VanCleef Lake, Martin Rd 3/22/25

Seven birders braved the chilly winds to see what might be found on our March 22 field trip when Lyn, Carol, Yang, Sue, Allyn, Steve & Lori met at Van Cleef Lake in Seneca Falls, looking for water birds, early migrators, and whatever else could be found.

The lake site was pretty quiet with 11 species. A song Sparrow held forth in a shrub just a few feet from us and a few of us had our FOY Osprey, tearing into its breakfast atop a utility pole.

We headed next to the Seneca Falls Regional Airport hoping to spot the Horned Larks that had been sighted a few days earlier exhibiting nest-building behavior, but no dice. We were able to claim a Turkey Vulture sighting, but we were very shortly on our way.

Next stop was the Canoga Cemetery, where we were delighted to see several species, including a flock of feeding Cedar Waxwings and a Golden Crowned Kinglet – good spotting, Sue!

To finish, we went lakeside where we saw large numbers of ducks and a flock of Tree Swallows. No luck finding the Red-headed Woodpecker, but we expect to see it a bit later in the season. 

As always a huge thank you to Lyn for keeping the list!

Hope to see you all out there again soon,

Lori VanKirk

Van Cleef Lake, Seneca, New York, US

Mar 22, 2025 8:06 AM - 8:48 AM

Protocol: Stationary

11 species

Canada Goose  11

Mallard  2

Mourning Dove  1

Ring-billed Gull  7

Osprey  1

Northern Flicker  1

American Crow  4

European Starling  7

American Robin  5

Song Sparrow  1

Red-winged Blackbird  2

Finger Lakes Regional Airport, Seneca, New York, US

Mar 22, 2025 9:07 AM - 9:12 AM

Protocol: Stationary

1 species

Turkey Vulture  2

Canoga Cemetery, Seneca, New York, US

Mar 22, 2025 9:23 AM - 9:55 AM

Protocol: Traveling

0.21 mile(s)

16 species

Mourning Dove  4

Turkey Vulture  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2

Northern Flicker  2

Blue Jay  1

Black-capped Chickadee  3

Golden-crowned Kinglet  1

White-breasted Nuthatch  2

Carolina Wren  1

European Starling  2

American Robin  5

Cedar Waxwing  5

Dark-eyed Junco  11

Red-winged Blackbird  1

Common Grackle  3

Northern Cardinal  1

Cayuga Lake waterfowl -- Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Canvasback, some species numbering up into the thousands, and a flock of Tree Swallows out over the lake.