Yesterday afternoon (1 April) I was with Ann Mitchell at the DEC’s Deep Muck and Mitigation Marsh in Savannah when she found a Common Gallinule hiding in reeds. I wasn’t surprised that eBird said it was rare. They will soon be common enough throughout the Montezuma marshes, but this is early for them, and I suspected this was the first reported this year in the Cayuga Lake Basin. I remember on one of the Montezuma overnight trips with Spring Field Ornithology years ago, always the first weekend of April, Susan Danskin found one along the Wildlife Drive which was the first of that year. I was also not surprised that a Common Gallinule was here this early, since we had such a mild winter and there were a couple recent times that would encourage migration. But I’m glad that when this bird came out in the open I managed to get a recognizable photo through my scope, because it’s rarer than I thought. According to eBird there has only been one other Common Gallinule reported so far in NYS, one that spent the winter on Long Island.
The view we had was distant, requiring a scope, and the name of the place may sound intimidating, but the Deep Muck and Mitigation Marsh is a sweet little spot that’s easy to get to and has a nice viewing platform with a bench in the shade in case the weather ever gets warm. It’s about a hundred yards south of Savannah-Spring Lake Road on a gravel road marked by a small sign mid-way between 39 Rd and Taylor Rd. It’s a great place for marsh birds and water birds even if you don’t have a scope. We stopped there because Wade & Melissa Rowley had reported a Eurasian Green-winged Teal among the typical American subspecies. We weren’t aware, but Les Preston also reported a Eurasian Wigeon among the American Wigeon. We didn’t find either of the Eurasian strays among the many ducks, which included Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, and displaying Northern Shovelers. I assume it’s a display when a pair of Shovelers swims cheek-to-cheek in the the tightest possible circles. Context: “Deep Muck” is among a whole series of wetlands in the sediment-filled northward continuation of the glacial valley containing Cayuga Lake. >From the lake, first there are off-limits bottomland forests owned by >Montezuma NWR. Then, north of NYS-5/US-20 is the familiar series of impoundments around the Wildlife Drive. Then, north of the Clyde River and the Barge Canal there are Knox-Marsellus & Puddler Marshes, then some still-farmed-but-seasonally-flooded fields in the Mucklands along NYS-31 west of the village of Montezuma. Then there’s the Refuge’s expansive “Sandhill Crane Unit” south of Van Dyne Spoor Rd. (Since it was named, Sandhill Crane pairs have staked out territories on many marshes in the area.) Then, between the nearby West Shore Trail (named for the West Shore Railroad which formerly ran there) and Wright Road near the existing active railroad, there are a couple more farmed-but-seasonally flooded fields. North of the active railroad is Railroad Road, with a couple DEC impoundments once famous for rails. North of Crusoe Creek are more impoundments around Morgan Road where DEC has its offices. These adjoin the impoundment south of Carncross Road, which is also the west entrance across the Seneca River to Howland Island. Deep Muck is tucked to the west between the Morgan and Carncross impoundments. On the north side of Carncross Road, The Nature Conservancy owns some marsh said to be saltwater from natural seeps. Then there’s the Martens Tract with more DEC impoundments. And there are more DEC places farther north unfamiliar to me. And this list was only on the west side of the Seneca River. Plus there are other areas among the drumlins a bit outside this wide path. My point is that there are many places to take in the birds of the marshes, and Deep Muck should be on the list. Sorry, I don’t know how it got the odd name. - - Dave Nutter Begin forwarded message: > From: ebird-al...@birds.cornell.edu > Date: April 1, 2024 at 5:18:02 PM EDT > To: nutter.d...@mac.com > Subject: [eBird Alert] Wayne County Rare Bird Alert <hourly> > > *** Species Summary: > > - Common Gallinule (2 reports) > > --------------------------------------------- > Thank you for subscribing to the <hourly> Wayne County Rare Bird Alert. The > report below shows observations of rare birds in Wayne County. View or > unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35788 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated. > > eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please > follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any > active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: > https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully > > Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) (1) > - Reported Apr 01, 2024 16:12 by Ann Mitchell > - 13146, Savannah US-NY 43.07487, -76.72397, Wayne, New York > - Map: > http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=43.074872,-76.723969&ll=43.074872,-76.723969 > - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S166856724 > - Comments: "Horizontal white stripe on black body, red bill." > > Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) (1) > - Reported Apr 01, 2024 16:09 by Dave Nutter > - NY:WAY:Savannah: Deep Muck Platform (S/Sav-Spr L W/Taylor), Wayne, New York > - Map: > http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=43.0749288,-76.7241161&ll=43.0749288,-76.7241161 > - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S166857893 > - Comments: "Early but expected. Found by Ann. Coot-like bird standing & > feeding in reeds at far side to SE, red bill/forehead, brown back, white > horizontal stripe above slaty sides & belly. Later in open along far > shoreline. FOY. Bad photo." > > *********** > > You received this message because you are subscribed to eBird's Wayne County > Rare Bird Alert > > Manage your eBird alert subscriptions: > https://ebird.org/alerts > > eBird Alerts provide recent reports of regionally or seasonally rare species > (Rarities Alerts) or species you have not yet observed (Needs Alerts) in your > region of interest; both Accepted and Unreviewed observations are included. > Some reports may be from private property or inaccessible to the general > public. It is the responsibility of every eBirder to be aware of and > respectful of access restrictions. For more information, see our Terms of > Use: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/terms-of-use/ -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") 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