| NIAGARA AREA | Archived Birding Reports - 2000 |
Niagara birds - Mon, 18 Dec 2000 Hi Gord
On Friday, Dec.15 I had a Carolina wren having lunch with a downy woodpecker at the homemade suet cake in my back yard in south St. Catharines.
On Saturday, Dec. 16 two Carolina wrens showed up, pigged out on suet cake and then sampled peanuts, chipped sunflower seeds, and a lard-peanut butter mix. They sure brightened up a couple of dull, not-quite-official winter days.
Good birding,
Rick Johnston
okaybye@lycos.com
bluebirds in December - Wed, 6 Dec 2000
I just came back from a short walk at Lock 2 and among a flock of tree sparrows, chickadees, and gold finches were at least 6 bluebirds. They were 16 paces from me for about 10 minutes feeding on sumac berries. I saw 6 bluebirds in the same tree but there could have been others since the place was alive with birds for about 50 yards. I had walked over half a mile and had seen just one blue jay and one gold finch and then walked into their feeding area it seemed. There was a hairy wood pecker in the midst of all this excitement also just doing what woodpeckers do.
For those familiar with the area:
Cross the Welland Canal bridge at Carlton St. heading East towards Sunshine Flowers. As soon as you cross the bridge there is a pull off spot immediately to the right. Do not go down around the turn. Walk on the path (past the yellow barrier) heading South towards the Skyway. Go past the pipe( which pumps water from the canal for the farmers down below on the sharp turn at Sunshine Flowers). Continue for about 150-200 yards until you see of all things -- bags of garbage down the bank. There is a ditch (mostly dry) with numerous fallen trees across it at this location also. Across this ditch there is lots of scrub brush and this is where all the birds were except for the bluebirds which were almost directly over the ditch. There is a Seaway construction road about 100 yards more to the East which always seems to hold a couple of dozen tree sparrows along the edges.
It was about 10 a.m. today that I saw them. Wednesday, Dec 6, 2000. Temperature was 26F with a dusting of snow on the ground.Hope you can find them. I looked all summer and only saw a couple of bluebirds in Short Hills and then here they are in Dec. less than a mile from my home. Just Great!
Fred Dakin in St. Catharines, Ontario
fredroz@sprint.ca
Scarlet Tanager, Harlequin Duck, Parasitic Jaeger,
Gulls on the Niagara River - Sun, 26 Nov 2000
A Scarlet Tanager was reported at the north end of the Spanish Aero Car that crosses the Whirlpool. The bird was eating berries from a bush on the gorge wall. If correct, this is a remarkably late date. The same observers reported seeing ten species of gulls on the river including a Sabine's Gull at Adam Beck. At least one Sabine's was also seen below the falls today. Yesterday, two were reported below the falls and one at the south end of the Whirlpool. The female Harlequin Duck was again seen below the control gates that are above Niagara Falls but was not easy to find. For the second day in a row, there was a juvenile Parasitic Jaeger on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the river. Gulls reported today: Sabine's Little Glaucous Iceland Thayer's Lesser Black-backed - record numbers the four common species - Bonaparte's, Herring, Ring-billed, Great Black-backed Good birding! Willie Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Niagara Falls, NY dannapotter@webt.com
Snowy Owl at Vineland - Sun, 26 Nov 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Birders,
While I was returning from the North American Gull Conference in Niagara Falls today (Nov. 26) I stopped at the north end of Victoria Ave. in Vineland to look for a Western Grebe reported there yesterday (no luck). I then went east along the North Service Road to the small harbor where is an old wooden boat. The Snowy Owl was on one of the light posts on the rock jetty at the farthest end toward the lake. I continued my search for the grebe to Martin Ave. and along Lakeshore Rd. to west of Cherry Rd., again with no luck.
Allen Chartier
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI 48141
Website: http://www.amazilia.net
Email: amazilia@juno.com
Sabine's in Niagara - Fri, 24 Nov 2000 Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic
thank you for your understanding.As posted by Willie earlier all wear still present at 4:00 pm to day also seen wear Lesser B B Gull 1 , Thayer's gull 2, but with all those eyes I am sheer something good will be found ...If you dont see the Sabines Gull look right up tight aganst the wall right blow the falls or in the water I no of soom that mist it ...
I think Ill keep sunday open .. and O yes the Sabine's Gull was # 300 for Ont. for the year..
Craig Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca The Sabine's Gull continues to feed in the mist below the Canadian Falls. The female Harlequin Duck continues to feed behind the low rock island that is visible from the pulloff on the downstream side of the control gates in Chippawa, Ont. (above Niagara Falls). She is often tucked in so close to the island that you cannot see her but she is more visible when on the upstream side of the island with Common Goldeneyes. Good birding! Willie
Sabine's Gull, Harlequin Duck, Snowy Owl - Thu, 23 Nov 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
At least nine species of gulls were found on the river today. The Sabine's Gull was still in the gorge below the falls. It likes to feed in the mist below the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls. Other gulls today - Little Gull below the falls; Lesser Black-backeds, Icelands, two adult Thayer's above the falls and one at the power plants.
There was a female Harlequin Duck visible from the north side of the control gates in Chippewa. It was well out, on the other side of the low rock island, generally with Common Goldeneyes. Two Dunlin were seen on the low rock island. A Common Tern flew by, heading upriver.
On the way home, Betsy and I had a Snowy Owl at the Niagara Falls, NY airport. We watched it from behind the Industrial Suites on the north side of Niagara Falls Blvd. (Rt. 62).
Good birding!
WillieWillie D'Anna
Betsy Potter
Niagara Falls, NY
dannapotter@webt.com
WNY Dial-a-Bird 22 Nov 2000 - Wed, 22 Nov 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 11/22/2000 * NYBU0011.22 - Birds mentioned OSPREY SABINE'S GULL CALIFORNIA GULL Red-throated Loon Snow Goose Tundra Swan Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk American Coot Greater Yellowlegs Dunlin Little Gull Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull L. Black-b. Gull Glaucous Gull Northern Shrike Horned Lark American Pipit Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 11/22/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Wednesday, November 22, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received November 16 through November 22 from the Niagara Frontier Region include OSPREY and Niagara River GULLS. November 17, a probable record late OSPREY was reported in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area at Albion Road and Oak Orchard Creek. There are only five November records of OSPREY in the past 36 years of BOS archives, and the 17th is the latest date by almost a week. Also at Oak Orchard, 24 TUNDRA SWANS at Windmill Marsh and 98 RUDDY DUCKS at the Gypsum Pond in Oakfield. Highlights from the Iroquois Refuge included SNOW GOOSE, 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 4 DUNLIN, plus over 500 AMERICAN COOTS at Cayuga Pool. In the fields north of the refuge in the Town of Shelby, 4 NORTHERN HARRIERS, NORTHERN SHRIKE, numbers of HORNED LARKS, 15 AMERICAN PIPITS, LAPLAND LONGSPUR and 14 SNOW BUNTINGS. On the Niagara River, November 18 and 19, at least 11 gull species were reported. Juvenile SABINE'S GULLS were first noted below the Canadian Falls, at the Whirlpool, the Queenston-Lewiston section of the lower river and at the mouth of the river off Fort Niagara. CALIFORNIA GULL was reported at a second location this season - above the falls at the control gates. Previously, CALIFORNIA GULL has been found at the Beck overlook. Other gulls reported at the falls and Beck overlook, several each of LITTLE GULL, THAYER'S GULL, ICELAND GULL, L. BLACK-B. GULL and GLAUCOUS GULL. Black-leg. Kittiwake was not reported this week, but may still be present. Also on the river, a RED-THROATED LOON below the control gates inside the breakwall, and three RED- THROATED LOONS on Lake Ontario off Fort Niagara. In the South Dayton area of northwest Cattaraugus County, 7 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were reported November 20. This is a traditional area for Rough-legs to congregate in winter. The hawks were found along Mill Street and Routes 62 and 322. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, November 30. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.- End TranscriptD Suggs
dfsuggs@localnet.com
Niagara River Gulls - Sun, 19 Nov 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Today was another fine day for gulls on the river, even though it was shortened somewhat by lake effect snow. The numbers of gulls were very good as was the variety. Eleven species of gulls were reported including: Sabine's (all juveniles) - 1 @ the boat launches in Lewiston-Queenston; 1 @ the Whirlpool (directly behind the souvenir stand/rest rooms building at the Spanish Aero Car, not usually in the Whirlpool itself); 1 @ Maid of the Mist landing below Niagara Falls. California - 1 adult on breakwall below the control gates that are above Niagara Falls. Glaucous, Iceland, Thayer's, Little, Lesser Black-backed, plus the four common species. This will probably be my last report for a couple of weeks due to work and the gull conference this coming weekend. So please report your sightings to keep everyone updated on what is still around. Good birding! Willie -- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Niagara Falls, NY dannapotter@webt.com
Niagara River - Sabines Gulls - Sat, 18 Nov 2000 The first Sabine's Gulls of the season were found today. Betsy and I discovered two juveniles below the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls. Ron Scovell found one juvenile at the Whirlpool.
Other gulls today: Little Gull - 2 adults below Niagara Falls; 1 at Lewiston-Queenston Iceland Gull - a half dozen or maore at Adam Beck; at least one above Niagara Falls Glaucous Gull - first-winter at Adam Beck; second-winter above Niagara Falls Lesser Black-backed Gull - at least 8 above Niagara Falls; 4-5 more at Adam Beck Thayer's Gull - many reported; I saw one possible adult at Adam Beck California Gull - reported by a single observer at Adam Beck. One or two darker mantled Herring Gulls at Adam Beck. There were lots of Bonaparte's Gulls today from above the falls well into Lewiston-Queenston. Even though the Kittiwake was not reported, I suspect it is still around. There was also a Red-throated Loon seen below the control gates that are above Niagara Falls. The loon was reported inside the breakwall and so was very close - this is a very unusual spot for a loon. The lake effect snow that is falling here now (Saturday night) is expected to end before morning so gull-watching should be good again tomorrow. Good birding! Willie -- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Niagara Falls, NY dannapotter@webt.com
WNY Dial-a-Bird 16 Nov 2000 - Thur, 16 Nov 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 11/16/2000 * NYBU0011.16 - Birds mentioned SUMMER TANAGER RED PHALAROPE CALIFORNIA GULL Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Tundra Swan Canvasback Redhead Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Red-br. Merganser Ruddy Duck Cooper's Hawk Rough-legged Hawk American Coot Pectoral Sandpiper Little Gull Bonaparte's Gull Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull L. Black-b. Gull Glaucous Gull Black-leg. Kittiwake Carolina Wren Cedar Waxwing Fox Sparrow Snow Bunting Eastern Meadowlark - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 11/16/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, November 16, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received November 9 through November 16 from the Niagara Frontier Region include SUMMER TANAGER, RED PHALAROPE and CALIFORNIA GULL. The female SUMMER TANAGER found at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo on November 8 was most recently reported November 12. Most sightings have been along the Service Road between Mosquito Junction and Warbler Walk. The tanager has also been reported at the Visitors Center and near the first bridge. It has been very secretive and not always easy to locate. Also at Tifft, several FOX SPARROWS. From Chautauqua County, November 11, 2 RED PHALAROPES were reported in Dunkirk Harbor along with PIED-BILLED GREBE, HORNED GREBE 4 TUNDRA SWANS and a SNOW BUNTING. Nearby at Saint Columban's in Sheridan, 53 HORNED GREBES plus numbers of COMMON GOLDENEYE, come and RED-BR. MERGANSER. On Chautauqua Lake at Mayville, COMMON LOON, 188 RUDDY DUCKS and 340 AMERICAN COOTS plus CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS. And in the Mayville area, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, CAROLINA WREN, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and a rather late PECTORAL SANDPIPER. On the Niagara River this week, CALIFORNIA GULL continues it's streak of annual occurrences. This gull was found on the roof of the Beck power plant on the lower river in Ontario, near the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. Also at Beck, LITTLE GULL, THAYER'S GULL, 3 or 4 ICELAND GULLS and GLAUCOUS GULL. Above Niagara Falls, 4 L. BLACK-B. GULLS and at the source of the river, at the Peace Bridge, 4 LITTLE GULLS and a BLACK-LEG. KITTIWAKE among several hundred BONAPARTE'S GULLS. Other reports this week, a COOPER'S HAWK has returned for another winter to a yard on Stillwell Avenue in Kenmore. After the recent snowfall this week, a PIED-BILLED GREBE and 5 BUFFLEHEADS appeared on Cayuga Creek in Lancaster. Flocks of 30 to 40 CEDAR WAXWINGS were reported in Delaware Park in Buffalo and at Spalding Lake in Clarence. And, there will be a BOS field trip to the Niagara River for gulls and waterfowl on Sunday, November 19. Meet at 9 AM in the parking lot before the Coast Guard Station at Fort Niagara State Park in Porter. Visitors are always welcome. Dial-a-Bird will be updated one day early next week, on Wednesday, November 22. Please call in your sightings by noon Wednesday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End TranscriptD Suggs dfsuggs@localnet.com
Niagara River Gulls - 17/11/00
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding. In between the snow , the rain , the sleet and the sun there was sum good gulling on the Niagara river to day at 10:00 am I was aball to refined the adult California Gull it was on the rocks to the left of the Robert Moses power plant seen from the Adam beck overlook all so seen their wear 1 adult Iceland Gull , 1 adult Glaucous Gull , and 1 adult Lesser B B Gull . At the wearl poll lookout I wachet a juv. B.L.Kittiwake for 5 mints before it flue up river and out of sight . See from the Hydro building above the falls was a another L.B.B.Gull and a vary small Herring gull it was a adult in winter plumage but it had a large gray smug running up and down infront off the eye ?????? (yes seen on both sides ) this gull will be very essay to re find for it was banded with Left leg showing red ,green and blue and right only having green and yellow ?? also above a Little gull was seen one was also at the boot docks at Question . the count for the day was 10 species . Qew to Niagara Falls, Niagara parkway north almost to Queenston , or the Qew/405 to Queeston 'south on the parkway to adam beck. Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca Craig McLauchlan
WNY Dial-a-Bird 02 Nov 2000 - Thu, 02 Nov 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 11/02/2000 * NYBU0011.02 - Birds mentioned YELLOW-BILLED LOON SABINE'S GULL WHITE-W. CROSSBILL SNOW BUNTING GREAT EGRET Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Snow Goose Brant Green-winged Teal Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Oldsquaw Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-br. Merganser Rough-legged Hawk Merlin Killdeer Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Little Gull Horned Lark Golden-cr. Kinglet Ruby-cr. Kinglet American Pipit Amer. Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-thr. Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Lapland Longspur - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 11/02/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, November 2, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received October 26 through November 2 from the Niagara Frontier Region include YELLOW-BILLED LOON, SABINE'S GULL, WHITE-W. CROSSBILL SNOW BUNTING and GREAT EGRET. October 30, an excellent find on Lake Ontario, a probable YELLOW-BILLED LOON, off the lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park in Somerset. The loon was seen for 15 minutes, about 500 yards offshore, with 2 COMMON LOONS. This bird could not be found the following day. There is only one modern record of YELLOW-BILLED LOON in the region - on Lake Erie at Point Abino, Ontario, in January 1997. A juvenile SABINE'S GULL and 25 BRANT were reported October 28 at Barcelona Harbor, on Lake Erie in Westfield. 20 WHITE-W. CROSSBILLS were found on October 29, on private property along Lake Road in Somerset. Flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS were also reported on the 29th - at several locations along the Lake Ontario shore and 13 SNOW BUNTINGS at the Batavia Waste Water Plant. Also at the Batavia plant, 21 waterfowl species including 2 SNOW GEESE, 4 BRANT and 1 OLDSQUAW or LONG-TAILED DUCK. The BOS field trip to the Lake Ontario Plains on October 28 was highlighted by a total of 4 MERLINS during the day. Species along the lake shore included RED-THROATED LOON, COMMON LOON, HORNED GREBE, BRANT, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, SURF SCOTER, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, RED-BR. MERGANSER and LITTLE GULL. At Golden Hill, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET, RUBY- CR. KINGLET, AMER. TREE SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, WHITE-THR. SPARROW and DARK-EYED JUNCO. Along Niagara-Orleans Countyline Road, 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, and in the farm fields of the plains, HORNED LARK, AMERICAN PIPIT and LAPLAND LONGSPUR. October 29 at Ring-neck Marsh in the Iroquois Refuge, 2 lingering GREAT EGRETS were reported plus 1 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 65 HOODED MERGANSERS, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER and 4 DUNLIN. At Windmill Marsh in the Oak Orchard Area, 10 waterfowl species included an odd hybrid CANADA GOOSE, with swan-like characteristics. Other reports this week, at the new trail in the Iroquois Refuge, located off Route 63 north of Oak Orchard Ridge Road, 4 AMER. TREE SPARROWS. From Campbell Blvd. in Pendleton, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, KILLDEER and 100 AMERICAN PIPITS. And outside the region, a BOS weekend trip to Hawk Cliff, near Port Stanley, Ontario, about 150 miles from Buffalo, tallied 2250 raptors of 14 species highlighted by 8 BALD EAGLES, 6 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS, over 1500 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 29 GOLDEN EAGLES, MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON. Also a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was briefly seen at Hawk Cliff, and to the east of our region, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was also reported at Hamlin Beach State Park. [UPDATE: The next BOS meeting will be on Wednesday, November 8, at 7:30 PM at the Buffalo Museum of Science. A program will be presented on nesting Red-shouldered Hawks in the Allegany State Park area. Looking ahead, the next BOS field trip will be on November 19, to the Niagara River. Meet at 9 AM at Fort Niagara State Park near the Coast Guard Station. This will be the annual joint trip with the Genesee Ornithological Society.] Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, November 9. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript
Niagara LBBG, Gray's Road POJA - Sun, 29 Oct 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
I spent an hour at the landfill at Niagara today (Mountain Road, near the 401). Among perhaps 2,000 gulls were four LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a handful of Greater Black-backed, but no white-winged gulls or other interesting Larids. The LBBGs consisted of two adults in winter plumage, one third winter and one second winter. NOTE: I was allowed in only because I had a signed release and the required safety gear (hard hat, safety vest, steel toed boots).
On the way home I stopped by the foot of Gray's Road in Stoney Creek and around 2:30pm a light morph juvenile plumage POMARINE JAEGER flew in and around the large raft of Scaup and gulls for a few minutes before heading back out to deeper waters.
--
Christopher J. Escott
1 Shouldice Court, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M2L 2S3
(416) 444-8055
WNY Dial-a-Bird 26 Oct 2000 - Thu, 26 Oct 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 10/26/2000 * NYBU0010.26 - Birds mentioned BRANT BLACK-HEADED GULL L. BLACK-B. GULL ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK NORTHERN SHRIKE AMER. TREE SPARROW Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Egret Mute Swan Northern Pintail Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Oldsquaw Common Goldeneye Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Common Snipe Jaeger species American Pipit Fox Sparrow Lapland Longspur Rusty Blackbird - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 10/26/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, October 26, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received October 19 through October 26 from the Niagara Frontier Region include BRANT, BLACK-HEADED GULL, L. BLACK-B. GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, NORTHERN SHRIKE and AMER. TREE SPARROW. BRANT were reported at several unexpected locations this week. Typically, this goose species migrates through the Niagara Frontier along the shores of Lake Ontario. This week however, 32 BRANT were found at the Batavia Waste Water Plant, ten remained at the Niagara University campus in Lewiston, 3 at Ring-neck Marsh in the Iroquois Refuge, 2 at Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg (just the second record at this location), and single BRANT in the Town of Shelby and in Buffalo at Times Beach and the Bird Island Pier. On Lake Ontario, an elusive flock of 10 to 100 BRANT lingered near the lighthouse at Golden Hill in Somerset and small flocks were noted at other locations along the Lake Ontario shore. Also on Lake Ontario, October 22, a rare BLACK-HEADED GULL flew past Barker Park in Somerset. At Niagara Falls, 3 adult L. BLACK-B. GULLS were reported above and below the falls. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, NORTHERN SHRIKES and AMER. TREE SPARROWS have begun to arrive for their winter visits. October 22, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in Somerset, 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES in the Iroquois and Oak Orchard area and AMER. TREE SPARROW at Four Mile Creek in Porter. In addition to the BRANT, many waterfowl were reported this week. On the Niagara River above the water control gates (or water inlets along the Robert Moses Parkway?) at Niagara Falls, over 1000 GREATER SCAUP with 250 CANVASBACKS and a few REDHEADS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP and COMMON GOLDENEYES. Along Lake Ontario, SURF SCOTER, WHITE- WINGED SCOTER and BLACK SCOTER plus RED-THROATED LOON, COMMON LOON, HORNED GREBE and RED-NECKED GREBE at several locations. 3 MUTE SWANS at Golden Hill. At the Batavia Plant, 20 waterfowl species included CANVASBACK, COMMON GOLDENEYE and OLDSQUAW, soon to be known by the common name LONG-TAILED DUCK. And at Windmill Marsh at Oak Orchard, over 250 NORTHERN PINTAILS and a COMMON GOLDENEYE. Other reports this week - a JAEGER SPECIES at a great distance off shore from Four Mile Creek. Two adult PEREGRINE FALCONS in the Niagara Falls gorge. At Ring-neck Marsh, 9 GREAT EGRETS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, COMMON SNIPE, 15 DUNLIN and 3 FOX SPARROWS. LAPLAND LONGSPURS and AMERICAN PIPITS flying over the Batavia Plant. And at Windmill Marsh, 6 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and numerous RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, November 2. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript
Lesser Black-backed Gulls & Peregrine Falcons & Waterfowl
at Niagara Falls - Mon, 23 Oct 2000This Monday afternoon after work, I decided to check the raft of ducks that usually accumulates on the Niagara River above the control gates above Niagara Falls at this time of year. There were a couple thousand ducks consisting mostly of Greater Scaup with some Lessers, 250 CANVASBACK, and a handful of Goldeneye, Ring-necked Ducks, and REDHEAD. Nearer to the American shore there were a few dozen each of American Wigeon and Gadwall. On the rocks about 1/4 mile above the falls there were two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS. Below the falls there was another adult LESSER. On the power plant on the Canadian side just below the falls, were two adult PEREGRINES. The male had what appeared to be a bird which he at first was unwilling to share with his mate. Later, after he had had a few bites to eat, the female was successful in getting him to share.
Good birding!
Willie
--Willie D'Anna
Betsy Potter
Niagara Falls, NY
dannapotter@webt.com
WNY Dial-a-Bird 19 Oct 2000 - Thu, 19 Oct 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 10/19/2000 * NYBU0010.19 - Birds mentioned POMARINE JAEGER LONG-B. DOWITCHER RICHARDSON'S CANADA GOOSE TRUMPETER SWAN TUNDRA SWAN BRANT EARED GREBE RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD Pied-billed Grebe Great Egret Snow Goose Surf Scoter Common Goldeneye Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Peregrine Falcon Ring-necked Pheasant Virginia Rail Killdeer Pectoral Sandpiper Little Gull Red-bellied Wdpkr. Northern Flicker Blue-headed Vireo Horned Lark Yellow-r. Warbler Common Yellowthroat White-thr. Sparrow White-cr. Sparrow Lapland Longspur Purple Finch Pine Siskin - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 10/19/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, October 19, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received October 12 through October 19 from the Niagara Frontier Region include POMARINE JAEGER, LONG-B. DOWITCHER, RICHARDSON'S CANADA GOOSE, TRUMPETER SWAN, TUNDRA SWAN, BRANT, EARED GREBE and RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD. October 18, a rare find on Lake Ontario at Four Mile Creek State Park in Porter, a sub-adult POMARINE JAEGER along Dietz Road. The jaeger was harassing gulls within one hundred feet of the shore. Several good reports from the Iroquois Refuge and Oak Orchard this week. October 15 at Ring-necked Marsh, 2 LONG- B. DOWITCHERS were reported again, along with 5 CANADA GEESE of the small B. C. HUTCHINSII race, also known as RICHARDSON'S GEESE. On the 19th, 25 RICHARDSON'S GEESE were at Ring-neck along with 8 GREAT EGRETS, 2 SNOW GEESE and a TUNDRA SWAN. On the 15th, an un-banded TRUMPETER SWAN was found at Windmill Marsh in the Oak Orchard area. A total of 9 shorebird species were tallied in the Iroquois and Oak Orchard areas. BRANT were reported several times this week. Three at Ring- necked Marsh. A flock of 100 BRANT residing for several days on the Niagara University campus in Lewiston. Up to 80 at Golden Hill State Park in Somerset, east of the lighthouse. And lesser numbers of BRANT were reported at other locations along Lake Ontario. Also at Golden Hill, 5 SURF SCOTERS and 10 PINE SISKINS. At the Batavia Waste Water Plant this week, an EARED GREBE was reported, likely the same bird that has been reported since July. 20 waterfowl species at the plant included 2 COMMON GOLDENEYES and a probable record count of 1251 RUDDY DUCKS. The RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD reported last week was still present at a feeder in Orchard Park on October 14. Other reports this week - PEREGRINE FALCONS at two locations, one diving on a gull on Phelps Road near Indian Falls in Pembroke and another at the Railroad Bridge in Fort Erie, Ontario. The first two LITTLE GULLS on the Niagara River were reported off Fort Erie on October 14. At Allegany State Park, a hike from Wolf Run to East Perimeter Road found 2 BALD EAGLES, 2 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS, 2 BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, 4 PURPLE FINCHES and a PINE SISKIN. At the drained Allegany Reservoir, good shorebird habitat yielded only 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and a dozen KILLDEER. At Sinking Ponds Nature Trail in East Aurora, PIED-BILLED GREBE, VIRGINIA RAIL, RED-BELLIED WDPKR., NORTHERN FLICKER, HERMIT THRUSH, YELLOW-R. WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WHITE-THR. SPARROW and WHITE-CR. SPARROW. And on Marshall Road in Yates, a large flock of HORNED LARKS and LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, October 26. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript
Brant -Lewiston NY - Wed, 18 Oct 2000
A flock of about 100 Brant have been at Niagara University for the past two days. The birds were seen this morning at 10 AM feeding on the lawn between the athletic fieldhouse and the tennis courts on the east side of the university grounds. Niagara University is located in the Town of Lewiston on Lewiston Road (Route 104) along the Niagara River just south of the Niagara Power Project.
Bill Broderick
Youngstown,NY
716-745-3969
bjbroderick@worldnet.att.net
Little Gull, Peregrine - Sat, 14 Oct 2000 Today, Saturday, Betsy and I had an adult Little Gull about 1/2 mile above the Peace Bridge on the Niagara River (Fort Erie/Buffalo). Another, or the same bird, was seen later about a mile downriver from the Peace Bridge, near the International Railroad Bridge. In addition, we had an adult Peregrine at the latter location. Although there were more Bonaparte's Gulls below Niagara Falls (a few hundred), we found nothing with them.
At Allegany State Park (N.Y.), we had a flyover Pine Siskin and two Bald Eagles.
--
Willie D'Anna
Betsy Potter
Niagara Falls, NY
dannapotter@webt.com
WNY Dial-a-Bird 12 Oct 2000 - Thu, 12 Oct 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 10/12/2000 * NYBU0010.12 - Birds mentioned RED-NECKED PHALAROPE RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Snow Goose Brant Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Oldsquaw Common Goldeneye Red-br. Merganser Osprey Northern Harrier Northern Goshawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Wild Turkey Black-bellied Plover Amer. Golden Plover Jaeger Species Little Gull Bonaparte's Gull Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse Winter Wren Golden-cr. Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Cape May Warbler Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-thr. Sparrow White-cr. Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting American Goldfinch - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 10/12/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, October 12, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received October 5 through October 12 from the Niagara Frontier Region include RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD and reports from the BOS October Count.
October 6, in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were found at Windmill Marsh, along with 3 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. The phalaropes were seen from the tower on Knowlesville Road in the Town of Alabama. Also in Alabama, 71 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were in a field to the southeast of Route 63 and Hamm Road.
October 10, 11 and 12, a female RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD was reported at a feeder in Orchard Park. Most RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRDS have left the region by this date, any hummingbirds at this time of year should be carefully observed and reported.
October 8, the BOS October Count was conducted throughout the Niagara Frontier. Sections in the Lake Ontario Plains in Orleans County were highlighted by an early SNOW BUNTING and a lingering CAPE MAY WARBLER, and early RED-THROATED LOON and BRANT. Also numbers of SNOW GEESE, SURF SCOTER, WHITE- WINGED SCOTER, OLDSQUAW and COMMON GOLDENEYE over the lake, NORTHERN GOSHAWK on Fuller Road in Newfane, MERLIN at Golden Hill in Somerset, PEREGRINE FALCON at an unspecified location, WILD TURKEY, 11 WINTER WRENS, 59 GOLDEN-CR. KINGLETS, 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 21 HERMIT THRUSHES, GRAY CATBIRD, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, 179 WHITE-THR. SPARROWS, 32 WHITE-CR. SPARROWS, 69 DARK-EYED JUNCOS and 70 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES.
The section of northeast Cattaraugus County reported 63 species, highlighted by an unexpected SURF SCOTER on Harwood Lake along Route 98, plus OSPREY, 5 NORTHERN HARRIERS, EASTERN PHOEBE, 14 HORNED LARKS, TUFTED TITMOUSE, 23 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 4 PALM WARBLERS, 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, EASTERN TOWHEE and 12 FIELD SPARROWS. And, in the Town of Lancaster section, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, several flocks of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, WHITE-CR. SPARROW, hundreds of WHITE-THR. SPARROWS, and an unexpected flyover of a SWAN, either a Tundra Swan or a Trumpeter Swan.
October 9, at Sinking Ponds in East Aurora, GREATER SCAUP was recorded for the first time, after many years of study at this location.
Also October 9, reports of migration along Lake Ontario off Barker Park in Somerset included more early waterfowl - 2 RED-THROATED LOONS, 1 RED-NECKED GREBE and 45 BRANT, plus 45 COMMON LOONS, 12 HORNED GREBES, 9 SURF SCOTERS, 126 WHITE- WINGED SCOTERS, 5 BLACK SCOTERS, 8 OLDSQUAWS, 3 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 38 RED-BR. MERGANSERS, 1 LITTLE GULL, 130 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 3 TERNS and a JAEGER.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, October 19. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 05 Oct 2000 - Thu, 05 Oct 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 10/05/2000 * NYBU0010.05 - Birds mentioned Great Egret Green Heron Turkey Vulture American Wigeon American Black Duck Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle American Coot Greater Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Common Nighthawk Barn Swallow Golden-cr. Kinglet - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 10/05/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, October 5, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. A very quiet week for reports from the Niagara Frontier Region, September 28 through October 5. October 1, 15 watefowl species were found at the Batavia Waste Water Plant, including 21 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 90 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 42 NORTHERN PINTAILS, REDHEAD, 136 RING- NECKED DUCKS, GREATER SCAUP, 2 LESSER SCAUP, 24 COMMON MERGANSERS and 403 RUDDY DUCKS. Also at the plant, GREEN HERON, 7 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and a BARN SWALLOW. The wastewater plant is located on Industrial Blvd., off Genesee Street, on the west side of the City of Batavia. Visitors must ask permission at the office to enter the property. At the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, October 1, 80 AMERICAN WIGEONS and 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. And at the Iroquois Refuge, 9 GREAT EGRETS, 14 TURKEY VULTURES, BALD EAGLE, 240 AMERICAN COOTS and a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER with 3 LEAST SANDPIPERS, one-half mile east on Feeder Road, off Route 77. Also this week, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLETS with three warbler species at Goat Island in Niagara Falls, and 6 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS over Eggertsville in Amherst. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, October 12. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript
Use of loafing areas by Bonaparte's Gulls at Fort Erie - Fri, 29 Sep 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
I would greatly appreciate it if birders could keep me posted on the use of loafing areas by Bonaparte's Gulls in the Fort Erie area, especially the grassy areas south of the Peace Bridge and the shoreline areas (on the Canadian side) above and below the Bridge. General observations on when (date and time of day), exactly where and how many birds use these areas are needed. If anyone living in that area is really keen, would like to participate in a research project and could make daily checks of those areas, please contact me for further details. CWS and the USFWS are planning a joint research project on Bonies in that area and we would appreciate any of the above kind of information.
Many thanks (please contact me privately).
Chip
D.V. Chip Weseloh, Ph.D. Wildlife Biologist Canadian Wildlife Service-Ontario Region 4905 Dufferin St. Downsview, Ontario M3H 5T4 Ph=416-739-5846 Fax=416-739-5845 email=chip.weseloh@ec.gc.ca Canadian Wildlife Service-Ontario Region web site: http://www.cciw.ca/green-lane/wildlife/ Ornithological Council Website: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET "Providing Scientific Information about Birds"
WNY Dial-a-Bird 28 Sep 2000 - Thu, 28 Sep 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 09/28/2000 * NYBU0009.28 - Birds mentioned BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER LONG-B. DOWITCHER CONNECTICUT WARBLER Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Egret Snow Goose American Black Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Oldsquaw Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Ruffed Grouse Common Moorhen Black-bellied Plover Amer. Golden Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Semipalm. Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher L. Black-b. Gull Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-b. Sapsucker Eastern Wood-Pewee Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-thr. Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo N. Rough-w. Swallow Carolina Wren House Wren Winter Wren Golden-cr. Kinglet Ruby-cr. Kinglet Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush Brown Thrasher American Pipit Orange-cr. Warbler Yellow Warbler Cape May Warbler Lincoln's Sparrow White-thr. Sparrow Rose-br. Grosbeak Indigo Bunting - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 09/28/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. Suggs Thursday, September 28, 2000 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received September 21 through September 28 from the Niagara Frontier Region include BUFF- BR. SANDPIPER, LONG-B. DOWITCHER, over 20 warbler species and early arriving waterfowl. September 24 and 25, a late BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER was reported several times at the north end of Woodlawn Beach State Park, on Lake Erie in the Town of Hamburg. Also at Woodlawn, PEREGRINE FALCON, 2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and several AMERICAN PIPITS. Two LONG-B. DOWITCHERS were found at Ring-neck Marsh in the Iroquois Refuge September 23, 24 and 25. Along the dowitchers were 12 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER and a SHORT-B. DOWITCHER plus 6 GREAT EGRETS. Also at the Iroquois Refuge, 2 adult BALD EAGLES at Cayuga Pool. Just north of the refuge, in the Town of Shelby, 36 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and 150 N. ROUGH-W. SWALLOWS. A great fall warbler fallout was reported at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo on September 24. Twenty warbler species were recorded during the morning, including a late YELLOW WARBLER, plus YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, YELLOW-B. SAPSUCKER, EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, YELLOW-THR. VIREO, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, RED-EYED VIREO, WINTER WREN, HOUSE WREN, CAROLINA WREN, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET, RUBY- CR. KINGLET, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, WOOD THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, WHITE-THR. SPARROW, 5 ROSE-BR. GROSBEAKS and INDIGO BUNTING. Also the 24th, CONNECTICUT WARBLER and CAPE MAY WARBLER were reported on Lover's Lane Road, south of Lower Lake Road in the Town of Somerset, where a very unexpected RUFFED GROUSE was also found. September 22, ORANGE-CR. WARBLER and CAPE MAY WARBLER were the highlights of 10 warbler species at Goat Island in Niagara Falls. During the morning rain on September 23, seven warbler species were seen in a small yard in Lancaster and in the afternoon, eight warbler species were at Fort Niagara State Park in Porter. Early waterfowl in the Lake Ontario Plains this week were - a SNOW GOOSE, September 24, about a week early, on Niagara- Orleans Townline Road, north of Route 18. An equally early SURF SCOTER the same day along the Lake Ontario shore with 3 COMMON LOONS, 2 HORNED GREBES, 2 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS and 45 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. And September 23, six OLDSQUAWS, over two weeks ahead of their arrival date, off Fort Niagara. Other reports this week - L. BLACK-B. GULL at Goat Island. PIED-BILLED GREBE, 2 RUDDY DUCKS, COMMON MOORHEN and a MERLIN at Sinking Ponds Nature Trail in East Aurora. And September 26, an injured Swainson's Hawk escaped from the Buffalo Zoo. Last seen at Amherst and Colvin in the City. Any sighting should be reported to the zoo. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, October 5. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 21 Sep 2000 - Fri, 22 Sep 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 09/21/2000 * NYBU0009.21 - Birds mentioned JAEGER SPECIES AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Greater Scaup Red-br. Merganser Merlin Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Common Snipe Red-necked Phalarope Caspian Tern Black Tern Rusty Blackbird - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 09/21/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, September 21, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received September 14 through September 21 from the Niagara Frontier Region include JAEGERS and AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS.
JAEGERS were reported twice this week on Lake Erie between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario. September 17, a dark jaeger with a white belly was observed flying over the lake from Jaeger Rocks in Fort Erie. September 21, an all dark jaeger was seen over Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg. Of the jaeger species known to occur in the region, PARASITIC JAEGER is the most recorded, POMARINE JAEGER is quite rare and the region's only records of LONG-TAILED JAEGERS occurred in September and October of 1996. Also at Woodlawn Beach on the 21st, a BLACK TERN and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were reported at several locations this week. One at the Lakeside or Clarence turf farms, at County and Goodrich Roads in Clarence. In the Town of Java in Wyoming County, 3 golden-plovers in a potato field near Waldos Corners along with 35 KILLDEER, 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, 2 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, and 7 COMMON SNIPES. And a single golden-plover with 8 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS at the Feeder Canal Road sod farms in Dunnville, Ontario.
September 17, 13 shorebird species were found throughout the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario. At the Smithville Lagoons, in West Lincoln south of Grimsby, 9 shorebird species included SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and STILT SANDPIPER, plus 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.
Other reports this week - a MERLIN in a yard near Hertel and Parkside in Buffalo. 8 CASPIAN TERNS and a RED-BR. MERGANSER at Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island. Nine early arriving GREATER SCAUP off Jaeger Rocks. And along the Bird Island Pier in Buffalo, 3 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and a RUDDY TURNSTONE.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, September 28. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 14 Sep 2000 - Thu, 14 Sep 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 09/14/2000 * NYBU0009.14 - Birds mentioned Eared Grebe Green Heron Wood Duck Common Merganser Osprey Bald Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Amer. Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Sanderling Semipalm. Sandpiper White-r. Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher Common Snipe Bonaparte's Gull L. Black-b. Gull Forster's Tern Red-headed Wdpkr. Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-thr. Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Red-br. Nuthatch Carolina Wren Ruby-cr. Kinglet Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tennessee Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-s. Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Bl.-thr. Bl. Warbler Pine Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Bl. and w. Warbler American Redstart Scarlet Tanager - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 09/14/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, September 14, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Fall warblers and shorebirds were the highlight of reports received September 7 through September 14 from the Niagara Frontier Region.
Good counts of warblers were reported at several locations this week. September 10, at Goat Island, located in the rapids above Niagara Falls, over 80 individuals of 11 species were noted after the morning rain had passed. The majority species were CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER and AMERICAN REDSTART. On September 12, 11 species were reported again, highlighted by over 45 BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS in one tree, plus TENNESSEE WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, CAPE MAY WARBLER and PINE WARBLER. Also at Goat Island, 7 COMMON MERGANSERS, over 400 BONAPARTE'S GULLS and a L. BLACK-B. GULL.
September 9, a combined 14 warbler species were found at Fort Niagara State Park and Four Mile Creek State Park in Porter. Also 4 vireo species - BLUE-HEADED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, PHILADELPHIA VIREO and RED-EYED VIREO, plus RED- HEADED WDPKR. and VEERY at Fort Niagara and another RED- HEADED WDPKR. along Lake Road, two miles east of Fort Niagara. FORSTER'S TERN was also noted on Lake Ontario off the fort. Still on the 9th, 13 warbler species at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, along with 2 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, numerous RED-EYED VIREOS and WARBLING VIREOS, one PHILADELPHIA VIREO, VEERY and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. On the 10th at Tifft, 11 warbler species, plus YELLOW-THR. VIREO and BROWN THRASHER. And September 8 in the Williamsville Glen, or the newly designated Amherst State Park, 13 warbler species and 2 RED-BR. NUTHATCHES, CAROLINA WREN and 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES.
[LATE REPORT from September 13 - 19 warbler species at Goat Island, Fort Niagara and Four Mile Creek].
Migrant shorebirds were still being reported this week. AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, SANDERLING and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER were found at the Batavia Waste Water Plant, where an EARED GREBE lingers on. At Ring-necked Marsh in the Iroquois Refuge, at least 9 shorebird species were highlighted by GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, STILT SANDPIPER, SHORT-B. DOWITCHER and COMMON SNIPE. At Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER. And at Times Beach, off Fuhrmann Blvd. near the Coast Guard station in Buffalo, numbers of SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and SEMIPALM. SANDPIPERS, plus single WHITE-R. SANDPIPER and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER.
Other reports this week - OSPREYS at Beaver Island and where the Erie Canal crosses Niagara Falls Blvd. Four BALD EAGLES and a MERLIN at Cayuga Pool in the Iroquois Refuge. PEREGRINE FALCON over the Skyway Bridge in Buffalo. SCARLET TANAGER on Ellicott Street in Williamsville. And at the Tillman Area in Clarence, GREEN HERON, WARBLING VIREO, RUBY- CR. KINGLET, BL.-THR. BL. WARBLER, BL. AND W. WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART and many WOOD DUCKS and CEDAR WAXWINGS.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, September 21. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 07 Sep 2000 - Thu, 07 Sep 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 09/07/2000 * NYBU0009.07 - Birds mentioned BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER WILLET WILSON'S PHALAROPE RED-NECKED PHALAROPE BAIRD'S SANDPIPER Black-bellied Plover White-r. Sandpiper Eared Grebe D.-crest. Cormorant Bl.-cr. Night-Heron Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Osprey Merlin Peregrine Falcon Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Red Knot Semipalm. Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Dunlin Short-b. Dowitcher Eastern Screech-Owl Red-headed Wdpkr. Magnolia Warbler Palm Warbler Wilson's Warbler - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 09/07/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, September 7, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received August 31 through September 7 from the Niagara Frontier Region include BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER, WILLET, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER.
September 4 and 5, a BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER was reported in Fort Erie, Ontario, off Lake Shore Road at the Jaeger Rocks area. Jaeger Rocks is a local name for the Lake Erie shoreline adjacent to the ruins of the old Fort Erie Beach amusement park. Also at this location, 2 WILLETS on September 2, and 2 WHITE-R. SANDPIPERS were reported several days.
Another BUFF-BR. SANDPIPER was reported September 3, at the Lakeside or Clarence Turf Farms at Goodrich and County Roads in Clarence.
Two phalarope species were reported this week at the Batavia Waste Water Plant. A WILSON'S PHALAROPE on September 1 and 4, and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on the 4th. Also at the Batavia plant, 8 more shorebird species highlighted by BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 3 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, plus lingering EARED GREBE, LESSER SCAUP and BUFFLEHEAD, 136 D.-CREST. CORMORANTS, 110 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 7 GREEN-WINGED TEALS and 87 RUDDY DUCKS.
At the Times Beach impoundment on the Buffalo waterfront, up to 4 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were reported this week along with 5 WHITE-R. SANDPIPERS, 2 DUNLIN, SHORT-B. DOWITCHER and numbers of SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, SEMIPALM. SANDPIPERS and LEAST SANDPIPERS. Also, 3 BL.-CR. NIGHT-HERONS, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, PALM WARBLER and WILSON'S WARBLER. Times Beach is the wooded area surrounded by a green fence, off Fuhrmann Blvd, before the Coast Guard Station.
September 4, at Rock Point Park in Dunnville, Ontario, shorebirds included RED KNOT and WHITE-R. SANDPIPER plus MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON.
September 5, 14 warbler species were reported at Wendt Beach in the Town of Evans.
Other reports this week, in the Oak Orchard Area, RED-HEADED WDPKR. and OSPREY at Woods Marsh and at Goose Pond on Albion Road, 2 VIRGINIA RAILS. And an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL was heard calling at the Edgebrook Apartments on Union Road in Cheektowaga.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, September 14. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Buffbreasted Sandpiper - Ft. Erie - Wed, 6 Sep 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
The Buffbreasted Sandpiper was seen again at Jager Rocks again on Tuesday evening by Peter Yeorg.
Jager Rocks are located in Fort Erie at the source of the Niagara River.
Bill Watson
Tonawanda, NY
Buffbreasted Sandpiper - Fort Erie, Ontario - Mon, 4 Sep 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Sept. 4 - A BUFFBREASTED SANDPIPER and a White-rumped Sandpiper were see at Jager Rocks in Fort Erie. Jager Rocks are located at the boundary between the Niagara River and Lake Erie.
At Rock Point P. P. in Dunnville, Ontario, a Peregrine Falcon, a Merlin, a Red Knot, a Baird's Sandpiper, and another White-rumped Sandpiper were observed.
Bill Watson
Tonawanda, NY
WNY Dial-a-Bird 31 Aug 2000 - Thu, 31 Aug 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/31/2000 * NYBU0008.31 - Birds mentioned RED-NECKED PHALAROPE EARED GREBE WESTERN SANDPIPER COMMON NIGHTHAWK WESTERN KINGBIRD [out of region] Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Wood Duck American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Redhead Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Broad-winged Hawk Merlin Killdeer Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Great Horned Owl Eastern Kingbird - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/31/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, August 31, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received August 24 through August 31 from the Niagara Frontier Region include RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, EARED GREBE, WESTERN SANDPIPER, COMMON NIGHTHAWKS and outside the region, WESTERN KINGBIRDS.
August 28 and 29 a juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was reported on the ponds at the Somerset-Barker Waste Water Plant, located at Quaker and Lower Lake Roads in the Town of Somerset. Please ask permission to enter the property. Other shorebirds at the plant were KILLDEER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER and PECTORAL SANDPIPER.
From the Batavia Waste Water Plant, August 26 and 31, an EARED GREBE was still present. On the 31st, two WESTERN SANDPIPERS were among a flock of SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER on the front settling pond near the office building. 11 waterfowl species were also reported at the plant, WOOD DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, MALLARD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN- WINGED TEAL, REDHEAD, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, HOODED MERGANSER and RUDDY DUCK, plus many GREAT BLUE HERONS and GREEN HERONS and 2 GREAT EGRETS.
COMMON NIGHTHAWK migration was widely noted this week. Nighthawks were once regular sights on summer evenings, but now are mainly reported as early fall migrants. August 24, 39 were counted before 9 AM over Kensington Avenue in Buffalo. The evening of August 25, over 200 along Route 104 between Lewiston and Lockport, and the 29th, 24 nighthawks over Williamsville.
EASTERN KINGBIRDS begin to gather in flocks this time of year. 10 were reported in a field along Beech Tree Road in Ashford on August 24. Just east of the Niagara Frontier, 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS were reported August 30, near Lake Ontario in the Town of Hamlin, along North Hamlin Road between Walker Lake Ontario Road and Martin Road.
Other reports this week; GREAT EGRET at the Tillman Area in Clarence. Migrant BROAD-WINGED HAWK in the Lake Ontario Plains. MERLIN in Springville. Two juvenile GREAT HORNED OWLS at Sinking Ponds in East Aurora. And two special announcements; In upstate New York, several BLACK TERNS were fitted with radio transmitters this summer. Since BLACK TERNS tend to congregate on the upper Niagara River this time of year, watch for and please report terns with antennae attached to their backs. And a domestic cockatiel was lost in the Lackawanna-West Seneca area this week. Please report any sightings.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, September 7. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 24 Aug 2000 - Thu, 24 Aug 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/24/2000 * NYBU0008.24 - Birds mentioned WESTERN SANDPIPER Horned Grebe Great Egret Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Common Merganser Sora Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Great Black-b. Gull Caspian Tern Red-headed Wdpkr. Carolina Wren Bl.-gr. Gnatcatcher Yellow Warbler Chestnut-s. Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Bl. and w. Warbler American Redstart Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Rose-br. Grosbeak - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/24/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, August 24, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
The highlight of reports received August 17 through August 21 from the Niagara Frontier Region was a report of 4 WESTERN SANDPIPERS on August 21 at Golden Hill State Park in Somerset. The juvenile birds were feeding on an algae mat near the boat launch. Also at Golden Hill, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER and BL. AND W. WARBLER.
August 17, ten shorebird species on the Lake Erie shore at Rock Point Park in Dunnville, Ontario, were highlighted by a RED KNOT plus small numbers of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER and LEAST SANDPIPER. There were also ten warbler species in the park, YELLOW WARBLER, CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BL. AND W. WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, MOURNING WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WILSON'S WARBLER and CANADA WARBLER. Other species of note at Rock Point were HORNED GREBE, CAROLINA WREN, BL.-GR. GNATCATCHER and ROSE-BR. GROSBEAK. At Morgan's Point in Wainfleet, several SANDERLINGS and 15 CASPIAN TERNS. And at Windmill Point in Fort Erie, 14 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, 2 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 6 COMMON MERGANSERS and 2 RED-HEADED WDPKRS.
August 18, it was reported that an immature RAIL, probably a SORA, has been residing for several weeks around a pond in a front yard on Rapids Road in Clarence Center.
Other reports this week - A GREAT BLACK-B. GULL was seen at Sinking Ponds Nature Trail in East Aurora, the first time this species has been recorded at this location during many years of regular surveys. And at the Iroquois Refuge, 22 GREAT EGRETS.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 31. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 17 Aug 2000 - Thu, 17 Aug 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/17/2000 * NYBU0008.17 - Birds mentioned Common Loon Great Egret Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Peregrine Falcon White-r. Sandpiper Common Snipe Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Eastern Screech-Owl Red-headed Wdpkr. Chestnut-s. Warbler Magnolia Warbler Hooded Warbler Canada Warbler - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/17/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, August 17, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Shorebirds and migrant warblers were the highlights of reports received August 10 through August 17 from the Niagara Frontier Region.
August 14, 10 shorebird species were found along the north shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, from Fort Erie to Rock Point Park in Dunnville. Highlights were 2 WHITE-R. SANDPIPERS at Rock Point and a single WHITE-R. SANDPIPER at Waverly Beach in Fort Erie. At the Vanderlieks Pond, at Highway 20 and Bismark Road in the town of West Lincoln, 2 COMMON SNIPE plus GREAT EGRET, 2 BLUE-WINGED TEALS, 5 GREEN-WINGED TEALS and 3 CASPIAN TERNS. Also along the Lake Erie shore, FORSTER'S TERN at Morgan's Point in Wainfleet, RED-HEADED WDPKR. in Dunnville, and in Fort Erie, 2 COMMON LOONS near shore at Nichols Marina and a PEREGRINE FALCON on the electric towers north of the Peace Bridge.
From the Lake Ontario Plains, August 13, migrant warblers at Golden Hill State Park in Somerset included CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, HOODED WARBLER and CANADA WARBLER. Also, 19 CASPIAN TERNS in Olcott and at Barker Park in Somerset, a FORSTER'S TERN.
Other reports this week, PEREGRINE FALCON chasing Rock Doves over Chippawa Street in downtown Buffalo and an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL calling near Como Park in Lancaster.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 24. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Black Terns with Radio Transmitters-Niagara River - Mon, 14 Aug 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Ontario Birders in the Niagara River Area have been asked to look for Black Terns with radio transmitters attached to their legs. If you see any, report them as soon as possible to:
Mark Kandel NYSDEC 270 Michigan Ave. Buffalo, NY 14203 Phone(716) 851-7010 FAX (716) 851-7005 mxkandel@gw.dec.state.ny.us
WNY Dial-a-Bird 10 Aug 2000 - Thu, 10 Aug 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/10/2000 * NYBU0008.10 - Birds mentioned EARED GREBE D.-crest. Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Bl.-cr. Night-Heron Wood Duck American Wigeon American Black Duck Blue-winged Teal Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Virginia Rail Black-bellied Plover Solitary Sandpiper White-r. Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher American Woodcock Caspian Tern Whip-poor-will Belted Kingfisher Marsh Wren Blue-winged Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-s. Warbler American Redstart Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/10/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, August 10, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received August 3 through August 10 from the Niagara Frontier Region include EARED GREBE and shorebirds.
An EARED GREBE continues to reside at the Batavia Waste Water Plant. First reported July 26, the grebe was still present August 5 and 6. Also at the plant this week, 64 D.- CREST. CORMORANTS, 78 GREAT BLUE HERONS, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, 4 HOODED MERGANSERS, 67 RUDDY DUCKS and five shorebird species.
Along the north shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, from Fort Erie to Rock Point in Dunnville, at least 14 shorebird species were reported this week. Highlights were BLACK- BELLIED PLOVER at Kraft Road and WHITE-R. SANDPIPER at Rose Hill Road, both in Fort Erie, 2 STILT SANDPIPERS at Rathfon Point in Wainfleet, and 2 SHORT-B. DOWITCHERS plus a COMMON GOLDENEYE at Rock Point. Other species reported along the shore were CASPIAN TERNS at several locations and 16 COMMON MERGANSERS at Rathfon Point. Away from the lake, at the back pond of the Smithville Lagoons near Grimsby, Ontario, about 100 shorebirds of 8 species, and in Wainfleet, a single WHIP-POOR-WILL and 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCKS on Wilson Road and a MARSH WREN on Cement Plant Road.
Shorebird numbers at Windmill Marsh in the Oak Orchard Area may have thinned out recently. On August 3, at least 10 species included 28 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, 51 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 15 STILT SANDPIPERS and 8 SHORT-B. DOWITCHERS. On August 5 numbers were down and no STILT SANDPIPERS could be found. Also at Windmill Marsh this week, GREEN HERON, WOOD DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, VIRGINIA RAIL, BELTED KINGFISHER and MARSH WREN.
Other reports this week, GREAT EGRETS at several locations - 13 at Cayuga Pool in the Iroquois Refuge, 3 flying over the Town of Amherst and single egrets at Smithville and on the big pond in Sheridan Park in the Town of Tonawanda. Also a BL.-CR. NIGHT-HERON at Sheridan Park. At Sinking Ponds in East Aurora, 50 species included seven warbler species - BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and HOODED WARBLER. And on Willowbrook Drive in Williamsville, a WILD TURKEY with four young.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 17. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Daytime loafing sites for Bonaparte's Gulls along the Niagara River - Tue, 8 Aug 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Peter Burke's recent posting of 2500 Bonaparte's Gulls at Port Burwell reminded me to ask birders in the Ft. Erie area to watch for BOGUs loafing during daytime hours, especially in the park just south of the bridge over to Buffalo. I'd like to have confirmation that Bonies still use that park as a daytime loafing area. There is a joint CWS-USFWS project beginning this autumn to capture and radio- tag BOGUs and this seems like one of the few land-based daytime loafing sites for BOGUs along the Niagara River. Can anyone confirm that they are using that area (or any other area) currently ?
Thanks,
Chip
D.V. Chip Weseloh, Ph.D. Wildlife Biologist Canadian Wildlife Service-Ontario Region 4905 Dufferin St. Downsview, Ontario M3H 5T4 Ph=416-739-5846 Fax=416-739-5845 email=chip.weseloh@ec.gc.ca Canadian Wildlife Service-Ontario Region web site: http://www.cciw.ca/green-lane/wildlife/ Ornithological Council Website: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET "Providing Scientific Information about Birds"
WNY Dial-a-Bird 03 Aug 2000 - Thu, 03 Aug 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/03/2000 * NYBU0008.03 - Birds mentioned TUNDRA SWAN PEREGRINE FALCON STILT SANDPIPER WHIMBREL White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye Red-br. Merganser Osprey Bald Eagle Wild Turkey Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Common Nighthawk Red-headed Wdpkr. Northern Mockingbird - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/03/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, August 3, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received July 28 through August 3 from the Niagara Frontier Region include TUNDRA SWAN, PEREGRINE FALCON, STILT SANDPIPER and WHIMBREL.
July 28, it was reported that a TUNDRA SWAN has been present for several weeks in Niagara Falls, at the Packard Road entrance to I-190 south, in a wetland next to the landfill.
August 3, in downtown Buffalo, 2 adult PEREGRINE FALCONS and one immature were reported between the Statler and Liberty Buildings.
Southbound shorebirds are increasing in the region. Throughout August, over twenty species may be found across the region. At the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, Windmill Marsh has been drained; the resulting mud flats are attracting many shorebirds. August 2, ten species were reported, including SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 20 KILLDEER, 12 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 97 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 9 SOLITARY SANDPIPER, 3 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 60 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 29 SHORT-B. DOWITCHERS and a mix of 160 SEMIPALM. SANDPIPERS and LEAST SANDPIPERS, most of which were LEAST SANDPIPERS. Also at Windmill Marsh, OSPREY and BALD EAGLE. This marsh can be viewed from the tower on Albion Road in Oakfield, or by walking the service road, from the parking area on Podunk Road.
August 3, at Rock Point Park in Dunnville, Ontario, 15 shorebird species were highlighted by 10 STILT SANDPIPERS and 1 WHIMBREL, plus numerous SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, RUDDY TURNSTONES, SANDERLINGS, LEAST SANDPIPERS and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Also at Rock Point this week, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON GOLDENEYE, RED-BR. MERGANSER, 71 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 10 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 early FORSTER'S TERN, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, and at the west end of the park, a RED-HEADED WDPKR. Other shorebirds along the Lake Erie shore in Ontario included a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER at Morgan's Point in Wainfleet and SOLITARY SANDPIPER at several locations.
Other reports this week - HOODED MERGANSER at the Tillman Area in Clarence. GREAT EGRET, COMMON MERGANSER and RED-BR. MERGANSER in Fort Erie, Ontario. In Orchard Park, a reported all-white WILD TURKEY and, over Shirley Avenue in Buffalo, a COMMON NIGHTHAWK.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 10. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 27 Jul 2000 - Thu, 27 Jul 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 07/27/2000 * NYBU0007.27 - Birds mentioned EARED GREBE FORSTER'S TERN LEAST TERN [possible] DICKCISSEL Pied-billed Grebe D.-crest. Cormorant Great Egret Green Heron Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Redhead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Osprey Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Common Moorhen American Coot Killdeer Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Sanderling Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher Caspian Tern Chimney Swift Red-headed Wdpkr. Eastern Kingbird Cliff Swallow Veery Brown Thrasher Pine Warbler Pine Warbler Hooded Warbler Vesper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Henslow's Sparrow - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 07/27/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, July 27, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received July 20 through July 27 from the Niagara Frontier Region include EARED GREBE, FORSTER'S TERN and a possible LEAST TERN.
July 26, a possible LEAST TERN was reported along Ellicott Creek in Amherst. The bird was seen from the bicycle path on the north side of the creek, about a half-mile east of Niagara Falls Blvd. The tern hovered and fished for several minutes before flying away along the the creek.
At the Batavia Waste Water Plant on the 26th, an EARED GREBE was found on the pond to the east of the most north-west pond. Also at the plant, a FORSTER'S TERN - an early date and unexpected location for this species. Other highlights were 61 D.-CREST. CORMORANTS, GREAT EGRET, 2 GREEN HERONS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, 15 HOODED MERGANSERS, 69 RUDDY DUCKS, 4 COMMON MOORHENS, 2 KILLDEER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 20 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 5 SANDERLINGS, 5 SEMIPALM. SANDPIPERS, 10 LEAST SANDPIPERS, several CHIMNEY SWIFTS and one CLIFF SWALLOW. The Batavia Waste Water Plant is at the end of Industrial Blvd., off Genesee Street, to the west of Batavia. Visitors must receive permission to enter the property at the office inside the gate. The gate hours are 10 until 3.
The DICKCISSEL family in the Town of Pomfret in Chautauqua County continues to be reported - east of the ponds on Van Buren Road, off Route 5. Also in the Pomfret area, VESPER SPARROW, 2 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and 3 HENSLOW'S SPARROWS.
Breeding Bird Atlas reports this week included UPLAND SANDPIPERS at two location and a HENSLOW'S SPARROW on Swamp Road in the Town of Otto in Cattaraugus County. In the East Otto State Forest, 2 PINE WARBLERS and a BROAD-WINGED HAWK near Kreiderman Forest Road and Traffic Street. In the Town of Tonawanda, along the west side of Two Mile Creek Road, a VIRGINIA RAIL was found feeding four young rails, EASTERN KINGBIRD with young still in nest and 2 adults with 2 fledged BROWN THRASHERS.
Other reports this week - at Dunkirk Harbor, five shorebird species plus a CASPIAN TERN, and nearby at Point Gratiot, a RED-HEADED WDPKR. From the Iroquois Refuge, 2 OSPREYS at Ring-necked Marsh, SOLITARY SANDPIPER and 8 SHORT-B. DOWITCHERS at Schoolhouse Marsh and at Cayuga Pool, 3 PIED- BILLED GREBES, 4 REDHEADS, 1 RUDDY DUCK, 4 COMMON MOORHENS and 55 AMERICAN COOTS. On Coolidge Drive in Angola, 2 PILEATED WOODPECKERS and at Hunters Creek Park in Wales, VEERY and HOODED WARBLER.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 3. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 20 Jul 2000 - Thu, 20 Jul 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/20/2000 * NYBU0006.20 - Birds mentioned RED-HEADED WDPKR. CLIFF SWALLOW SEDGE WREN Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Wood Duck American Black Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Red-tailed Hawk Common Moorhen Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Ruby-t. Hummingbird Horned Lark Henslow's Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Rose-br. Grosbeak Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/20/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, July 20, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received July 13 through July 20 from the Niagara Frontier Region include RED-HEADED WDPKR., CLIFF SWALLOW, and SEDGE WREN.
July 16, a pair of nesting RED-HEADED WDPKRS. were reported in the Village of Silver Creek, at the public boat launch on Jackson Street, south of Route 5. Also the 16th, a new location for a colony of CLIFF SWALLOWS was noted in Niagara Falls, New York - on the west side of the Best Western Inn, located on the Niagara River one-half mile up-river from the North Grand Island Bridge. CLIFF SWALLOWS were also been reported earlier this summer not far from this location, nesting on the Grand Island end of the west side of the southbound North Bridge.
From Chautauqua County, a small colony of SEDGE WRENS was discovered this summer in the Town of Pomfret. Look for this rare and late nesting species in dry fields near marshes or streams. The previously reported DICKCISSELS on Van Buren Road in Pomfret apparently nested successfully.
Most of the breeding bird reports this summer have been kindly provided by individuals working on the first year of the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas. Some of the reported finds are from locations where atlas workers have requested permission to survey private properties. In other cases, breeding birds have been detected only by their songs, originating from private property but heard from public locations. This is the case for the many HENSLOW'S SPARROWS found in Lancaster recently. HENSLOW'S SPARROWS have been heard during the evening in large weedy fields on private properties along Broadway, Pavement, William and Swartz Roads. Stopping along the shoulder of these roads or entering the fields may not be safe or legal.
Other reports this week - at the Niagara Falls Airport, fledged RED-TAILED HAWK, HORNED LARK and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. On Cayuga Pool at the Iroquois Refuge, COMMON MOORHEN and PIED-BILLED GREBE with young. At the Batavia Waste Water Plant, 37 GREAT BLUE HERONS, WOOD DUCK, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, a rare in summer BUFFLEHEAD, 6 HOODED MERGANSERS, 8 COMMON MERGANSERS, an impressive 68 RUDDY DUCKS, COMMON MOORHEN with young, 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPER and on the south fence of the property, 18 BOBOLINKS. GREAT EGRET was noted again this week feeding at the East River Marina on Grand Island. RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD at a feeder at a Blasdell apartment building. And ROSE-BR. GROSBEAK and a surprising DARK-EYED JUNCO on Shirley Avenue in Buffalo.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, July 27. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 13 Jul 2000 - Thu, 13 Jul 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 07/13/2000 * NYBU0007.13 - Birds mentioned SNOWY EGRET DICKCISSEL AMERICAN AVOCET Great Blue Heron Great Egret Bl.-cr. Night-Heron Wood Duck Redhead Bald Eagle Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk American Coot Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Black Tern Red-bellied Wdpkr. Eastern Wood-Pewee Red-eyed Vireo Tufted Titmouse Bl.-gr. Gnatcatcher Veery Wood Thrush Blue-winged Warbler Golden-wing. Warbler "Brewster's Warbler" Blackburnian Warbler American Redstart Mourning Warbler Hooded Warbler Scarlet Tanager Henslow's Sparrow Northern Cardinal Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 07/13/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, July 13, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received July 6 through July 13 from the Niagara Frontier Region include SNOWY EGRET, DICKCISSEL, AMERICAN AVOCET and breeding birds.
SNOWY EGRETS continue to be found on the upper Niagara River this summer. July 6, two were observed on Strawberry Island, seen from the gazebo at the end of Aqua Lane, which is at the foot of Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda. Nearby, at the Motor Island heronry, a count of young waders included 12 GREAT EGRETS, 7 BL.-CR. NIGHT-HERONS and 10 GREAT BLUE HERONS. GREAT EGRETS were also reported this week at the East Marina on Grand Island and in Tonawanda - at Sheridan Park and along Two Mile Creek Road, with KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and AMERICAN WOODCOCK.
From Chautauqua County, the previously reported DICKCISSEL was found July 8, still singing along Van Buren Road in Pomfret, on the north side of the road, east of the ponds. And at Dunkirk Harbor, 2 AMERICAN AVOCETS were reported this week, a seemingly frequent location in summer for this rare shorebird.
Breeding Bird Atlas reports this week indicate many fledglings are out of the nest and still being fed by parent birds. A great find along Ellicott Creek in Lancaster was a family group comprised of a male GOLDEN-WING. WARBLER, a female BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and their expected hybrid offspring, a "BREWSTER'S WARBLER" fledgling. Also in Lancaster, two HENSLOW'S SPARROWS on Pavement Road.
At Buffalo Creek in Elma, confirmed breeding species included EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, RED-EYED VIREO, BL.-GR. GNATCATCHER, VEERY, BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART and SCARLET TANAGER. RED-BELLIED WDPKRS. with young were reported at Sinking Ponds Nature Trail in East Aurora and at Mares [?] Park in Tonawanda. Also at Mares [?], fledged TUFTED TITMOUSE and NORTHERN CARDINAL, and a RED-EYED VIREO feeding a young BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD.
In southern Wyoming County, in the Town of Pike, breeding BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER and MOURNING WARBLER were found along with NORTHERN GOSHAWK, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, HOODED WARBLER and PURPLE FINCH. At Buckhorn Island State Park on Grand Island, WOOD DUCK with eight chicks and along Two Mile Creek Road, WOOD THRUSH with young.
Other reports this week, BALD EAGLE along Cattaraugus Creek, three miles from Springville and at the Iroquois Refuge, at Cayuga Pool, 6 REDHEADS, 59 AMERICAN COOTS and 9 BLACK TERNS.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, July 20. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 06 Jul 2000 - Thu, 06 Jul 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 07/06/2000 * NYBU0007.06 - Birds mentioned Common Loon D.-crest. Cormorant Great Egret American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Bufflehead Red-br. Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-b. Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Barred Owl Red-headed Wdpkr. Common Raven Golden-cr. Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Bl.-thr. Bl. Warbler Prairie Warbler Mourning Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow White-thr. Sparrow Orchard Oriole Purple Finch - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 07/06/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, July 6, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received June 29 through July 6 from the Niagara Frontier Region include migrant shorebirds, breeding birds and waterfowl.
Shorebirds have already begun their southward migration. July 4 and 5, reports from the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario included small numbers of LESSER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPERS and SPOTTED SANDPIPERS along the north shore beaches of Lake Erie. LEAST SANDPIPERS were also found in a wet field in Wainfleet. Other reports from Ontario, at Rock Point Park in Dunnville, 357 D.-CREST. CORMORANTS, 6 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 2 GREAT BLACK-B. GULLS, 3 CASPIAN TERNS and a family of ORCHARD ORIOLES. At Morgan's Point in Wainfleet, 20 COMMON TERNS and a PURPLE FINCH. In Fort Erie, GREAT EGRET at Buffalo Road, 3 RED-HEADED WDPKRS. on Kraft Road and a COMMON LOON off Nichols Marina. At the Reef Lighthouse, in the Niagara River between Fort Erie and Buffalo, 212 D.-CREST. CORMORANTS with 56 nests. And at several locations along the lake, COMMON MERGANSERS and RED- BR. MERGANSERS.
June 30, the Phillips Creek Breeding Bird Survey route in central Allegany County reported 73 species including 15 warbler species. Highlights were BARRED OWL and 2 GOLDEN-CR. KINGLETS in the Town of West Almond. In Grove, 5 COMMON RAVENS on Spencer Road north of Fink Hollow Road and a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW on Ridge Road south of Snyder Road. BL.- THR. BL. WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER and 3 WHITE-THR. SPARROWS in Birdsall, and a total of 4 MOURNING WARBLERS on the survey route.
At the Batavia Waste Water Plant, July 2, an interesting collection of waterfowl included a very rare in summer BUFFLEHEAD plus 2 AMERICAN WIGEONS, 3 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, COMMON MERGANSER and a high summer count of 50 RUDDY DUCKS.
Other reports this week - an ORCHARD ORIOLE has been at a feeder in Collins for two weeks. At the Iroquois Refuge, 17 GREAT EGRETS and a NORTHERN HARRIER. And missed on last weeks announcement, an albino EASTERN BLUEBIRD, being fed by a male bluebird on Davis Road in Elma.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, July 13. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 29 Jun 2000 - Thu, 29 Jun 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/29/2000 * NYBU0006.29 - Birds mentioned DICKCISSEL SNOWY EGRET Bl.-cr. Night-Heron Gadwall Redhead Bald Eagle Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Wild Turkey American Coot Common Snipe Black Tern Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Cuckoo Eastern Wood-Pewee Acadian Flycatcher N. Rough-w. Swallow Winter Wren Golden-cr. Kinglet Veery Wood Thrush American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Hooded Warbler White-thr. Sparrow Purple Finch Red Crossbill - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/29/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, June 29, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
DICKCISSEL and SNOWY EGRET were the highlights of reports received June 22 through June 29 from the Niagara Frontier Region.
In Chautauqua County, a pair of DICKCISSELS continue to be reported near the ponds along Van Buren Road in Pomfret. The male has been easily found due to his frequent singing.
June 26, near sunset, two SNOWY EGRETS were reported at the heronry at the south end of Motor Island, in the upper Niagara River between Tonawanda and Grand Island. It was noted that one of the SNOWY EGRETS rested on a branch for several minutes before retiring into the bushes on the island. Also this week, 2 BL.-CR. NIGHT-HERONS were reported at Delaware Park Lake in Buffalo.
A two day survey of Zoar Valley, along Cattaraugus Creek in the Town of Otto, was highlighted by at least 8 ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS over a six mile stretch along the creek flats. Also at Zoar, N. ROUGH-W. SWALLOWS nesting on the cliffs, 3 WINTER WRENS, VEERY and 6 warbler species.
A Breeding Bird Survey route in northeast Allegany County on June 21 reported 71 species including 12 warbler species, several GOLDEN-CR. KINGLETS and WHITE-THR. SPARROWS and in the Town of Almond, a single RED CROSSBILL on Bush Road near Roots Road.
In southern Wyoming County, NORTHERN GOSHAWKS are nesting at a site on private property for the fourth year. Three young and two adults were observed on June 25. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK nest with one young was found only 400 yards from the goshawk nest. Also in southern Wyoming, COMMON SNIPE, BLACK- BILLED CUCKOO, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET and a pair of ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS.
At the Iroquois Refuge this week, nine GREAT EGRETS were counted at Schoolhouse Marsh and along the mosquito infested Onondaga Trail - ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, plus YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, VEERY, WOOD THRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and HOODED WARBLER. At Cayuga Pool, GADWALL, REDHEAD with possible young, adult BALD EAGLE, AMERICAN COOT with young and BLACK TERN.
Other reports this week, WILD TURKEY with four young in Orchard Park and a pair of PURPLE FINCHES at a feeder in Marilla.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, July 6. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Snowy Egrets at the Niagara River - Tue, 27 Jun 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
June 26 at 8:48 PM two Snowy Egrets flew into the South end of Motor Island in the Niagara River in New York waters. One remained on a branch and was full visible for 5 minutes before retiring into the bushes. The birds were viewed from Beaver Island State Park at the South tip of Grand Island. This is the third time this month that Snowy Egrets have been observed by me at this location.
Bill Watson
Tonawanda, New York
WNY Dial-a-Bird 22 Jun 2000 - Thu, 22 Jun 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/22/2000 * NYBU0006.22 - Birds mentioned DICKCISSEL AMERICAN AVOCET SNOWY EGRET PINE WARBLER WHIP-POOR-WILL Least Bittern Osprey Wild Turkey Virginia Rail Barred Owl Acadian Flycatcher Common Raven Bank Swallow Golden-cr. Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Prairie Warbler Henslow's Sparrow - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/22/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, June 22Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received June 15 through June 22 from the Niagara Frontier Region include DICKCISSEL, AMERICAN AVOCET, PINE WARBLER, WHIP-POOR-WILL and SNOWY EGRETS.
From Chautauqua County, June 21, it was reported that a pair of DICKCISSELS have been present for at least one week and are probably breeding along Van Buren Road in the Town of Pomfret. DICKCISSEL was not recorded anywhere in New York State during the 1980-1985 Breeding Bird Atlas study, but there is a 1988 record in the BOS archives of an abandoned nest in Allegany County. Also in Chautauqua County this week, an AMERICAN AVOCET, June 20, at Dunkirk Harbor.
June 17, three SNOWY EGRETS were counted on the upper Niagara River - one just north of the International Railroad Bridge in Fort Erie, Ontario, and two on the southwest side of Strawberry Island. June 19, a SNOWY EGRET was reported at Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island. Also the 17th, a WHIP-POOR-WILL was heard on Tonawanda Creek Road in Lockport.
June 21, in East Aurora, the previously reported PINE WARBLER was seen again in a pine plantation on private property. This out-of-range warbler has present at least four weeks.
Other reports this week - in a Breeding Bird Atlas study block in Lancaster, an exceptional find of 8 HENSLOW'S SPARROWS in a field on William Street. However, the field is on private property and stopping along William Street is hazardous. Two BARRED OWLS were reported - one at Stiglmier Park in Cheektowaga and another BARRED OWL, along with 2 ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS, at a traditional location - the Onondaga Trail at the Iroquois Refuge. At the Hanging Bog Area in the Town of New Hudson in Allegany County, 9 warbler species were highlighted by 4 PRAIRIE WARBLERS plus 2 WILD TURKEYS, COMMON RAVEN, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET and 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. On Lake Ontario in Somerset, a colony of 839 BANK SWALLOW nests, just east of the Golden Hill State Park boat launch. And at Buckhorn Island State Park on Grand Island, LEAST BITTERN, OSPREY and VIRGINIA RAIL.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, June 29. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
3 snowy egrets, upper Niagara River - June 18, 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Yesterday (Sat.) I went to look for the 2 snowy egrets reported 2 days earlier in the Niagara River near the intersection of the Niagara Parkway and Gilmour Road in Fort Erie, Ont. I did not see them at that location. However, upon getting into a kayak, I did find a snowy egret, in the company of a great egret, about a kilometer and a half further downstream (north), a bit north of the International Railway Bridge, plus another 2 snowy egrets on the southwest side of Strawberry Island a bit further downstream from that on the US side of the Niagara River.
Louis Culumovic
St. Catharines, Ont.
lculumov@spartan.ac.brocku.ca
Snowy Egrets - Fort Erie - Thu, 15 Jun 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Hello
There were 2 Snowy Egrets on the rock point near where Gilmore Road ends at the Niagara Blvd. Also present was a Great Blue Heron at 5:00 PM. One of the Egrets moved upstream to the small inlet/bay formed by the point to join the Blue Heron for a short while, then returned to the point.
QEW to Gilmore Road and follow to the end. The point is visible from the corner of Gilmore Road and the Niagara Parkway. The point is between the Peace Bridge and the International Railway Bridge.
John Spirko
Fort Erie, ON
jspirko@iaw.on.ca
WNY Dial-a-Bird 15 Jun 2000 - Thu, 15 Jun 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/15/2000 * NYBU0006.15 - Birds mentioned TRICOLORED HERON CLIFF SWALLOW ACADIAN FLYCATCHER HARRIS'S HAWK [ESCAPE] Magnolia Warbler - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/15/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, June 15, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received June 8 through June 15 from the Niagara Frontier Region include TRICOLORED HERON, CLIFF SWALLOW and ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.
At Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, a TRICOLORED HERON was found in the evening on June 12, at the marsh at the end of a small trail off Rabbit Run, 100 yards south of Lisa Pond. In late May, a TRICOLORED HERON was reported at the Motor Island heronry in the Niagara River, about ten miles from Tifft Nature Preserve. Also this week at Tifft, a fledged MAGNOLIA WARBLER was reported.
June 10, 15 CLIFF SWALLOWS were observed building nests on the north Grand Island Bridge. The colony is on the west side of the southbound bridge, and was seen from Buckhorn Island State Park. Last year, a single CLIFF SWALLOW nest was found near this location. The only other known CLIFF SWALLOW colonies in the region are in the Southern Tier counties.
An ACADIAN FLYCATCHER was found June 11 in a Breeding Bird Atlas study block along Ellicott Creek in Lancaster. And June 13, the Buffalo Zoo reported that a Harris's Hawk escaped during a demonstration at the zoo. The bird is banded and wearing falconer's jesses. Andy sighting should be reported to the zoo at 837-3900, extension 182.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, June 22. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
WNY Dial-a-Bird 08 Jun 2000 - Thu, 08 Jun 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/08/2000 * NYBU0006.08 - Birds mentioned Great Blue Heron Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Wild Turkey Upland Sandpiper Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Cuckoo Red-headed Wdpkr. Downy Woodpecker Acadian Flycatcher Common Raven Brown Thrasher "Brewster's Warbler" Chestnut-s. Warbler Yellow-r. Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Mourning Warbler Hooded Warbler Clay-col. Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Henslow's Sparrow White-thr. Sparrow - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/08/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, June 8, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Breeding birds were the highlight of reports received June 1 through June 8 from the Niagara Frontier Region.
Two types of breeding bird studies are being conducted in the region - the annual Breeding Bird Survey routes and the the Breeding Bird Atlas block studies. The Survey types have been conducted for many years, observers follow an established route, stopping at specific intervals to watch or listen for breeding birds. From Porter to Somerset in the Lake Ontario Plains, 69 species were recored, a fifteen year high count for this route. Highlights were 3 WILD TURKEYS, 1 BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, 5 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, 3 BROWN THRASHERS and 2 VESPER SPARROWS.
The New York State Breeding Bird Atlas block studies are also underway. During the next five years, the project will endevor to canvas the entire state. A block on Grand Island, including Buckhorn Island, turned up a very unexpected BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Another block including parts of Clarence, Alden and Newstead, reported 7 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS - 4 on Hiller Road in Newstead, 2 on Billo Road north of Genesee Street in Alden, and 1 at the Tillman Area in Clarence, along with 2 UPLAND SANDPIPERS. Atlas work in Wyoming County found an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER at Forest Hill Cemetery in Attica.
Also in Wyoming County, near the Beaver Meadow Sanctuary in Java, several WHITE-THR. SPARROWS and the impressive sight of RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, BROAD-WINGED HAWK and RED-TAILED HAWK soaring together in the sky.
Breeding birds found in Allegany County this week were highlighted by a pair of CLAY-COL. SPARROWS, again this year, in the pine plantations on Pingrey Road in Andover, southwest of the television tower. Also on Pingrey Road, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, COMMON RAVEN, 5 PRAIRIE WARBLERS and 2 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. Other probable breeders in Allegany County included NORTHERN GOSHAWK and 2 MOURNING WARBLERS in Alfred, 2 male PINE WARBLERS at Phillips Creek State Park in Ward and 13 warbler species at Palmer's Pond State Park in West Almond.
The PINE WARBLER in East Aurora was reported again this week. It has been present and singing for two weeks in a Red Pine plantation near Route 400. At Sinking Ponds Nature Trail in East Aurora, 53 species this week included DOWNY WOODPECKER feeding young, CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, YELLOW-R. WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART and HOODED WARBLER.
On June 4, somewhat late BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, one in Eggerstville and another at the Iroquois Refuge. Eleven warbler species were reported around the Iroquois Refuge including several "BREWSTER'S WARBLERS". No Prothonotary Warblers have been reported at the Refuge this season. 150 GREAT BLUE HERONS and a RED-HEADED WDPKR. were at Windmill Marsh in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area. This marsh has apparently been drained, which may attract shorebirds throughout the summer. And on Green Acres Road in Clarence, 2 HENSLOW'S SPARROWS.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, June 15. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Cattle Egrets at Avondale S. P. - Sat, 3 Jun 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
I had a call from the foreman of the work crew at Avondale sewage ponds.
First he wanted me to know that the Cattle Egrets have not been seen for the past two days.
Secondly, he was quite upset that a few birders violated some basic rules, and in one instance caused some minor damage. The property is posted "no trespassing" but birders have been given the right to freely look for birds. He identified two incidents involving cars. Two vehicles were driven past the chain link barrier. One went completely around the entire perifery of the ponds, (New York State plates) and the second drove over a 4" hose near the shed destroying a coupling connection. In his tractor he was unable to reach the drivers before they left. I volunteered to pay for replacing the couplings but he wanted no part of that.
Please lets all remember not to spoil the few opportunities we have to look for birds on private property. At Avondale, park along one side of the gravel road and walk around the area. Your co-operation would be greatly appreciated.
Kayo
Kayo Roy
13 Kinsman Court
Fonthill, ON
L0S 1E3kayoroy@niagara.com
Cattle Egrets Not Seen Today at Avondale Sewage Ponds, St. Catharines - Fri, 2 Jun 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Between 1:15 and 2:00 p.m. June 2, the Cattle Egrets were NOT seen in the vicinity of the Avondale Sewage Ponds, St. Catharines. However, one should not presume that they have left the area. There was some discing activity in the fields that may have frightened the Egrets. Judging from the number of gulls in the area, there is no shortage of insect food.
In the sewage ponds, 1 Northern Shoveler and 1 Ruddy Duck was observed. A pair of Black-bellied Plovers were spotted in a field north of the northernmost sewage pond; the male was in full (definitive) alternate plumage.
The excellent ice cream at the Dairy store was some compensation for the no show Cattle Egrets.
To reach the area take the QEW to the Glendale exit and follow the signs for Highway 55 (Niagara-on-the Lake). For those exitting from the Niagara bound QEW, one needs to reverse direction (travel back north) to reach Hwy 55. Once on 55, take the first road on the left side (Stewart Road) about a mile to the sewage ponds and the dairy store. Once in the area, look around the fields surrounding the sewage ponds as the birds have been observed feeding in them as well.
Alfred Adamo
Mississauga, Ontario
aadamo@purolator.com
WNY Dial-a-Bird 01 Jun 2000 - Thu, 01 Jun 2000
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 06/01/2000 * NYBU0006.01 - Birds mentioned TRICOLORED HERON SNOWY EGRET CATTLE EGRET RED-THROATED LOON PINE WARBLER Gadwall Northern Shoveler Redhead Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalm. Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-r. Sandpiper Dunlin Red-headed Wdpkr. Gray-cheeked Thrush Grasshopper Sparrow Henslow's Sparrow Indigo Bunting Orchard Oriole - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 06/01/2000 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report: Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs@localnet.com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Transcriber: David F. SuggsThursday, June 1, 2000Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200.
Highlights of reports received May 25 through June 1 from the Niagara Frontier Region include TRICOLORED HERON, SNOWY EGRET, CATTLE EGRET, RED-THROATED LOON, PINE WARBLER and shorebirds.
The upper Niagara River, in particular the Motor Island heronry, continues to attract rare herons and egrets. The evening of May 26, a TRICOLORED HERON was seen on the west shore of Motor Island, viewed from Beaver Island. May 29, 2 SNOWY EGRETS, one in breeding plumage, were reported on the river banks in Fort Erie, Ontario, five blocks north of the International Railroad Bridge. On the 31st, probably the same two SNOWY EGRETS were observed at Motor Island.
Also on the upper river, May 31, a RED-THROATED LOON was reported on the east branch of the river, off Grand Island, near Love Road. This is a late date and unexpected location for RED-THROATED LOON, but there was a RED-THROATED LOON reported at Fort Erie several weeks ago.
In Saint Catharine's, Ontario, 2 CATTLE EGRETS were reported May 29 and 31, at the Avondale lagoons on Stewart Road. It is believed the egrets have been at this location for two weeks. To reach the Avondale site, often a hot spot for migrant shorebirds, take the Glendale exit from the QEW, follow signs to Highway 55 and take the first left off 55 onto Stewart Road.
May 30, it was reported that 2 PINE WARBLERS have been residing and singing in a yard in East Aurora. The first known breeding by PINE WARBLERS in the region just occurred a few years ago in Cattaraugus County.
During late May, shorebirds replace warblers as the main migrants. Ten shorebird species were found along the Lake Erie shore in Ontario on May 28. The highlight was a WHITE- R. SANDPIPER at Kraft Road in Fort Erie. Other shorebirds found between Fort Erie and Rock Point Provincial Park in Dunnville, were BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, KILLDEER, SANDERLING, DUNLIN, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER and SEMIPALM. SANDPIPER. Also along the lake shore, 2 RED-HEADED WDPKRS. on Stone Mill Road in Fort Erie, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH at Rock Point, ORCHARD ORIOLE at Morgan's Point in Wainfleet and a total of 10 warbler species.
Other reports this week; 3 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and 2 HENSLOW'S SPARROWS in a field along Tonawanda Creek Road in Lockport. 2 INDIGO BUNTINGS were first time visitors to a feeder in Clarence, and at the Batavia Waste Water Plant, 14 waterfowl species were highlighted by 2 BUFFLEHEADS, 2 LESSER SCAUP, 8 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 4 GADWALLS, 4 REDHEADS and 34 RUDDY DUCKS.
Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, June 8. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird.
- End Transcript
Cattle Egert, St Catherines Ont. - Thu, 1 Jun 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
At 5:45am this morning I caught my first glimse of first one then the other Cattle Egret in the same marshy area noted in Kayo Roy's reportof last evening. ""wet marshy area behind a big new house next to the Avondale Dairy store". The birds where best seen from the north lagoon berm. The resident black lab. dog flushed the Egrets; they flew a few circuits then landed on adjacent telephone poles further providing excellent views. Both birds had the orange/brown colouration on the head,nape, black & breast with one darker than the other . The darker individual had a dark redish bill; the other bird's bill showed some yellow.
Having seen them in Florida this was a first for me in Ontario.
"To reach the area take the QEW to the Glendale exit and follow the signs for Highway 55 (Niagara-on-the Lake), (Route 55 for my US friends). Once on 55, take the first road on the left side (Stewart Road) about a mile to the sewage ponds and the dairy store. Once in the area, look around the fields surrounding the sewage ponds as the birds have been observed feeding in them as well."
Thomas Crooks
eclectic@worldchat.com
St. Catherine Cattle Egret directions - Tue, 30 May 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Two Cattle Egrets were seen near Avondale Sewage Lagoons Monday at 5:00 PM. The Lagoons are located off Stewart Road. They have been seen in the fields around the ponds for a few days.
Directions: From the QEW exit the Glendale Exit SE of St. Catherines and follow the north Service Road in a northwest direction to HIGHWAY 55. Go north on Highway 55 and bear left for about 1/2 mile and you will be on Stewart Road. After passing East Chester Road (about 1/2 mile) take the first dirt road to the east, to the ponds.
Best Wishes for Great Birding,
Bill Watson
Tonawanda, NY
Snowy Egret - Mon, 29 May 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
At Fort Erie this morning I observed a Great Egret and 2 Snowy Egrets along the Lake Erie shoreline. The birds were feeding as they stood on rocks along the River Road between Highland Avenue and Emerick Avenue. One of the Snowy's was nearing high breeding plumage as the lores were turning red, and the white plumes on the birds head and neck were blowing in the wind. The feet were still more yellow than orange so full high breeding plumage has not yet been reached. These birds likely flew across the Niagara River from the American side where, for the past few years, there has been a heron rookery on Motor Island. I looked for but did not see the Tricoloured Heron reported seen at Motor Island last week.
To reach the area take the QEW to Gilmore Road and then proceed east to the River. Turn left (north) and drive 5 streets past the railway bridge to Emerick Ave. Park on Emerick and cautiously walk along the River road north towards Highland Avenue. Good luck.
Kayo
Kayo Roy
kayoroy@niagara.com
Snowy Eret but no Tricolored Heron in Niagara River - Sat, 27 May 2000 Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
Saturday evening at 8:17 the SNOWY EGRET was observed flying into Motor Island rookery. The bird was observed from Beaver Island State Park at the South tip of Grand Island in the Niagara River in New York waters. The Tricolored Heron observed on Motor Island Friday evening at 7:40 was not seen. Look with a scope from the loop parking area on the Southeast corner of Beaver Island State Park. One could also look from the foot of Sheridan Drive (Rt. 325) in Tonawanda. This spot is across the East branch of the river from Beaver Island.
Bill Watson
Tonawanda, NY
WWWatsonSr@cs.com
Tricolored Heron - Fri, 26 May 2000 Sighting reports originating from t