Date: 11/2/24 4:15 pm From: Willie D'Anna <dannapotter...> Subject: [GeneseeBirds-L] BOS Lake Ontario Plain Field Trip - Saturday, Nov 2nd
Today, I led the Lake Ontario Plain field trip. We met at Tops in Wrights Corners (Niagara County). Our first stop was on Hosmer Rd, about a mile north of Rt 104. Birds here included a flock of AMERICAN PIPITS, HORNED LARKS, one PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and one WILSON'S SNIPE. Our next stop was on Lower Lake Rd, a bit east of Hartland Rd, to look for the Northern Shrike I had seen a few days ago. There, in the same hedgerow and very close to where I had seen it before, we found the bird. Only, it was not a shrike. It was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. And I am quite sure that I had a shrike here before because I remember studying it to make sure that the unlikely Loggerhead Shrike was ruled out. Next, was our usual lakewatch at Barker Bicentennial Park, where we had a nice variety of waterfowl, including a Surf Scoter. After this, we looked on Burgess Rd for the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE that Joel Strong found a week ago. We had a huge flock of Canada Geese there, among which were a SNOW GOOSE (blue morph adult), two CACKLING GEESE, and the WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE! At Golden Hill SP, we had more of the same waterfowl as seen earlier, plus a single BRANT flying west, found by Joel Strong. We also took a walk in the park and had a fair variety of expected passerines, as well as a couple of pheasants that flushed nearly at our feet! In addition, a few of us heard WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS flying over. On Marshall Rd, we noticed a bird chasing a Blue Jay on the edge of a field and this time, we had a REAL NORTHERN SHRIKE! At Shadigee, we finally added a RED-THROATED LOON, as well as a NORTHERN HARRIER flying over the lake, and at the Lyndonville pond, we added our last species - a HOODED MERGANSER. Birds which we often find on this trip but did not see today were Red-necked Grebe and Rough-legged Hawk.
