Date: 1/29/26 12:05 pm From: Shelley Page <shelleypage.imagine...> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Jan 29 Thursday Birding Meetup and Feb 5 Plans
Yeah, we were out there today! The Thursday Birding Meetup shows up to bird even when it's zero, warming up to balmy single digits as the sun comes up. Our stated mission for the day was drive-by winter field birds but we immediately pivoted to Myer's Point after hearing that there might be some "good birds" there. So twelve birders descended on the point and we did see many birds beyond the usual Canada geese, mallards, assorted gulls and tundra swans. Common goldeneyes were out in force along with greater scaup, ring-billed ducks and both common and red breasted mergansers. The beautiful morning light made watching the liftoffs and landings a lovely distraction from our freezing bodies (some in our group came prepared to be in a car for the morning, not bundled up for arctic conditions). Two particular highlights stood out--two white-winged scoters and an eagle flushing the waterfowl in a flurry. We then shifted our attention to the original goal of finding snow buntings and horned larks on the backroads of Lansing. We hit pay dirt along Davis and Fenner Roads with these winter field birds along with tree and savannah sparrows, and juncos. Our hope was finding a Lapland Longspur but, alas, not this time. This is a great time to get out and do some car birding along the fields around Ithaca. The snow cover drives these lil cuties to the road areas and also along tracks of freshly laid manure. All in all, we saw 20 species over four locations--thank you, Tracy McLellan <https://www.facebook.com/groups/423723264332161/user/100000604080233/?__cft__[0]=AZaX3WfjwBT_Q0xm-f-_IDS77D1axc15hOUXvmON2AmHkdvacEwEf90vJ6jXfPxxFXT7uKTNu4Z6vZ9D46bVAmflQzX9tv5WcxJb4mAz4G1T7dmN7oZwS7c-_HtmFMCldTnGjKFmtyQuVAP-byIjNmea&__tn__=-]K-R>, for our ebirding. Not bad for a single digit morning! Eleven of us enjoyed breakfast at our usual Lansing hangout, the East Shore Roadhouse. Want to join us next week? We're going to Shindagin Hollow in search of evening grosbeaks and beyond. Meet us at 7:30 am--we bird until around 9 but you can leave earlier if you need to get to work or elsewhere. All birders warmly welcomed even if it's zero out there. From Ithaca, take 79 east. After passing Caroline elementary school about 0.5 mile, turn right on Boiceville Road. At the end turn left on Central Chapel Road. In 2.5 miles, turn left at a Y junction onto Shindagin Hollow Road. In 0.5 miles, the plowing ends at a snowplow turnaround. Do not park in the turnaround, but turn back and park along the road. Shelley Page *she/they/ki*
313-550-1437 261 Coddington Road Apt. B Ithaca, New York 14850
