Date: 3/26/26 5:05 pm From: Shelley Page <shelleypage.imagine...> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] March 26 Thursday Birding Meetup Recap and Next Week Plans
Ah, spring! The Thursday Birding Meetup birders reveled in the sunny warmth
of this early spring morning at Dryden Lake today. It felt great to bird
without handwarmers, ski pants, snow boots and balaclavas. Eighteen of us
gathered on the platforms and along the lakeside trail to see 30 species, a
definite uptick in number reflecting the migration season starting out
(thanks for ebird, Tracy McLellan
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/423723264332161/user/100000604080233/?__cft__[0]=AZYnf3tamr20ZZiqPwEBJ8m_0upMmnwto3Na_ib_klms-x4Yi66o43N9eSTe_b__KLdnubGoxgfHPEXkLP8SVwxCbu09SrQ6fKieNFEVxZSnEiZiQX7HiTmGXBjcikC64Kui3GvVvQXycgf123WV9rjMEqAQIzVP3_V5jgSSuJ7E1Io9m2iblTCLd5kRLCBnIvNPbQcsyTibpH2YKohUPUvx&__tn__=-]K-R>).
We were treated to a veritable buffet of ducks and mergansers with 9
species represented including a raft of 22 American Wigeons, along with
five Horned Grebes popping up and down. Looking across the lake, we could
clearly view a Bald Eagle sitting on its nest--yay! We loved seeing our
first of year Belted Kingfisher and Eastern Phoebe. The woodland fringe
along the lake was alive with woodpecker drumming and spring songs being
sung by our resident woodland birds as well as the returning migrants. The
first brilliant yellow coltsfoot flowers graced the side of the trail,
another first of year spring treat. We lingered out in the balmy
temperatures for longer than usual, soaking in the promise of the season
before heading to the Corner Brew in Dryden for some breakfast and
conversation. All in all, a lovely morning!
Want to join us next week? Thursday, April 2 will be our first anniversary as
Cayuga Bird Club's weekly social birding group! Come out and celebrate with
us by seeing some awesome birds at the lake. All birders are truly warmly
welcomed! We'll be returning to Stewart Park, the site of our first
Thursday Birding Meetup. Note TIME CHANGE reflecting the seasonal changes
of light and bird activity: We will start at 7:00 am, a pattern we will
keep through October.
Shelley Page
*she/they/ki*
313-550-1437
261 Coddington Road Apt. B
Ithaca, New York 14850
https://uuma.zoom.us/j/2065380867 "All that you touch you Change. All that you Change changes you. The only
lasting truth is Change. God is Change." Octavia Butler, The Parable of the
Sower
