I've been following reports on ebird of the flock of Scoters that has been growing in numbers over the past week or so at the south end of Cayuga Lake. Jay McGowan's ebird report from yesterday gave an exact count of 38 all confirmed as White-winged. I've seen this flock several times in very poor light and very far off from both the east and west shores. With today's sunshine promising a better look I visited East Shore Park at noon and finally got a well-lit, if distant, view. Eye-commas were visible on several males and many of the female types displayed white wings either at rest or in display. Today, I got a count of 47 from East Shore. I also saw about 20 Long-tailed Ducks and at least 12 Horned Grebes, some near the Scoter flock. Later, viewing from Stewart Park, I relocated the Scoters pretty much in the middle of the lake and noticed a distinct group of 9 female types, moving in and out of the main flock at times separating by 100 yards or more. This 9 plus Jay's 38 matches the 47 count I got earlier. I'm not sure of the id of the putative newcomers. In saltier or bigger bodies of water these birds can be a lot less elusive and mysterious than they are around here, so it's gratifying to have them hanging around even if they do insist on keeping their distance.
Best…Stuart -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
