Buffalo Area Birding
Long-tailed ducks
By: Pat Coate
Had a lot of fun on Monday birding in Buffalo with Joe and Bert. We started at the Erie Basin Marina where the focus was on gulls. Using their scopes, Joe and Bert picked out Glaucous and Iceland gulls from the more run-of-the-mill and abundant Herring and Ring-billed gulls; Great Black-backed were also present. Among the ducks were Canvasbacks, a life bird for me.
The next stop was the Lewiston Docks that were FILLED with very vocal Long-tailed (aka Old Squaw) ducks, and an assortment of gulls. A stop at the Lewiston Reservoir yielded a Snowy Owl on the ice, with a red fox lingering nearby possibly looking to poach the owl’s capture.
Long-tailed Ducks
A quick stop at the Devil’s Hole Overlook yielded no new gull species, so we moved on to Goat Island. There we picked up Lesser Black-backed gull and additional Glaucous and Iceland gulls. We also ran into a very friendly mixed flock of Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, Cardinals and Golden Crowned Kinglet.
It was a very enjoyable day that resulted in five life birds for me, and I am very grateful to Joe and Bert for sharing the day and their knowledge (and scopes) with me.
Joe with chickadee
And Bert with chickadee
Lewiston Docks
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