Shorebirds at Knox-Marsellus today included: AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, 1 in transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 1 in nearly breeding plumage, 1 in nearly non-breeding plumage SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER KILLDEER GREATER YELLOWLEGS, several LESSER YELLOWLEGS, dozens RUDDY TURNSTONE, 1 in non-breeding plumage seen from Towpath Rd before field trip began PECTORAL SANDPIPER, several STILT SANDPIPER, 1 in transition plumage WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, several LEAST SANDPIPER, scores SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, hundreds
Also unusual was a single non-breeding BONAPARTE'S GULL. There were lots of CASPIAN TERNS and GREAT EGRETS. I counted 8 SANDHILL CRANES: a pair and a trio flew NW at dawn, a pair stayed all morning, and a single arrived from the north at noon, greeted with hostility by the resident pair and forced to move to a different part of K-M. After others left I saw a female NORTHERN HARRIER overhead and still later Gary Kohlenberg watched a PEREGRINE FALCON circle lazily from the north then stoop directly into the middle of K-M, quickly diving a second time, then flying low across the marsh and disappearing behind vegetation. Maybe it stopped when it caught something out of our view. There were about 30 field trip participants. Next such field trip meets at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center at ELEVEN O'CLOCK on SATURDAY 23 August. This morning I arrived early to listen (unsuccessfully) for Sedge Wren. --Dave Nutter -- 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/ --
