Up the Lake, October 20th

- By Ann Mitchell

Nine birders joined me on 10/20 for a trip up the lake. The trip was supposed to be until 1:00, but because no one had time restraints, we decided to go all the way up the lake to Knox-Marsellus to see the Greater White-fronted Geese that were seen there the day before. Besides laughing a lot the highlights of the trip are as follows:

Stewart Park - 30 Ruddy Ducks, many Pied-billed Grebes, 100 Double-crested Cormorants, Common Merganser, and one female Kingfisher.

Myers Point - Both Greater and Lesser Scaup, one Ring-necked Duck, one Hooded Merganser, a number of Common Mergansers, and one Kingfisher.

Aurora Boathouse - 5+ Common Loons.

Union Springs Factory Pond - Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Poison Ivy. No ducks.

Towpath Road - 4 Greater White-fronted Geese, 20 Snow Geese, MANY Canada Geese, 4 Trumpeter Swans, many Northern Pintail Ducks, Green-winged Teal. There were a number of Dunlin, 9 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, and Long-billed Dowitchers, 19 Sandhill Cranes, which our group saw 9 or so. The Eaton Bird Club was also there.

A number of people wanted to hopefully see the Rufous Hummingbird, so we went down the west side of the lake to Marty and Mary Jane's house on Powell Road in the town of Covert.  Indeed, the bird was there, and everyone had great looks at it. it was a "life bird" for many on the trip. It was also a New York State and a Cayuga Lake Basin bird!  Fun was had by all. We arrived back in Ithaca around 2:00 p.m.