A small, but hearty group (4) showed up at Vital Park for the annual December trip around the lake led by Nick Kachala and Jim Kimball. It was in the 20s with snow on the ground and light snow in the air. Duck hunters were out, with several flocks of decoys and numbers of ducks and gulls flushed up with gun shots. Nevertheless, we had a good birding day with 46 species in all. The most numerous, as expected on Conesus this time of year, were Redheads, both on the lake in rafts and then in flight as put up by hunters in boats. We had 194 Tundra Swans in all, most easily seen from Vitale parks; in the same area were the first of several Ruddy Ducks and Coots, among others – also as has become a regular on these trips, a Merlin perched up near the parking area. Less common or unexpected species included a Harrier, flying out over the lake, a pair of Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Pied-Billed Grebes, and an out-of-season Ruby-crowned Kinglet (at the Sliker Hill Rd. dike parking area.) Cold, but we had a good trip.
Jim Kimball
Our complete list:
Canada Goose 1865
Tundra Swan 194
Mallard 349
Am. Black Duck 42
N. Pintail 1
Canvasback 25
Redhead 2800
Ring-necked Duck 17
Scaup (sp.) 30
Long-tailed Duck 2
Bufflehead 38
Common Goldeneye 1
Hooded Merganser 200
Common Merganser 4
Ruddy Duck 36
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Horned Grebe 12
Mourning Dove 51
American Coot 60
Ring-billed Gull 200
Herring Gull 300
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper’s Hawk 3
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Merlin 1
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 30
Black-capped Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 15
European Starling 7
House Sparrow 9
American Goldfinch 5
American Tree Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 12
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 4
