Chirps and Cheeps

Sometimes October can bring in some good birds!  True to form, we had a few rarities while we got to enjoy the last of the passerine migration and watch as geese and ducks began their movements through the region.

I think my best sighting of the month was of a small flock of Brant down near the lake shore. I had just arrived one morning and looked up to eleven geese-like birds flying relatively low overhead. They didn't call but my immediate sense was Brant. My camera settings were all wrong for a flyover, but I took a few shots anyway, hoping to confirm my suspicions.  After enhancing the photos later on, I was 99.9% sure they were Brant, but sent the photos over to Andy Guthrie just to be sure. Andy replied that they were, indeed, Brant - a county bird for me.  Brant were reported a few places in Western New York that day - the winds were just right, I guess!

Another great sighting, a little birthday gift for me, was that of a juvenile Golden Eagle. This bird graced me with low, lazy circles as he flew overhead just as I was finishing up some birding down by the waterfront. Wow! You couldn't ask for a better gift!

The month ended on a real high from the BOS trip to Cape May.  I'll post about that next.  Below are some photos of  the birds I was able to capture with my camera...