Of the recent unusual birds that have been reported, we did not see the spoonbill, phalaropes, willets or godwit. We also did not see the ibis during our survey, but Pete went out on his way home.  He got a quick glimpse of it flying into the north end of Seneca Flats before it disappeared into the vegetation. (The second unit on the right side of the Wildlife Drive as you travel northward.)

Seneca Flats had at least 8 different species of shorebirds.  They were very hard to identify due to the glare from the sun and an adult bald eagle that made several flights over the unit keeping the teal and shorebirds on the move. Pete did a great job despite the difficult conditions!!

Most of the birds found in the Main Pool were seen by carefully looking via spotting scope through the vegetation. We are starting to see areas in the Main Pool where the vegetation is beginning to relax and create openings. Hooray!! We wished that the bald eagle had flown over the Main Pool to flush up some of the birds out there, but that didn’t happen. I’m including a picture of some of the flowers still in bloom along the Wildlife Drive. The purple ones are asters, the pink ones are swamp-rose mallow and I’m pretty sure the yellow ones are yellow cone flowers. (Please feel free to correct me if I have misidentified them. I would like to be accurate.) Bald eagles are often seen in the air, perched along the Seneca-Cayuga Canal and in the spillway tree.  I’m also including a picture of the walnuts that have dropped to the ground at the south edge of the Tschache Pool parking area. Those should keep the squirrels busy for a while!!

Knox-Marsellus had at least 8 different species of shorebirds and 7 species of ducks. There was a peregrine falcon keeping the shorebirds and teal on the move making it difficult to count and identify birds! There were almost 100 sandhill cranes and almost 700 Canada geese.  Last Monday morning I happened to see the trumpeter swan family fly from one part of the marsh to another. That was the first time I had seen the cygnet fly.  Yesterday, the family was not seen, so I suspect they have moved on now that the cygnet can fly. Safe journey, it has been wonderful watching you raise your kid!

Between water saturating the stems and the hundreds of Canada Geese trampling the vegetation in the Visitors’ Center Wetland, it is getting easier to see birds there. Just as we were finishing up our survey on the VC deck, two peregrine falcons came swooping in performing what appeared to be courtship maneuvers. They definitely were not hunting. We and a couple of visitors were able to witness a beautiful, graceful, aerial display before they flew away!! AWESOME!!

There continues to be lots to experience at Montezuma!

ENJOY, be respectful and safe.