Hi Guys,

 My wife had to work this afternoon, so on a lark, I took a drive up 95
today. Stopping at the observation deck in Funk Bottoms, I saw a couple
Belted Kingfishers, and not much else. I wasn't expecting to see a lot of
birds. This isn't the best time of the year, and it was the middle of the
day. Leaving Funk Bottoms, I continued on up to Killbuck and parked at the
end of Carrie Lane (W. Messner Rd. on Google Earth) I hiked through the
briars and crawled through the brambles down to the edge of the marsh, and
it was worth it! I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk, a Great Blue Heron, a huge flock
of Canada Geese, several groups of ducks, (American Black Ducks? I'm not
sure, they definitely had blue secondaries and were mostly dark everywhere
else.) And then just as I was ready to leave, four Sandhill Cranes erupted
from the bushes at the edge of the water! At least I THINK they were
Sandhills. It was overcast, all I could see was their silhouettes against
the clouds. They appeared to be mostly gray, were as big, or bigger than a
Great Blue Heron and flew with their necks outstretched. I couldn't tell if
they had red crests or not. They were quite vocal, and I can only describe
the sound they made as a loud croaking sound. Also saw a small raptor,
(Kestrel maybe?) as well as numerous Gray Catbirds, Cardinals and
Goldfinches. I thought I'd see more Red-Winged Blackbirds, but I only saw
one, maybe they've all gone south? There was a constant parade of
Starling-sized birds heading south in groups of 6-30, occasionally stopping
to rest in the trees, couldn't identify them either. I really need to find
some experienced birders to tag along with. I'm having fun teaching myself
the art and the science of birding, but I know I'm missing a LOT! Anyway, it
was a fun afternoon, and then I went home and watched some FOOTBALL! What a
great autumn day.

Cheers,

Brian




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