-necked Pheasant > Ruffed Grouse > Wild Turkey > Common Loon > Pied-billed Grebe > Horned Grebe > Great Blue Heron > Turkey Vulture > Bald Eagle > Northern Harrier > Sharp-shinned Hawk > Cooper's Hawk > Northern Goshawk > Red-tailed Hawk > Rough-legged Hawk > American Kestrel > American Coot > Ring-billed Gull > Herring Gull > Iceland Gull > Lesser Black-backed Gull > Great Black-backed Gull > Rock Pigeon > Mourning Dove > Eastern Screech-Owl > Great Horned Owl > Barred Owl > Belted Kingfisher > Red-bellied Woodpecker > Yellow-bellied Sapsucker > Downy Woodpecker > Hairy Woodpecker > Northern Flicker > Pileated Woodpecker > Northern Shrike > Blue Jay > American Crow > Fish Crow > Common Raven > Black-capped Chickadee > Tufted Titmouse > Red-breasted Nuthatch > White-breasted Nuthatch > Brown Creeper > Carolina Wren > Golden-crowned Kinglet > Eastern Bluebird > American Robin > Northern Mockingbird > European Starling > Cedar Waxwing > American Tree Sparrow > Song Sparrow > Swamp Sparrow > White-throated Sparrow > White-crowned Sparrow > Dark-eyed Junco > Snow Bunting > Northern Cardinal > Red-winged Blackbird > Common Grackle > Brown-headed Cowbird > Purple Finch > House Finch > White-winged Crossbill > Common Redpoll > Pine Siskin > American Goldfinch > House Sparrow > > Also a report of a Fox Sparrow on eBird is being double-checked. > > --Dave Nutter > > > -- ============================================= Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes TARU Product Line Manager and Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 Voice: 607-254-2418, FAX: 607-254-2460 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp mailto:cth4 AT cornell.edu =============================================Subject: SE Owls and Siskins From: "Ken Smith" <ksmith82 AT twcny.rr.com> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 10:21:04 -0500 Greetings, There were two Short-eared Owls by the Christmas tree farm on Buck Rd this morning (1/2) at 10:00. One on the utility pole opposite the intersection with Scofield Rd, the other flying over the Christmas trees. Also have 8 Pine Siskins at our feeders on Pleasant Valley Rd for the first time this season. Enjoy and Happy New Year, Ken Smith, Groton |