Hi Eveline & All, I am often at Allan H Treman State Marine Park, the park which includes the large marina and the shore of Cayuga Lake. It is immediately north of Cass Park, which belongs to the City of Ithaca and mostly has playing fields alongside Cayuga Inlet. The border is easily overlooked.
I particularly like days such as today when the water is calm and the air temperature is close to the water temperature, because the lack of wind vibration, waves, and mirages or “shimmer” make conditions best for viewing birds. Late autumn through early spring is the season when there is the greatest diversity of birds on the lake. Today I was there from about 9:30am until 2pm. I am happy to share my telescope and knowledge with you or other bird-interested passersby, as long as your dog is leashed and under control. I’m the guy with the long white beard and the olive and yellow windbreaker. Today I shared with 7 people, several of whom saw species they had never seen before. Yes, the dense rafts of thousands of ducks which you saw were mainly Redheads, as well as 4 other species in the same genus, Aythya: Greater Scaups, Lesser Scaups, Canvasbacks, and Ring-necked Ducks, as well as a few Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, and a couple dozen American Coots. I heard rumors that today an additional Aythya species was seen in the rafts at the south end of Cayuga Lake, a male Tufted Duck, which is a rarity from Europe that has been seen for a couple weeks in these rafts. Also nearby, but not part of the rafts, were Canada Geese, a family of Tundra Swans, Mallards, American Black Ducks, a Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, and Double-crested Cormorants. Farther away on the lake were a small flock of a dozen Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Pied-billed Grebe, a Horned Grebe, 3 Common Loons. >From Stewart Park today a Green-winged Teal, an Iceland Gull, and a Glaucous >Gull were also reported. A couple days ago I was fortunate to see a Northern >Shoveler from Allan Treman. And the diversity of water birds at the south end >of Cayuga Lake is likely to increase through March! - - Dave Nutter > On Jan 27, 2024, at 2:48 PM, Eveline V. Ferretti <e...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > Hello! Am at cass park for a Saturday walk w/ my dog and am seeing a what I > believe is a raft of Redheads, with a few other waterfowl mixed in. Wishing I > had a scope with and not just my mediocre binoculars! > > Eveline Ferretti > (she/her) > Public Programs & Communication Administrator > Albert R. Mann Library > Cornell University Library > 237 Mann Drive > Ithaca, NY 14853 > Tel: (607) 254-4993 > > Please note: I am sending this email at a time in which I am engaged with > Cornell University Library business but which may fall outside of normal > workday hours. Please respond at your own convenience. Thank you. > > Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the > Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). Learn more. > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > ABA > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
