My camera was feeling a little neglected. With all the lakeside birding, there haven't been many opportunities to grab many photos so I decided to take it for a little spin around Tifft early this morning. I was glad I did; fall migrants were still around and I got some nice looks at a few.
The last time I saw a Fox Sparrow was in the spring under
my own feeder. Today, there were several all hanging out together. I had some wonderful views and I got to enjoy their beautiful songs when they weren't just chipping. I think they were my highlight of the day.
I got some close views of a couple of cute Carolina Wrens and I saw my first American Tree Sparrows of the season. White-throated Sparrows and both kinds of kinglets were still about and out on Lisa Pond, I had some Hooded Mergansers, Wigeon, and Gadwall. The Ring-necked Duck that's been at Tifft all summer now has some company. Five Ring-necked Ducks were on Beth Pond amongst several Mallards.
And then later on, when the work day was just about over, I got an invite to look for a Hudsonian Godwit that was found out in Hamlin, New York. I grabbed the opportunity and was happily rewarded with a very easy life bird. We pulled up to the field where other birders were gathered and they generously helped us get our scopes on the godwit right away. We had fair views of this shorebird as it foraged out in the mud and puddles of a farm field. A beautiful Black-bellied Plover was foraging along with the godwit as well as several Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Semipalmated Plover. Five Lapland Longspurs gave us a little thrill as they flew by us too.
Below is a poor digiscoped video of the Hudsonian Godwit foraging. Towards the end of the video, watch for the Semipalmated Plover crossing in front of it to get an idea of the godwit's size...
Photos from Tifft: