Today Ann Mitchell & I took the almost 3-hour trip to see the GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH, which was very cooperative on this 3rd day since its arrival. This was a life bird for both of us, and being only the second confirmed state record, it's a rare opportunity to see this species without trekking high into the western mountains. Besides, it has wonderfully subtle and unusual colors well worth seeing. So I hope the bird sticks around and more people get to see it.
The location is in Lewis County, on NYS-12D, several miles north of Boonville and a short distance south of Locust Grove Road (lower left corner of p85 in DeLorme). Nancy Loomis, who discovered the bird on Sunday while doing a Feederwatch count, is graciously permitting visitors to park and scope from the area in front of their large separate garage/shop. The phone number to call in advance is 315-723-2527. The bird has been feeding on the deck, on a bird bath which is seasonally filled with seed, and on the ground. It also spends a lot of time in the nearby large deciduous trees where it often perches close to the trunks and can be a challenge to find, being rather bark-colored. It doesn't particularly associate with the numerous other birds at this busy feeding station - mainly HOUSE SPARROWS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, PURPLE FINCHES and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES. Although it first showed up at 6:26 this morning, it was there when we arrived around 11:15 and still there when we left at 12:40.
Form a car-pool, and good luck!
On our way back we stopped at the mucklands on NYS-31 west of the Village of Montezuma. It was barren except a very few scattered AMERICAN CROWS, although an adult BALD EAGLE was perched near its nest at northwest edge. There was also an adult Bald Eagle perched near the Armitage Road nest.
From East Road we saw some CANADA GEESE, NORTHERN PINTAILS, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, AMERICAN WIGEON, and MALLARDS but only a handful of SNOW GEESE.
Along Lower Lake Rd we found more waterfowl, including several TUNDRA SWANS (many in the distance), quite a few GADWALL, some distant COMMON MERGANSERS and COMMON GOLDENEYE, a small flock CANVASBACKS, a flock of REDHEADS with a few GREATER and LESSER SCAUP and RING-NECKED DUCKS mixed in, and at the south end near the intersection with NYS-89 by the Fayette/Seneca Falls town line, a dwindling raft of a couple thousand SNOW GEESE. As we scanned them unsuccessfully for a Ross's Goose, skeins kept taking off and flying northwest (Do they feed at night to avoid hunters?). There were also a few GREEN-WINGED TEAL nearby on the mud.
--Dave Nutter
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