RBA
* New York
* Syracuse
* August 14, 2005
* NYSY 0508.14
Birds mentioned -
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
WHOOPING CRANE (extralimital)
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
RED KNOT
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Black Tern
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Veery
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
RED CROSSBILL
Compiled by Mickey Scilingo
RBA BirdBox: 315-637-0318
E-mail: mickey.scilingo@gte.net
Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org
#24 - Sunday, August 14, 2005
A WHOOPING CRANE was found in Lewis County on Thursday afternoon in a wet hayfield
just east of Lowville. It was still present on Friday afternoon and again on
Saturday morning, but around 9:15 AM it was observed flying south with 2 GREAT BLUE
HERONS. It was seen a few hours later flying toward the same fields it was found
in, but an observer spending a few hours at the original site later in the afternoon
could not relocate it. To reach the original site, from Rts 12/26 in the village of
Lowville, head east on Number Four Rd, which is just across from a Stewart's
convenience store, cross over the Black River and pass River Rd and Snell Rd, both
on the left. About 0.3 mile past Snell Rd, look for a brick house on the left with
a driveway that heads for some silos and a sign that says Shumway Farms. Directly
south of the brick house is a farm lane that extends into fields. The owner of the
farm has extended the courtesy to birders to park along the side of the driveway
(not the farm lane) and walk down the farm lane into the field. Permission is
granted to birders to walk down the lane to where the corn ends (about .25 mile),
but no further. The Crane was seen in the hayfield to the east of the lane.
This is just the second time that WHOOPING CRANE has been reported in New York, with
the first occurring on 6 April this year, when 3 WHOOPING CRANES passed by the
Ripley Hawk watch along the south shore of Lake Erie. From June 9 to 30, a WHOOPING
CRANE was hanging around the Dead Creek area of western Vermont, and it is presumed
that the Vermont bird is the one now in Lowville.
Two BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were found at the Sky High Sod Farm along Lakeport Rd
near Chittenango yesterday, along with a half-dozen HORNED LARKS and a BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER.
Delta Lake hosted an abundance of shorebirds yesterday, with the highlight being a
basic-plumaged RED KNOT. Aside from the Stokes-Westernville Rd fishermen's access
point, another viewing location can be found at a higher location along the south
shore of the bay near a pull-off along Main St, south of Westernville. From this
point yesterday, the list of birds seen includes plenty of KILLDEER, SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS, with smaller numbers of GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. A WILSON'S SNIPE, 25
PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 5 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS round out the shorebirds present,
while other notable birds were 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 4 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a GREAT
EGRET, an adult BALD EAGLE, a BONAPARTE'S GULL and 2 CASPIAN TERNS. Shorebird
numbers over the last 2 weeks have been relatively high at Delta Lake, and a BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER was among the hundreds of peeps there on Monday.
Gull numbers have been steadily building at Sandy Pond, with about 3500 RING-BILLED
GULLS and 200 HERRING GULLS present on Thursday morning, along with several
BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 60 CASPIAN TERNS, 6 COMMON TERNS and 3 BLACK TERNS. Small
numbers of shorebirds have been present throughout, with highlights being a RUDDY
TURNSTONE and a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER on July 31 and 2 RUDDY TURNSTONES on Aug 7.
Landbird migrants reported along the dunes have consisted mostly of EASTERN
KINGBIRDS and YELLOW WARBLERS, with a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH seen on Thursday.
The islands of Oneida Lake have held small but varying amounts of shorebirds during
the first half of August. Wantry Island had 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES and a juvenile
SANDERLING on August 3, and 1 RUDDY TURNSTONE and 3 SANDERLINGS on August 9. The
injured Turnstone that was reported earlier in the year has not been seen since the
middle of July. There were 15 CASPIAN TERNS on Long Island on August 3, and about
300 BONAPARTE'S GULLS at Sylvan Beach on August 6.
On Thursday, August 4, a RED CROSSBILL was seen flying into a Red Pine stand on
Muller Hill in Georgetown. This species has been breeding in the northeastern
section of Chenango County (which is just to the south of Georgetown) since
mid-winter, so it's possible that they may make an attempt on Muller Hill in the
near future. Also from Georgetown comes the sighting of 4 COMMON RAVENS on
Saturday, August 6.
A mixed-species migrant landbird flock in Camillus on August 6 included VEERY,
YELLOW WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.
Yesterday at Utica Marsh, a MERLIN was spotted along the railroad track south of the
observation tower. A family of COMMON MOORHENS was seen in the marsh, along with a
SOLITARY SANDPIPER and an AMERICAN WOODCOCK. Notable landbird migrants included
LEAST FLYCATCHER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
At least 3 of the 4 juvenile PEREGRINE FALCONS have been spotted downtown this week,
along with both adults. As of mid-week, the adults are still providing at least
some food to the juveniles. Look for them on the Verizon building, the Syracuse
Hotel, the HSBC building or City Hall.
A few birders have commented about the "problem" of having "too many" RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRDS visit their feeders. It seems that many of these feeders are
attracting 4-6 hummingbirds at a time, no doubt a nice problem to have.
On Saturday, August 27, Joe Brin will lead a field trip to an old growth forest in
East Canada Valley in the Adirondacks, where he will be looking for north country
specialties such as Olive-sided Flycatcher and Philadelphia Vireo, among others.
This will be an all day trip. Contact Joe at jnnbrin@hotmail.com or 315-638-8309
for more information.
Mickey Scilingo
Yellow Barn Hill
Dryden, Tompkins County, NY
mickey.scilingo@gte.net
* New York
* Syracuse
* August 14, 2005
* NYSY 0508.14
Birds mentioned -
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
WHOOPING CRANE (extralimital)
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
RED KNOT
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Black Tern
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Veery
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
RED CROSSBILL
Compiled by Mickey Scilingo
RBA BirdBox: 315-637-0318
E-mail: mickey.scilingo@gte.net
Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org
#24 - Sunday, August 14, 2005
A WHOOPING CRANE was found in Lewis County on Thursday afternoon in a wet hayfield
just east of Lowville. It was still present on Friday afternoon and again on
Saturday morning, but around 9:15 AM it was observed flying south with 2 GREAT BLUE
HERONS. It was seen a few hours later flying toward the same fields it was found
in, but an observer spending a few hours at the original site later in the afternoon
could not relocate it. To reach the original site, from Rts 12/26 in the village of
Lowville, head east on Number Four Rd, which is just across from a Stewart's
convenience store, cross over the Black River and pass River Rd and Snell Rd, both
on the left. About 0.3 mile past Snell Rd, look for a brick house on the left with
a driveway that heads for some silos and a sign that says Shumway Farms. Directly
south of the brick house is a farm lane that extends into fields. The owner of the
farm has extended the courtesy to birders to park along the side of the driveway
(not the farm lane) and walk down the farm lane into the field. Permission is
granted to birders to walk down the lane to where the corn ends (about .25 mile),
but no further. The Crane was seen in the hayfield to the east of the lane.
This is just the second time that WHOOPING CRANE has been reported in New York, with
the first occurring on 6 April this year, when 3 WHOOPING CRANES passed by the
Ripley Hawk watch along the south shore of Lake Erie. From June 9 to 30, a WHOOPING
CRANE was hanging around the Dead Creek area of western Vermont, and it is presumed
that the Vermont bird is the one now in Lowville.
Two BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were found at the Sky High Sod Farm along Lakeport Rd
near Chittenango yesterday, along with a half-dozen HORNED LARKS and a BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER.
Delta Lake hosted an abundance of shorebirds yesterday, with the highlight being a
basic-plumaged RED KNOT. Aside from the Stokes-Westernville Rd fishermen's access
point, another viewing location can be found at a higher location along the south
shore of the bay near a pull-off along Main St, south of Westernville. From this
point yesterday, the list of birds seen includes plenty of KILLDEER, SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS, with smaller numbers of GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. A WILSON'S SNIPE, 25
PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 5 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS round out the shorebirds present,
while other notable birds were 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 4 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a GREAT
EGRET, an adult BALD EAGLE, a BONAPARTE'S GULL and 2 CASPIAN TERNS. Shorebird
numbers over the last 2 weeks have been relatively high at Delta Lake, and a BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER was among the hundreds of peeps there on Monday.
Gull numbers have been steadily building at Sandy Pond, with about 3500 RING-BILLED
GULLS and 200 HERRING GULLS present on Thursday morning, along with several
BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 60 CASPIAN TERNS, 6 COMMON TERNS and 3 BLACK TERNS. Small
numbers of shorebirds have been present throughout, with highlights being a RUDDY
TURNSTONE and a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER on July 31 and 2 RUDDY TURNSTONES on Aug 7.
Landbird migrants reported along the dunes have consisted mostly of EASTERN
KINGBIRDS and YELLOW WARBLERS, with a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH seen on Thursday.
The islands of Oneida Lake have held small but varying amounts of shorebirds during
the first half of August. Wantry Island had 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES and a juvenile
SANDERLING on August 3, and 1 RUDDY TURNSTONE and 3 SANDERLINGS on August 9. The
injured Turnstone that was reported earlier in the year has not been seen since the
middle of July. There were 15 CASPIAN TERNS on Long Island on August 3, and about
300 BONAPARTE'S GULLS at Sylvan Beach on August 6.
On Thursday, August 4, a RED CROSSBILL was seen flying into a Red Pine stand on
Muller Hill in Georgetown. This species has been breeding in the northeastern
section of Chenango County (which is just to the south of Georgetown) since
mid-winter, so it's possible that they may make an attempt on Muller Hill in the
near future. Also from Georgetown comes the sighting of 4 COMMON RAVENS on
Saturday, August 6.
A mixed-species migrant landbird flock in Camillus on August 6 included VEERY,
YELLOW WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.
Yesterday at Utica Marsh, a MERLIN was spotted along the railroad track south of the
observation tower. A family of COMMON MOORHENS was seen in the marsh, along with a
SOLITARY SANDPIPER and an AMERICAN WOODCOCK. Notable landbird migrants included
LEAST FLYCATCHER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
At least 3 of the 4 juvenile PEREGRINE FALCONS have been spotted downtown this week,
along with both adults. As of mid-week, the adults are still providing at least
some food to the juveniles. Look for them on the Verizon building, the Syracuse
Hotel, the HSBC building or City Hall.
A few birders have commented about the "problem" of having "too many" RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRDS visit their feeders. It seems that many of these feeders are
attracting 4-6 hummingbirds at a time, no doubt a nice problem to have.
On Saturday, August 27, Joe Brin will lead a field trip to an old growth forest in
East Canada Valley in the Adirondacks, where he will be looking for north country
specialties such as Olive-sided Flycatcher and Philadelphia Vireo, among others.
This will be an all day trip. Contact Joe at jnnbrin@hotmail.com or 315-638-8309
for more information.
Mickey Scilingo
Yellow Barn Hill
Dryden, Tompkins County, NY
mickey.scilingo@gte.net