The fall period gave birders in Region 1 hope that a strong winter 
irruptive movement was in the making, as early reports of Red-breasted 
Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks and 
both crossbills were recorded. The outcome of this activity will await the 
winter report. In any event, it was a positive start. 
Rare bird sightings for the period included a Western Grebe observed 
on 27 November in the Niagara River from the community of 
Youngstown in Niagara County by Donald Ford. This record, if accepted 
by NYSARC, will be the fifth for the state since the Western/Clark's 
Grebe split in 1985. Two Greater White-fronted Geese were located by 
Mike Morgante, Kurt Fox and Bill Watson at Iroquois National Wildlife 
Refuge near Batavia in Genesee County on 13 November. Tom O'Donnell 
scored a spectacular sighting of a Ross's Goose, also at Iroquois NWR, on 
11 November. Two reports of Parasitic Jaeger, accepted by the Buffalo 
Ornithological Society Records Committee, were received during the fall, 
one from Golden Hill State Park in Niagara County on 25 October by 
Brendan Klick and the second on 13 November from Lakeside Beach 
State Park in Orleans County by Kurt Fox. Both reports came from the 
south shore of Lake Ontario, which has been an excellent area for jaeger 
sightings over the years. As expected, the Niagara River region, already 
respected worldwide for its gathering of gulls in winter, produced again 
with an observation of a California Gull by Willie D'Anna and Brendan 
Klick at Devil's Hole State Park on 7 November. Reports of this gull con¬ 
tinued through the month from several locations along the river. A 
Loggerhead Shrike, located in the Town of Somerset in Niagara County 
on 17 October by Sue and Tom O'Donnell, was one of very few reports of 
this species in recent years in this Region. Ten Bohemian Waxwings 
were reported on 30 October at Golden Hill State Park by Willie D'Anna 
and Bill Watson and four to nine were spotted at Fort Niagara State Park 
over the period 21-29 November, beginning with the annual Niagara 
River field trip led by Bob Brock. Finally, Richard and Dorothy Rosche 
observed an adult male Brewer's Blackbird in the Town of Orangeville 
in Wyoming County on 27 October, a first record for that county. 
Other significant sightings for the period included: Least Bittern on 30 
October, tying the late date; Northern Goshawk at two locations; 
Northern Saw-whet Owl at the third earliest fall date on 6 October, unfor¬ 
tunately picked up after fatally striking a window; Common Raven in 
the Town of Charlotte in Chautauqua County; White-crowned Sparrow 
arriving early on 19 September and Evening Grosbeak observed by 
William Horne on 24 September, setting a new early arrival date for that 
species. 
46 
The Kingbird 2000 March; 50(1) 
