RBA
* New York
* Syracuse
* May 15, 2006
* NYSY 0605.08
hotline: Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert
date(s): May 8-May 15, 2006
RBA BirdBox: (315)-637-0318
to report by e-mail: fickity AT netscape DOT net
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.
compiled: May 15 AT 5:00 p.m. (EST)
compiler: Matt Victoria
Onondaga Audubon Homepage: www.onondagaaudubon.org
#17 - Monday, May 15, 2006
Greetings! This is the Syracuse Area Rare Bird Alert for the week of
May 15, 2006.
Highlights:
SNOWY EGRET
GREAT EGRET
LEAST BITTERN
SANDHILL CRANE
PEREGRINE FALCON
LAUGHING GULL
SNOWY OWL (!)
WHIP-POOR-WILL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
AMERICAN 3-TOED WOODPECKER (extralimital)
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
ORCHARD ORIOLE
VESPER SPARROW
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) and Montezuma Wetlands Complex
(MWC)
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The last affirmative sighting of the SANDHILL CRANES occurred on
May 5th from Carncross Rd. in the Town of Savannah. The dearth of
positive reports lately may indicate a nesting attempt is under way.
The Cranes nest in the MWC. Check the cut corn field along the south
side of Carncross Rd., or try to find the Cranes by scanning from the
DEC Parking Area at the end of Morgan Rd. Sandhill Cranes should be
easier to locate when they are with their colts, yet even then, a few
attempts may be necessary. Refer to page 74, Grid D1 in the NYS DeLorme.
Birders working the woodlot between Carncross Rd. and the Marten's
Tract discovered a singing KENTUCKY WARBLER on the 13th. The Kentucky
Warbler was present on the east side of the road in a wet swale
250-300yds north of Carncross Rd., but could not be relocated later that
day. Also present along this stretch of Savannah Spring Lake Rd. was a
pair of Cerulean Warblers, courting on the 13th. The Marten's Tract is
another great area to Birdwatch, and if traveling north on Savannah
Spring Lake Rd. the parking area is on the right immediately after you
pass Carncross Rd.
A singing PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was reported on the 13th from the
gravel part of Van Dyne Spoor Rd., about 1/3 of the way down along the
woodlot on the south side side. A relocation attempt was not
successful, but a singing male Cerulean Warbler at telephone pole number
315 seemed to be defending a territory and may linger to afford views
for interested Birders.
GREAT EGRETS continue to be reported from the Wildlife Drive portion
of MNWR.
Cayuga County
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A call to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology front desk this morning
(the 15th) at 9:15am reported a "Snowy Owl" in Locke, NY, Route 34,
about 1 3/4 mile north of Linda's Diner, near Community Propane and
Willett Dairy. The suspect Bird was seen perched on a roof and on a
utility pole. An intrepid Birder went to investigate, and confirmed the
Bird is indeed a SNOWY OWL! It was last seen at 4:50PM on a pole just
opposite Community Propane. Refer to page 60 in the DeLorme. No
information about origins is available at this time...
Onondaga County
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The PEREGRINE FALCON chicks have hatched, somewhere between the
5-8th of May. Currently, 3 eyas can be discerned. The Falcons nest
atop the 20th floor of State Tower Building at 109 South Warren Street
in the City of Syracuse inside a nestbox platform. The pair of Falcons
have nested here for the past two years, and a webcam allows viewers to
observe the Falcons while nesting. Refer to the following URL:
http://www.usadatanet.com/falconcam.html
A LEAST BITTERN was heard vocalizing calling at the DeWitt Marsh
along Fisher Rd in the early morning hours of the 11th. The bird was
vocalizing from the west side of the marsh near the very end of the
road. DeLorme pg. 75.
An ORCHARD ORIOLE was heard vocalizing from the Erie Canal Towpath in
Warners on the 14th, while another female ORCHARD ORIOLE was observed at
the corner of Rt.11A and
Solvay Rd. in southern Onondaga County Town of Tully the same day.
Check page 74 in the DeLorme for Warners, and pg. 61 for Tully.
The ACADIAN FLYCATCHER has returned to Whiskey Hollow in the Town of
Van Buren today the 15th. It was heard in the
traditional spot up the road from the spring on the left turn and on the
right side. Whiskey Hollow Road is depicted on DeLorme pg. 74, yet is
unmarked. Look for the Grid by C/D 3 and the legend that reads "The
Kingdom".
Louisiana Waterthrushes are back on territory throughout Onondaga
County. If you would like to see one, try Pratts Falls County Park in
the Town of Pompey and along Gulf Rd. near Pompey Center and the Madison
County line. Refer to page 61 in the DeLorme Grid A7. On the west
side, try the 13 curves of Cedarvale Rd. in the Town of Onondaga,
DeLorme pg. 61 Grid A5.
Oswego County
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Raptor migration is beginning to slow, yet one may still find that good
numbers Hawks were recorded
this past week for Derby Hill Bird Observatory's annual Hawk Watch.
Record numbers of Bald Eagles passed this week on the 12th/13th. Refer
to the following URL for directions, daily observations, and
flight predictions:
http://www.derbyhill.org
Highlights from the past week include 3 SANDHILL CRANE flyovers on the
9th, GREAT EGRET on the 10th, 5 SNOWY EGRETS that staged in Sage Creek
Marsh on the 11th., and ORCHARD ORIOLE and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER on the
12th. See the Derby Hill website for a full tally of
Hawks observed. Directions to Derby Hill can be found at the website,
the Hill is located on DeLorme page 83.
2 WHIP-POOR-WILLS were calling the night of the 8th along
Roosevelt Road in the Town of Constantia from the area around the sandpits
Refer to page 75 in the Delorme NY State Atlas and Gazetteer.
A fully-hooded adult LAUGHING GULL was found today the 15th from
behind the War Memorial on Lake Neatahwanta in Fulton. The Bird was
observed later by other Birders standing with a small group of
Ring-billed Gulls, very cooperative at a distance of less than 20 feet
from the observers car. DeLorme pg. 74.
Oneida County
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An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was observed by a Birder driving
along Skyline Drive outside of Town of Clinton on the 12th.
An odd hybrid Warbler was discovered on the 10th along Sterling Rd.,
Verona Beach SP. in the Town of Verona. Birders decided it most closely
resembled a Lawrence's Warbler backcross. The Bird sang a combination
of both Blue-winged and Golden-winged vocalizations. DeLorme pg. 76.
EXTRALIMITAL: Ferd's Bog, Hamilton County
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A female AMERICAN 3-TOED WOODPECKER was observed by Birders on the
13th from the boardwalk at Ferd's Bog. For over 15 minutes the
Woodpecker delighted observers by foraging (bark-flicking), drumming,
and flying from tree to tree. Ferd's Bog is reached by a well marked
trail that begins at a parking area off Uncas Rd. in the town of Inlet.
Refer to page 86 in the DeLorme.
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Migrants reported from this past week include:
Green Heron, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher,
Black Tern, Purple Martin, and Cliff Swallows, Black-billed and
Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern
Kingbird, Great Crested, Willow and Least Flycatcher,Warbling Red-eyed, and
Yellow-throated Vireos, Marsh Wren, Swainson's Thrush, Veery, Wood
Thrush, Yellow Warbler,
Golden-winged, Blue-winged, Magnolia, Northern Parula, Nashville,
Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Black&White, American Redstart,
Blackburnian, Cerulean, Canada, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue and
Black-throated Green
Warblers, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Scarlet Tanager,
White-crowned&Lincoln's Sparrows, Baltimore Oriole, Bobolink, and
Purple Finch.
--end transcript