Photos from Montezuma NWR (Part 3)

There were lots of Ring-billed Gulls present on the pools and, being somewhat blase about this very common bird (roughly 99% of the gulls on the waters around Tioga County, PA are Ring-billed Gulls), we didn't spend much time looking them over for anything unusual. That being said, one group of gulls stood out like a sore thumb--and for good reason. They were NOT Ring-bills. One small group of Great Black-backed Gulls was sitting on the edge of one of the ditches.

Greater Black-backed Gull

Another common bird that we paid little attention to was the Mallard. However, I couldn't resist snapping this picture of a pair on the edge of one of the ditches. Notice the band on the leg of the hen.

Pair of Mallards

Out among the ducks in the pond were Tundra Swans, Green- and Blue-winged Teal, Black Ducks, Pintail, American Widgeons, Coots, Common Mergansers, Buffleheads, Redheaded Ducks and more. But in close to the shore or in the shallow mudflats were several other species.

Redhead and Shoveler in the flats

Ring-billed Ducks

The Montezuma Complex has a variety of habitats that will draw many different species of birds. This being our first visit, we concentrated on the Wildlife Refuge and the abundant waterfowl there, but we did scout out the Montezuma Audubon Center and the Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area (NY DEC) for future visits. The latter brags about the presence of nesting Sandhill Cranes which we did not see. The Howland Island area of the DEC property looks especially promising as a birding site during the spring and summer although access is by foot only and will require further scouting.