Mid-summer birding and man's (not Dan's) best friend

Work has been treating me badly of lately and hence it has been a while since I had birded Meadowside. Although I started at 7am the heat, mosquitos and inconsiderate dog walkers soon became a nuisance. A few things had changed since last time: pretty much all Tree Swallows had left the park. I assume they had finished their brood and start dispersing from here onwards. I was surprised to hear the 'chuk' call of two Orchard Orioles and get brief views of one female, perhaps they are breeding. The water levels at Lake Frank were pretty high, so my hopes of seeing shorebirds were quickly dashed. Just one word of caution: the consequences from last week's storm are obvious, uprooted trees etc. so be prepared to climb over and crawl under trees in your way. I then left the park and moved over to Blue Mash. 4 Least Sandpipers and 1 Spotted Sandpipers together with a handful of Killdeer were pretty much it. But the exposed mudflats should attract something more unusual soon - I am sure of it.
You pet lovers probably wonder what's wrong with me to keep mentioning my dislike of dogs and their owners. Well here it is- I really don't mind dogs so much...ah crap - screw this. I flipping hate dogs: they stink, they are flea-infested, they bark nonstop - do I really need to go on. But you are right I shouldn't hate on dogs. Instead it should be evident that the dog owners and not the dog itself is responsible for ill-behaviour. Well have it you ignorant wallybrains: Which part of the sign" Keep your dog on a leash' do you not understand?? And why do you assume that I love dogs and want to cuddle and touch them everytime you pass me? And why do I have to make way for you to pass because you feel so f*** superior with a carnivore under your control? And why must you yell childish phrases like 'come here' and 'get that' from the top of your voice (don't get me started on dog whistles); once upon a time the woods were a pieceful, tranquil place before 'Dumb and Lassie' invaded. Gosh, that felt so good!

One of 3 Green Herons at Blue Mash today

Escape from the storm

It was time for my monthly to bi-monthly trip to the Fingerlakes to visit the missus. The timing seemed just perfect as vicious storms hit Maryland on my way out leaving many homes at least temporarily without power. I managed to get my birding hit on Sunday morning starting on the wildlife drive of the Montezuma NWR. For a mid-summer day the birding was cracking with lots of activity at all corners of the reserve. I added a whopping 24 species to the year list; highlights being an American Bittern, Bobolinks, a single Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bonaparte's Gulls and an Alder Flycatcher on the towpath. A few shorebirds in the form of Least Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Spotted Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs were around. No sign of the Ruff that was seen last week, though. As ever this place amazes time after time and I just wished I could bird there more often. We are half-way through the year and the Montezuma year list stands at 92, the total patch list at 134.