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Autumn is in the air and the migrants are starting to arrive at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. This morning I attended a Cayuga Bird Club field trip that had permission to go out on the dike at Knox-Marcellus marsh, an area that is usually off limits.

Van Dyne Spoor marsh




Black-crowned Night Heron



Northern Shoveler and a Mallard (I think)






Pied-billed Grebe in winter colors



Great Blue Heron






Common Gallinule - this one was missing most of its bill and had a wound on its throat. It must have had a close encounter with a Peregrine Falcon or Bald Eagle...






The ducks are still pretty well hidden on the wildlife drive, but after a while some got spooked...there were an amazing number of swallows of several types as well.
Green-winged Teal






Not sure. Black Duck maybe? Edit: Northern Pintail






Mallards



The normally off limits dike at Knox-Marcellus gives you good views of a large number of shore birds, but you are still a long way away...

Terns and Gulls



Sand Pipers, I can identify one species Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs. The rest are just Peeps to me...



Some sort of plover maybe, I really don't know...






The other birders were all excited about the bigger peep, can't remember what they said it was...






A bird that should not be here... A White Pelican.






A pair...a second pelican showed up last week.









There was a Merlin in the area causing the peeps to be very nervous.






This is a Yellowlegs. A Greater I think.






Quite a size difference between these different waders...Great Egret & peeps.






Northern Harrier, the coloring identifies this as a juvenile.









It decided to check out the Black-crowned Night Herons...






I'm told this is a Whimbrel. All I saw was a brown spot in the grass...






On the way out I spotted a Monarch on the Goldenrod. I've only seen a few all year...