Date: 9/3/26 3:36 pm From: Shelley Page <shelleypage.imagine...> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Sept 3 Thursday Birding Meetup Recap and Next Week Plans
We savor access to Cayuga Lake and today's Thursday Birding Meetup appreciated the new Three Falls State Park (formerly Frontenac Point and Camp Barton Boy Scout Camp) with 26 species, some of which we didn't expect to see! This park offers easy flat fully accessible viewing of the lake and the nearby edge habitat including significant openings in the wooded area to reveal a variety of snags for bird perching and snacking. One can easily see many species on the lakeside and the wooded side, with great clear views both directions. The sixteen of us noticed a bald eagle surveying the lake in the morning light, right off the bat. It wasn't long after that several songbirds and lively woodpeckers revealed themselves including a Baltimore oriole, three scarlet tanagers, and an eastern wood peewee (great look at a not often seen bird!) among the usual birds we see all the time. Many birds were snacking on poison ivy berries and bugs. Starlings were out in force--we saw at least 20. The lakeside was busy, too with the usual mallards, cormorants, gulls, geese and two kingfishers. We wrapped up the morning with a surprise! We encountered a recently fledged cedar waxwing on the ground, acting bewildered and likely anxious to have one of its parents swoop down with a snack and reassurance. Check out the photos to see this little creature who was already sporting the signature yellow "wax" on its tail and a black mask starting to form on its face. Thanks Gwen Gallagher <https://www.facebook.com/groups/423723264332161/user/100003709552158/?__cft__[0]=AZg1yvClyFu9rzd9pM-hvQbdSmtJY30UE5TKAA2QOE96su24M-WnYJT6udvfPb0Rnbd3BGgSI3AaqOxmVMz_03OtOXpmCdiFQ1bfzS-LLqVWGJKNR4lILespB0Yo-AsvDLFVu1OVmO6enAFZ&__tn__=-]K-R> for today's ebird list! Several of us breakfasted at Falls Restaurant in Trumansburg, our go-to spot for west side apres-birding. Want to join us next week? Gather with us Thursday Sept 10 at 7:00 am at Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve. Directions from Ithaca: Take Route 13 South, then veer left on Rt 34/96 toward Spencer. Go about 8.5 miles. The parking lot will be on your left. To see the photos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cayugabirdclub Shelley Page *she/they/ki*
313-550-1437 261 Coddington Road Apt. B Ithaca, New York 14850
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