Montezuma NWR Day 1 Part 1

The birds started getting good at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca Falls, NY.  After watching the reports come in for over a week, a trip was brewing.  Based on the week's report my targeted birds were: American White Pelican, Marbled Godwit, Solitary Sandpiper, Sora, Sedge Wren, Wilson's Phalarope, Baird's Sandpiper and Sandhill Crane.  After getting amazing directions from Jay McGowan, I left NYC at 5:15 and pulled up to Tschache Pool, my first birding spot of the day, just before 10:30.  I quickly grabbed my gear, and climbed the stairs to the top of the tower.  A couple of birders alerted me to a pair of Trumpeter Swans just visible over the cattails.  Note from the second photo, the bill forms a distinct "V" and is not rounded which would make this dark billed swan a Tundra Swan and not a Trumpeter.  This is only the second time I have ever seen Trumpeter Swans.  The first time was earlier this year out in Eastern Long Island on Upper Lake in Yaphank where a pair used to winter until some stupid guy shot one of them with a shotgun.

Other birds of interest were families of American Coot and Pied-billed Grebe and a Common
Gallinule which gave its loud laughing call.  I have never seen the Coots nor the Pied-bills on breeding grounds, so observing the juvenile birds was a great experience.  This Pied-billed Grebe chick was swimming fairly close by.

Next stop was at Mays Point where a Red-headed Woodpecker nest was recently discovered.  Once again, this was only my second time seeing this species.  A few Purple Martins of various ages were roosting in a tree in back of the woodpecker nest. 






Even though these woodpeckers have to be one of prettiest birds, I did not want to hang around too long since most of my target birds were seen at my next location, Knox-Marsellus Marsh.  After a three minute drive, we bumped our way down the potholed Towpath Rd, until the brush was low enough to see out.  After a quick scan through all of the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets we found the one "fat egret", or the American White Pelican!  Unfortunately I could not relocate the regionally rare Marbled Godwit.  Other highlights from Knox-Marsellus included high counts of 78 Caspian Terns and over 800 Bank Swallows feeding on the wing over the marsh. 

I decided I would try for the Godwit later and made my way back to the Montezuma Visitor's Center to bird Wildlife Drive.  Since the Purple Martins had already fledged, the "Martin Apartment Complex" was vacant.  The only bird of note was a good one for a Long Island Birder, Solitary Sandpiper which flew across a drainage ditch.  In flight, it is easier to identify because it is superficially similar to Lesser Yellowlegs and juvenile Spotted Sandpiper.  While flying only Solitary Sandpipers have black barring on their white tail. 

Continue to follow my trip with Part 2...